| | WASHINGTON -- Atlanta guard Isaiah Rider missed the Hawks'
season opener against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night due
to the death of his grandfather, and will rejoin the team for practice Wednesday, team officials said.
Rider was obviously downbeat at practice Monday and left early
without giving a reason. He later called and told a team official
that he had a family emergency.
Hawks officials learned Tuesday that Rider traveled to Dallas,
where his paternal grandfather died. Rider already returned to
Atlanta by Tuesday night.
The Hawks' next game is Thursday night at home against the
Milwaukee Bucks.
Rider, acquired in an offseason trade with the Portland Trail
Blazers, has a troubled history in the NBA. He didn't make the
start of Hawks training camp because he said he didn't like the
look of the plane on which he was booked. He also missed a
mandatory media gathering in Atlanta and three practices before he
arrived at camp in Chattanooga, Tenn. | |
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