2011-12 Atlanta Hawks Season Overview
The Atlanta Hawks earned the fifth seed in the East after ending the season with a 44-38 mark last year. The Hawks defeated an unimpressive Orlando Magic in the opening round but were beaten by Chicago in the next. While they managed an upset over Orlando, it has been obvious that Atlanta is trying to make the jump to becoming a championship caliber squad. After winning 53 times in 2009-10, Atlanta struggled and ended up with nine less wins in 2010-11.
The Atlanta Hawks will display a couple of modifications to their squad. After losing Jamal Crawford to free agency, they brought on veterans Tracy Mcgrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Although Mcgrady is obviously not the player he was back in his heyday, he can still be playable in limited time. Radmanovic is a 6’10 small forward with solid shooting ability and his numbers will rely on how much playing time he can get.
Atlanta will start one of the best starting lineups in the NBA. Third year point guard Jeff Teague came on in the postseason last season and will be given the keys as the starter this 2012 year. He will be surrounded with a group that includes Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams and Al Horford. Johnson, Smith and Horford are all able scorers that can without a doubt put up over 20 points, but more times than not, they settle for questionable outside shots instead of driving to the basket. If head coach Larry Drew can get Horford and Smith to play more aggressively, the Hawks have the talent to be one of the top offensive squads in the entire league.
Losing super sixth man Jamal Crawford will obviously hurt the Hawks’ bench this season. Mcgrady and Radmanovic will join Kirk Hinrich, Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins among others as key reserves, but none of these players have Crawford’s offensive skill set. It is likely that this team will employ a much more shared approach instead of relying on Crawford’s scoring ability off the bench. The benches’ play this year will determine where the Hawks will land by the end of the season.
Prediction: 3rd Eastern Conference Southeast Division – Our NBA handicappers think Atlanta has the talent and the pieces to contend for a top 4 seed but they can’t seem to get their act together. It seems as though the players don’t have the motivation or drive to be elite and are just content in making the playoffs year in and year out. Many times in the course of the long NBA season, the Hawks doesn’t seem to have the mental toughness and motivation to do anything more than what they’ve done in the past. Jeff Teague’s play will determine where this team is headed, but the Hawks also need a dynamic scorer of the bench if they want to compete in the east. This team will be very inconsistent and will make the playoffs as no higher than a 5th seed. They may win the first round again, but it will be very tough for them to move past the second round.
Beat the NBA odds tonight and every night with the help of NBA picks at BetFirms.