The Hawks actually have alot of what if's going into the season

[IheartVolt]

I mean what if J-Smoove comes out in his new peek condition and goes ball busters on the league?

I think we all agree if he gets his head out of his rear he could be a force for this team..

Then we have Marvin...I mean it is obvious just by watching video of the guy he had back issues that was

affecting his play on the court..He could come out this year and actually earn his pay this year..

The big wild card IMO is gonna be Teague..Do we get the same Teague fron the Bulls series last year w/

a whole year of play under his belt? What if Hawk fans ? What if this team actually is not in as bad of condition as alot of people fear?

I will also add I feel a little better w/ the likes of McGrady and Stack then some of the characters that have played off the bench in recent years

[Guest]

Agree

[ATLJA316]

It's a great outlook to have, but 'what if's' don't generally pan out in basketball.

Here's to hope though!

[Dragitoff]

I commented in another thread a few days ago though, you'd essentially got the same starters as last year. When you compare things like this, you'd have to think we've net improved. Of course, other teams have improved also.

Teague > Bibby (defensively and attacking the basket we're definitely stronger, but weaker outside and overall leading the the team)

Johnson > Johnson (you'd really hope he improves on his poor season last year)

Williams > Williams (back surgery should definitely improve his play. He was a non-factor almost every night. Has to improve right?)

Smith > Smith (less long jumpers and 3's = instant improvement)

Horford = Horford

McGrady, Stackhouse, Hinrich, Zaza, Collins, Radmon, Sy> Crawford, Evans, Zaza, Collins, Wilkins (much deeper bench with tons more vet leadership.....vocal leaders that will help right the ship when it's off-course)

[ATLSmith]

Yea, I know this is pretty much the same team as last year but I'm excited for the season to start.

I think Smoove is going to be a beast this season and you know he's going to be gunning for a spot on the all-star team.

Marvin will show some improvement and, as always, give the other team match-up problems at the 3. I think he might get off to a slow shooting start though since he is a little out of practice.

Everything I've read says that Joe wasn't satisfied with his performance last year. Looking for a big improvement from him this year as well.

Teague will have some phenomenal games. He will have a few terrible games, but that's going to happen. Overall I'm excited to see him take the lead.

Looking for Horford to be more aggressive around the basket. I think the team as a whole will see a benefit from a quicker Smoove and a healthy Marvin when it comes to offensive boards. It will allow Horford to take the jump shot if needed while either one of our forwards in the area for a rebound.

I still like the pickup of Kirk and look forward to him returning later in the season. We really didn't see much of him last season.

I know he's not a starter, but Jason Collins is going to be so much better than he was two years ago. Last year was an improvement but this year he looks like a completely different person.

Let's play some ball already!

[macdaddy]

When Bibby came we went from doormat to playoff team just with his addition. If Teague can really run this team it should make a huge difference. I'm not counting on anything else.

Having some good D at the PG and having speed will make this a different team.

[AHF]

There are a lot of "what ifs" but the good news is that you can make a case for every starter getting better:

* Teague should be better. The Chicago series is probably too high a bar but he can improve dramatically even without playing at that level.

* Joe should be healthier and therefore better.

* Marvin should be healthier and therefore better.

* Josh looks to be in great shape and claims he isn't going to shoot so many 3's so he might pick up his offensive boards, his trips to the FT line, and take the next step to All-Star status.

* Al was a better jump shooter than Dirk last year from an efficiency standpoint and claims to have spent the summer learning to take the ball to the hoop. That could be a deadly combination against slower centers.

There are reasons to be very interested in this team as it is currently constituted even without getting to the question of "what if the Hawks finally pull the trigger on a deal to shake up the core of this team."

[frosgrim]

For me, the biggest IF is, has the team grown collectively tougher. Until this team gets tough, it isn't going anywhere.

[hawkman]

I have a gut feeling that Smoove will have his best season as a Hawk next season. I also think Mcgrady has more left in the tank than many here think. It takes ~2 years to get over a serious knee injury. I'm not saying T-mac will be in All Star form, but that he can/will go off for 15-20pts on any given night while being a better passer and defender than Craw was off the bench.I've read that Teague has the 'swagger' of someone who knows it's his turn to run the team. He's always had the physical tools, he just needed to stop being 'Rook' or 'kid' to become the player he was capable of being. I don't think Teague's Playoff performance was a fluke, but rather a glimpse into the kind of performance we can expect from him from now on.

[Guest]

For me, the biggest IF is, has the team grown collectively tougher. Until this team gets tough, it isn't going anywhere.

I agree...I want to see some fight in these guys when they are getting beat down. Too often when shots aren't falling the defense is none existent. I remember watching Jordan's Bulls teams and so many times the offense is off but the defense never let up which kept them is most games. That's the kind of defensive effort I want to see from these guys.

I am actually quite optimistic about this season. This will be the 2nd season running LD's offense and with Teague now running the show I think they will play at a much faster pace (doesn't have to be a track meet just faster). I always thought they played too slow for having so many athletes.

[capstone21]

I think the big thing Bibby did that Teague does not possess is leadership. Bibby could run a team. I have not seen that at all from Teague at all yet. I know he can score and that is great but if he can't get others involved this team will take a step back. It all rides on his shoulders and his willingness to change his game. We don't need him to get us 20ppg. I would rather 11ppg and 7 assists.

[hawkman]

I think the big thing Bibby did that Teague does not possess is leadership. Bibby could run a team. I have not seen that at all from Teague at all yet. I know he can score and that is great but if he can't get others involved this team will take a step back. It all rides on his shoulders and his willingness to change his game. We don't need him to get us 20ppg. I would rather 11ppg and 7 assists.

Actually, I thought he was pretty good assist wise during the Bulls series. In fact, every time Teague has a 'breakout' game, his assist numbers look pretty good. Leadership will come with time and PLAYING time. It's hard to lead when you're buried on the bench your first seasons in the league.

[capstone21]

I agree that leadership will come but disagre about his playmaking during the BUlls series. His playmaking has a long ways to go but hopfully he will be a pg who will focus more on that then just on getting his shot up. This season will be his oppurtunity to show what he brings to the table

[AHawks89]

You're only thinking one aspect of the game. Think about how many times the opposing teams PG would take advantage of Bibby. Teague will draw fouls, drive to the basket, awesome defense, and like someone mentioned earlier that he usually does put up good numbers in assist.

I'm ready for the season to start!

[Gray Mule]

So many teams are not, in no way, anywhere near to being ready for the season to begin. Trades

are trying to be made and not being made. Some teams have about half a roster and don't know

where their remainder is coming from.

Then, trades and free agents are across the board and things are very unsettled.

Hello Atlanta Hawks. 5 starters here, ready to go. Bench players mostly set. If they started the season

today, the Hawks would be "A go." Ready as anyone could be.

Our bench sounds stronger - - We'll see. We come from a winning season, We're mostly healthy,

stronger and more veteran than at any time in recent history.

In that old movie, "A league of their own" the gals were told, "There's no crying in baseball."

Right now, the Hawks really have nothing too serious to cry about!!

GO HAWKS!!!

[Gray Mule]

CP3 to the Clippers.

Finally, that one trade goes thru.

[capstone21]

You're only thinking one aspect of the game. Think about how many times the opposing teams PG would take advantage of Bibby. Teague will draw fouls, drive to the basket, awesome defense, and like someone mentioned earlier that he usually does put up good numbers in assist.

I'm ready for the season to start!

Don't get me wrong, I think Bibby is done and has been done. His defense was terrible He needed to go and I do like Teague's defense. Speaking from the perspective of a scoring pg or a playmaking pg ... I always prefer a playmaking one that make his team better. I hope to see a lot of playmaking from Teague and not just one on one plays where he is just looking for his own shot.