December 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Today at Philips Jeff Teague pulled up for a 3-pointer but Marvin Williams reached up and got a piece of the ball as it left Teague's hand. As Teague ran to collect the ball, he told Marvin: "I'm not used to you being that tall." Teague was joking, but not really. Marvin's posture really did look more upright than usual. He appeared to move more fluidly. And, most importantly, Marvin says back surgery alleviated the pain that has nagged him after he's taken some spills over the last few years."
March 29
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marvin Williams and Jamal Crawford share Seattle roots and laidback personalities. More germane to the Hawks' playoff aspirations, both players have the potential to point their team to a first-round upset. As both work their way through inconsistent seasons, Hawks coach Larry Drew has been trying to unlock both players in time for the postseason. So are Williams and Crawford. They've got eight games remaining in the regular season, starting with Orlando on Wednesday night at Philips Arena. "So each and every night, it's something Jamal and I talk about," Williams said. "We just want to bring a little bit more to this team to kind of get us over the hump." On Sunday against an over-matched"
March 28
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Unfortunately for the Hawks, there don't seem to be any provisions in the NBA rulebook that would allow them to play the worst teams in the league in the playoffs. After repeatedly getting rolled in March by the league's best, the Hawks have made quick work of two teams bringing up the NBA's rear on consecutive nights. Sunday, the dupes were the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom the Hawks beat 99-83 at Quicken Loans Arena. "I don't care who we've played," said Marvin Williams, who led the Hawks with a season-high 31 points. "The way we have been playing as of late, we could have played a high school team in Atlanta. A win is a win." Since losing four of five and eight of their previous 11, the"
February 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Mark Bradley
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Doubtless you've read the post by esteemed colleague Michael Cunningham in which Larry Drew says he's contemplating a lineup change for his Atlanta Hawks. Which sounds fine. But who should sit? Drew has already made one lineup tweak, choosing to start Jason Collins at center and moving Al Horford to power forward. (Drew does this only on occasion, usually when Marvin Williams is out, which he often is.) This has helped bump up Horford's scoring average by two points a game, but when you've got Collins as your center, somebody else had better shoot. To say that minor alteration has galvanized the Hawks would be incorrect. They're about the same, give or take, as they've been since Mike"
February 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams said he doesn't expect any carryover from his scuffle with Knicks counterpart Shawne Williams when the teams meet again in a couple weeks. But coach Larry Drew thinks the fracas with New York on Friday could have some positive effects on the perception of his team's toughness. "I really do," Drew said. "I don't condone fighting in any shape, form or fashion. But I know this is a game where emotions do get high. The one thing as a team, you don't want to be labeled a 'soft' team. ... You don't want to be put into a situation where you feel things got tough and you backed away because that [reputation] will carry around the league." That Williams was the Hawk to"
January 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams was not at the American Airlines Center, having been suspended for two games without pay for throwing a punch Friday night at the New York Knicks' Shawne Williams. The NBA's decision came down Saturday afternoon before the Hawks played Dallas. Any player who throws a punch, as Williams did with less than a minute to play in the Hawks' win over New York, is automatically ejected, suspended for at least one game and fined. Williams will be available for the Hawks' game Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Said coach Larry Drew: "The situation happened. The league made a ruling, and we have to live with it." Williams was not available for comment."
January 27
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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For the first time since Dec. 29, all hands were on deck for the Hawks. Forward Marvin Williams returned from an 11-game absence because of a back contusion. Forward Al Horford came back from missing two games for a sprained ankle, and backup forward Josh Powell was on the bench after a one-game suspension. Williams was ready to go after being out for about 3 1/2 weeks. Without anything to do but rehab, "I was miserable," Williams said. "I feel bad for my cousin and my brother because they had to put up with me." Horford, back after missing his first two games of the season, likewise was ready to return."
January 25
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Their pride restored after an embarrassing defeat, the Hawks now look forward to renewed health. Center Al Horford (ankle) and forward Marvin Williams (back) appear set to return for Atlanta's game at Milwaukee on Wednesday. Joe Johnson (knee) and Josh Smith (knee) sat out practice Monday but both continued to play after incurring their injuries and should be fine. If all four players suit up at Milwaukee, Atlanta would have its regular starting lineup available for the first time since Dec. 29. "For the most part, I think everybody is going to be OK," Hawks coach Larry Drew said Monday. "Should have everybody back tomorrow." The Hawks won 103-87 at Charlotte on Saturday, the night after"
January 1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams will miss at least four games after suffering a lower back injury. Williams fell hard to the floor during the Hawks' victory against Golden State on Wednesday and sustained what the team said is a bruise. Hawks coach Larry Drew said an MRI on Thursday showed no further damage. With Williams out, Drew shifted Josh Smith to small forward to start against the Thunder on Friday. Jason Collins started at center and Al Horford moved to power forward. Williams will be evaluated when the Hawks return from their four-game road trip Jan. 6. He sat out four games with a bone bruise in a knee earlier this season. Once he sits out the four games, the Hawks' total games"
December 23
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams was back in the starting lineup Wednesday. It is a spot he'd far more prefer than his station Monday, when he came off the bench in the Hawks' win over Orlando. "I'll be honest with you," Williams said. "I didn't like it, but I have to live with it." Williams has been a mainstay in the Hawks' starting five since his second season, 2006-2007. Until Monday, he had started all but three of the 311 regular-season games he'd played in since that year and those three were injury-related. At Orlando, coach Larry Drew started center Jason Collins, forwards Al Horford and Josh Smith and guards Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson. Typically, the lineup has been Horford at"
November 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks coach Larry Drew said starting small forward Marvin Williams could miss up to two weeks because of the knee injury he suffered Wednesday at Detroit. Williams has a bone bruise in his right knee. He will be examined later this week. "After the first week, it will be about how much he can tolerate the pain," Drew said. Drew said he doesn't know when reserve forward Mo Evans (knee) would return; Evans hasn't played since the season opener at Memphis. With Williams and Evans out, Drew has had to go without a true small forward. His solution has been to start power forward Josh Smith at the position with center Al Horford at power forward and reserve Jason Collins at center. At times Drew"
August 7
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams always assumed the paparazzi was only for Hollywood types. That is until the NBA version found its way to his doorstep this summer. There were at least two premature reports about Williams, a restricted free agent, agreeing to and signing a new deal with the Hawks. "It was crazy to look on the Internet and see stuff about me signing with the Hawks or that I was staying with the Hawks," Williams said Thursday. "Yet there was never anyone quoted. It was always some anonymous person saying it was done or saying it was going to happen. "The truth of the matter is, I still haven't signed, yet." That's a technicality Williams expects to take care of Friday"
July 29
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marvin Williams will remain a Hawk, according to a report by Marc Spears on Yahoo! Sports. Hawks general manager Rick Sund would not confirm a deal had been reached Wednesday night, but the sides seem very close to a signed contract. (Indeed, that's the word Williams used in a text message to AJC colleague Sekou Smith on Wednesday — "close." And Williams told Sekou via text he's hopeful something works out.) The proposed contract, Spears reported, is for "about $40 million over five seasons," although that $40 million is believed to include incentives. As a restricted free agent, Williams could have accepted the Hawks' qualifying offer of $7.5 million and become an unrestricted free agent"
July 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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The word spreading around the NBA summer league in Las Vegas is that Marvin Williams and the Hawks have agreed to terms on a new deal (so say our friends at hoopsworld.com). That would be news to Williams. "Somebody is lying to them," Williams said via text message Sunday afternoon. "That's not true." As reported here last week, the Hawks are working hard to get something done. But it's not done. Not yet. In defense of the folks at HOOPSWORLD, their headline ("Marvin Williams gets his deal") reads much stronger than the actual text of their item, which clearly states that "sources" told them that the sides are "close" to a new deal. It makes sense that they heard that. Everybody in this"
May 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks coach Mike Woodson used Tuesday morning's shootaround practice to take a final look at forward Marvin Williams to make sure he was ready to play after missing four of the final five games of the Miami series and playing only five minutes in Game 6. While Williams' right wrist remains an issue, both Woodson and Williams believe he can play limited minutes and help try to slow down LeBron James and the rest of Cleveland's frontcourt rotation. "I'm going to start working him back in with some minutes now that we're in a new series," Woodson said. "He told me this morning he was good to go, so we've got to try to work his minutes up, at least to 20 minutes. If I can give him more I'll"
April 30
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
Win or lose this first-round playoff series, the Hawks likely will have to do it without starting small forward Marvin Williams. He missed his third consecutive game Wednesday night at Philips Arena, and both he and Hawks coach Mike Woodson acknowledged that Williams' sprained right wrist "will probably" cost him the remainder of the series. Woodson said the fact that Williams can't use his right hand on either end of the floor prevents Woodson from using him in any capacity. When asked if he thought Williams would see the floor before the end of the series, Woodson was glib. "Probably not," he said. "We have to concentrate on getting him healthy for whatever lies ahead." Williams tried to"
April 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams will play Friday night against Indiana at Philips Arena, ending his 16-game stint on the inactive list with a lower back injury. "He will dress, and he will play," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said after Friday morning's shootaround practice. The Hawks have been without their starting small forward since he injured his back late in a March 7 victory against Detroit. The Hawks went 10-6 without Williams in the lineup, using Mo Evans and Zaza Pachulia with the starting group. Evans will not be with the team tonight. He is out of town dealing with a family matter. Williams returned to practice for the first time Monday and went through a rugged scrimmage session with"
April 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marvin Williams has to clear just one last hurdle before returning to action for the Hawks. Depending on how he feels at Thursday's shoot-around practice, Williams could suit up against Indiana Friday night, Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "We're going to see how he feels after shoot-around and then we'll gauge it from there and see what he wants to do," Woodson said. "If he tells me he's ready to go, we'll make a decision as to what we're going to do with him." Williams went through a rugged half-court workout with some teammates Thursday as Woodson and the Hawks training staff watched every second. Williams has missed the Hawks' last 16 games with a lower back injury. "We just wanted to"
April 6
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marvin Williams joined Hawks teammates during the light contact portion of practice Monday. That doesn't mean Williams is going to return immediately, but it was his first live work in a month. He injured his lower back late in a March 7 win over Detroit and hasn't played or practiced since. Now with the Hawks on a three-game losing streak and desperate for a spark, there he was Monday, much to the delight of his coaches and teammates, back in the mix. "Our training staff isn't going to allow me to do anything I shouldn't be doing," Williams said. "They know what's best. Obviously, I want to get back out there as soon as I can to help my team. And my back feels well." Williams is still"
March 13
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams will not undergo surgery on his injured lower back and could play again this season. Williams said he will undergo weeks of intensive rehabilitation after being examined by specialists at Duke University Wednesday. He wants to return before the Hawks wrap up the regular season April 15. "It's going to be anywhere from four to six weeks," Williams told the Journal-Constitution Thursday. "I'm going to dive into this treatment, make sure I get good rest and hopefully get back out there." Williams said specialists recommended he take the "conservative" approach and opt for treatment and rehabilitation over surgery."
March 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams saw specialists at Duke University about the lower back injury that could sideline him for the rest of the season. But there was noon his condition before the Hawks faced Utah at Philips Arena on Wednesday night. As far as replacements for Williams, for however long he is out, Woodson said they would come from within. Veteran swingman Mo Evans started in place of Williams for the second consecutive game. Coach Mike Woodson dismissed any talk of the Hawks scouring the market for a replacement if Williams does have to miss the remainder of the season. "What you see is what you get," he said. "And that hasn't been all bad lately. I thought our guys off the bench"
March 12
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
No one came out and said it. They didn't have to for everyone start talking about it. But everyone wants to know, is Marvin Williams done for the season? Is the lower back injury that the cost him Monday's game against New Orleans going to cost him the rest of his season? We were told he will be out "indefinitely," with more opinions from specialists being sought. Yet Hawks coach Mike Woodson's entire demeanor changed when speaking about Williams in the postgame session after the Hawks' 89-79 defeat of the Hornets. "He's going to seek a few more opinions about his back and then I'm sure he'll make a decision after that and then we'll know," Woodson said when asked about his starting small"
March 11
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Marvin Williams can't remember exactly what happened. However, if a back injury costs the Hawks' starting small forward significant time, you can bet he'll go over one play in his mind again and again. "I remember getting up off the floor and coming back down on defense and my back just locked up," Williams said about a play Saturday against Detroit. Williams, who is listed as out indefinitely, is scheduled to see specialists at Duke University Wednesday. A final decision on his status could come by the end of the week. Surgery could be an option. Williams missed Monday's win over New Orleans. He'll sit out Wednesday's game against Utah at Philips Arena. He could potentially miss many more"
March 10
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Word that Marvin Williams could be out for weeks with a lower back injury swept through the Hawks' locker room like a storm before Monday's game against New Orleans at Philips Arena. "Man, that's a tough pill to swallow right there," Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson said. "Every time we get over one hurdle it seems like another one pops up." Williams sustained the injury late in Saturday's home win over Detroit and was held out the entire fourth quarter. He is scheduled to see specialists this week, Hawks coach Mike Woodson said, and his status will not be updated until after those visits. "This is a huge blow," Woodson said before Monday's game. "Marvin's been such a big part of"
January 24
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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Hawks forward Marvin Williams returned to the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks after missing two games with concussion symptoms. "He had his first full day of practice [Thursday] and said he was ready to get back out there," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said. "I'm going to stick him back in there and let him get his feet wet and see what happens." Williams was injured a week ago during the Hawks' 119-114 loss to Golden State. After taking a shot to the head he fell and hit his head on the floor. Williams was kept overnight at an Oakland hospital and did not return to Atlanta with his teammates from their three-game Western Conference road trip. The Hawks won both"
January 20
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It had been three days since Marvin Williams suffered a concussion against Golden State and spent the night in an Oakland- area hospital and still his head was hurting to the same degree Monday. "My head feels pretty much the same as it did when I first did it," Williams said in the Hawks locker room Monday. He was planning to watch the Toronto game from the bench. Williams is expected to miss Tuesday's game in Chicago and will be doing well to make it back for the Milwaukee game on Friday. "Once my head stops hurting, they said I can get my heart rate up and see if my head hurts when my heart rate gets up," he said. Williams took a blow across the forehead from Ronny Turiaf Friday night,"
January 19
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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It had been three days since Marvin Williams suffered a concussion against Golden State and spent the night in an Oakland- area hospital and still his head was hurting to the same degree Monday. "My head feels pretty much the same as it did when I first did it," Williams said in the Hawks locker room Monday. He was planning to watch the Toronto game from the bench. Williams is expected to miss Tuesday's game in Chicago and will be doing well to make it back for the Milwaukee game on Friday. "Once my head stops hurting, they said I can get my heart rate up and see if my head hurts when my heart rate gets up," he said. Williams took a blow across the forehead from Ronny Turiaf Friday night,"
October 22
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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When Marvin Williams first saw that the Hawks' preseason schedule he thought it was a joke. After all, it included a three-game road trip the first week and a trip to Detroit as the finale. "Who would do that?" he said. "You play at Orlando, then Phoenix and then Portland (in Kansas City) in the span of five days and it already feels like one of our long road trips during the [regular] season. There's nothing 'preseason' about it." With a daunting 10 of their first 16 regular-season games on the road, the Hawks couldn't have asked for a better cheat sheet than that preseason slate. It concludes tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills against the Pistons. Despite his professed desire to win"
October 9
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"
With five returning starters from a playoff team, someone has to be the target of opposing teams. Someone has to be identified as the weakest link, the one player on the Hawks' roster who can be attacked - physically and perhaps even schematically - in the hope that he will break down and the entire team will falter. Wednesday night in Phoenix the Suns targeted Hawks small forward Marvin Williams. And Williams made them pay, outlasting the rest of the starters on both teams in the final minutes with plays that helped the Hawks secure the 100-96 victory. Williams finished with a team-high 19 points to go with six rebounds, four assists and a body full of sore muscles courtesy of the"