My bold prediction

[codyatl]

I am as excited about this season as any I can remember. I truly believe we will be in the playoffs this yr with 45 wins. Call me crazy if u like, but I believe the additions of Speedy and Lo and Sheldon we will surprise a lot of people early on. I have to give props to Knight as he has done a fabulous job putting together this roster under an extremely difficult environment.

The most impressive asspect of this team is the depth.

Speedy/Lue

JJ/Salim

Smoove/Chillz

Marvin/Sheldon

Zaza/Lo/Batista

Going to be tough for Woody to find enough time for everyone BUT we finally have enough talent to make trades to get us over the top instead of to rebuild. Going to be an exciting season.

[terrynoonan]

Im with you.

I'm on record as sayin 45 is not out of reach with Al gone.

If we can play good D and win early I think it will build off itself.

Exciting indeed.

[Guest Walter]

If it's 40 wins, anybody?

38?

35?

32?

30?

Just wondering where responsibility will lie for people if this frankenstein team doesn't model well.

Stop, I know it will still lie with Al Harrington, but who else?

W

[HawksFan87]

I agree and although last night was only a pre- season game. I cant help but to get excited about it. And we ahve been hearing and seeing homs much Smoove and Marvin have taken it to a higher level they are really going to break out this year, Lo gives us that physical post presence we have been missing for a while. I like this team we are young but we are on the rise and this will be an exciting year for the Hawks and their fans.

[Lascar78]

38 wins this year. Last year my guess was within 1. I hope we can squeak into the playoffs, but the odds are that we'll barely miss.

[terrynoonan]

This is the make or break year for Woodson.

How could management take any more excuses.

Billy gets one more year if he fires Woodson.

But that's all contingent on the Hawks being a bad team.

I think we will be winners again but a real coach could make some noise with this bunch.

[Nicholasp27]

i said 27 last year and we got 26

i'm saying 43 this year so we'll get 42

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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i said 27 last year and we got 26

i'm saying 43 this year so we'll get 42

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I can't remember what I have said before so I hope I'm not too far off from an earlier prediction. I expect AT LEAST 38 wins and a 10th place or better finish in the EC. If not Woody goes with BK at least on a short leash but (if less than 38) preferably gone.

W

[Lascar78]

Quote:

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i said 27 last year and we got 26

i'm saying 43 this year so we'll get 42

---

Hmm I said 25, you said 27, we got 26.

Now I'm saying 38, you're saying 43, are we due for 40-41?

[skaughtybee]

36-46 = 10th in the EC

[gutz]

I'm with you guys on this one too! 45 wins is not out of reach by any means. Its very OBVIOUS that Smoove and Marvelous are different players and will break out this year no doubt. JJ will be an all-star this year easily. Plus Shelden(The Landlord) looked real solid last night considering it was his first NBA game and along with Lo Wright brings us that interior post presence we sorely lacked last year. Plus we have a nice PG duo in Speedy/Lue. We really have no weakness right now except in the post interior still and its not even that weak. We have every position covered with 2 legit players. I'll bet anybody any amount of money we win more than 26 games this year!

[DJlaysitup]

I'm predicting 41-41...a big up and down year with winning streaks and losing streaks. When we're on we'll look unstoppable and when the shots aren't falling we'll look rough.

We get the 8th seed in the playoffs and in honor of Mt. Mutombo we become the second 8-seed to knock off a 1!

(well don't hold me to that last part)

[Popeye]

Let's just round it to 50.

Fair enough.

I say 40 wins.

[Johnnybravo4]

We are going .500 minimum. Barring serious injuries of course. We are going to run folks out of the gym every nite. The funny thing will be to see the Heat's dinosaurs trying to run with us this year....I can hear Shaq breathing hard right now.

[thesheedera]

I think anything's possible, but if I had to lay down some cash, I'd guess we're definitely getting 33, we should get 37, and the high end in my mind is 40. I just don't see this team breaking .500 this season. I think we'll just be learning how to win a little more consistently, but not how to separate ourselves from the pack of mediocrity.

The more we win, the more seriously other teams will be playing us and gameplanning for our strengths and weaknesses. In the past its not like we've been getting every team's A-game.

As we gradually gain confidence, we'll win more games, earn more respect, get more breakis from the refs, but we'll also be getting more attention from opposing teams trying to stop us and keep us down.

37 is my guess,a dn I think it would be a successful season.

[frosgrim]

Since the summer. Its 37 plus/minus 2. That is about an 11 game improvement, which is realistic. Over 40 is going to be very hard to do simply due to the youth of our center pieces. I would be thrilled with the 8th seed, but I think we'll miss it by a game or two. Much like the Thrashers last year.

[Wretch]

To tell the truth, we haven't been so bad talent wise...or even offensively. We've had problems executing when it counted, we've had defensive problems, chemistry problems...

We've had lack of depth and surplus of swingmen. Youth, inexperience, lack of cohesion...

Distractions...

But if you look at it, we've not had a real lack of talent. A lack of star power, yes...but not a lack of talent.

Eventually, that other stuff sorts itself out through coaching, experience, and finding the right glue players. I'm not going to go out on a limb and say we're making the playoffs, but the people who were so quick to call us "bad" without honestly looking at why we've been bad are going to be writing about our "amazing turnaround" when it happens.

I don't think we're going to gradually get better. I think at some point the lights are just gonna come on with these guys, the right formula is gonna be found, or the "missing link" is gonna emerge...and at that point, we're going to take off.

Could it happen this year? Possibly, suckage as we did last year...we beat some decent clubs. I reckon that if we can stay on top of the teams that we know are truly bad, and keep up with the mediocre ones such as we have been, and beat the occasional good team. We'll have a decent season.

Now let me toss this balance pole and get down off the fence.

[SmooveTheFuture]

It all depends how fast of a start this team gets off too that is gonna be key. Last year this team got off to a horrific start and hurt us. also the development of the young guys and whether they bring it everynight.

[Traceman]

I think we will be a lot better but not quite ready for the playoffs. I think that the young guys will play hard but I'm just not sure if they truly understand yet what it takes to play hard ALL THE TIME - both physically and mentally. In other words no POSSESSIONS off let alone games off. That is something that young players have to learn.

I will say this though - I think they key to us being a legitimate playoff contender is how fast Smoove, Marvin, Zaza and Shelden learn to focus and play hard all the time. I think the vets already understand this and though I love Chillz, Salim and Royal, them playing hard every night is not going to have the impact that Smoove, Marvin, Zaza and Shelden playing hard will have.

[beenthere]

Here are the teams in the East that are better than the Hawks: Miami, Orlando, Washington, New Jersey, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago. Indiana has more talent, but all this off the court mess will impact their on the court performance. That puts Atlanta, Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, Philadelphia and Charlotte somewhat in the same boat. I think Charlotte and Philadelphia bring up the rear. If you think that this team wins more than 41 games, then you have to say that they are at least the 7th best team in the conference. I think looking at the rosters of the other elite teams that is a reach for this season. I'm thinking 34-38 wins, barely missing the playoffs. Next season this team returns to the post-season.