Could this team win the East?

[Plainview1981]

I agree that the Eastern Conf. improved significantly... However, we're constantly overlooking the fact that our team has so much room for improvement from within! Remember, that's how this team got constructed in the first place... so, if we keep all the pieces together and continue building our chemistry, who'se to say that we're not gonna improve?!

Will it be enough to contend, well... I choose to be an optimist, why not!

AL is basically te same player he was as a rookie...JJ has declined the last 2 seasons. Marvin's production hasn't improved. Josh had a mediocre year. I can't much more improvemet from within.

[T21]

AL is basically te same player he was as a rookie...JJ has declined the last 2 seasons. Marvin's production hasn't improved. Josh had a mediocre year. I can't much more improvemet from within.

With all due respect, I must disagree!

- Al was injured during the second half of the season and the Playoffs. He's gonna be fine...

- Same goes for JJ (injury). Plus, I wouldn't say he's declined... he just has more help now-days then 3-4 years ago...

- Marvin's progress year in and year out is evident and cannot be ignored. If he was given a greater role on the offense, I think he would perform even better.

- I know that we're all frustrated with Smoove, because we all see the huge potential, yet he's having wrong approach on offense most of the time... However, I think he'll be fine too! He's so young and he'll learn to play to his strenghts.

P.S. If our core guys were healthy during the second half of the season, and the Playoffs, I think we would have strongly challenged Cavs. Instead, our season ended in a, somewhat, dissapointing way... making most of us forget the great accomplishments and steady progress of this group!

[coachx]

Ih they are healthy in the playoffs there is no reason why that squad could get to the EC Championship Round.

Once you get their anything could happen.

[Bahamut]

Age could definitely be an issue for the Celts, and Sheed ain't exactly a youngster himself.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that noticed this!! :cheers:

[Ruckus]

P.S. If our core guys were healthy during the second half of the season, and the Playoffs, I think we would have strongly challenged Cavs. Instead, our season ended in a, somewhat, dissapointing way... making most of us forget the great accomplishments and steady progress of this group!

Thank you. I couldn't agree more. "YP2K" and "Hotlanta" don't know what they are talking about. They sound like they are related to Steve Belkin or something.

[Johnnybravo4]

I agree that the Eastern Conf. improved significantly... However, we're constantly overlooking the fact that our team has so much room for improvement from within! Remember, that's how this team got constructed in the first place... so, if we keep all the pieces together and continue building our chemistry, who'se to say that we're not gonna improve?!

Will it be enough to contend, well... I choose to be an optimist, why not!

I don't think that it has improved that much. Hedo for VC is pretty much a lateral move and Shaq will screw up Lebron on offense.

[LordOfNYork]

Stupidity annoys me. Bringing back zaza, marvin, and bibby + adding teague and crawford AND MCDYESS makes us as good as boston, orlando, and even the cavs. This would make us instant contenders. I just don't see this happening unless rockets lay off zaza and Mcdyess just really likes atlanta......

pierce, allen, garnett, wallace, rondo, doc >>>>everything ur wishing for my friend...sorry but it's true. hawks are closer to lower seeds like bulls, miami and maybe detroit than they are to orlando, boston, and cleveland sir. it's just said to see the same team from last year will be out on the floor with the same wack coach....teague getting PT under woodson, wow...hawks fail again

[Ruckus]

hawks are closer to lower seeds like bulls, miami and maybe detroit than they are to orlando, boston, and cleveland

LOL. We are much better than bulls, miami, and detroit. Much better. Stick with skateboarding and emo music SIR.

[LordOfNYork]

LOL. We are much better than bulls, miami, and detroit. Much better. Stick with skateboarding and emo music SIR.

I never said bulls, miami, and detroit were BETTER than the hawks sir...Dude I'm just telling what your own GM said on a radio interview. I wish I had his exact quote so u could feel the egg on your face. but sund pretty much truthfully said our team (the atlanta hawks) are closer to the bottom half than we (the atlanta hawks) are to the top three...close thread according to Rick Sund, your GM...and your insult failed, try again...

[hawksrule9]

i still do not think we would be able to win the east. we may be athletic and able to score, but our defense would be terrible and we would have a hard time getting alot of rebounds

Idk. Amare did average 2 blocks per game when he was healthy 2 years ago. He averages a career 9 rebounds per game. With his added scoring and rebounding, Crawford coming off the bench, Bibby staying in ATL, and resigning Zaza and Flip, I say we might have a running for the ship. Now the question would be who do you give up, Al or Josh? Marv and Rights to J Chill??

[BusBoyIsBack]

That team could win the East 3 years ago.

But with all the freaking blockbuster trades with the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic, I don't think so.

I think they could potentially win the East 2-3 years from now given we keep the core together and guys like Teague, Smoove, Horford progress because those guys have really high ceilings particularly Teague and Josh Smith.

[buckeye242424]

I never said bulls, miami, and detroit were BETTER than the hawks sir...Dude I'm just telling what your own GM said on a radio interview. I wish I had his exact quote so u could feel the egg on your face. but sund pretty much truthfully said our team (the atlanta hawks) are closer to the bottom half than we (the atlanta hawks) are to the top three...close thread according to Rick Sund, your GM...and your insult failed, try again...

I would like to hear that interview.

[BusBoyIsBack]

AL is basically te same player he was as a rookie...JJ has declined the last 2 seasons. Marvin's production hasn't improved. Josh had a mediocre year. I can't much more improvemet from within.

Then how did we go from 37 wins to 47 wins if we got so much worse or stayed the same?

Truth is we have a lot of players on this team with a lot of upside and we just added a couple more through FA and the draft.

Edited July 5, 2009 by BusBoyIsBack

[Ruckus]

I would like to hear that interview.

Me too.

[dlpin]

Boston could easily fade due to their age... Orlando and Cleveland are a lock at the top though, no way we pass them taking into account the moves that have been made on all sides.

Barring injuries I would say we have no shot at all... However, Shaq could easily miss significant time this year, heck last year was the first time in four years where Shaq didn't miss more than 20 games... If Shaq brakes down (which I think is actually quite probable) we could maybe finish ahead of Cleveland... Garnett, Allen and Pierce are all entering the age where any of them could see a very significant drop in production (Garnett already went through that last year actually). Orlando though, I think they are a very safe bet to be better than us... I really think Vince Carter is an upgrade over Turkoglu, a big upgrade.

Boston's decline with age is made up by a better rondo and a healthier KG. If Shaq misses a lot of games it will basically mean that the cavs have the same team as last year. The magic made a lateral move on one hand, but got nelson back on the other.

But even if any of these three teams do decline, the questions are: are these teams +10 wins worse than last year? The answer, at least right now, is a resounding no.

So if that is not the case, is this hawks team improved enough to win +20 games? The answer, right now, is a resounding no again.

Could it happen? Sure. Is it in any way likely? no.