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Atlanta Hawks: Picked 3rd in East by ESPN

By John Buhler

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According to an ESPN Forecast Panel put together this summer, the panel believes that our Atlanta Hawks will again win the Southeast Division, but finish ten games worse than last year at 50-32.  That’s good enough for 3rd place in the Eastern Conference.  Is this a fair mark for Atlanta Hawks heading into the 2015-16 Regular Season?

The panel puts the Hawks in third place behind the reigning Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers (obviously) and last year’s 3-Seed the Chicago Bulls.  I have no problem with the Cavs predicted to win the East again.  Until somebody knocks him off his throne, it’s going to whatever team LeBron James plays for.  The guy has played in five straight NBA Finals.  That’s amazing!

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I’m not too disappointed with the Atlanta Hawks expected to finish third, especially since the panel predicts that Mike Budenholzer’s club will repeat as Southeastern Division Champions again in 2015-16.

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    • Winning the Southeast again is crucial for the continuing legacy of the Coach Bud Era Atlanta Hawks’ teams.  Plus, the I envision the Southeast as the toughest division in the East next year, with Miami and Washington as serious division title contenders and Charlotte and Orlando in a position to make things interesting.

    The two areas I disagree with the most about the ESPN Forecast Panel’s conclusion are the projected win-loss record of the Atlanta Hawks and that the Chicago Bulls will finish in 2nd place in the East.

    Though winning 60 games again seems a bit unrealistic for the 2015-16, I don’t see the loss of DeMarre Carroll being solely responsible for a ten-game swing in the negative direction for the Atlanta Hawks.  I feel that Atlanta should finish around 55-27 in 2015-16.

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    I’m not saying that the Bulls aren’t a contending team in the East in 2015-16 but can we really expect first-year NBA Head Coach Fred Hoiberg to not have any hiccups when he brings his coaching style comes to the Association from Ames, Iowa?

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    Even with a Bulls team playing likely at a slower, more conservative pace to save their tired players’ legs, I think the lingering effects of having played in Tom Thibodeau’s all-out, all-the-time defense could lead to long-term regression in the Bulls’ overall health this upcoming season.

    However you want to slice it, the Atlanta Hawks are serious Eastern Conference Championship contender again entering 2015-16.  Though it won’t come anywhere close to as easy as it was last season, expect for the Atlanta Hawks to stay relevant as a possible NBA Title Contender in 2016.

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