Assume Smith is resigned, do we make the playoffs?

[AtLaS]

And if we do, do we finish any higher than 8th? I honestly don't know. Boston and Detroit will win 50. Philly and Toronto are essentially guaranteed to finish higher than us next season, barring injuries. Cleveland will be around. Washington will have Arenas for the entire season, they will be improved. Orlando is a returning 50 win team. The Bucks have improved. Miami added Beasley, but was MUCH better than their record last year, that was some of the most blatent tanking I've seen. I think Chicago will get their act together, and they added Rose, so they will be a dangerous team in the future. The East is quickly turning into a good, deep conference. This may be the first year in a while that no team under .500 makes the playoffs. The Hawks will have their work cut out.

If I'm the Hawks, I'm dialing teams about an S&T with Childress for a legit backup player who can shoot the three. We need it. I'm sure there are plenty of teams over the cap who are willing to pay Childress what he wants.

[NJHAWK]

This is a tough question. We need a healthy Bibby for a whole year which should improve us. The question of the day is, is what we saw in those 3 great home playoff games vs Boston the start of something or just smoke and mirrors? If Im Sund I would be not only looking at trade options for Chills but I would be looking at trade options for Smoove as well. Then again if I were Sund I would not have bought Woody back.

[DJlaysitup]

The Bucks are the wildcard with me. I always felt they were basically gutless but with their new acquisition in Jeff and Bogut getting love...and of course...Red...they "could" be good. Seems like an odd group chemistry-wise though. They could still suck.

Miami's in the same situation (IMO) if the refs don't give Wade 2 free throws for touching the ball. Their best player is Marion IMO - but Beas could do some stuff. Hopefully he will take his new money and get into dogfighting

[Diesel]

There are several factors.

1. Bibby's health. Easily... Bibby can be better than he was last year. IN Bibby we got a career 17 ppg PG. I don't think he has diminished that much.

2. The East. The East is definitely changing landscape. Look at Toronto getting JO. Look at Milwaukee getting Richard Jefferson. Look at Miami if healthy having Wade, Marion, and Beasley? Look at NJ. I don't know what exactly they are doing but they should be deep. Teams will struggle too. Detroit, Cleveland... it was a wonder that they made the playoffs.

3. Our bench. Our coaching haven't changed, so we have to have a bench that Woody believes in.

[Murat]

Probably not, but we need Acie to step up big time.

[Diesel]

I think many will be surprised by Bibby.

I believe Bibby will step up and probably be close to a 20/2/7.5 PG... He's a scorer.. plain and simple. We brought him in and with no semblence of an offense, we were better.

I pray for Acie to do better too.. but we can't deny that Bibby will step it up.

Sund will have to be the man come Jan.

When Bibby is playing well, Sund has to figure out if he trades Bibby for Value or does he keeps Bibs and try to negotiate with him in the offseason.

[hawkman]

YES! If we re-sign Smith AND Childress, we will make the Playoffs. I seriously think that people are underestimating the power of continuity here. This team played some of the best basketball I've seen them play right after we picked up Bibby. You have to factor in the fact that Smith, Horford, Acie, and Marvin will continue to improve. Bibby should be healthy to start the season as well. JJ played worlds better after we got him some help last season. He will start out the season much how he ended last season. We don't have to worry about time wasted "gelling" or trying to establish roles or team chemistry. Everyone knows who they are and the role they play on this team. We will NOT be a .500 team next season IF we keep this team together. Everyone stuck with these guys when they sucked, why does it seem like so many fans have absolutely zero confidence in this team now? My memory just isn't that short. I watched this team play amazing basketball in the Playoffs at Phillips Arena just a few months ago with an "undersized" rookie at center and a banged up PG who we only traded for a few months before. We will be MUCH improved this season if we can keep this group together.

[DJlaysitup]

I think Bibby will do good next year too...not as optimistic on Acie. We do need to make a move though. Portland would be a great trading partner. BK's mistake on Speedy is still killing us. We need another athletic big. Zaza should be playing in Europe.

[Chris18]

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YES! If we re-sign Smith AND Childress, we will make the Playoffs. I seriously think that people are underestimating the power of continuity here. This team played some of the best basketball I've seen them play right after we picked up Bibby. You have to factor in the fact that Smith, Horford, Acie, and Marvin will continue to improve. Bibby should be healthy to start the season as well. JJ played worlds better after we got him some help last season. He will start out the season much how he ended last season. We don't have to worry about time wasted "gelling" or trying to establish roles or team chemistry. Everyone knows who they are and the role they play on this team. We will NOT be a .500 team next season IF we keep this team together. Everyone stuck with these guys when they sucked, why does it seem like so many fans have absolutely zero confidence in this team now? My memory just isn't that short. I watched this team play amazing basketball in the Playoffs at Phillips Arena just a few months ago with an "undersized" rookie at center and a banged up PG who we only traded for a few months before. We will be MUCH improved this season if we can keep this group together.

This is exactly how I feel.

[mrhonline]

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I seriously think that people are underestimating the power of continuity here.

The "Power of Continuity" should be the Hawks' theme for 08-09.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

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And if we do, do we finish any higher than 8th? I honestly don't know. Boston and Detroit will win 50.

Boston, yes. Detroit, I don't know. It'll all depend on what they do in regards of making over their team. If they try to shake things up, I could see them falling back to the pack a little. They're not improving, unless Stuckey and Maxiell are really ready to replace some of their aging vets ( namely Billups and Rasheed ).

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Philly and Toronto are essentially guaranteed to finish higher than us next season, barring injuries.

I don't know about that either. It all hinges on whether O'Neal will play like a big man or a small forward. That situation could easily turn into a SAR/Big Dog situation for them, in which both guys put up good numbers, but didn't compliment each other well.

Philly looks to be a major threat though. Brand is the one guy that I would've loved to replace Smith with. Philly may be the team that replaces Detroit in that #2 spot in the East.

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Cleveland will be around. Washington will have Arenas for the entire season, they will be improved. Orlando is a returning 50 win team.

Orlando looks solid and they shouldn't fall. Don't get me started on Arenas. I still say if the Wiz had an Andre Miller, they would be better than if they had Arenas. Miller would make Jamison and Butler look like legit all-star players. Arenas tries to get his numbers first, then try to make other people better. When he's on, he's a top 5 player. When he's off, he's complete garbage because he won't stop shooting.

And Cleveland? It's obvious that LeBron needs help, but he's not getting it. If they lose Gibson, LeBron is gonna be pizzed. They've surrounded him with shooters, but they still need a legit #2 guy to pair with LeBron.

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The Bucks have improved. Miami added Beasley, but was MUCH better than their record last year, that was some of the most blatent tanking I've seen. I think Chicago will get their act together, and they added Rose, so they will be a dangerous team in the future.

The Bucks, in my opinion, are in for a rude awakening. They haven't addressed the one issue that prevented them from winning games, and that's defense. They ere dead last in the league in defensive efficiency. Even with Jefferson, don't be surprised if that team doesn't improve much at all

Miami may improve, but I don't see them being a .500 team next year. Beasley is not just going to step in and dominate the league. He'll probably struggle for the first 2 months of the season, before becoming a more consistent player. He'll initially come off the bench, unless Miami gets radical, and starts Haslem at center and either Beasley/Marion at PF, with the other playing the 3. And they better find a defensive PG somewhere, unless they're going to try to go with a Wade/James Jones backcourt, and essentially have Wade play the point.

Chicago is still going to be a team that lives and dies by the jumpshot. I think everyone underestimated the loss of Big Ben and PJ Brown to that team. Even though Ben fell off, he was still a decent positional defender down low. And PJ was always known for that. They lost those two guys, and people just had their way with Chicago on the inside. And they still don't have a reliable post scorer down on the block. If they don't want to keep Gordon, they have to sign and trade him for help on the interior.

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The East is quickly turning into a good, deep conference. This may be the first year in a while that no team under .500 makes the playoffs. The Hawks will have their work cut out.

If I'm the Hawks, I'm dialing teams about an S&T with Childress for a legit backup player who can shoot the three. We need it. I'm sure there are plenty of teams over the cap who are willing to pay Childress what he wants.

Atlas, let me tell you something man. A one-dimensional 3-point shooter is not more valuable to us than Childress. There's no way I'd want James Jones here over Childress. Chill's slashing ability, his garbage man mentality, and his ability to get to the FT line, are all important to this team.

With Bibby and JJ shooting the 3, and Marvin shooting from 18 - 22 feet out, we have enough shooting from distance to free up the paint. Scoring was NOT a problem for this team once we acquired Bibby. And the Celtics made everybody look sh-tty on offense during the playoffs.

Now if you want to add a shooter, while keeping Chill, I have no problem with that. But every team needs a guy like Chill on their team, who can impact a game without plays being called for him.

As for how we'll fare next year, we all have to remember that just about all of our core, with the exception of Bibby and Zaza, are all improving as players.

If we retain Smith and Chill, we're still the most athletic team in the conference and a team that has the ability to either run or play halfcourt offense. ( remember, this is the post-Bibby offense that averaged 103.5 ppg, shot 47%FG AND 38%3FG. )

I think ultimately, how good we are next year will depend on how much Horford and Law have improved. Especially Law, who could be our version of Calderon to Bibby next year, if he plays smarter and more under control. If Horford becomes more efficient offensively, the entire East better watch out for us.

In essence, WE'RE the wildcard in the East, if we retain everybody. They better worry about us, not us about them.

[Dexmethylphenidate]

If everyone's together for the whole season... including Woody... they'll probably improve 2 games... to about 39 wins. That probably won't cut it.

[atlien]

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And they better find a defensive PG somewhere, unless they're going to try to go with a Wade/James Jones backcourt, and essentially have Wade play the point.

I know he`s just a rookie (drafted in the 2nd round no less), but Mario Chalmers is THE prototype of a defensive pg. He`s like Daniel Gibson with elite-caliber defense (cant handle the ball that great, but is lights out from 3).

Other than that, I pretty much agreed with all your points. Our athleticism is a real problem for teams to deal with.

[AtLaS]

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Detroit, I don't know. It'll all depend on what they do in regards of making over their team. If they try to shake things up, I could see them falling back to the pack a little.

Well, assuming they don't make any big changes they'll probably be a 50 win team. Their key players aren't THAT old.

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I don't know about that either. It all hinges on whether O'Neal will play like a big man or a small forward. That situation could easily turn into a SAR/Big Dog situation for them, in which both guys put up good numbers, but didn't compliment each other well.

Big Dog/Reef were never individually as good as Bosh or JO. JO, even though his offense isn't great recently, is still an elite defender and a good rebounder. It's the perfect compliment for Bosh. However, you are right that he does need to quit taking so many jumpers.

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Orlando looks solid and they shouldn't fall. Don't get me started on Arenas. I still say if the Wiz had an Andre Miller, they would be better than if they had Arenas. Miller would make Jamison and Butler look like legit all-star players. Arenas tries to get his numbers first, then try to make other people better. When he's on, he's a top 5 player. When he's off, he's complete garbage because he won't stop shooting.

Well, even though Arenas always has a low FG%, he is always among the league leaders in TS%. The guy can score, efficiently. He consistently gets to the line.

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And Cleveland? It's obvious that LeBron needs help, but he's not getting it. If they lose Gibson, LeBron is gonna be pizzed. They've surrounded him with shooters, but they still need a legit #2 guy to pair with LeBron.

Regardless, they are a great defensive team and have an elite player like Lebron who can win a game by himself. That's why they are successful. I really don't see that changing next season.

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Atlas, let me tell you something man. A one-dimensional 3-point shooter is not more valuable to us than Childress. There's no way I'd want James Jones here over Childress. Chill's slashing ability, his garbage man mentality, and his ability to get to the FT line, are all important to this team.

I never said I'd rather have James Jones over Childress. James Posey is someone who would be more valuable to OUR team than Childress is. He's a better defender and can stretch the defense. Childress is more square peg round hole pegging and he only contributes to our teams most vital weaknesses.

I'm not saying Childress isn't a good player, he just doesn't fit well with our current lineup.

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With Bibby and JJ shooting the 3, and Marvin shooting from 18 - 22 feet out, we have enough shooting from distance to free up the paint. Scoring was NOT a problem for this team once we acquired Bibby. And the Celtics made everybody look sh-tty on offense during the playoffs.

I'm not talking about Bibby. Bibby is not a part of this teams' future. We are not winning the title next season. My point, as has always been, is that with Acie being our future at PG, JJ is our ONLY shooter from long range. We will never be successful like that. NEVER. Hopefully Marvin can become that player.

And, my point isn't that Childress isn't a valuable player, it's that if he is on the team, he'll be getting ~30 minutes a game regardless. Where is the time for our shooters to be on the floor? Even if we got a 7th man after Childress, he's not going to get enough time.

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As for how we'll fare next year, we all have to remember that just about all of our core, with the exception of Bibby and Zaza, are all improving as players.

Of course, Law and Horford were rookies and will only improve. As will our other players.

My point though, was that most of the teams that finished ahead of us THIS year have added a significant piece. Philly added a 20 and 10 big man, Toronto added a potential all-star big, Washington gets Arenas back. It's going to be tough. We need SIGNIFICANT improvement from our players.

[hawkman]

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I seriously think that people are underestimating the power of continuity here.

The "Power of Continuity" should be the Hawks' theme for 08-09.

I know it sounds kinda cheesy but it's the truth. This team has always "needed" something over the past few years. I actually feel that the team is pretty much complete right now, except for one or two vets/specialists. We can have the luxury of knowing what our team is going to be moving forward while these other teams have to establish roles, chemistry, etc. We can come out of the gate hot this time and sustain it throughout the season. Everyone knows what's expected of them. We have no real drama in the locker room right now. We have an ideal situation here. I don't understand why so many posters here are either trade happy or willing to let integral players on this team go. Keep things how they are for right now(re-sign Smith and Childress), If we underachieve coming out of the gate, fire Woody immediately. If that doesn't work, THEN we can start looking at the players. But right now, continuity seems to be the key. I just feel that we can really establish ourselves as a team to be reckoned with this season if we keep the guys together.

[Iman]

I agree on the continuity thing and just the continued improvement of our players and hopefully coaches. We blew 5-10 games last yr. Philly played a little over there head IMO and I'm not sure how strong Brand comes back or fits, I would actually expect them to be the team that misses the playoffs if some other team improves.

I see it Boston, then Orlando and Detroit winning 5 or 10 less than Boston. Then I see 4 or 5 teams all being a little over .500 including Atlanta. With a new Coach and Bibby healthy all year I could see us getting a homecourt slot next playoffs.

[Gray Mule]

The east is better. So, that means everyone wins more games, right? Well, if so,

who are they going to have to beat to do this?

Since they will be facing each other, someone will have to lose. Not every team in the

entire NBA can have a 50-32 record.

Without doing anything at all, the Hawks will be a much better team next season.

Experience is a great teacher and we gained experience last season - a lot of it!

We can expect two and possibly three, healthy PG'S. Wow! Bibby, Law & Speedy!

Do we have anyone on our entire roster that we feel may be slowing down

because of age? Me thinks not. Some teams will face this problem. We don't.

Hawks are a paradox. Young and exuberant. Experienced vets. We have that

all rolled into one.

[Dejay]

To be honest, I don't; not without a move or two being made (and bringing NBDL guys in to fill out the roster doesn't count). Continuity is one thing, TALENT is another and when it comes to the latter (much less the coaching), I still think we're lacking. Last year, I predicted that they would win 37 games; no one, including myself, thought that the East would suck so much that a 37-win team could backdoor into the postseason.

Here's the deal; a team may have to win 40 or more games to get the 8th seed this coming season. The problem is that the teams that finished behind the Hawks (Milwaukee, Chicago, Indiana, Miami) made some improvements and the teams that the Hawks were relatively close to (Philly and Toronto) also made moves, which will make it that much more difficult for them to get back in.

Assuming Bibby doesn't improve on the defensive end, this team will have to be more consistent offensively in order to win more games. Law will have to be better; so does Marvin and both Joshes. JJ will need someone to ride shotgun with him in terms of scoring so he won't be worn out from having to play 43 minutes a night. They'll have to find SOMEONE to help Horford out on the block. If they do those things, hey.....

[Dejay]

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This is a tough question. We need a healthy Bibby for a whole year which should improve us. The question of the day is, is what we saw in those 3 great home playoff games vs Boston the start of something or just smoke and mirrors? If Im Sund I would be not only looking at trade options for Chills but I would be looking at trade options for Smoove as well. Then again if I were Sund I would not have bought Woody back.

Cosign.....

[Swatguy]

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There are several factors.

1. Bibby's health. Easily... Bibby can be better than he was last year. IN Bibby we got a career 17 ppg PG. I don't think he has diminished that much.

2. The East. The East is definitely changing landscape. Look at Toronto getting JO. Look at Milwaukee getting Richard Jefferson. Look at Miami if healthy having Wade, Marion, and Beasley? Look at NJ. I don't know what exactly they are doing but they should be deep. Teams will struggle too. Detroit, Cleveland... it was a wonder that they made the playoffs.

3. Our bench. Our coaching haven't changed, so we have to have a bench that Woody believes in.

I really have not looked at the Hawks with Bibby past January. But looking at the Hawks with Bibby's future here, possibilties abound. I also have not allowed my brain to see Marvin without his "scarecrow" mentality. We are due a diamond in the rough.We all thought Solo was, maybe Wayne or Sampson or Justin will be the diamond.

I'm willing to believe Marvin will show heart and smarts and be the "Stepped up" guy.

Question, can we get Azubuike with the MLE? The guy has hearts beyond his talents, and he does have talent.