Omari Spellman, Daniel Hamilton will miss start of training camp

Training camp begins on Tuesday, Sept. 25 but, when the Atlanta Hawks formally assemble on the floor for the first time, at least four players will be unavailable for full-time duty. Previously, Chris Vivlamore of the AJC reported that both Dewayne Dedmon and Justin Anderson would be unavailable at the start of camp and, on Monday morning, he added two more players to the list in Daniel Hamilton and Omari Spellman.

In addition, Vivlamore shed light on the timetable for both injuries.

In a formal release, the Hawks indicated that Hamilton “presented with symptoms of a shoulder injury earlier in September” and he has a tear in his right rotator cuff. The newly acquired wing is undergoing a non-surgical treatment plan on the ailment but no formal timetable is available for his full return.

As for Spellman, Atlanta announced that an MRI on Spellman’s shin showed “soft tissue inflammation” and he will return gradually after the stated 7-10 day timetable of rest. At the very least, the Hawks will open with only 16 of their 20 players (included three non-guaranteed camp invitees) on Tuesday and that should make things interesting.

On the bright side, Jeremy Lin has returned to the floor with what the team describes as “limited restrictions” on the heels of rupturing his patella tendon of the right knee in October. He is expected to take part in training camp.

Without definitive timetables on some injuries, it is likely too early to assess full-blown rotation questions for the start of the regular season but this is a developing story to monitor as October approaches.

Stay tuned.