Time to Soar?

I admit it. I’m a Hawks season-ticket holder. So what? There are a few hundred of us in the city. And contrary to what your snickers may indicate, there are some perks to the membership. Tonight is one. There’s an NBA draft “party” going on at Philips Arena. All Atlanta fans –yes, there are a few thousand- are welcome to the free event, but season-ticket holders are given vouchers for free parking and tickets for goodies at the concession stand. (FYI, my cheese pizza and Sprite would’ve cost $10 if I were just some Joe Schmo off the street. Thanks, Hawks management!)

Here are a few things I noticed about the festivities in between bites…

-Hawks forward Josh Smith is in the building and he’s walking around, giving every person who extends his/her hand some dab. J-Smooth is an aiight dude.

-On the second level of Philips Arena, they have this area called the Philips Experience, with all these interactive games and a wall of TVs and stuff. Basically people just kinda chill here before events or during the semi-regular Hawks blowout loses. Anyways, tonight it happens to be draft headquarters, I guess. When they show the ESPN coverage on the screens, the feed’s slightly off, making the sound and commentators’ lips out-of-sync. Man, that’s annoying.

-Just looking around, it appears there are about 1,000 folk mingling about before Andrea Bargnani’s name is called to Toronto. The laid-back crowd’s a pleasant mix of blacks, whites, folks in suits and folks in Air Force Ones.

-Hawks Vice President of Basketball Dominique Wilkins is also in attendance. ‘Nique’s signing jerseys and 8x10s for the kids. I also here that he’s going to announce the Hawks pick a couple of minutes before David Stern does. Too bad the city’s known the team’s choice would be Duke’s Shelden Williams for the past two weeks.

-Fans are screaming after every pick. “…the Charlotte Bobcats take Adam Morrison.” Ehhhhhhhhh! See what I’m talking about?

-There are three or four carnival-style basketball games set up around the place. The kids seem to like it. Can’t knock the organization for at least attempting to keep things light and upbeat.

-As promised, Dominique announces the No. 5 pick before Stern even pops from behind his secret lil’ room. And as speculated, we get the Robin to J.J. Redick’s Batman. Hope this cat is the rebounding monster he appeared to be against North Carolina State and Wake Forest last season. Folks boo like they just heard the names Ed Gray or Priest Lauderdale or Roshown McLeod. (Damn, the Hawks have screwed this draft thing up before, huh?)

-My pizza’s finished. So, too, appears this party. By the time the Commish gets to picks 8 and 9, most of the folk have left the arena. Guess that means nobody wants to see who the Hawks grab at No. 33? Of course, I ponder the thought as I’m walking to my car…