Sports Illustrated places Atlanta Hawks fifth in Eastern Conference
By FanSided
The NBA is in the “dog days” as the end of August approaches and football appears on the horizon, but it is never too early to look ahead at the upcoming season. The Atlanta Hawks suffered an unfortunate exit in the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs, but as you may remember, they were without their best player (Al Horford) for the majority of the year, and the team made strong additions in signing Thabo Sefolosha and Kent Bazemore, while drafting Adreian Payne.
In that spirit, Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated unveiled his Eastern Conference Power Rankings on Monday, and the Hawks landed in the fifth spot. Here is what Mahoney had to say about Mike Budenholzer’s club:
"Atlanta Hawks – Oh, how quickly we forget Al Horford. Atlanta’s best player suited up for just 29 games last season, of which Atlanta won 16. During that time the Horford-led Hawks were the third-best team in the conference (and 10th-best in the league) by net rating, a mark earned by quality play on both ends. When Horford went down Atlanta naturally followed, though in his absence it found ways to stretch the talents of Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver to their fullest. Those qualities should be synergized into a better Hawks team in 2014-15, made fuller with the additions of another competent wing defender (Thabo Sefolosha) and another shooting big man (rookie Adreian Payne)."
It is tough to dispute that the Hawks trail the Cleveland Cavaliers (led by LeBron James), Chicago Bulls (led by a healthy Derrick Rose), Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors at the moment, but it is encouraging to see some national respect for the group. Al Horford’s return sets the stage for what should be a vastly improved group, and a deeper playoff run could be in the cards.
What do you think about Sports Illustrated’s rankings? Too high? Too low? Tell us in the comments!