I'm calling it right now...I think the Hawks will be the #1 seed in the East!

[Peoriabird]

I know its early in the season but the Hawks look like the best team in the east so far.  I know that a lot of posters don't believe in the our young core and will point to the fact that none of them except Trae has made an all star appearance but I'm will push back and blame media bias.  I predicted 4 all stars for this up coming season and after game 1, I can make the case for each one of them.

Hunter is possibly the 3rd best defensive wing in the league.  Combine that with the his ability on Offense which he displayed last year pre injury makes him a strong candidate for the all star team

John Collins is an easy case for me.  One of the most efficient players in the league on offense and now his defense is top 20 maybe top 10 easily makes him a strong candidate for him to be an All star

Clint Capela will be on the all defensive team and probably lead the league in rebounding again.  If game 1 is any indicator, he has even improved his touch around the rim.  should have been an all star last year.

The league will not make the mistake of leaving Trae Young off the all star team again.

And of course I'll stand by my statement that Trae's supporting cast and the Hawks bench are superior to any team in the East including Milwaukee.

[sturt]

46 minutes ago, Peoriabird said:

I predicted 4 all stars for this up coming season and after game 1, I can make the case for each one of them.

And you could also make the case at this point that all of the Boston Celtics should either retire or be sent to G-League except for Al Horford.

 

Optimism is a good thing. And. Sobriety is a good thing.

 

 

[Peoriabird]

8 minutes ago, sturt said:

 

 

Optimism is a good thing. And. Sobriety is a good thing.

 

 

I don't follow you

[hazer]

 

 

 

[thecampster]

My early season prediction was 58-24. That would pretty close to 1st in the East. Its easy after the first game to feel like I might have undershot that estimate a wee bit.

 

[Peoriabird]

8 minutes ago, thecampster said:

 Its easy after the first game to feel like I might have undershot that estimate a wee bit.

 

Me too

[hazer]

I predicted 56-26, which should land us right around 2nd or 3rd. Which I’d be perfectly happy with.

[marco102]

I predicted 61-21.  Only @MarylandHawk was higher than me.  I believe he saw my prediction and said NO Marco!  I'm the biggest homer here and you're second!

[Gray Mule]

I hope these Hawks don't get too high on themselves and let game #2 of the season slip away.

Atlanta is good.  Other eastern teams are good.  Their bench is good.  Atlanta's bench is great!  The difference.  Every time our team takes the floor they will be tested.  They have now become the team to beat in the east.  Being looked down upon by many media heads gives other teams hope.

We are what we are.  Now, we must prove it to ourselves and others.  We will.  46-36 for the year.  I expect the east to be tight.

[Spud2nique]

30 minutes ago, Gray Mule said:

I hope these Hawks don't get too high on themselves and let game #2 of the season slip away.

This. Game by game, doing it the right way and no skipping steps. This is the NBA, we have to give it 110% every night, this league is loaded with talent. Don’t take anyone lightly…

Cue the Cavs..  

[ATLHawks3]

If healthy, I think we have a shot.

[Spud2nique]

2 minutes ago, ATLHawks3 said:

If healthy, I think we have a shot.

Hey did you want Capela for us 2 years ago? I gotta find the guy.

Its between 

You

Wuirder

oh yesss, I got it .. @tbhawksfan YOU!

Did you want Capela 2 years ago TBS? Somebody wanted him badly and kept posting, just forgot who, I’m delivering flowers .

 

[ATLHawks3]

3 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hey did you want Capela for us 2 years ago? I gotta find the guy.

Its between 

You

Wuirder

oh yesss, I got it .. @tbhawksfan YOU!

Did you want Capela 2 years ago TBS? Somebody wanted him badly and kept posting, just forgot who, I’m delivering flowers .

 

I never publicly said I wanted him, because I didn't even know the Rockets were trying to trade him at the time. But obviously after the trade happened, I was really happy because it sent a signal to us that we were ending the rebuild and turning our focus into competing for the playoffs.

[Spud2nique]

If we end up with the first seed I’m gonna shave a pacman Hawks logo onto my chest for everybody. 
 

ps Still haven’t gotten my elusive tatt.

[RedDawg#8]

Regardless of how good we are or may be, the media is still about a year behind when it comes to us.

How they see us and our talent now is how they should have been looking at us last season.

The playoffs were the first time most reporters outside of Atlanta really looked at our squad, and even then we weren't at full strength or playing at our full potential. We were close. But they think that was our peak.

Many outsiders are a fan of either Cam or Dre's potential. They haven't even fathomed what the combination can do if BOTH reach their potential.

A lot of writers haven't even fully acknowledged what Clint Capela did last season and how impactful he is on the defensive end for us.

They all like JC but forget that Gallo is a big time shot maker and seasoned vet as his backup.

They still don't know us.

Trae is doing his part because he is on the marquee and draws the box office appeal. People will come to see what he does, but they are still looking at their media guides going;

"Oh yeah, Capela did lead the NBA in rebounding"

"Oh yeah, Dre was defensive POTY in college"

"Oh yeah, Cam was once rated above Zion going to Duke"

"Oh yeah, we thought Bogi was going to make the Bucks in to dynasty before he went to Atlanta"

"Oh yeah, JC can dunk, shoot from deep, score in the mid post, clean the glass and now play defense"

"Oh yeah, this Heurter kid does more than shoot 3 pointers"

"Oh yeah, Gallo is an 18ppg player before coming to Atlanta to be a backup"

"Oh yeah, Lou Williams is still on their team"

"Oh yeah, Okongwu played great defense in the playoffs on Embiid and Giannis, and he is the BACKUP to Capela"

"Oh yeah, Nate McMillan is a helluva good coach who never had this amount of talent before"

"Man, the Hawks sure could be pretty damn good"

This is the season they pay attention. This is when they start to appreciate the full picture. 

I still don't see anyone other than Trae being rewarded for their impact yet. But they are definitely going to build strong cases that will beef up their resumes.

It's going to take until midseason before they accept that we are here to stay. By then they would have missed their chance to put more guys in the ASG.

[sturt]

2 hours ago, Peoriabird said:

I don't follow you

While I share your optimism, having had essentially the same opinion even before the first game, the sobriety part points to the same premise that follows some concluding that Cooper should be our back-up PG immediately based on summer league.

Give it more than a single game. Hell, we don't even have a great read on how good DAL is going to be--did we beat a quality team, or just one that gets a lot of hype?

I recall about this same time last season having beaten the Nets, and there was some of the same vibes that maybe we were significantly better than anyone had comprehended. And we were, but it sure wasn't evident until much later in the season.

Marathon. Not a sprint.

I'm prepared to go out on a limb and say the Nets and Bucks aren't as good as most media flapping gums seems to imagine, and that we're better than. But/and the issue of health, like it or not, creeps at our door and we know that too well.

If we stay healthy, I like us to win 60 games. But I thought that before the DAL game. It did nothing to discourage that optimism, of course, but it did nothing to inflate it, either.

[hazer]

24 minutes ago, RedDawg#8 said:

Regardless of how good we are or may be, the media is still about a year behind when it comes to us.

How they see us and our talent now is how they should have been looking at us last season.

The playoffs were the first time most reporters outside of Atlanta really looked at our squad, and even then we weren't at full strength or playing at our full potential. We were close. But they think that was our peak.

Many outsiders are a fan of either Cam or Dre's potential. They haven't even fathomed what the combination can do if BOTH reach their potential.

A lot of writers haven't even fully acknowledged what Clint Capela did last season and how impactful he is on the defensive end for us.

They all like JC but forget that Gallo is a big time shot maker and seasoned vet as his backup.

They still don't know us.

Trae is doing his part because he is on the marquee and draws the box office appeal. People will come to see what he does, but they are still looking at their media guides going;

"Oh yeah, Capela did lead the NBA in rebounding"

"Oh yeah, Dre was defensive POTY in college"

"Oh yeah, Cam was once rated above Zion going to Duke"

"Oh yeah, we thought Bogi was going to make the Bucks in to dynasty before he went to Atlanta"

"Oh yeah, JC can dunk, shoot from deep, score in the mid post, clean the glass and now play defense"

"Oh yeah, this Heurter kid does more than shoot 3 pointers"

"Oh yeah, Gallo is an 18ppg player before coming to Atlanta to be a backup"

"Oh yeah, Lou Williams is still on their team"

"Oh yeah, Okongwu played great defense in the playoffs on Embiid and Giannis, and he is the BACKUP to Capela"

"Oh yeah, Nate McMillan is a helluva good coach who never had this amount of talent before"

"Man, the Hawks sure could be pretty damn good"

This is the season they pay attention. This is when they start to appreciate the full picture. 

I still don't see anyone other than Trae being rewarded for their impact yet. But they are definitely going to build strong cases that will beef up their resumes.

It's going to take until midseason before they accept that we are here to stay. By then they would have missed their chance to put more guys in the ASG.

I think J-Bap has a good chance of joining Ice Très on All-Star Weekend this year

[sturt]

How about this one....

Think we could have our entire starting 5 named "player of the month," and not just 4 like last time? (... DMC I still see you)

 

[NBASupes]

I didn't give a record for this season but I said we will have the best record in the NBA. 

[High5]

I've been on the 1 seed hype. I think we can get it with talent and depth alone, but we also aren't likely to coast as much as our veteran competition. Just need some luck in the health department.