question!!!!

[leandro]

hello friends!!!!!!!!!

i have a question for you people, atlanta is going to make the playoff?????????

i think atlanta have a small backcourt (terry, jv, dickau), some players that we dont know how are going to play as diaw( rookie), hansen ( rookie), cc ( a lot of time injured), we have a good frontcourt whit shariff, henderson, theo, nazr, but is not enouht.

some teams are better than last year like miami, cleveland, new york (whit antonio mcdies). and toronto ( whit carter back)

i going to be a hard year

what do you thinh my friends??????????????

sorry for my english

go hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Plainview1981]

No, the Hawks will not make the playoffs. They might actually be a slightly better team than last year assuming

Nailon/Jackson are here to give depth, but as you said the

east has improved...So I doubt the Hawks will make a jump

in the standings.

[OGRat]

It all depends on the heart of the players and the fit of the system the coach puts them in. If it is clear to the players what their roles are, I think they could be better and might even make it into the playoffs.

I predict a great year for JT and Reef (needs to step up as team leader), but others like Glover must also step up. The team needs a player with an edge, and I think he could be the one to provide the extra hustle and toughness. They've been together long enough to know how to play together. The coach should know what most of the Hawks players are capable of, and should keep them within roles they are

capable of succeeding in.

Some consider me the consummate optimist, but I believe that if you consider that the team played with better chemistry w/o GRob (not to blame him for all the team's problems) and the fact that the coach has a chance to implement his system from day 1, the team could be better.

But even with the perfect system, the players have to want it bad enough to compete.

[beav]

There are a lot of ifs in my opinion.

I am very encouraged by the offseason however. We gained cap space and addition by subtraction IMO by jettisoning Big Dog.

We got younger and most importanly considerably more athletic with the additions of Jackson, Diaw and Hansen. Even with the loss of Newble we also got considerably better on defense.

Our problems last year IMO were in order:

1. Defense

2. Turnovers

3. Desire and chemistry

4. Athleticism

IMO we upgraded seriously with 1 and 4. We may have upgraded with 3 by adding young and hungry players.

2 remains to be seen but it sure as he!! won't be any worse.

[Gray Mule]

Hotlantadude, the eternal pesemist, says no.

I, on the other hand, being an optimist, say maybe.

Depends on a lot of things.

Desire of all the players and chemestry of the players.

The head coach, in his first full season. He was here for

only part of last season.

Coaching staff. This will be the first time in a long time

that Hawks have a full coaching staff. They worked

short handed in this area last season. This will help.

The health of all the players, both on the Hawks team

and on the other teams in the eastern conference.

Key players can and do go down with injuries. If we loose

some of our players for an extended period of time, no

way we make it.

On the other hand, some of the teams that are expected

to end up ahead of us could loose players to injuries and

slip right out of the picture, so this is the biggest IF of all.

As things stand currently, Hawks should be able to

contend for a playoff spot. Our starting center will be

healthy to start the season. Last season, he had to play

many games before he got his game back, after missing

about 18 months of playing.

We are close to the top 8 in the east right now. It could

go either way. We'll just have to wait and see how

things work out for us.

[beav]

I didn't answer did I?

I'd say they'll be in it until the last week, but no.

[KB21]

I think there are teams that were in the playoffs this past year that won't be as good as they were. New Orleans took a serious downgrade in the coaching staff. Paul Silas did a great job of keeping that team together when Mashburn and Davis were injured. Those two getting injured is a yearly occurence it seems. I don't think Tim Floyd will be able to keep the team together if/when those two miss time this year.

Milwaukee will be much worse and have no shot at the playoffs.

I think the last playoff spot will come down to the Hawks and the Bulls, with the Hawks edging the Bulls out due to the Bulls youth.

[mdawg]

The way I see it, there are 6 teams who will definitely get in the play-offs:

New Jersey, Detroit, Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia, Boston

Then, there are 5 that will definitely not get in:

Milwaukee, Miami, Cleveland, Toronto, New York

So, you have 3 teams fighting for 2 spots:

Atlanta, Washington, New Orleans.

I honestly think the Hawks can compete for the 8th spot. The East has improved up top, but the bottom is still very mediocre. The Hawks have a decent team. They might go 40-42 or 41-41 and make it in.

[Plainview1981]

What makes you think Miami will not contend for

the playoffs? They have:

PG:Dwayne Wade

SG:Eddie Jones

SF:Caron Butler

PF:Lamar Odom

C:Brian Grant

Malik Allen and Rasul Butler and Rafer Alson are decent players off the bench players. Plus they have Loren Woods/

Udonis Haslem has some potential....And John Wallace is

actually a decent bench player when give minutes.

It isn't a great team, but it's atleast as talent as we

are and the difference is that Miami plays defense and

the hawks don't.

The Bucks are out....I dont think Toronto will make it...

NY depends on if Dice is healthy and how good is he

now after basically two years?

[Weez]

because Eddie's getting old and doesn't have the speed to run a team from the sg anymore...Butler's a sf, despite Riles attempts to make him a pg this summer, that's a two position slide (he was a pure last year). That bench, honestly, is probably worse than ours. Simply put, I don't think Riles can play pg from the bench, the team's too old to run, depite a noted interior presence and depth, and there's no pg, unless it's Alston, and he wants to run.

all that said, I think they'll contend for that spot,, but won't get it. They get quite a few wins when teams lose focus, but they're forced to grind out nearly every win, and that just doesn't work over the season...

[beav]

I think that Miami is better than the Wizards. Sure they have a very good backcourt but the frontcourt and bench are poor.

[Plainview1981]

Lamar Odom is a Point Forward. They don't need a PG.

Jones might not be as good as he was years ago, but

he's still an 18PPG scorer and solid defensive player.

The bench with Allen/Alston/Walker/Wallace/Rasual

Butler is atleast as good as Dickau/Nailon/Hendu/Nazr

[Weez]

Lamar Odom is a point forward, and a fantastic one...but he's going to be playing...? pg? I just don't see how they're going to lineup on the court defensively, esp. against smaller, quicker teams who will try to run them to death. This is a problem, because offensively, the Heat will have to be a primarily half-court team, which equals low scoring, thus you can't have too many defenses lapses.

[Lrenfro]

Every Year I am optimistic however I expect so much from the Hawks. I mean I was one of the biggest complainers when they were getting kicked out of the second round year after year. Its like a beautiful woman taking you to bed everynight kissing you and then saying good night. Now I am at the point that I am not sure if I want that back or do I still want more form this team. I just don't think I will be satisfied with a playoff spot. Am I pesemistic I don't think so but I just don't get as excited as I used to. Don't get me wrong. I will still be at the games. I will still sit in fornt of my Boob tube for two hours everyother night. But I just don't have the excitement I once had.

[Hawksman]

The talent is there. Once it gells, we will do it.

[emeans]

Guys lets not fool outselves in thinking this team is a playoff team. As much as I wish it was.......this is not a playoff team. At best, and I am stretching it, they will make the 8 spot....AT BEST.

Realistically they will be the 10 or 11th team in the east.

People keep forgetting that this team has been through the mud this offseason. This was by NBA standards a terrible terrible offseason for the Hawks.

We have unproven rookie talent. We have questionable outside shooters other than JT. Who can truly stroke it from the outside other than JT??? You can't win everything in the post with Shareef.

That is my biggest concern. Who will be able to take that OUTSIDE shot and make it in the clutch???

[pathway23]

I agree. We need a dead eye 40%+ shooter from 3. By this point a trade may be necessary to get that shooter. But if we had this weopon, it would go a long way. With no threat from outside teams can "cheat" on Shareef and also clog the lanes for slashers like Jackson, JT and Glove. With an "automatic" 3 point weopon things become wide open inside.

[emeans]

Exactly that is my biggest concern. We have a lot of slashers and post players that are good at what they do.

But we have absolutely no pure shooters from the 3 point line and outside shooters period.

JT is the only outside shooter and he is your PG. That is not good people.

Maybe we can trade and get that outside threat that will open up the middle.

[Weez]

which is exactly why many people on this board want to see steve smith...who brings a very good longrange game, vet leadership, knows atl. etc...

the other option is Hubert Davis, who was recently released by the Pistons - he's everything S. Smith is, without the atl name, but younger and probably ready to contribute more...

having one vet in the backcourt would be great...now is the time for JT to step up and say hey, I'm off my rookie contract, I'm a vet now, time to become a vocal leader on this team, in the lockerroom, and in this backcourt...

[emeans]

I would take Steve or Hubert, however I am leaning more toward Steve Smith because of his experience.

Lets see what this new ownership is made of and see if they can get us that shooter we desperately need.