ATL Hawks

 I think they’ll still be one of the top teams in the East next year.  The biggest concern for me is the SF position in a conference where you have to go through Lebron to get to the Finals.  Your options are Sefolosha(coming off broken leg), Hardaway, Bazemore, or Korver.  Milsap can guard him at times but in the playoffs Lebron had no problem getting past him.  

 I think they’ll still be one of the top teams in the East next year.  The biggest concern for me is the SF position in a conference where you have to go through Lebron to get to the Finals.  Your options are Sefolosha(coming off broken leg), Hardaway, Bazemore, or Korver.  Milsap can guard him at times but in the playoffs Lebron had no problem getting past him.  

 Everyine is writing them off b/c of the way they collapsed against an undermanned Cleveland team… But I did not believe they were outclassed, I saw it more as a team that took a major leap during the regular season b/c of Real talent but they did not have the playoff experience… Usually teams have to lose before they can win – that’s the way it has always been in the NBA (Golden State not withstanding) so when you have a team like Atlanta that is new to the top tier of the conference, a tough loss, or a bad break or an injury can snowball quickly into a losing streak that will get you bounced out of the playoffs… Last year’s playoff exit will draw the Hawks closer together & I do think they can make the Conference Finals, I still believe they are the 2nd best team to Cleveland. But therein lies the rub, I just din’t see how they can get past Cleveland… The NBA is unlike Any other sports leaue in that just about Every team that has Ever won the Championship (including the ABA) had an MVP level, future Hall of Fame player leading the way… This trend goes All the way back to 1947 when the League was born….  As you mentioned, Atlanta lacks that one Great player that can creat his own shot late in a playoff game that has been reduced to a half court grind – these NBA superstars that are MVP winners are almost Always found in the top 10 of the Draft (mostly top 5 & only 3 have been drafted later than #10 – Karl Malone, Steve Nash & Kobe & Kobe doesn’t count) – the point I’m making is that the Hawks won’t be able to secure a top Lottery pick any time soon (even though they were there for a decade, the only player who would even qualify for this area is Al Horford who was drafted #3 overall in 2007 & who is an All Star but not close to an MVP caliber). I think the Hawks are going to play the role of that really good, really well coached team that pushed the Champions who do have the Super Star to the very limit but always loses in the Conference Finals… Each year, there are Very few teams that have a Real shot to win a Ring – really only 3 or 4… 

 Everyine is writing them off b/c of the way they collapsed against an undermanned Cleveland team… But I did not believe they were outclassed, I saw it more as a team that took a major leap during the regular season b/c of Real talent but they did not have the playoff experience… Usually teams have to lose before they can win – that’s the way it has always been in the NBA (Golden State not withstanding) so when you have a team like Atlanta that is new to the top tier of the conference, a tough loss, or a bad break or an injury can snowball quickly into a losing streak that will get you bounced out of the playoffs… Last year’s playoff exit will draw the Hawks closer together & I do think they can make the Conference Finals, I still believe they are the 2nd best team to Cleveland. But therein lies the rub, I just din’t see how they can get past Cleveland… The NBA is unlike Any other sports leaue in that just about Every team that has Ever won the Championship (including the ABA) had an MVP level, future Hall of Fame player leading the way… This trend goes All the way back to 1947 when the League was born….  As you mentioned, Atlanta lacks that one Great player that can creat his own shot late in a playoff game that has been reduced to a half court grind – these NBA superstars that are MVP winners are almost Always found in the top 10 of the Draft (mostly top 5 & only 3 have been drafted later than #10 – Karl Malone, Steve Nash & Kobe & Kobe doesn’t count) – the point I’m making is that the Hawks won’t be able to secure a top Lottery pick any time soon (even though they were there for a decade, the only player who would even qualify for this area is Al Horford who was drafted #3 overall in 2007 & who is an All Star but not close to an MVP caliber). I think the Hawks are going to play the role of that really good, really well coached team that pushed the Champions who do have the Super Star to the very limit but always loses in the Conference Finals… Each year, there are Very few teams that have a Real shot to win a Ring – really only 3 or 4… 

I don’t have any conerns about them to be honest. They’re a team that perfectly constructed in regular season play built off of Al Horford and Kyle Korver’s abilities to create that great offense based on spacing. Then you add in Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap, both two-way players added next to Horford’s great defense and Korver’s steady team defense, it gives them the ability to have an overall team that can play both ways.

Now, the two things missing from DeMarre Carroll are the fact that he was someone who you could play small-ball four line-up with and gave you versatility there and the emphasis on your best wing defender in the Eastern Conference being a legit small forward or strong wing type around 6’7 and above, as opposed to a shooting guard because of the amount of elite small forwards or strong wings in the Eastern Conference with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson and maybe Jabari Parker or Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well Carroll himself now. Kyle Korver can’t be a shutdown defender like Carroll was against those guys and Sefolosha might be one of those guys, as he’s surprising bigger than Carroll at 220 lbs to Carroll’s 212 lbs, though he’s more wiry and doesn’t provide the range like Carroll did, not to mention Sefolosha is still dealing with his leg injury from the NYPD confrontation. 

But I do like the underrated pick up of Splitter that gives them the oppose to have size and rim protection whenever they choose and while I haven’t been a fan of Tim Hardaway, I do like that he’s pair with Assistant Coach Kenny Atkinson, who I think is one of the best player development coaches, as well as assistant coaches, in the league. Now if Kent Bazemore or Justin Holliday can improve as 3-and-D players, that’ll spell off the lost of Sefolosha, who was an elite wing defender off the bench, being promoted to the starting lineup. Also, I don’t know how the Mike Scott drug situation will effect the team.

But all and all, this team still has a great roster. They went 20-12 after February and that 19 game winning streak, as well as going 33-2, which would have had them at 49-33 when extrapolated to an 82 game season, giving them the fourth seed. But I’m not going to go all out and discount that 33-2 run. There’s still a bit of that left on this team.

I see them winning somewhere around 49-53 games next season for the first, second or third seeds, injuries notwithstanding.

I don’t have any conerns about them to be honest. They’re a team that perfectly constructed in regular season play built off of Al Horford and Kyle Korver’s abilities to create that great offense based on spacing. Then you add in Jeff Teague and Paul Millsap, both two-way players added next to Horford’s great defense and Korver’s steady team defense, it gives them the ability to have an overall team that can play both ways.

Now, the two things missing from DeMarre Carroll are the fact that he was someone who you could play small-ball four line-up with and gave you versatility there and the emphasis on your best wing defender in the Eastern Conference being a legit small forward or strong wing type around 6’7 and above, as opposed to a shooting guard because of the amount of elite small forwards or strong wings in the Eastern Conference with LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Jimmy Butler, Luol Deng, Joe Johnson and maybe Jabari Parker or Giannis Antetokounmpo, as well Carroll himself now. Kyle Korver can’t be a shutdown defender like Carroll was against those guys and Sefolosha might be one of those guys, as he’s surprising bigger than Carroll at 220 lbs to Carroll’s 212 lbs, though he’s more wiry and doesn’t provide the range like Carroll did, not to mention Sefolosha is still dealing with his leg injury from the NYPD confrontation. 

But I do like the underrated pick up of Splitter that gives them the oppose to have size and rim protection whenever they choose and while I haven’t been a fan of Tim Hardaway, I do like that he’s pair with Assistant Coach Kenny Atkinson, who I think is one of the best player development coaches, as well as assistant coaches, in the league. Now if Kent Bazemore or Justin Holliday can improve as 3-and-D players, that’ll spell off the lost of Sefolosha, who was an elite wing defender off the bench, being promoted to the starting lineup. Also, I don’t know how the Mike Scott drug situation will effect the team.

But all and all, this team still has a great roster. They went 20-12 after February and that 19 game winning streak, as well as going 33-2, which would have had them at 49-33 when extrapolated to an 82 game season, giving them the fourth seed. But I’m not going to go all out and discount that 33-2 run. There’s still a bit of that left on this team.

I see them winning somewhere around 49-53 games next season for the first, second or third seeds, injuries notwithstanding.

 The Hawks should be a solid play off contender again this year, they have just as strong roster as last season IMO. I discussed their off season moves in detail on earlier postings so I won’t go into detail again but I broadly agree with the guys above, they will be as stong as last season but in slightly different positions.

They do lack that go to 20 plus ppg scorer so have to make up for that with Spurs like team work.

I’d see them being a 50 win plus team and making at least the Conference Semi Finals but I could see them coming up short there or in the Conference finals.

 The Hawks should be a solid play off contender again this year, they have just as strong roster as last season IMO. I discussed their off season moves in detail on earlier postings so I won’t go into detail again but I broadly agree with the guys above, they will be as stong as last season but in slightly different positions.

They do lack that go to 20 plus ppg scorer so have to make up for that with Spurs like team work.

I’d see them being a 50 win plus team and making at least the Conference Semi Finals but I could see them coming up short there or in the Conference finals.

Hawks have found their super star in Walter Tavares !! Mark my words!! It’s in my Mines!!! 

Hawks have found their super star in Walter Tavares !! Mark my words!! It’s in my Mines!!! 

 Hawks should be quite good as long as everyone’s healthy, but to match last year’s win total, they will need Sefolosha to shoot well and someone else to step up into Carrol’s role.  He was truly underrated, as that type of glue guy often is.

 Hawks should be quite good as long as everyone’s healthy, but to match last year’s win total, they will need Sefolosha to shoot well and someone else to step up into Carrol’s role.  He was truly underrated, as that type of glue guy often is.

 I don’t think the Hawks will drop in the standing because they themselves have gotten significantly worse- in fact I don’t think they’ll be much worse this season even with Carroll leaving, I think Bud is smart enough to be able to work around that. Why I think they’ll end up dropping a touch in the wins column is because the East is going to be improved this year. Last year it was a real stinker, but Miami has improved greatly, Boston is better, Indiana is back after being dreadful, New York won’t be a contender but they’ve added enough to not be an easy game this season, Milwaukee are much improved, the Pistons and Magic should be a lot better with a couple new pieces each and young players aged another year. Charlotte have also added a couple pieces.

 The top isn’t changed much and there probably won’t be any real threat to Cleveland but the bottom and middle of the conference have improved a lot I feel and I don’t think there will be as many easy games this year. I don’t think they top 55 wins

 I don’t think the Hawks will drop in the standing because they themselves have gotten significantly worse- in fact I don’t think they’ll be much worse this season even with Carroll leaving, I think Bud is smart enough to be able to work around that. Why I think they’ll end up dropping a touch in the wins column is because the East is going to be improved this year. Last year it was a real stinker, but Miami has improved greatly, Boston is better, Indiana is back after being dreadful, New York won’t be a contender but they’ve added enough to not be an easy game this season, Milwaukee are much improved, the Pistons and Magic should be a lot better with a couple new pieces each and young players aged another year. Charlotte have also added a couple pieces.

 The top isn’t changed much and there probably won’t be any real threat to Cleveland but the bottom and middle of the conference have improved a lot I feel and I don’t think there will be as many easy games this year. I don’t think they top 55 wins

I think Atlanta will drop to like 5th or 6th.

Too many teams got a lot better this offseason, like Miami, Boston, Cleveland, and Milwaukee

I think Atlanta will drop to like 5th or 6th.

Too many teams got a lot better this offseason, like Miami, Boston, Cleveland, and Milwaukee

 Atlanta will be the second seed to me. Splitter is exactly the rotation they needed(better than Pero Antic) inside,and Sefolosha is a better defender than Carroll. Don’t get me wrong Carroll is good,but he’s more energetic than efficient. Sefolosha is calm,never opens his moiuth,but opponents shot way worse against him than their shooting average last year(14% less in the restricted area),the Hawks allowed 95 points per 100(ELITE) when he was on the floor,and the hawks were 43-9 in the games he played last year. Not to mention,the dude has 9 years of NBA experience,and a few years as a starter on a contender.

 I think if they managed to make Korver improve to a good defender,they can do the same with Hardaway. He doesn’t have to be Sefolosha,just not be a liability,do the job. In this system he’s gonna knock down some open shots. Holiday and Bazemore are very solid defenders too,and I’d expect one of them to make a leap offensively. And they have one of the best point guard rotation in the east.

 Atlanta will be the second seed to me. Splitter is exactly the rotation they needed(better than Pero Antic) inside,and Sefolosha is a better defender than Carroll. Don’t get me wrong Carroll is good,but he’s more energetic than efficient. Sefolosha is calm,never opens his moiuth,but opponents shot way worse against him than their shooting average last year(14% less in the restricted area),the Hawks allowed 95 points per 100(ELITE) when he was on the floor,and the hawks were 43-9 in the games he played last year. Not to mention,the dude has 9 years of NBA experience,and a few years as a starter on a contender.

 I think if they managed to make Korver improve to a good defender,they can do the same with Hardaway. He doesn’t have to be Sefolosha,just not be a liability,do the job. In this system he’s gonna knock down some open shots. Holiday and Bazemore are very solid defenders too,and I’d expect one of them to make a leap offensively. And they have one of the best point guard rotation in the east.

 The East should be fun to watch its starting to even out. Cleveland should be better, the Hawks shouldn’t get worse replacing Carroll with Splitter, Raps change into a defensive mentality and them adding Canadians is more than a publicity stunt those Canadians are going to bring a lot of  nergy to the crowd/team. The Wizards added some quality depth and bring back a growing team that should improve Mil, Det, Orl all improved Miami if healthy are contenders and Indiana can be a home seed if with the Ellis, George combo and the newer quicker frontcourt. Next year should be fun!

 The East should be fun to watch its starting to even out. Cleveland should be better, the Hawks shouldn’t get worse replacing Carroll with Splitter, Raps change into a defensive mentality and them adding Canadians is more than a publicity stunt those Canadians are going to bring a lot of  nergy to the crowd/team. The Wizards added some quality depth and bring back a growing team that should improve Mil, Det, Orl all improved Miami if healthy are contenders and Indiana can be a home seed if with the Ellis, George combo and the newer quicker frontcourt. Next year should be fun!