Atlanta assistant coach Nick Van Exel is attempting to teach Jeff Teague to play with more edge this season.

"We call it 'the dog' in the NBA," Van Exel said. "We are trying to bring that dog out of him."

Teague was Atlanta's first round pick in 2009.

"He's kind of a quiet kid," Van Exel said. "He likes to joke around and have fun. But there are times when somebody makes him mad, and he is just blowing by guys. And we are like, "Man, you've got to to that all the time."

"He can do it. He has those skills. We are thinking about maybe going up to him and making him mad before every game, making up stuff just to get him going."

Two teams have inquired with the Hawks about the availability of Jamal Crawford, according to a source.

Crawford is entering the final season of his current deal and therefore is interested in signing an extension, either with the Hawks or another team that can negotiate a trade.

Jamal Crawford has been hoping to sign an extension with the Hawks before the start of the season, but that appears unlikely.

Crawford decided not to report to Atlanta for early physicals, but he is expected to be on time this Monday.

Hawks general manager Rick Sund says that the team's roster is set for training camp.

Atlanta has 14 players under contract with a payroll of about $69 million. Their training camp will begin on Sept. 28 and they aren't likely to add any non-roster invitees.

"Our team is set for training camp," Sund said. "We are a veteran team. And with the young guys Teague, [Jordan] Crawford and Pape, our focus is on getting more reps for them."

Atlanta Hawks Executive Vice President and General Manager Rick Sund has announced this afternoon that the team has signed guard/forward Pape Sy to a contract.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

Sy, the Hawks? second round pick from France in the 2010 NBA Draft, was selected 53rd overall after spending time with team STB Le Havre of the French Pro A League.  He appeared in 38 games over three seasons, with the majority of those contests coming a year ago, as he averaged 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists (.505 FG%, .414 3FG% and .710 FT%).

?Our European scout (Loize Milosavljevic) did a great job in recommending Pape to us and once he participated in our pre-draft workouts, our scouts and coaches were very impressed with his abilities,? said Sund.  ?Although he was hampered by an Achilles injury during summer league workouts, we were encouraged with his ability, athleticism and competitiveness.?

The Hawks have contemplated Jamal Crawford's request for a contract extension, but they remain reluctant to give him one.

Atlanta recently gave Joe Johnson, Mike Bibby and Marvin Williams long-term deals and they would like to do the same with Al Horford.

The team may be hoping that Crawford simply backs off on his request, but at this point that doesn't seem likely.

Shaquille O'Neal signed a contract with the Celtics for the league minimum of $1.35 million, but says he could have signed for much more.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," O'Neal told the Times-Picayune.

"I've had four max contracts in one lifetime. ... I could have gotten $8 million from Atlanta and Detroit, but it wasn't about that. It was about being somewhere and being seen and winning."

Detroit might have been able to offer O'Neal a two-year deal worth $8 million as part of their mid-level exception.

Hawks head coach Larry Drew has finalized his 2010-11 coaching staff with the hiring of former pro Nick Van Exel to the position of Player Development Instructor, it was announced this afternoon.  Van Exel, comes to Atlanta from Texas Southern University, where he served as an assistant coach.

"We're very excited to add Nick to the staff," said Drew.  "I think he brings a wealth of knowledge to the position, and given his past experiences, he'll be really vital to the development of our young guards, particularly Jeff Teague and Jordan Crawford.  With the staff we currently have on board, I believe Nick will do a tremendous job for us moving forward."

French team Le Havre announced on their web site that they have completed a buyout of Pape Sy's contract.

The Hawks haven't received the paperwork for the second-rounder's buyout, but they don't expect any trouble completing the process in the near future.

Atlanta drafted Sy with the 53rd overall pick in June.

Jamal Crawford wants a contract extension from the Hawks, but the Boston Globe is reporting that the guard won't request a trade from Atlanta.

"Crawford has not publicly demanded a trade, and he won?t, but he has made it clear in talking to the Globe that an extension would be appreciated," Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe wrote on Sunday.

"All I wanted to do growing up is be in the NBA," Crawford told Washburn.

"If I am in the NBA, I am fine. I feel like I have a lot of basketball left. I can play at a high level for a long time. The best is yet to come for me."