Predictions

[JoshB914]

Let's see what everybody thinks about this team.

I say 35-47 thanks to an improving eastern conference. I just don't see how we can get by with so little depth.

Just two days!

[HMFFL]

I'm not as worried about our depth this year as I have been during previous years. I'm more worried about how the team plays on the road and find ways to survive the long road trips.

I predict we win 39 games as long as we can stay healthy.

[Skyhawk1]

I'm much more positive about this team. I expect 42-45 wins. For that to happen we need a few things:
1. We got to stay healthy.
2. Horford and M. Williams must improve.
3. M. Bibby's got to find his game.
4. Woody has to play his bench, do NOT play JJ 40min a night.
5. Our bench has to respond, hear me A. Law ?
6.The one I'm most afraid: J. Smith already got his big contract, will he show up to play ?

[conleyorbust]

I think we're deeper than last season, Chil was a better player in a vacuum than the Mo/Flip combo that is essentially replacing him but basketball is not played in a vacuum so the combo of the shooting from Mo, the breakdown ability from Flip (can be a curse too), and the defense from both should at least offset Chil's production as well as give us more looks. Add to that, Zaza can't be worse than last season and will most likely revert to the pre-awful form he had been in, Acie looks to be at least a contributor if he can keep hitting the J, and Randolph is another body in the front court so ability or no at least we have one. We are certainly deeper than the second half of last season and more talented than the first.

Other things that we have going for us. We are still the youngest team in the conference and 3 out of 5 starters are 22 as of today... not role players, +30mpg starters. Joe Johnson had an anomylously weak first four months and while he is unlikely to repeat his last two months, his overall performance should be higher. Mike Bibby is here for the whole season. Working in a floor general after not having one for 10 years was bound to take some time, we got that time out of the way last season. We saw the things Mike could bring beyond his shooting when he was tossing lobs to Al and Josh in the half court of PnRs, we can do that a LOT more.

Things going against us. Chemistry, I didn't think Chil was a great fit but he was a good guy in the locker room, who knows how Marv is gonna react to losing his best friend or how Al/Joe are gonna react to uncertainty regarding their future employment with the chise'. Smith might be raw about how the contract situation played out. Injuries, all the starters but Mike B player at least 80 games and Chil played 76, that won't happen again. Competition, I thought that was what was gonna keep us out last season - All the better teams in the EC? Some teams will be better and some will be worse, the only way this matters is if more of the teams that were worse than us can pass us than teams that were better get worse than us (if that makes sense) - if Indy gets better than us (they overachieved as it was) but Washington falls behind, we break even. If the most improved teams in the conference are Philly and Toronto, it doesn't hurt us because they were better last season. If JO gets injured for 35 games, we pass T.O.

If there is not significant injury, pencil us in for 46 wins. If we fall back to the pack with regards to injuries, I like us for 41 wins. If we have a catosrophic injury that knocks out Joe or Josh for 20ish games or takes another starter/Mo out for 35ish games, put us at 36 wins.

Again, don't look at last season as a 37 win season and say "we didn't do anything to get better". 37 wins only has Bibby in their for 2 months without giving him a chance to work himself in.

[LL Cool Scott]

40 - 42.

8th seed. First round exit to the C's again. That's predicated on my expectation that Sund will trade Bibby for an impact center.

However, if we don't trade Bibby for an impact center, I say we go 37 - 45 and miss the playoffs (and have a new coach next year).

[betta1]

I agree with 40-42 wins. Maybe enough to sneak into 7th seed somehow?

[CAM]

I think 40-42 wins is reasonable as the lineups stand today.

I'd say we get 8th, maybe scrape in for the 7th seed depending on the fate of other teams.

I'm hoping that Washington falls (probably too much talent too do so) and that Chicago, Miami and maybe even the Bucks don't improve too much.

[tncnz]

[quote="LL Cool Scott"]40 - 42.

8th seed. First round exit to the C's again. That's predicated on my expectation that Sund will trade Bibby for an impact center.

However, if we don't trade Bibby for an impact center, I say we go 37 - 45 and miss the playoffs (and have a new coach next year).[/quote]

Equal wins or better and Woody IS the coach next year. He has a 2 year extension and this ownership will not pay 2 head coaches in 09/10. If you want Woody gone, it will take less than 30 wins.

[killbuckner]

No one is going to give up an impact center for Bibby... come on now.

[parson]

That's predicated on my expectation that Sund will trade Bibby for an impact center.

No offense, but impact centers are kinda hard to come by. Even Bibby's huge expiring contract probably wouldn't be enough.

But I agree with most of y'all that, barring a youngster busting out, we'll be a .500 team.

[killbuckner]

I'll say 35 wins. I think its ridiculous to expect any team to stay healthy for the whole season and the Hawks bench is even worse than last year. If speedy can stay healthy he would give the team a big advantage- he would be the best player the Hawks have on the bench. An injury to any starter other than Marvin is pretty devastating. Of course I have been saying that assuming that they would just slide Evans into the lineup which might even be beneficial against certain teams- I am rather surprised they are going to put Zaza in instead. I don't really get why people are so high on Flip- though I agree he can be useful for the second unit that needs scoring so badly.

I think that people are discounting the possibility that this season goes WAY south. Say there is an early injury and the team falls behind early. Then mid season they dump bibby on a contender and give the reigns over to Acie since they aren't likely to make the playoffs anyway. This would have the double benefit of seeing what they have with Acie while also improving their draft position.

[ATLfan]

45 wins and the 6th seed.

[conleyorbust]

I'll say 35 wins. I think its ridiculous to expect any team to stay healthy for the whole season and the Hawks bench is even worse than last year. If speedy can stay healthy he would give the team a big advantage- he would be the best player the Hawks have on the bench. An injury to any starter other than Marvin is pretty devastating. Of course I have been saying that assuming that they would just slide Evans into the lineup which might even be beneficial against certain teams- I am rather surprised they are going to put Zaza in instead. I don't really get why people are so high on Flip- though I agree he can be useful for the second unit that needs scoring so badly.

I think that people are discounting the possibility that this season goes WAY south. Say there is an early injury and the team falls behind early. Then mid season they dump bibby on a contender and give the reigns over to Acie since they aren't likely to make the playoffs anyway. This would have the double benefit of seeing what they have with Acie while also improving their draft position.

Bill Simmons may agree with you, he says JS will be the "biggest cancer" and Woody will be the first coach fired... although consistently agreeing with Simmons only means you watch too much bad TV and don't know jack **** about taking good centers with the first pick.

[Retrovision]

Lets be optimistic? 5th-6th seed, aleast 2nd round barring injuries.

[BMF Jet Jaguar]

I say we shock the world. again.

[CWell]

people actually thinking we can get impact center for Bibby is a joke. We'd be lucky to get a decent backup for him.

[lethalweapon3]

Aiming high (either that, or I AM high)

* 45-37 (worst case 39-43)
* second in Southeast (will have to swap the Magic and Wiz for 1st and 3rd, unless the Wiz can prove otherwise)
* 5th/6th seed in East
* first round bow-out to the Sixers/Pistons in seven games

~lw3

[killbuckner]

I don't think that Josh Smith will be a cancer- I do think he will take more bad shots and put less energy into rebounding now that he has a guaranteed contract though.

[Hatertots]

I'm predicting that the All-Star break will mark a huge turning point in the season for the Hawks. Al Horford makes 'the leap' around that time, commanding double teams in the post and threatening to drop 20-10 night in and night out. The Hawks, seemingly bound for a mid-lotto pick with their 20-32 record, will get a huge lift from Horford's evolution, and finish off the season on a 21-9 tear as this year's blistering young squad with fire in their guts that no one wants to play in the first round.