Gaines has his chance

Here is the roster of the Atlanta Hawks mini-camp invitees.

Camp

There's some talent among the guys who will participate. Still, you have to figure that Gaines has a great shot at making the team.

The Hawks have been weak at point guard forever. They made a move to address the issue by selecting Jeff Teague in the draft. He'll help.

Mike Bibby is a good shooter. But he's a step too slow to drive the ball. If he ever was a good defender, those days are pretty much gone.

Jamal Crawford can play some point, but he really is a two-guard. Haven't heard anything definitive on Flip Murray. They should have signed Flip instead of Crawford, in my humble opinion.

At any rate, even with Teague and Bibby, the Hawks still need a back-up point guard. The players that the team tried over the last couple of years were all disappointments. Salim Stoudemire never learned the position. Acie Law wasn't able to develop behind Bibby. Speedy Claxton never got up to speed. Tyronn Lue helped the team on offense, but he was for the most part a defensive liability.

They need a lock-down defender, someone who can distribute the ball. Mario West with handles, if you will. The situation is almost tailor-made for Gaines.

Camp begins in earnest tomorrow. Good luck, Sundiata!