The Hawks and the Way Too Early 2013-14 NBA Predictions

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Our Atlanta Hawks

The skinny: Although the Hawks took a step back while clearing out old and broken talent and missed out on letter-letter-number show, I feel they will still make the playoffs because Boston and Milwaukee got so much worse and most of the Eastern non-playoff teams from 2013 did not get much better. They also have their top-heavy division working for (or against, depending on POV) them as Orlando, Washington, and Charlotte still aren't that great. The Hawks will continue their playoff streak at the cost of getting a star in the 2014 draft as a 8th seed facing Chicago in the first round and will be swept. Final record: 38-44

Areas that will improve: I believe the Hawks will improve their offensive efficiency now that mid-range shawty has moved long distance to Detroit. I also believe that Milsap, Brand, and the other undersized big men will greatly improve our lackluster 2013 rebounding totals. I feel team FT% will improve too.

Areas I question: Is Horford man enough to be this team's leader? How will Teague perform w/o having Smoove as a crutch? Whose defense will be worse: the Falcons or the Hawks? How well will Milsap and Horford coexist? Who is this team's go-to scorer until Lou gets back? Trade deadline activity: Are we a team of pieces or do we have pieces of a team? How long will Ferry rock that sexy beard?

What to Watch For in the East

The Centurion Division: The highly competitive Central division will have 3 teams representing in the playoffs this season (Indiana, Detroit, and the divisional champion Chicago) and I feel D-Rose will come back in dominating fashion. Detroit is the most improved team in the league, but we will see if the tree stands tall or if Jennings and Smith's inefficiencies rot the tree from the inside out. Cleveland signed Bynum, but I really question whether or not the tooth picks that are holding his knees together will be able to take the grind of all 82 games and how well the top draft pick in 2013 will perform. Kyrie may be alone in Cleveland again. Milwaukee will be whipping boy of the division and will likely a top-5 draftee in 2014. Indiana will be their good ole selves.

The Raptors: With the Rudy Gay, Demar DeRozan, and Kyle Lowry, the Raptor will be good enough to make some noise in the East and to be the 7th seed with a record of 40-42. First round exit vs. Miami.

The Net Worth of the Nets: Are they better than the Heat? Will one basketball be enough for Pierce, Williams, Johnson, Garnett, and AK47? What is the ceiling for this team? Is this a team that will have the fans excited or send us to the retire home and have us Jay-zzz...ZZZ...zzzing?

Surprise, Surprise, It's a Disappointment

Surprises of 2013: Minnesota and Rudy Gay. With Minne retaining Non and Rubio a 100%, it keeps the love inside of Love. I believe the Wolves will make the playoffs.

Rudy Gay will flourish in his first full season in Toronto. He'll post career best numbers in points and rebounds and will cement his place in Toronto for a few more seasons.

Disappointments of 2013: Memphis, Cleveland, and Portland/C.J. McCollum. I believe Memphis will struggle this season in the West. They did not address their wing scoring issues and they fired Lionel Hollins who the players loved. Sure they replaced him a good successor in Joerger, but will he be enough to make the team forget about Hollins?

As I said before, Kyrie may be on his own again. Dion Waiters has shown sparks and they did sign the second best free agent center, but will Bynum's knees hold up. Their season hinges on Bynum's hinges.

C.J. McCollum is already having injury issues and Portland needs him to be their sixth man. I believe the injury bug keeps biting McCollum this season and the times he does play will be not be anything to write home about.

On the fence: New York and the aging teams. Denver and Dallas.

What questions can I ask about New York that hasn't already been asked a hundred times. What does the Lakers and Spurs have left in the tank. Can Denver recover from yet another star leaving their facilities and how well will Dirk/Ellis/Calderon work.

And the Champion Is...

The East:

[*]Chicago (60-22) [*]Miami (57-25) [*]Brooklyn (55-27) [*]Indiana (47-35) [*]New York (46-36) [*]Detroit (44-38) [*]Toronto (40-42) [*]Atlanta (38-44)

The West:

[*]OKC (58-24) [*]Houston (56-26) [*]LA Clippers (55-27) [*]Golden State (53-29) [*]San Antonio (48-34) [*]LA Lakers (43-39) [*]Dallas (42-40) [*]Minnesota (38-44)

The Finals:

Chicago defeats Houston, 4-3

I love Chicago (not as a fan, but as an unbiased observer) to win the title because I feel with Rose, this is a team that is solid and well coached. Their starting lineup is Noah, Boozer, Deng, Butler, Rose w/ Hinrich, Gibson, and Dunleavy off of the bench. With all of the attention currently on Miami and Brooklyn, Chicago is sort of flying under the radar. Unlike Miami and Brooklyn, only one basketball is needed to make Chicago work. I feel Brooklyn won't be able to get out of their own way and the Heat are reaching the end of their dominance. Even without Rose, this injured team surprised the league to be more than just a speed bump in the playoffs last year as they eliminated Brooklyn and took Game 1 vs. Miami. Sky's the limit in Chicago.

The West is completely up for grabs. Not a single clear cut favorite. Every team has their issues which means every team 1-6 has a shot at a title run. Took Houston because I believe they are the most complete team and they have the talent in the right spots unlike LAC and OKC*. This teams success really hinges on whether or not DH12 and Harden can coexist. With Howard manning the middle, Harden will be thriving more in the midrange and out. Parsons is the perfect player to play with Howard, but what will Howard have for PF help? Does Houston really think Asik is a PF or will he be used in a deal to bring Dwight a real sidekick? Will Houston's lack of a bench hurt them and what about Lin, Lin, Linsanity... The West really is up for grabs...

*What I mean by this statement is that Houston has their talent at the center and SG positions while LAC's talent is guard heavy and OKC doesn't have great production from the 4 or 5 and are still missing a sixth man after the Harden deal.

This 2014 Draft Everyone is Hyped About...

Wigged out for Wiggins: I have the 76ers winning the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes. One of the most active draft day teams in 2013, sending away Holiday to Nawlins is the sign that the team is rebuilding. They drafted MCW and received Nerlens "High-Top" Noel from that other bird team, but the team does not have a go-to scorer, is not great defensively, and I am not completely sold on MCW being "the man" in 2013.

Parker the Car in Phoenix: Jabari will be a Sun. Even with the addition of Eric Bledsoe, they still have GS and the LA's in their division and play in the difficult Western conference. I believe the Suns still have way too many holes and will end up with the fourth pick. Jabari will bring excitement to Phoenix and fills a position of need. The biggest question is whether or not Phoenix will be able to keep Jabari in Phoenix.

The Mid-Range Picks...: ...are better than the top 2013 picks. A lot of talent in this upcoming draft and guys like Dario Saric, Cauley-Stein, and Robinson Jr., could be had in this area of the draft. So even if the Hawks f*** up in make the playoffs, they still will have a great shot at getting their true center or wing guy. And there is always that guy that is projected top-10 but falls too.

Edited October 14, 2013 by PSSSHHHRRR87

[Guest]

What knucklehead author wrote this?

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

What knucklehead author wrote this?

...uhhh, me...

[Guest]

Oh, then I love it. :-)

[Guest]

Pssshhh r u a Lions fan? That would be crazy cuz I'm a lions fan. I think we might be the only 2 people in the world who like the Lions and the Hawks lol

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Well, I am just happy you guys thought the write-up was done by a professional author... lol Have considered getting a degree in Sports Journalism...

Pssshhh r u a Lions fan? That would be crazy cuz I'm a lions fan. I think we might be the only 2 people in the world who like the Lions and the Hawks lol

My entire family is from Detroit and are faithful to the Detroit-area sports teams, so I follow the Lions, Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings along with my hometown Falcons, Hawks, and Braves (Predators too!), but I am Atlanta first, Detroit second. Really, I posted the Reggie avatar/sig to show my disapproval of the Atlanta teams this month. Lions are really the only thing getting me through this miserable Falcons season, so I'm showing them some love. lol

[capstone21]

Well written...completely disagree about Pistons being dramatically improved. There team is not made up well.

[Guest]

That's cool pssshhhrrr...I'm Hawks, Braves, Lions :-)...ur article was very well written, I guess I said knucklehead due to Pistons being 6th and the Bulls winning the title. Otherwise really good stuff.

[Guest]

Also Toronto won't finish 7th, it'll be the Cavs in my opinion. And I think Spurs>Warriors in the seedings.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

And it's just my opinion and predictions. I just think Brooklyn will be a costly disaster and who knows about Miami. The whirlwind of LeBron possibly leaving Miami will be in full force about then. Also, Mike Miller won't be helping them in the playoffs this year. Their bench will be broken Oden, that knucklehead Beasley, and a bunch of other guys that are either pass their prime or benchwarmers that are just weighing down the Kings coattails. Also, who knows how healthy D-Wade will be at that time. He has been hurt the last three playoffs.

Well written...completely disagree about Pistons being dramatically improved. There team is not made up well.

I agree. As I said, it really is 50/50 on which way that team could go. I think Dumars put that team together in haste because Gores has put him on the hot seat. Jennings and Smith will make or break that team, but with the current state of the East and considering both Jennings and Smith help get their teams to the playoff last season, I do believe the Pistons make the playoffs. Also, Chauncey is back to keep the peace.

Edited October 15, 2013 by PSSSHHHRRR87

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Go for it, although I'm not sure limiting yourself to sports journalism is the best route. Journalism with a minor in sports journalism or marketing or management leaves you with more options. I'm sure there is someone on this board that would know more about this than me, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Honestly, I'm down right SICK of school right now. I have been fighting for my degree for 8 years now and I am just done on all levels. I did consider Journalism at one point, but I'll be fully content just putting together articles for the Squawk and riding off in the sunset with my Finance degree. lol

[capstone21]

There team is not made up well.

Their not There

[JETSET]

Harden is a below average shooter at every spot on the floor outside of around the rim and at the FT line. His 3 pt % is decent but does not standout. Take away the superstar calls that the league has decide to give him and he would be just an average player. He has no mid-range game and the addition of Dwight will not help this. The addition of Dwight will most likely push Harden further away from the basket. He also contributes nothing on defense.

Harden is overrated as hell and I believe he will be the weak link on the Rockets when the playoffs come around.

Your Rudy Gay prediction is asking a lot too.

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Harden is a below average shooter at every spot on the floor outside of around the rim and at the FT line. His 3 pt % is decent but does not standout. Take away the superstar calls that the league has decide to give him and he would be just an average player. He has no mid-range game and the addition of Dwight will not help this. The addition of Dwight will most likely push Harden further away from the basket. He also contributes nothing on defense.

Harden is overrated as hell and I believe he will be the weak link on the Rockets when the playoffs come around.

Your Rudy Gay prediction is asking a lot too.

I agree and these superstar teams take a while to build chemistry. I took Houston just because I don't trust OKC and SAS is a year older. I believe the West is wide open and 1-6 seeds have a legit shot at title. The East will win the title, no matter if its Miami, Chicago, or Brooklyn there.

[Randy]

You did a nice job, and you have nice way of turning a phrase. Your Hawks prediction seem pretty solid to me, but then I'm a pessimist by nature. Overall you went way further out on a limb than I would, but did a good job of it. No guts no glory.

Edited October 16, 2013 by Randy

[TheFuzz]

Solid job bud. Disagree on a few things, but you know me (well, I guess you don't actually). Only thing though is I do think we would miss the playoffs with a 38-44 record. Between Detroit, Washington and Toronto (assuming they don't have a firesale) along with us it'll be a surprisingly competitive 5-8 seed for the East. I think Cleveland will disappoint but they could be pretty good too if Bynum and Varejao and Bennett and Irving all stay healthy. Good luck with that one, they don't have much outside of that.