Atlanta Hawks: Eastern Conference Power Rankings, Feb. 11

It seems like the Indiana Pacers have hit a plateau with their current roster. They have an All-Star in Paul George and a great head coach in Frank Vogel, but the rest of their team needs improvement if the Pacers want to make any noise in the 2016 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Point guard George Hill is reportedly on the trading block. An upgrade at that position will probably help the Pacers limit their turnovers and could challenge for a top four seed. If the Pacers don’t make any moves, they probably aren’t making it out of the first round in the NBA Playoffs.

Miami’s strong defense is a focal point that can get this team into the playoffs and possibly win a series depending on who they are playing in the first round. However, this isn’t a championship caliber team for head coach Erik Spoelstra by any means.

I’m not sure that even making a blockbuster deal at the NBA trade deadline will drastically improve the Heat’s fortunes this spring. They had the biggest trade last season to acquire point guard Goran Dragic from the Phoenix Suns and still haven’t figured out how to best feature him in the starting lineup.

The Atlanta Hawks are one of four teams that could conceivably make it to the Eastern Conference Finals this spring. For that to happen, the Hawks will have to find a way to play at a high level consistently for the first time all season.

Outside of Tiago Splitter‘s nagging hip, the Atlanta Hawks have had a good bill of health this season, but even that hasn’t been enough to have the club challenging for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. If and when the Hawks hit their stride in the second half, we could see our favorite team playing in multiple rounds in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Next: Tier I: NBA Finals Contenders