| Atlanta Hawks Season Preview Authored by Patrick J. Austin - October 11, 2005 - 8:35 pm
The Hawks were disappointing last season. Oh c’mon, let’s be honest; they were completely abysmal. Fortunately, many things have changed.
Yes indeed, it was a crazy summer in Hotlanta. We’ve had numerous player personnel changes and, of course, who can forget the infamous Steve Belkin melodrama. Now is that wonderful time—training camp. Everyone’s hopes are high and the future is looking very bright for our young squad. Let’s review the new-look Hawks…
Additions:
Joe Johnson (via sign and trade with Phoenix)
Marvin Williams (draft)
Salim Stoudamire (draft)
Zaza Pachulia (signed via free agency)
Esteban Bautista (signed via free agency)
Subtractions:
Boris Diaw (via trade with Phoenix)
Tom Gugliotta (free agency)
Kevin Willis (free agency)
Projected Starting Five:
PG-Joe Johnson
SG-Josh Childress
SF-Josh Smith
PF-Al Harrington
C-Zaza Pachulia
Sixth Man:
Marvin Williams
Position-by-Position Review:
Point Guard
-Joe Johnson, the Hawks biggest summer signing, is slated to start at the point. This is definitely an experiment that everyone in the organization is hoping will work out. Johnson has experience playing the 1 spot (he did so in college and sparingly in Phoenix). Though, I still believe he’s better off playing the shooting guard position. Don’t get me wrong, I think J.J. will do fine at point guard, I just think he can reach his full potential at the 2 position. Backing up Joe will be tiny Tyronn Lue. Ty put up career numbers (i.e. 14ppg & 6apg) after being dealt to the Hawks last season. Don’t expect the same production, but do expect a steady hand in the backcourt. For third string duties, we have Royal Ivey. Reports out of camp say Royal has been extremely impressive and obviously did a lot of work during the summer. He has the size and defensive talents to potentially take the place of Lue as our primary backup. It all depends on if he can show some consistency.
Shooting Guard
-Josh Childress put up great numbers at the tail end of last season. The question is, can he keep it up? I believe he will. The kid is extremely smart and has shown a good work ethic. He now has a year under his belt and should put up solid sophomore numbers. Backing him up will be Salim Stoudamire or Tony Delk. Both are undersized shooting guards who can stroke it from beyond the arc. Delk might get more P.T. in the beginning, due to his experience, but I expect Salim to work his way into the rotation sooner rather than later. He has great determination and his shooting talents won’t allow him to stay on the bench for very long.
Small Forward
-Josh Smith (i.e. the New ‘Nique) will be starting at the 3 spot, but if the reports of him beefing up all the way to 240 pounds are true, he might see more time at power forward. Smoove impressed everyone last season and showed flashes of brilliance. He’s our best shot blocker and will be counted on to defend the opposing teams best perimeter player. Hopefully, he’ll be up to the challenge. Backing him up will be the highly touted Marvin Williams. Marvin had a disappointing summer league and is having some injury troubles during training camp. I hope this is just a fluke rather than a common occurrence. You can’t deny Marvin’s talent, but I expect him to struggle initially. The good thing is, we’re rebuilding and he’ll have plenty of time to get his feet wet. Third string duties go to Donta Smith. I like Donta’s athletic ability, but I don’t see him getting much playing time. We just have too much talent on the perimeter. It might be best to deal him for more help in the post (maybe Donta to the Hornets for Jackson Vroman or Maciej Lampe?).
Power Forward
-Al Harrington is the official starter at power forward, but expect to see him and Smoove interchange at the 3/4 positions regularly depending on match ups. Harrington posted great numbers last season and the pressure is on him to repeat that production. This is a contract year for Al, so I expect even better stats (maybe even 20&10). The real question is, how long will he remain a Hawk? Backing up Harrington will be the surprise signing of the summer—Esteban Bautista. I didn’t know much of anything about Bautista before we signed him, but now I’m grateful we have him. Reports out of camp say he’s that tough, physical presence we’ve been lacking since the days of Mount Mutombo. He’s not afraid to get down in the paint and mix things up. He’s going to be a fan favorite in Atlanta.
Center
-Zaza Pachulia will be our starting center. I know, I know; we didn’t sign a highly touted big man like Eddy Curry or Samuel Dalembert in free agency. But let’s be honest, those guys cost WAY too much and have many question marks surrounding them (especially Curry). Signing Pachulia was smart. He put up solid numbers last season and should post career stats in a starting role. He’s a hard worker and likes to get physical down low. Backing up Zaza will be the dynamic white-bread wonders—Jason Collier and John Edwards. Both are big, lumbering 7’footers who’ll eat space in the middle. Collier is known for his consistent midrange jumper (and not much else) while Edwards is developing a reputation as a solid rebounder and defender. I don’t expect either to blow people away, but they should be able to do the little things and provide help at the 5 spot.
Conclusion:
So there you have it, the 2005-2006 Atlanta Hawks. When compared to last season’s squad, this one is much improved. We finally have some talent on the roster and there’s a glimmer of hope for this downtrodden franchise. Are we going to make the playoffs? Probably not. Will we finish at .500? Maybe, but don’t hold your breath. Are we going to be a more entertaining team to watch and win more games than last year? Definitely.
Offseason Grade: A
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