Time to preview the 2010 Atlanta Hawks
Music to listen to: southernplayalisticadillacmuzik by Outkast
Last season/offseason changes: The Hawks finished last season with a record of 53-29, which sounds good but still struggled with major inconsistencies.
Whenever the Hawks faced a superior opponent in the East last season, mainly Boston, Cleveland or Orlando, they were shown to be the inferior team.
Atlanta took seven games to win its first-round playoff series against a depleted Milwaukee Bucks squad before getting swept in the second round against Orlando and not even looking close in any of the contests. This was the second consecutive season that the Hawks were swept in this round, the previous year the Cavs had the honor.
So the Hawks decided to fire Mike Woodson. Good move because he was overrated as a head coach and had run his course in Atlanta. Instead of getting someone new, the Hawks promoted assistant Larry Drew who has been with the team since 2004. You can either look at this move as either an attempt at continuity or an attempt to stay cheap and not make a run at a more qualified candidate. I’m choosing the latter.
Than Atlanta decided to re-sign guard Joe Johnson to one of the richest contracts in the NBA even though he has proven to not be an elite player and even stated to the media that he didn’t like playing for the Hawks and their fans. Nice show of confidence, Hawks organization.
Strength: The good news is that the Hawks do return three potential all-stars in Johnson and forwards Josh Smith and Al Horford.
Johnson is a very good player but not at the elite level that the Hawks are perceiving him to be. He’s making more money per year than every player in the NBA per season accept for Kobe Bryant! His contract will severely hamper the Atlanta organization for years to come.
And he’s supposed to be a strength.
Smith showed some steps in maturity last season, especially with his shot-making, but once again disappeared in big spots. He’s still a top defender in the league and makes many good decisions in the open court.
Horford may be undersized but is one of the most efficient post players in the league.
Weakness: The post play outside of Horford. The biggest reasons that the elite teams in the East such as Boston and Orlando dominates the Hawks is size. Dwight Howard looks like he is in an open scrimmage at the local gym when he plays against Atlanta.
Etan Thomas isn’t the answer at center.
Most important player: Have I mentioned that Joe Johnson is making more this season than Lebron James, Tim Duncan, Kevin Durant, Dwayne Wade, Steve Nash, Deron Williams…
Celebrity crush from the city: This one was easy to choose. She’s going to marry your boy one day, its going to happen.
Coaching: Larry Drew is saying that he won’t be Mike Woodson 2.0 by adding a motion offense and some diverse defensive schemes. If you could see me now, I’m giving that belief the gas face.
First memory of team: Dominique Wilkins beasting the NBA. Enjoy:
Best case: Eastern conference semifinals
Worst case: Swept in the first round of the playoffs, again.
Uniform grade: They had some excellent uniforms in the 1980’s but have now decided to incorporate a navy blue scheme into their outfits. Epic fail. Grade: D
Overall outlook: It may seem like I’m being harsh in my preview of a team that won more than 50 games last year, kept its core players and may have actually upgraded at the head coaching position.
I’m just being critical of a franchise that seems content to be average. Will the Hawks make the playoffs this year? Yes. Are they any closer to winning a championship? No.
The point of playing a sport, especially on the professional level, is to win. The Hawks don’t seem to understand that concept with their moves this past off-season.
Those are my thoughts, what about yours?
2010 Backdoor Cut Previews:
Atlantic Division
Central Division
The Sports Inquirer 
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