One of the more surprising developments during the 2014/15 campaign was the rise of the Atlanta Hawks. The franchise went from the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed in the 2014 NBA playoffs to the No. 1 team in the conference this past season. Quite an impressive leap, even in the underwhelming East. The team’s core took a hit this Summer when DeMarre Carroll departed for Toronto via free agency, but re-signing Paul Millsap certainly helped ease the sting a bit from that loss. Atlanta did acquire Tim Hardaway Jr. from the Knicks in a draft night deal to help fill Carroll’s minutes at small forward, but not many would argue that the team improved itself as a result of that change.
So here’s our question of the day for you: What are your predictions for the Hawks’ record/playoff seeding this season?
Were the Hawks just a one-season surprise in their success? A number of teams in the conference have improved themselves this offseason, be it through signings, trades, or coaching changes, and it’s questionable as to whether or not Atlanta kept pace. Who out there among you believes that the Hawks will emerge from the 2015/16 regular season scrum atop the standings? If not, then how far do you predict the Hawks will slide in the conference or even the Southeast Division? If you’re on the fence about the team’s chances, then jump in and tell us what move(s) the franchise needs to make before the season tips off to satisfy you as a fan. We look forward to what you have to say…
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I could see them dropping to the 4th seed. After all the cavs bulls and wizards loom as threats to win the east and all made moves to strengthen thier teams, more so than atl
I agree that is a very real possibility. Also…don’t sleep on the Bucks this season. That squad is poised to make a significant leap in the standings.
I do expect the Hawks to slide in the standings. I don’t think that means they can’t go just as deep in the playoffs. We still brought 4 all stars back. Added to the front court which was our biggest problem last year. If THJ can find some success in Atl then the bench is stronger. Most of our bench scoring came from Schroder. Then the invaluable experience of going deep into the playoffs
How far do you expect them to slide? Do you think the Miami Heat will be a threat?
Top 4 seed for sure, but the Wizards should give them some run for the southeast division.
Losing Carroll was a big loss but I still expect the Hawks to be a top 3 eastern regular season team with our current squad.
Mike Scott and Mike Muscala are going to assume larger roles this season and have a big positive impact. I personally think that both could develop into all stars given a couple of years of starting in Bud’s system.
Dennis Schroder will continue to develop and ball out the upcoming season.
Tiago splitter addresses our biggest issue in the playoffs which was size and physicality.
The Hawks will be in great shape to make a deadline acquisition to make another serious finals run. I can see us barely sneaking into the ECF with our current squad, but that’s ok it’s a process.
Who knows, maybe THJ thrives in Bud’s system and drops 15 per game…
Yeah, one asset the Hawks surely have is depth at guard, with Schröder and Hardaway. I think we might see more small ball from them this year. It’ll be important for Muscala and Scott to replace Pero Antic, but they’ve been groomed for that.
I definitely think it us a stretch to think they will win 60 games next year. I would also guess that its unlikely they get the top seed. The Cavs second half for me is indicative of their level of performance And I am a Hawks fan. In DeMarre the Hawks lost their best starting wing defender and guy who can produce easy buckets with his hustle and slashing. Interestingly I think Thabo when healthy is as good if not better defender (he’s much longer) and Bazemore can produce the hustle/slash scoring. So I think they can cover his contributions it’s just a question of how Bud manages the rotation.