NBA Preview : Atlanta Hawks

The 2009-2010 NBA Season is just a few weeks away and most teams have completed their final rosters. Trades have also been made here and there, free agents have made a splash, and even the team staff have been revamped for the upcoming season.

As an avid basketball fan, I am very excited to see how the each team will perform this season. As the season approaches, I will post my season predictions of the 30 teams in the NBA. Feel free to post your comments as I am looking for people who share the same excitement for the upcoming season. Cheers!

ATLANTA HAWKS
Last Season (47-35, 4th in Eastern Conference)
Lost: Acie Law IV, Speedy Claxton,
Added: Jamal Crawford, Joe Smith, Jeff Teague

Potential Starters:
PG - Mike Bibby
SG - Joe Johnson
SF - Josh Smith
PF - Marvin Williams
C - Al Horford


The Atlanta Hawks were one of the more exciting teams last season. Their notable games include those against the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. While they lost to the Cavs in the 2nd round of the playoffs, they've achieved more than what people have expected during the off-season, finishing 4th in the vastly improved Eastern Conference.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That is the objective of the 2009-2010 Hawks. They still have most of their core group (Josh Smith, Marvin Williams, Joe Johnson), their veteran leader in Mike Bibby, and the promising rookie Al Horford. These guys are very familiar with each other and should continue to improve this season. This team will not crack the top 3 in the conference, but I expect them to hold on to the 4th spot.

Perhaps the most impressive thing going for this team is their much improved bench. Their second stringers are very capable of maintaining leads while their starters have their rest. The acquisition of Jamal Crawford adds another scoring punch to a team that usually relies on Joe Johnson for 24+ points a night. Joe Smith will also provide the inside presence that the team needs when Horford is off the floor.

2nd Lineup:
PG - Jeff Teague
SG - Jamal Crawford
SF - Maurice Evans
PF - Joe Smith
C - Zaza Pachulia

The upcoming season looks bright for the Atlanta Hawks. With the core group from last season's playoff team still together, Mike Woodson as the coach, plus the additions of Crawford and Joe Smith, look for this team to make the playoffs for the 3rd straight year. With a vastly improved bench, these Hawks will not be pushovers come playoff time. I really do think this team is capable of upsetting the East's top 3 teams (Magic, Cavs, Celtics) in the playoffs.

Projected Finish (52-30, 4th in the Eastern Conference)