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KG4MVP2 · 11-22-2007, 10:04 AM

in limited time he has looked pretty good wat r ur thoughts about him?

**Peja Vu** · 11-25-2007, 10:37 PM

He has looked pretty good at times on offense but his defense needs a lot of improvment, and that will hopefully come if he can get some consistent minutes.

**Peja Vu** · 11-26-2007, 12:16 AM

A tall order: Kings rookie center Hawes tries to live up to high expectations

Quote:

He grew up being able to see the future.

As a boy, Spencer Hawes' dream was to become a basketball star. He could look to his father and, especially, his uncle for constant affirmation that it could happen.

As a high school junior, the dream developed. And he could stand in the backyard and gaze at the University of Washington across Lake Union.

Hawes was raised in Queen Anne, a neighborhood just north of downtown, and was brought up with limitless possibilities.

His family name was synonymous with Seattle basketball. His high school team had two future NBA lottery picks his junior season and won the state championship the next, and he was a major recruit for the Huskies. Being encouraged by his parents to think on his own would come into play as well.

It happened in such a cozy way, his going from Queen Anne to Sacramento King. Home to Seattle Prep in about a mile, home to UW in two, home to Uncle Steve's house in a mile.

The NBA, ordinarily transition enough, is also his first move outside Seattle. As if that isn't enough, it comes with the spotlight as the No. 10 pick in the draft and the planned successor to Vlade Divac and incumbent Brad Miller, two All-Star centers for the Kings.

Just to increase the expectations, Hawes missed training camp and his first five NBA games because of a knee injury that eventually required surgery.

On the other hand:

"I don't think it's any different than what he experienced the last three years," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.

Basketball in their blood

He was already the next in line.

Jeff Hawes, Spencer's father, was the highest-scoring high school player in the state in his division as a senior and played forward at Washington. Steve Hawes, Spencer's uncle, played at Washington and 10 seasons in the NBA for five teams as a forward, including 1975-76 with the Portland Trail Blazers and teammate Geoff Petrie – the Kings' basketball president.

When you're a Hawes, you're tall and you're in Seattle, it's an automatic spotlight.

Spencer Hawes already had the trumpeted arrival. He developed into a college recruit of national prominence before his junior season at Seattle Prep. He was named the No. 1 prospect in the West as a senior in the prestigious annual survey by the Long Beach Press-Telegram and chose Washington over North Carolina, with Stanford third.

During his junior season, Hawes' Seattle Prep team, which included 2005 lottery pick Martell Webster, failed to qualify for the state playoffs in its division. Seattle Prep and Hawes won the state title the next year without Webster.

And there was the college setback. As a freshman, he lost 20 pounds while battling a stomach virus, though he missed only one game. He still finished fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference in shooting and third in blocks.

All this before he was an NBA lottery pick and the second center off the board, behind No. 1 overall selection Greg Oden.

"It's not all been fireworks and glory," Steve Hawes said. "He's had to keep his head above water when times have been tough."

A competitive desire

All fireworks and glory? They know better around Queen Anne.

He is not actually Spencer Hawes, for one thing. His name is Spencer Reynvaan-Hawes, hyphenated to include his mother's maiden name. He pulls out his Washington driver's license to prove it. The shortened version he uses in everyday life is to avoid complications.

Hawes, before he became a basketball millionaire at age 19 and a major investment for the Kings, waded in conflict. His mother, Lisa, said, "He came out arguing."

All the Haweses are fiercely driven, not just the ones who gained recognition. It's just that Spencer swung his competitiveness with intelligence and wit.

Spencer was worldly, having traveled abroad for family vacations and for basketball, and conversations at home would center around current events. Sometimes he would instigate solely for the chase, even if it meant offering opinions he didn't truly believe.

"That drew him," Lisa said. "He knew he would be in the minority. He found early on he could stand up and talk people into the ground. He likes the debate."

"And to bait," Jeff Hawes immediately added.

Spencer loved the competition so. He would inflame and laugh to himself at the same time. If someone could poke him back, all the better for the spirited moment.

One of the assistant coaches at Seattle Prep, seizing on the personality, would push Hawes during practice by referencing the infallible greatness of Oden.

"Oden's not missing shots like that."

"I'm not sure you could get in a pickup game with Oden now."

'An easy kid to coach'

At Washington, teammate Jon Brockman would roll his eyes in sighing response to some comment of the moment. Brockman would do it in a disbelieving, joking way, but it would stoke Hawes even more.

"Spencer, he's a unique dude," said Webster, the Trail Blazers' starting small forward. "But you've got to understand him for who he is. He's a smart kid. Very intelligent.

"His joking around may seem like he's just being (a jerk). But he's really not. He's really a good guy. I grew up with him, played high school ball with him. Cool, cool. Really funny, too. Some people just don't understand."

Said Mike Kelly, the Seattle Prep coach: "I don't know how strategic he was at 17, trying to rile people. But I do know that he didn't hesitate to speak his mind.

"But as the basketball coach, I never got the sense he was trying to get out of line to test the boundaries. One of the things I always liked about him was that you knew where you'd stand with Spencer. You always knew. He's consistent. He was an easy kid to coach."

Yet even Kelly had to answer questions about Hawes.

"Could I walk into the teacher's lounge as the basketball coach and hear someone say, 'What the hell is up with Spencer?' Yeah, that could happen. Does he open his mouth sometimes and you just cringe? Yeah. The words I would use would be, Spencer, can you just have some more tact?"

Hawes recalls all this with pride, but he recognized he was mostly going for a reaction. A smirk sometimes broke out even if the victim of the moment didn't see it.

That made it easy to dial down his attitude as a freshman and as an NBA rookie.

He arrives on a team that has not yet fully committed to the next generation. But he is also in an ideal spot because he used to pattern his game after Miller and the Spurs' Tim Duncan. Now he gets to learn directly from Miller.

Spencer Hawes can still see the future.

**Peja Vu** · 11-27-2007, 03:05 PM

Earning time

Quote:

Spencer Hawes went looking for Kings coach Reggie Theus on Sunday, wanting to discuss his limited playing time and how he could get more.

In essence, he was told to earn it.

The Kings rookie center may have done that against the Spurs, as he hit his first three shots upon entering in the second quarter and even blocked a shot. After hitting a three-pointer, Hawes blocked Fabricio Oberto's shot – a key considering Theus wants him to contribute consistently on the defensive end. He then hit two 20-footers to put the Kings up 35-31. The seven minutes of action in that short stint neared his 11.1 minutes per game average coming in, yet he finished with just 10.

Theus said he's hesitant to play Hawes more, in part, because he doesn't think Hawes is fully recovered from his October arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

HB · 11-27-2007, 03:08 PM

Its a tough situation for a big man to be in

Chan · 11-27-2007, 07:54 PM

I like how Theus is making him earn minutes even though he is the only true center on the team. Downside is who he's practicing against. Miller and Moore both have tremendous flaws in their man defense.

KG4MVP2 · 11-28-2007, 10:16 AM

i just hope hawes doesnt become a big white stiff cuz i would like hime to become the great white giant!!! lol

**Peja Vu** · 11-28-2007, 03:30 PM

Thorpe's Rookie Watch

Quote:

In a clear "sign of the times," the best shooter in this class might be 7-foot center Spencer Hawes, the Kings' slow but deadly 10th overall pick. He has a quick release and lots of confidence. Although he's far from NBA-ready from an athletic perspective, he's just 19 years old, so I expect he'll be a much better athlete by the time he's 22, unless he pulls a Robert Swift and gets too big.

**Peja Vu** · 11-30-2007, 08:48 PM

Spencer Notches First Month in NBA

Quote:

How does it feel to have completed your first month in the NBA?
"It feels good. It's nice to get the ups and downs out of the way and just move on (from the arthroscopic knee surgery). I just want to keep making progress and get back to 110 percent."

Has it been hard to get acclimated to the NBA road schedule?
"It's tough. But it's not like we're flying commercial and have to do that whole gig. As hard as it is, they make it as easy on us as they possibly can."

Have you been hanging out with your teammates at all?
"Beno lives by me, so I've seen a lot of him off the court. I've also hung out with Brad, Justin and some of the younger guys."

What has it been like having Brad take you under his wing?
"It's been great for me. Especially being similar players, not the same, but similar types of players. So to learn from him on the court as well as how he handles himself off the court, in different situations, it's good to learn from a first-class guy like him."

When relating to Beno's travels, have you had a chance to do some traveling in your young age?
"Yeah, I've been to Europe four times. I haven’t been to Slovenia, but I've been close, so I'm well traveled."

You stepped out and hit a 3-pointer against the Spurs. What was that like knocking down the long ball?
"I hadn't hit a three in a game since we (the University of Washington) played USC last year. It was the end of overtime and we were down three. And the coach drew up a play for me to shoot a three. I thought it was backwards (laughs). I was like - you want me to shoot it? That was the last time I hit one. I didn't even shoot threes my senior year of high school. So it's been a while since I've seen one go down in a game."

Have you noticed the great support you've received from the Kings fans?
"They're real supportive, whether we're playing well or not. And we have to keep working for us and for them."

KG4MVP2 · 12-01-2007, 11:24 AM

ay thanks for updating this thread with stories on Hawes!! i appriciate it man

**HKF** · 12-01-2007, 11:44 AM

The thing is, the Kings need to make trades soon. I expect them to be active by the deadline.

**Tom** · 12-01-2007, 11:49 AM

Hawes reminds me of the fella who played last for the Rockets a few years ago...He passed away.

Poor man's Brad Miller.

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