Hawks training camp: Larry Drew using preseason games to test different lineups

Atlanta Hawks head coach Larry Drew isn't bothered by the team's preseason record, reports Chris Vivlamore at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Drew is focused not on the record or outcome of games but in evaluating different combinations of players in the starting lineup and seeing what might develop.

The Hawks are 1-3 in the 2012 preseason, having dropped three straight after winning their preseason opener against Miami. As Vivlamore points out, each preseason game has had a different starting lineup, something that some players feel has served its purpose. Al Horford, one of the team's returning players, stressed the need to get into a regular flow:

"I think we are at the point now where we really need to start mixing in the guys who are going to play together," Horford said. "We need to start playing in games together not just in practice. I think we are going to start seeing that, hopefully, in the next few games.

Drew recognizes this need, and indicates that he is likely to settle into a routine:

"As we move closer toward the end of our exhibition we'll probably start using more of the rotation that we are going to be using during the regular season," Drew said following Wednesday's light workout. "We still have some evaluating to do with these guys and we'll continue to throw some different looks to continue the process of giving guys some good looks and analyzing to see where they are, will they be able to make our ball club."

The Hawks have three preseason games remaining, at home against the New Orleans Hornets and the Dallas Mavericks, and on the road against the Detroit Pistons. The season opener is Friday, Nov. 2 at home against the Houston Rockets.