Atlanta Hawks Week In Review (5/9 – 5/15)

May 3, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks mascot Harry the Hawks against the Indiana Pacers during the second half in game six of the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. The Pacers defeated the Hawks 81-73 to win the series four games to two. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

With free agency yet to begin in the NBA, there is not much more than speculation to report here this week as we break down the week that was for the Atlanta Hawks.

First off, Larry Drew is still unsure whether or not he will be patrolling the Atlanta sidelines next year or not, but the picture is definitely becoming a little more clear. Stan Van Gundy (former head coach of the Orlando Magic) has been a name getting a lot of attention this past week as the top candidate, but Chris Vivlamore of the AJC played down the rumor on twitter.

It was also previously thought that Danny Ferry’s former teammate and roommate at Duke, Quin Snyder, would be a candidate to replace Drew, but those rumors have since quieted, and Snyder is assumed to be on other team’s short lists.

HOOPSWORLD released their latest mock draft and with that came lots of names about who the Hawks could select. The Hawks have two first round draft picks back-to-back at 17 and 18. You can check out their board here.

Talk of a Josh Smith sign-and-trade has reportedly heated up in recent days. Sources believe that the Hawks are hoping to land something in return for Smith instead of simply letting him walk in free agency. Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Golden State and Denver are believed (by some) to be the front-runners in the Smith sweepstakes. Various reports indicate that a sign-and-trade could eliminate Dallas from the equation, however, as they would not be able to provide the necessary return to land a player of Smith’s caliber.

And finally, it’s not a Hawks off-season story unless Chris Paul is mentioned, right? Well, Alex Kennedy listed his top five teams where he thought Chris Paul would land, and he estimates the Hawks to be major players. While it is also strongly believed Paul will wind back up in a Clipper uniform next year, Kennedy recognizes with the amount of money Atlanta can spend this summer that anything is possible.

Stay tuned for updates as they come, as it may be the “off-season” for the hometown NBA team, but with the 24/7/365 rumor mill running full-steam and the draft fast approaching, there will certainly be content on the way.