Who has a better record next year?

[Spud2nique]

Hawks or Pelicans? Why for bonus ️ points!

[Gray Mule]

Why?  Health!  Hawks lost too many man hours to injury last season.  Hoping for better days ahead!

[AHF]

12 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Hawks or Pelicans? Why for bonus ️ points!

I hope you are right!

Short version is NO won 49 games last year and I expect them to be better next year.  

We should be improved but asking us to jump from 36 wins to 50+ is too much to expect, imo.  

[Jdawgflow]

I think we are too young to consistently win at a pace that can match the Pelicans with our current roster.  Hope I am wrong.

[kg01]

3 minutes ago, Jdawgflow said:

I think we are too young to consistently win at a pace that can match the Pelicans with our current roster.  Hope I am wrong.

Yeah it's the Pelican'ts but just because the gap is too wide from the start.  I think it'll be closer than most expect tho. 

[KB21]

I'm going with the Hawks.  The Pelicans have been unable to move Ingram.  If they go into the season with Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, AND CJ McCollum, that is not going to work offensively or defensively.  

[JeffS17]

I think the Pels barely edge us out if they don't have major injuries (like Zion missing 2/3 of the season or something).  I expect both teams to come in somewhere around 45 wins as things currently stand.  What happens with Ingram will largely determine the answer to this question though... I'm not sure they are going to get a ton of value from trading him. 

And in any case, the West feels tougher right now.  DJ at $30M isn't the steal of a contract we had him on before the extension and trade kicker, which was ~$18M.  And CJ is bad money ...and very bad defense ...and bad ankles too at this point.  They have a real problem at center right now and us picking Risacher ruined their plans of sending us Ingram for Capela or Okongwu + Hunter.  They have a more flawed roster than we do after this trade.  We just have a lot of youth that will have some growing pains.  I expect us to surpass them the following year.

[thecampster]

So I said Pels, but honestly injuries played a big role for us last year and could for the Pels this year.

[AHF]

2 minutes ago, thecampster said:

So I said Pels, but honestly injuries played a big role for us last year and could for the Pels this year.

That is the big potential risk for the Pels and Zion in particular.  They are much less dangerous with him playing 29 games versus playing 70 games.

[JayBirdHawk]

Pels as currently constructed.

Hawks roster has an uneasiness to it for me.

 

[Spud2nique]

I like the Pelicans roster on paper more than us but something tells me they are going to get clogged in the paint a lot this year.

[Hawkish]

1 hour ago, thecampster said:

So I said Pels, but honestly injuries played a big role for us last year and could for the Pels this year.

Hawks over the next 2-3 years…

We should get some glimpses of Bufkin, Gueye, Risacher, and Daniels this year.  
 

I think we see a sophomore jump from Bufkin and Gueye.  I would like to see one more productive vet for the bench.  

[ShooterSays]

Pels. Our roster is a couple years away.

I do like what we’re building, just don’t think it’s built for next year. 

[KB21]

 

[JayBirdHawk]

My main concern for the Hawks is what happens when Trae sits, that's always been a big bug-a-boo.

Next, I need JJ to make a semi-Anthony Edwards type leap in his 4th year.

[Spud2nique]

2 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

My main concern for the Hawks is what happens when Trae sits, that's always been a big bug-a-boo.

Next, I need JJ to make a semi-Anthony Edwards type leap in his 4th year.

[REHawksFan]

I went Hawks. I think they win 45-46 games and, at least right now, I don't see the Pels as being significantly better. So I'll say they win 44-45 games. 

 

[Alex]

Pelicans were 13 games better last season and have gotten better. Atlanta is slightly worse off or at the very best, equal to last season. New Orleans could win 50 plus games, but the western conference is a lot tougher so they could be around 45 wins. If Atlanta wins 5 more and New Orleans wins 5 less than last year, they are still 3 games better.

[macdaddy]

Here's a list of our experienced NBA rotation players as it stands now

Trae, Bogi, Hunter, JJ, Capela, OO, Nance

Look familiar?   

[JayBirdHawk]

30 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

Here's a list of our experienced NBA rotation players as it stands now

Trae, Bogi, Hunter, JJ, Capela, OO, Nance

Look familiar?   

Yep....different year but similarly iteration.