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Despite the departure of their young and athletic
free agent Josh Childress to a European club, the Atlanta Hawks have
been able to more than fill up the void with their recent
acquisitions.
They were able to sign two
veteran backcourt players namely Maurice Evans and Ronald “Flip”
Murray. Evans is a swingman who is a good perimeter defender and has
become a three-point threat in recent years. Last year, the
versatile guard played for the Lakers at the start of the season and
was traded to the Orlando Magic. With the Magic, Evans established
career-bests in every statistical category.
Murray, meanwhile, will probably
play the 1 and 2 positions replacing either Mike Bibby or Joe
Johnson. A sweet-shooting veteran that can score in bunches, Flip is
a good addition since he relieves scoring pressure from Johnson and
can create his own shot without much help.
Another significant addition is
6’11” forward-center Randolph Morris who add depth (and size) to
the Hawks frontcourt. Only 22 years old, Morris is an untested
quantity since he has not gotten much playing time in New York the
past two seasons. He is said to have adequate low-post moves but his
defense is still suspect.
These three players will backstop
one of the most exciting, athletic and youngest starting fives in
the league today. Bibby, who starts at point, is considered the
veteran in the unit even if he is still in his prime at 30. Bibby
led the Sacramento Kings deep into the playoffs for several years
and is still one of the better point guards. He is joined in the
backcourt by the team’s leading scorer Joe Johnson, who is a great
all-around player (21.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 5.8 apg).
The frontcourt is composed of
three 6’10” players who are, as of this writing, 22 years old.
Al Horford plays center and has shown promise in his rookie year
averaging almost a double-double in points and rebounds. Marvin
Williams, at small forward, poses a lot of match-up problems for
smaller defenders. Williams has improved statistically every year of
his career and is likely to develop more. Power forward Josh Smith
rounds out this potent frontcourt.
Smith, who was a restricted free
agent this season, re-signed with the Hawks after the team matched
the offer of the Memphis Grizzlies. The deal was reportedly worth
$58 million over five years. This can be considered a steal since
Smith is an all-round player with impressive defensive skills.
Outside his scoring and rebounds (17.2 ppg and 8.2 rpg), he is the
second leading shotblocker in the league (2.8 bpg) and ranks among
the leaders in steals (1.57 spg).
The Atlanta Hawks have been able
to keep their core players while adding experienced veterans. It
must be noted that this is the team that gave eventual NBA champion
Boston Celtcis fits in the first round of the Eastern Conference
playoffs. The Hawks gave the Celtics mismatch problems throughout
the series and caught them flat-footed several times with their
run-and-gun game.
With a year of added experience
and more confidence in their abilities, the young Hawks will surely
be a playoff team next year and may pull a surprise or two.
Please e-mail your comments
and suggestions to raffyrledesma@yahoo.com
SIDELINES. While rich in
tradition, the Atlanta Hawks won their last NBA title in 1958.
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