Atlanta Hawks: Eastern Conference Power Rankings, Jan. 14

Until the Charlotte Hornets absolutely embarrassed the Atlanta Hawks last night at Time Warner Cable Arena, the Hornets were riding a seven-game losing streak. It had cost the Hornets dearly in the Eastern Conference hierarchy over the last several weeks.

While Charlotte continues to play well at The Hive with a 14-7 home record, the Hornets have to fix their awful play on the road. What playoff goes 4-13 in their first 17 road games of a season? They are on pace to only win 9.65 road games in 2015-16, not good enough to contend for a playoff spot in this year’s Eastern Conference.

The Washington Wizards are starting to play better in the last few weeks. The Wizards are only a game under .500 and just 1.5 games back of the Boston Celtics for the eighth and final Eastern Conference Playoff spot.

John Wall is still one of the best point guards in the Eastern Conference, but I have to wonder if his supporting cast this season is anywhere close to as strong than the club he had last year that took the Atlanta Hawks to six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Wall is good, but is this team good enough to make the playoffs? Entering play today, the Wizards fall a little short.

In my honest opinion the New York Knicks are about one year away from being a strong playoff team in the Eastern Conference. I really like their frontcourt trio of Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, and Robin Lopez. However, I do have concerns with the backcourt’s upside as well as head coach Derek Fisher.

This year’s Knicks team isn’t its typically dysfunctional self and I don’t think that the team will get in its own way in 2016. It could emerge as the second best team in the Atlantic behind the Toronto Raptors, but second-place in the Atlantic isn’t a guarantee to make the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Knicks will be in the race until the final week before falling a few games short of eighth-place this spring.

Next: Tier III: Likely First Round Exit