Projection: Hard pill to swallow

[Jamaaliver]

The first of the Season Previews are cranking out:

NBA 2017-18 Eastern Conference Outlook: How bad will the Atlanta Hawks be?

Coach: Mike Budenholzer
Key additions: PF John Collins, C Miles Plumlee, SG Marco Belinelli, C Dewayne Dedmon
Key losses: PF Paul Millsap, C Dwight Howard, SG Tim Hardaway, Jr.
Projected lineup: PG Dennis Schroder, SG Marco Belinelli, SF Kent Bazemore, PF Ersan Ilyasova, C Dewayne Dedmon

Biggest questions:

1. How bad will they be?
At 10 years, the Atlanta Hawks have the second-longest streak of making the playoffs behind only the San Antonio Spurs. Gone are Millsap, Howard and Hardaway, three of the Hawks' most important players last season. In those three guys, they lost a little bit of everything, especially with Millsap who is among the most consistent and versatile players in the NBA.

As a result, the Hawks are being predicted by many to take a major step back. The sporting odds for NBA win totals in 2017-18 has them second-worst among all teams, with an over/under of just 25 1/2 wins. Only the Bulls are lower and that's worse than perennial doormats like the Nets and Kings. If they surprise people and continue that playoff streak, then Budenholzer will probably get the coach of the year award.


2. Can Prince and Collins give them hope?
All of that is not to say the Hawks don't have talent, but they are resting their hopes on some very young players. Taurean Prince is entering his second season. He's an intriguing athlete at 6-foot-8 who can do a little bit of everything...Collins was their first round pick in this year's draft. The 6-foot-10 forward from Wake Forest last year averaged 19.2 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Demon Deacons. If either of those blue chip prospects can show promise, then the Hawks' outlook will look a lot less bleak.


3. Will Schoder take another step?
...the Hawks' two highest-paid players are Bazemore and Schroder. Bazemore is a defensive specialist with some decent value on the offensive end.

For Schroder, who turns 24 this month, there are plenty of unknowns.

The Hawks are banking on Schroder to continue his development. So far through four seasons, he has gotten noticeably better each year. If he takes another step beyond what he put up this last season (17.9 ppg, 6.3 apg, 45.1 FG%), he could be an All-Star.

CSN MidAtlantic

[graymule]

I find it so strange:

These "experts" who have never watched this Hawk team play one game are "so sure" that they will be unable to keep up
with any other NBA team. Sure, we fans haven't either. None of us really know all about the talents of each and every
player now on our roster.

There are a lot of first and second year players on this team. Bud and staff will bend and blend these young lads into
a team. Atlanta is in a reload and not a rebuild. We have young talent. Lots and lots of learning ahead of these young
birds. They are not in that "Gotta win it all now" part of their career, but in that "Gotta learn how" part of their NBA life.

As fans, especially in the first part of the season, we will be looking for all the excitement that this young squad brings.
Later we will be looking for victories. Now, we're looking for some highlights from every game!

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[Jamaaliver]

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1) Will Atlanta compete or tank? The Hawks look far closer to being the NBA’s worst team than a playoff qualifier. It’s hard to see a Mike Budenholzer-coached team starting the season tanking.

In a weak Eastern Conference, it’s at least plausible the Hawks remain in the playoff race for a while. But if Atlanta drops in the standings, their playing time could get turned over to rawer young players, who’d likely sink the Hawks even further.

[Jamaaliver]

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Strengths: Dennis Schroeder is a blur with the ball. A year of seasoning as the starter should serve him well. … The Hawks have played hard and smart under Mike Budenholzer, New GM Travis Schlenk comes from a winning organization and is likely to try to build the Hawks in the Warriors’ image.

With the likes of Kent Bazemore and Dewayne Dedmon, this could be a fairly athletic bunch.

Weaknesses: Who’s the go-to guy…who’s capable of consistently putting up close to 20 points a night at any position? With so much youth and inconsistent talent, it’s hard to envision much chemistry, especially early in the season. … Role players such as Bazemore, Taurean Prince and Luke Babbitt are likely to be relied upon heavily. … Hawks’ best bet is to take their lumps (they really have no choice) and hope to land a top-three draft pick in June.

Prediction: Last in the Southeast Division, last in the Eastern Conference.

[Jamaaliver]

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28. Dennis Schroder, Atlanta Hawks

After years of playing backup to Jeff Teague on playoff teams, [Schroder] took the helm of the team full-time last year. He averaged 17.9 points per game and dished out 6.3 assists per game.

This year will be different, though. Expectations are lower and many predict the Hawks will be one of the worst teams in the league.

This is a recipe for a young player like Schroder to show what he can do. If Atlanta is going to prove everyone wrong, Schroder is going to have to take a star turn. He did as much at Eurobasket this summer where he led Germany to the quarterfinals, using his tremendous speed and playmaking to get into the paint and cause havoc.

That is what the Hawks want to see when he steps on the court this season. It will be important for his development too. He will either become the star the Hawks can build around or a solid starter.

The Stepback

I think I posted this in the wrong thread...

[graymule]

Ha!

Of the top 4, none have played one minute of NBA basketball.
Dennis - @# 28, so far down the line, he can't even be seen from the front.
Not only that, Dennis is our best player, by far, (Or so "they" say) which means all the other Hawks stink!

Projected finish: Last in our division and last in the east.

One sure thing. When you are in last place, on the bottom, you don't have to worry about falling.
Ha! Let all the other NBA teams worry about the Hawks and think of their shock when, upon occasion,
Atlanta comes out on top. It will happen. Wait and see!

GO ATL HAWKS !!

[Jamaaliver]

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Why you should watch the Hawks in 2017-18

It’s safe to say that the franchise’s 10-year playoff streak is about to end.

But there’s still reason to keep tabs on the Hawks this season. A mostly new rotation means new opportunities for most players, which should be interesting to watch.


Dennis Schroder, No. 1 option
In each of his four years with the Hawks, Schroder has seen his role increase with the Hawks. He was a fringe rotation player during his rookie year, became the backup point guard his second season, started occasionally — closing games ahead of Jeff Teague — in his third year and finally earned the full-time starting gig in 2016-17 when Teague got traded to the Indiana Pacers.

The 2017-18 season will bring a completely new challenge for Schroder: Being the No. 1 offensive option. Is Schroder ready for the bigger role? Skill-wise, there will be some hiccups. Schroder is quite turnover-prone (3.3 per game last year), he sometimes struggles to finish near the rim and his jump shot is inconsistent.



The offense will bring dunks and 3s galore
Again, the Hawks’ offense doesn’t have a lot of talent. The team could very well rank last in the NBA in offensive efficiency in 2017-18 — the squad was fourth-worst offensively in 2016-17 before its huge offseason exodus, after all.

Though the Hawks won’t produce efficient offense overall, they will attempt a lot of shots that are deemed most efficient in today’s NBA: Dunks and 3-pointers. And it should be pretty fun.



A few young two-way prospects deserve your attention
Atlanta is a team without any true blue-chip prospects. Schroder somewhat qualifies, but he’s already in his fifth year and probably will never be a legit NBA star.

However, the Hawks have three intriguing young players that have nice potential on both ends of the floor: Taurean Prince, Bembry and Collins.

Prince was seen as somewhat of a reach at No. 12 in the 2016 draft, but he more than justified that position by the end of his rookie year.

Collins will probably start at power forward at some point during his rookie season. His highlight-reel plays will endear him to fans, but his rebounding and defensive versatility will endear him to head coach Mike Budenholzer.

[Jamaaliver]

Hawks face major rebuilding job, prospects of dismal season

As one key player after another departed the Atlanta Hawks over the summer, Dennis Schroeder was caught off guard.

Just three seasons ago, the Hawks won a franchise-record 60 games, claimed the top seed in the East and reached the conference final.

Now?

The Hawks hired a new general manager (Travis Schlenk) and embarked on a major rebuilding job, the kind that normally means several dismal seasons are on the horizon.

they lost three of their top five scorers and their top two rebounders. The entire starting five from that magical 2014-15 season have either left as free agents or been traded away...the roster is filled with fringe players and marginal prospects.

Hardly the look of a playoff contender.

[After] a disappointing 43-39 mark and first-round playoff setback to Washington, Owner Tony Ressler decided a major overhaul was needed. Budenholzer lost his title as president of basketball operations and Schlenk was hired as GM. His immediate goals were to get more youth on the roster and gain the financial flexibility to go after big-name players down the road.

AP Sports

[macd-gm]

The reality is that the only change the Hawks made that mattered was not bringing Sap back. Bring him back even with the Dwight trade and letting Hardaway go and we are a mid 40 win team in the middle of the playoffs again. In fact had we brought Sap back, and signed Dedmon plus a few of the others we would have been a better team than last year easily. But obviously that's still not going to win a championship.

So we didn't really gut the team the way they describe. We just moved on from Sap.

[Jamaaliver]

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A healthy K Bazemore = a reason for optimism in 2018?

Here's hoping!!!

[macd-gm]

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/2017/9/28/16373070/atlanta-hawks-expectations-mike-budenholzer-taurean-prince-kent-bazemore

The Hawks seem pumped to prove people wrong. Maybe i'm just getting excited too but i look at last year's team that won 43 games and I think what have we added and lost. Who thinks the loss of Dwight is going to hurt us that much? I don't. I also think a healthy Baze/Marco will be better than Hardaway/Baze. The loss of Sap will hurt a lot but in some ways Ersan's game may work better for us offensively. Add in the additions or progressions of Dedmon, Prince, Bembry, Delaney. Honestly i could see us being as good as last year given the east is again very weak. I could also see us tanking.

[jayu70]

The reality is that the only change the Hawks made that mattered was not bringing Sap back. Bring him back even with the Dwight trade and letting Hardaway go and we are a mid 40 win team in the middle of the playoffs again. In fact had we brought Sap back, and signed Dedmon plus a few of the others we would have been a better team than last year easily. But obviously that's still not going to win a championship.

So we didn't really gut the team the way they describe. We just moved on from Sap.

Exactly, the only player we'll miss is Millsap.
Since we traded Joe the 'experts' have been wrong about the Hawks pretty much every year since, so I never let their predictions and doom and gloom bother me. I watch bball for entertainment. Play entertaining ball and I'm good. Just like with the Falcons predictions . The experts are now calling them overrated since they are 3-0 when they initially said they would have a superbowl hangover. Just keep proving them wrong.
I'm hoping these young Hawks can be exciting enough to capture the City of Atlanta like ATL United has done. A girl can dream .

[Jamaaliver]

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After a full decade of postseason appearances, the Hawks are poised to plumb the bottom of the league standings. Atlanta abandoned the last vestiges of 2014-15’s inspiring fluke of a 60-win season this summer when it didn’t even bother to offer Paul Millsap a new deal. It’s all gone. Almost none of what’s left is recognizable. Now, the Hawks hold their nose and take the plunge.

What remains of the roster is a handful of young talent.

John Collins set summer league on fire, but it’s another thing entirely to put up numbers against star players who are not only much larger than he is, but can also match his explosiveness.

DeAndre’ Bembry figures to have a bigger role this year.

Taurean Prince showed off his defensive chops last postseason, and figures to play a big part in possibly anchoring what should be a competent, athletic defense.

They will work hard, and they will lose. It’s all you can ask for on a squad like this.

It’ll be rough, but luckily, no one will notice; the Hawks had some of the worst attendance numbers in the league even when they were a reliable playoff team.

[Jamaaliver]

This is not a last place team. In fact, with the east in the shape it's in, we may
find the Hawks, not fighting to stay off the bottom, but making the playoffs!

You're gonna like this projection, GM:

CBS projection system paints optimistic picture of Atlanta Hawks
The preseason numbers from this system are encouraging.


...the good folks at CBS Sports use a projection system from their gambling/handicapping site (SportsLine) and it actually paints a rather optimistic picture of the Hawks this season. No, that does not mean that Atlanta is projected to make the postseason (in fact, SportsLine gives the Hawks just a 7.2 percent chance) but the system does slot Mike Budenholzer’s team ahead of four other squads in the Eastern Conference.

CBS pegs Atlanta for 31.2 wins and that is good for the No. 11 seed in the East...the teams expected to fall behind the Hawks: Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and Brooklyn Nets (in that order) project to win fewer basketball games this season.

Peachtree Hoops

[Jamaaliver]

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Thirty Futures: Atlanta Hawks

The appeal of these team-by-team preview series is that they’re democratic in a way regular coverage of the NBA isn’t. o we start the season with each team getting some appointed stage time.

If you truly want some words about the Atlanta Hawks—who have no fanbase, who are essentially invisible when they’re not a playoff team—here they are for you...

Real GM

I've read this like three times and the only conclusion I have come to is that the author really didn't want to write about our team...

You're better than this, Colin.

[macd-gm]

I'm not sure how you make the case that we have any less of a fan base than the Magic, Heat, Pistons, Bobcats, Hornets, Nuggets.......
In fact less see how OKC does at the point they have no superstars.

[Jamaaliver]

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It's really hard rooting for a franchise no one cares about or believes in...

In Travis we trust.

[macd-gm]

I like surprising people. Let's get this thing going.

[macd-gm]

Among the high-profile questions, 93 percent of general managers pick the Warriors to win the championship, 50 percent picked LeBron James to win the MVP and 43 percent chose the Thunder as the team with the best offseason moves.

First, it's just sad that before the season even starts there is almost universal consensus on who's winning the championship. No ther sport is like this.

Second, I'm not seeing Lebron as MVP. I think it'll be Kawhi (if there is justice in the world) or Harden. Honestly i think this is the year we see Lebron's efficiency go down and it wouldn't surprise me if his run of being injury free comes to an end. But the biggest issue i think is that now he's playing with Rose and IT. I don't think he's going to like it that much.

[Jamaaliver]

GM, I've commandeered this thread as the Season Preview for 2018.

...hope you don't mind, bud.