FIO Preview: Atlanta Hawks

2008-2009 Atlanta Hawks season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - Zach Harper Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly What in the name of Mookie Blaylock happened last season? The Atlanta Hawks ended an eight-year drought of not making the playoffs and finally snuck in thanks to a very weak Eastern Conference. The Hawks benefited from two sub-.500 teams making the playoffs in the East and snuck in with just a 37-45 record. Atlanta had timely maturation from some key young players and a big-name acquisition near the trade deadline to catapult them to one of the Top 8 teams in the East. Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Mike Bibby were able to lead the Hawks to a 15-17 record after the trade and pushed Atlanta just ahead of the Indiana Pacers. They limped into the playoffs with three straight losses, but were able to clinch a playoff berth with two days to go thanks to a Pacers loss in their 81st game. Atlanta almost provided the biggest upset in NBA history by taking the Boston Celtics to seven games before finally bowing out in the first round of the playoffs. The Hawks enjoyed a jolt of energy and veteran stability when they traded Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Lorenzen Wright, Tyronn Lue, and a 2008 second round pick to the Sacramento Kings for Mike Bibby. It gave the team some stability at a position that was their biggest weakness. Joe Johnson had a phenomenal final 32 games with Bibby at his side. He also had an All-Star season by averaging 21.7 points, 5.8 assists, and 4.5 rebounds per game. Josh Smith had another great statistical season by giving the Hawks 17.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks per game. He was joined in the frontcourt by rookie standout Al Horford. Horford had a Rookie of the Year-type season, in which he gave the Hawks 10.1 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Marvin Williams gave the Hawks career-highs in every major category and helped Atlanta sneak into the playoffs. In the playoffs, this team was a force to be reckoned with at home against the Celtics. They turned what should have been a four-game sweep into a tooth-and-nail seven-game series. But let's not throw the glass slipper on Cinderella's boot just yet. This was a bad team for most of last season that was lucky to get into the playoffs the way it did. Until the Mike Bibby trade, this team received terrible play at the point guard position. Other than Zaza Pachulia missing 20 games, this team didn't suffer any debilitating injuries. Aside from Al Horford in the middle and the occasional Pachulia sighting, the Hawks got very little production inside and had to rely on their wing players. They were a terrible road team most of the year, going 12-29 away from Atlanta. The middle of the season was the worst stretch for this team, as they went 11-26 from December 29 to March 12 before they won 9 of their next 11. When Atlanta got to the playoffs, they could not put up a decent effort on the Celtics home court. They lost all four road games of their playoff series with Boston by an average of 25 points. Even though they put up a fight at home, they never showed up when away from familiar territory. 2008 Draft Impact (None) The Atlanta Hawks didn't have a draft pick at all in 2008. Their first round pick (#15) was ultimately given to Phoenix to complete the Joe Johnson trade, and the Suns selected Robin Lopez from Stanford. Their second round pick (#42) went to Sacramento for the Mike Bibby trade, and the Kings selected Sean Singletary from Virginia. Off-Season Impact Moves The Hawks had two priorities this offseason -- the first was to re-sign Josh Smith and the second was to re-sign Josh Childress. The Josh Childress saga was maybe the most impact-laden move of the entire offseason. Childress, frustrated by stagnant negotiations with the Hawks to settle his restricted free agency, spurned the entire NBA and signed a three-year deal to play basketball in Greece. It was a move that left the Hawks with a void in their rotation and in need of a shooting guard who could provide an impact in the game. They plugged that hole briefly with Maurice Evans by signing him to a three-year, $7.5 million contract. Evans won't be able to give the efficient shooting that Childress did, but he can fill in the loss of athleticism. Evans is a good rebounding guard and someone who plays solid defense against shooting guards and small forwards. If he can knock down open jumpers and be a threat on offense, then the Hawks may not miss a beat with the first guard off their bench. The Josh Smith saga has the potential to be just as detrimental to the Hawks' success as Josh Childress signing to play in Europe. Smith has often been frustrated with head coach Mike Woodson (signed a two-year extension) and become a malcontent at times. This summer, the Hawks let all of the other teams use their money (aside from Memphis) as their prized restricted free agent was left suspended in offseason limbo. When Memphis finally decided to make a play for Smith and sign him to a 5-year, $58 million offer sheet, the Hawks went against Josh Smith's wishes and matched it. Now, Smith has to choose between playing hard during this contract in the hope of leaving when he is an unrestricted free agent, or being a cancerous player in the locker room and trying to force a trade. The Hawks are aware of his value and his demeanor and will try to mend the bridges that were nearly burned down. But this could end up being a move that tears their chemistry apart. Preview for the 2008-2009 Season Team MVP: Joe Johnson, SG - The last time everything looked completely easy for Joe Johnson was when he was a teammate of Steve Nash and benefiting from playing alongside a really good point guard. Now that he will have Mike Bibby for a full year instead of Royal Ivey and Anthony Johnson, he should be able to play at a level that Hawks fans briefly saw last season. In the last 25 games of the year (excluding playoffs), Johnson averaged 24.2 points, 6.8 assists, and shot 48% from the field. He could easily put up similar numbers for this entire season. Breakout Player: Acie Law, PG - Mike Bibby isn't necessarily a very reliable player at this point in his career. Even with Bibby in a contract year, the Hawks will need an insurance policy at the point guard position in case he goes down with an injury. Acie Law is poised for a big year as the full-time backup at the position. All he has to do to get and keep the job is play better than Speedy Claxton, which won't be an issue. Law just has to make open jumpers, not turn the ball over and keep the offense moving. Bust Player: Josh Smith, SF - Josh Smith has some of the best all-around statistics that this NBA has seen in a very long time. He gets everybody a fair number of rebounds and assists for the small forward position while scoring over 17 points, getting over a steal per game and blocking well over two shots per game. But with his attitude issues and not being allowed to leave the Hawks organization this offseason, Smith could very easily become a problem for this team. He will still put up great stats because he does that naturally. But if he cannot get over his issues with the coach and the management, then he could disrupt and destroy everything positive that the Hawks built last season. Playoff Contender or Pretender? The Hawks can contend in the East for the final playoff spot because their conference is still so bad, but the team is definitely a pretender when it comes to wanting to make an impact in postseason play. This team still doesn't offer much of a presence inside. They only have Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby as reliable outside shooters after losing Josh Childress and Salim Stoudamire via free agency. They weren't able to add anybody through the draft because they had already traded away their picks, and they couldn't add anyone of significance to this year's roster because they didn't have the cap space after Josh Smith's deal. This team is still waiting for Marvin Williams to explode, Acie Law to get it, and Speedy Claxton to come back to life. With that being said, the Hawks still have a lot of talent and four really good players in Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Mike Bibby. The key will be getting the team to still believe in Mike Woodson's philosophy and finding a way to make things completely peaceful between the coach and Josh Smith. Smith wanted to leave the team and asked the Hawks to not match the offer sheet from Memphis. The Hawks declined to follow those guidelines and made a bold move by bringing back Smith for such a high price without his consent. If they can keep Smith from being cantankerous throughout the season, they will have one of the most versatile weapons in the Eastern Conference. Joe Johnson is poised for a run at the MVP if he can get his team to 45 wins and a Top 6 seed in the East.