Nets trade for Deron Williams
 

ATLANTA -- The struggling Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Kirk Hinrich from Washington in a five-player trade Wednesday, upgrading their backcourt for the playoff run.The Hawks also received forward Hilton Armstrong in exchange for guard Mike Bibby, rookie guard Jordan Crawford, swingman Maurice Evans and a first-round pick in this year's draft.The Hawks have lost four out of five games and slipped to fifth in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. Atlanta Hawks Jerseys Not only do they have to worry about catching the teams ahead of them; the sixth-place New York Knicks, who began the night five games behind Atlanta, made one of biggest splashes ahead of Thursday's trade deadline by acquiring Denver star Carmelo Anthony.The 32-year-old Bibby had lost a step defensively and was no longer the creative force offensively he was in his younger days. Hawks coach Larry Drew had hoped second-year player Jeff Teague would take on a larger role at the point, but he was averaging less than 12 minutes a game.
Bibby was averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 assists. The Hawks gave up some depth on their bench by dealing Evans (4.5 points a game) and Crawford (4.2), but clearly felt it was worth the expected improvement at the crucial point position.It was clear a deal was imminent when Hinrich was scratched from the Washington lineup just before a game in Philadelphia against the 76ers. He and Armstrong watched the first half from the bench, but neither came out with the team for the second half.Crawford is 47-of-135 (35 percent) from the field in his past 12 games, well below his season average of 42 percent. In four of his past seven games Crawford has failed to shoot more than nine times.The declining shooting percentage has Hawks coach Larry Drew less concerned than does Crawford's lack of aggressiveness. Drew said it's "nothing unusual" for scorers to go through rough shooting stretches, but he needs Crawford to keep attacking.
"I need him to be in that assassin mode, just letting it fly," Drew said. "It seems like he's doing a little bit of thinking out there, which that is not when he is at his best. He is an instinctive ballplayer, so he's got to allow his instincts to take over. NBA Jerseys When he plays like that we are much better."So before the Hawks played at the Lakers late Tuesday,BBC T-Shirt, Drew told Crawford: "Don't think about it. Just play."Crawford, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, usually provides the only consistent scoring punch among Hawks bench players."I've been thinking to get everybody else shots, but I need to be more aggressive," he said. "I think everybody has a role, and that's my role. That's what puts other teams on their heels, that's what helps up other stuff for my teammates. That's what I've done my whole life."Hinrich should be an improvement over Bibby at both ends of the court. He was averaging 11.1 points and 4.4 assists as on off-and-on starter, frequently playing alongside prized rookie John Wall.