John Jenkins not happy that Hawks declined option

It wasn't a big surprise that the Atlanta Hawks didn't pick up the option for next season on John Jenkins' rookie contract but he wasn't very happy with the decision. Jenkins told Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he wasn't happy with the decision and thought he had earned his spot with a strong preseason.

"I'm pretty upset about it but it's part of the game," Jenkins said. "I felt how I came back from injury, from August until now, I feel like I made leaps and bounds and shocked a lot of people in the way I came back. I feel like in the preseason, I might have earned my spot and had my option picked up. But it didn't happen. I will continue to work hard, support the team and be positive."

The back injury that sidelined Jenkins last season was very unfortunate given that it robbed him of the opportunity to build off of what was a solid rookie season. A lot of things have changed with the franchise since his first season and he appears to be caught up in a numbers game in the Hawks backcourt.

One positive that Jenkins has working in his favor is that he is healthy and he was able to post a solid preseason. That could present some value to other teams out there. In the meantime, Jenkins needs to continue to work hard and take advantage of any opportunity for playing time that comes his way. He was inactive for the opener, but he needs to be ready for when his number is called.