His realization that summer league injuries don't often lead to NBA regular season contracts pushed him to get on the court at the Lifetime Activities Center and give it a go. He's sure glad that he did.

Richardson, outside of San Antonio's George Hill, was the best player on Day 1 of the Rocky Mountain Revue, scoring a game-high 21 points to lead the Hawks past the Dallas Mavericks.

What impressed onlookers, as well as Hawks summer league coach Larry Drew, was Richardson's ability to knock down perimeter jumpers with ease. He hit shots contested, he hit open jumpers, he hit from long range, he hit the midrange shot. He simply displayed the form that got him a string of 10-day contracts last season, the form that he hopes will lead to him finding a long-term home in the league.

"It's been tough catching on," Richardson said. "It's been real difficult. I'm fortunate to have the D-League, that's what got me exposure. The summer league hasn't done as much for me as the D-League has."

Exposure is something that's been foreign to Richardson. He's from Division II Delta State, which is miles away from big-time college basketball. As such, he's had to carve a niche for himself from scratch. He knows that making the league is all about having a definable skill. That skill for him is the ability to shoot the ball.

"That's what he is," Drew said. "We love him because he's a shooter. He's almost like Richard Hamilton in the way he can shoot the ball."

Hill dominates

The Spurs have made getting late first round draft value an art form, and it seems as if they've gotten another very good point guard with a later pick. George Hill was the best player in Friday's session, and it wasn't that close. He destroyed Utah's guards off the dribble, completely turning around Kevin Kruger on one memorable crossover. He scored a game-high 21 points, and he did it while seemingly not forcing the action once. Right now, the guard from IUPUI looks like the perfect backup for Tony Parker.

"I can't say right now what's going to happen during the season," Hill said. "There's still a lot of time. All I can do is stay ready, and if my time comes, it comes."

Corbin and Budenholzer

Tyrone Corbin and Mike Budenholzer coached the summer league editions of the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. They also both interviewed for the Phoenix job that went to Terry Porter. It's safe to say that both guys would rather be head coaches in November, not July.

tjones@sltrib.com