30 Teams In 30 Days: Atlanta Hawks

[CelticBalla32]

Here we go. I did this last year - some of you may remember, some may not. For those that don't, basically what I'm doing is making lengthy team previews, one per day over the next 30 days. As I'm going in alphabetical order, I did Atlanta first.

Last year, I made them more of a previous season recap than an actual team preview, so I cleaned up on that this year and changed the formatted sections. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Teaser:

The Hawks are a club that has plenty to prove before being thought of as a legitimate Eastern Conference threat, but they are not to be slept on. The reason? Sheer talent. They’ve got one of the NBA’s most complete wings in Joe Johnson, one of the most athletically gifted players in Josh Smith, a savvy and seasoned veteran point guard in Mike Bibby, and two extremely promising youngsters in Al Horford and Marvin Williams. The talent level within that starting five is undeniable, and because of that, Atlanta is a team that can create problems for the opposition on any given night. Don’t believe me? Just ask Boston.

Read the Full Article Here

Tomorrow: Boston Celtics

[SportsCapNative]

It's funny that you started with the Hawks. I was just atlking with a friend of mine earlier (he's a Cavs fan), and I told him that I think the team that's really going to fly under the radar this year and end up being a major contender will be the Hawks. Will they crack the top five in the East? Probably not. But, you never know.

I say this for one, they took the Champs to 7 games. That has to be a huge confidence boost. And, they have quite an athletic big three of their own in Smith, Horford, and Johnson, as well as an athletic bench. Add in the veteran presence in Mike Bibby and you have a formula for success. I wouldn't be surprised if they gave the Celtics MORE trouble this year.

And your right, they have a lot to prove, BUT, I'll be willing to bet they'll be an eastern conference threat this year.

[Who]

I thought Mike Woodson cost this team 10-15 wins last season. His refusal to let the Hawks play to their strengths, but not only that, he has them playing to their weaknesses to often. His refusal to give Al Horford more touches and shot attempts.

If this team had a good coach, someone like Mike D'Antoni I think they'd be a threat to win 50 games because the makeup of their squad creates massive matchup problems for almost everyone in the league.

So how does Woodson change? Does he allow them to push the tempo now that he has Bibby through training camp? Does he finally let Horford off the leash? Chances are they'll be small improvements but I think we'll see some (at least I hope we do).


Al Horford has been getting some very good reviews about the development in his game over the course of the summer. So too has Marvin Williams for that matter. There's a huge swing factor in these two players. The Hawks season is likely going to go in whatever direction these guys point them in ... and that's an unknown ...... so it makes it very difficult to pin this team into a bracket.

Horford is the one I'm most interested in because I think he can become the Hawks second best player. I'm dubious about the reports of his summer because I expect he's working against smaller players (like power forwards), and because his post game relies so much on strength and power I'm not sure if he'll be able to do the same thing against centers at a high level - I can see him doing better and maybe 14-15ppg, but does he become a 18-20ppg at center? I'm not sold he can do that without huge work on his skills/footwork rather than relying on his power and basic post moves (what he was doing last season). I want to see his defense in the post improve too, it bothered me no end at times last year, he gave up position far too easily.

If the two youngsters don't improve by substantial margins I can see this team struggling to retain their playoff spot. One of biggest questions (heck there's lots of big questions with this team) for me are on the defensive end, I think they've a lot to prove there.

[CelticBalla32]

Who, I don't necessarily think Woodson is to blame about Horford's low number of shot attempts. I'm a huge Horford guy, personally, but it's evident that he is passive-aggressive offensively. He has the tools to be the number two offensive threat on the team, but does he have the desire to be that kind of option?

I think that'll improve as he gains more NBA experience, but that's what I've noticed so far.