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Atlanta Hawks 2008/2009 Season Preview
However, the team rallied down the stretch to make the playoffs and then pushed the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated.
Forward Joe Johnson really establised himself as an All-Star caliber player in the Eastern Conference with his performance throughout the season and, in particular, the series against the Celtics. At times, the Celtics simply couldn't stop him.
Power forward Al Horford had a fine rookie campaign that saw him come of age and show his toughness in the playoffs, refusing to back down from Kevin Garnett.
The good news is that the team decided to bring back Woodson after his outstanding coaching efforts late in the season and he will have the opportunity to once again work with a very young nucleus of players.
The players really seemed to respond to him in the second half of the season after they began to understand some of the methods to his madness. He also did an outstanding job of creating mismatches in their playoff series against Boston.
The bad news is that the young, developing nucleus could be much smaller by the time the season gets underway.
One major offseason hit came when forward Josh Childress declined a contract offer with the Hawks and instead decided to sign a three-year, $20 million deal to play over in Europe. Childress is a nice role player who can come off the bench and provide a spark.
The second major hit hasn't come yet but it seems like only a matter of time. The Hawks are expecting forward Josh Smith to sign a contract elsewhere, as he has made it known that he would prefer to live and play in another city.
The Hawks won't be nearly the same team without Smith, and there is no question the Eastern Conference has gotten better in the offseason. The Hawks will more than likely be in another dogfight just to make the playoffs.
Posted 8/15/2008
The Atlanta Hawks were one of the most disappointing teams in the NBA heading into the second half of the season and it seemed as if head coach Mike Woodson's head was on the chopping block.However, the team rallied down the stretch to make the playoffs and then pushed the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics to Game 7 in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated.
Forward Joe Johnson really establised himself as an All-Star caliber player in the Eastern Conference with his performance throughout the season and, in particular, the series against the Celtics. At times, the Celtics simply couldn't stop him.
Power forward Al Horford had a fine rookie campaign that saw him come of age and show his toughness in the playoffs, refusing to back down from Kevin Garnett.
The good news is that the team decided to bring back Woodson after his outstanding coaching efforts late in the season and he will have the opportunity to once again work with a very young nucleus of players.
The players really seemed to respond to him in the second half of the season after they began to understand some of the methods to his madness. He also did an outstanding job of creating mismatches in their playoff series against Boston.
The bad news is that the young, developing nucleus could be much smaller by the time the season gets underway.
One major offseason hit came when forward Josh Childress declined a contract offer with the Hawks and instead decided to sign a three-year, $20 million deal to play over in Europe. Childress is a nice role player who can come off the bench and provide a spark.
The second major hit hasn't come yet but it seems like only a matter of time. The Hawks are expecting forward Josh Smith to sign a contract elsewhere, as he has made it known that he would prefer to live and play in another city.
The Hawks won't be nearly the same team without Smith, and there is no question the Eastern Conference has gotten better in the offseason. The Hawks will more than likely be in another dogfight just to make the playoffs.
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