Hawks Doing Good

Honestly, the Hawks offseason moves or lack thereof didn't give me much enthusiasm for the season. They didn't bring in a big free agent during a summer of big free agents, they overspent on resigning Joe Johnson, and they hired an unproven/no-name coach who learned under former coach Mike Woodson. Take the above and add the fact that Miami got the "New Big-3" (Wade, James, and Bosh) and Boston added Shaq, and you get a strong feeling that the Hawks simply decided to mark time while other teams opted to make a run for the championship.

Fortunately, the Birds have proven me wrong during the early part of the season as they've done two things right. First, they started the season right, beating the teams they've done two things right. First, they started the season right, beating the teams they're suppose to beat, starting the season 6-0 with wins over Memphis, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Detroit, and Minnesota. Although critics of the Hawks dimish this accomplishment because their opponents are allegedly not "playoff caliber" teams, but championship teams beat lesser opponents consistently.

Second, the Hawks agreed to terms on a multi-year extension with center Al Horford. As a Bird, Horford has averaged 12.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 blocks. Horford has made an immediate impact since his rookie season and has developed into a team leader and all-star. Horford is the future of this team and I'm glad the Hawks took steps to keep him on board.