Postion Predictions from 1- 15 in the East Hawks Are...

[sillent]

I predict the Hawks will be 7th in the East (Laugh Now)... If most teams stay intact as they are today I see the 2017 - 2018 playoffs looking like this

1) Cleveland (Isaiah Thomas paired with LeBron and company is not going to let the Celtics get the best of him).

2) Boston (Offense will soar but defense will take a dive)

3) Milwaukee (Will fight for a top tier spot in the East)

4) Washington (Basically are coming back with the same team which doesn't please John Wall but he will still do his job)

5)Toronto ( See above but there normal one two punch won't be as potent if they don't change up their style of play)

6) Charlotte (Look like a middle of the road team that will make the playoffs and get an early exit (sound like anybody))

7) Atlanta ( Will play with enough heart, effort and teamwork every night to disprove their doubters and the results will be a playoff spot in the weak East. Unlike most young teams are homegrown young players have experienced the playoffs ever since they've been in the league so they've seen and know what it takes.)

8) Miami ( Last year most of Miami's main players beside Whiteside were playing for contracts. They might not come back as hungry but Eric Spoelstra is too good a coach to let them do too bad.)

Story lines

Cavs vs Heat (I think we know who wins.... Whoever has LeBron) 

Boston vs Atlanta ( Could see something reminiscent of Atl vs Boston 2008)

Milwaukee vs Charlotte ( Room for upset but don't think so)

Washington vs Toronto (Rematch of those playoff battles a few years back)

Bottom Tier

Detroit (Close but nope although could beat out Miami or us(Atlanta))

76ers (Grown Pains and injuries might make the process take a little bit longer)

Brooklynn (A scrappy team but lack of talent will hurt)

Indiana (No real floor general to lead this young squad but Miles should look great)

New York (Portazingas, Micheal Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr??? Replaced one gunner and got 2 in return sounds good if they played better defense)  

Orlando (Aaron Gordon will look great but I think they still need sometime to identify their best identity)

Chicago( Sad times in Chicago. I see them seriously struggling )

[Blunt91]

I have the Hawks finishing 14th in the east. You say Brooklyn doesn't have much talent well neither do we and that scrappy team beat us twice at the end of the year last season.

[ShooterSays]

I'm all for being optimistic but I just don't see the talent on this roster to compete for a playoff spot. Dennis is a good player, but besides him who do we have? Prince, Bembry, and Collins will be solid (maybe even all stars in a couple years) but do I think they're gonna win 30 - 40 games for us this year? No. I think we're lucky to win 20 games. I'll gladly eat crow if I'm wrong. 

Nonetheless, we have an exciting young team that is going to be a blast to watch this year and in the upcoming years. Couple that with a potential top 3 pick this year and I think we're sitting pretty for years to come - just not this year. 

[capstone21]

Only teams I see as worse then Atlanta is Chicago and maybe NY and Brooklyn.  This season I am okay with tanking ... Bud is such a good coach he might have them perform above their level though.  This is the season I want a high draft pick but we'll see what happens.  Will still be watching ... already got my single team league pass.  Its going to be a long year

[AHF]

I'd predict 13th in the East.  Same as Cleveland and GS were in their respective conferences a few years back.

[capstone21]

I'll throw in Orlando as well as there is nothing appealing about that roster at all

[Diesel]

I think we're better than Orlando and Maybe, Maybe Brooklyn..  We're 13th maybe 14th in the East. 

 

[Flight]

It's hard for me to say we aren't better than Orlando, Chicago, Brooklyn and NY. But I think beyond that it's pretty much far game. Our lack of talent will hurt us in one way or another though.

[StephenHawking]

11th or 12th I guess

[GrimeyKidd]

 This team is chock full of potential and bud will bring it out of them. I agree with your assessment of a playoff spot. 

[Diesel]

no vets = little wins. 

[JTB]

2 hours ago, Diesel said:

no vets = little wins. 

any other time id agree with this but the east is so bad it personally wouldn't shock me if the hawks snuck in the playoffs with a losing record. Either way Im fine with the tank or getting to the playoffs I just want to see this young roster show potential thats my only and biggest hope! I just want all these young guys to show that they have some real true upside and should be hawks for a long time....at least 3- 4 young guys on the roster anyways.

[capstone21]

The worst team is Chicago and then there a few teams that we get lumped in with (NY, Brook, Orlando) ... throw in PHX from the West and there you have the cellar dwellers competing for better draft picks.

[hazer]

10th

[lethalweapon3]

I've got em 13th out of 15 (Bullz, Nyets), but I won't be laughing, either. There are way too many East teams that I simply don't trust.

Maybe it's a product of years of "This Time, I'll Be Sweeter" preseason chatter from the Pistons/Knicks/Magic/Bulls/Sixers/Pacers and such. But I can't bring myself to see those cats finally getting enough traction to have even this pared-down version of the Hawks clearly in their rear-view mirror.

It's not so much about what the Hawks do or don't do; I gotta see those other squads not-imploding before I can smell what any of them are cooking.

I've got em pegged at 25 wins, but the Budenhustle is good enough to get to 30 alone, and 35 in this year's watered-down conference is probably a 7-seed.

~lw3