Woulda, coulda, shoulda Will the Hawks even qualify for the playoffs this season? I don't think they've done anything to pass up the 7 teams in the Ease who finished ahead of them last year .. Boston, Detroit, Orlando, Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, & Philly I think the Heat will challenge for a playoff spot with Wade back, Indiana will be right in the mix, and possibly Chicago and Charlotte contending for the 8th seed.
chicago and charlotte for 8th seed? common those teams wont make it, chicago maybe, but unlikely, both these teams havent addressed their dire needs, wont really improve. yeah.
Atlanta is a young team and most of their improvement is going to come from internal development. Josh Smith isn't a finished product. Marvin Williams isn't a finished project. Al Horford is barely scratching the surface of what he can do. Pacers, Bobcats and Bulls aren't playoff teams
I mentioned Miami ahead of those two teams. Wade-Marion-Beasley will be a formidable trio next season.
Miami might be a playoff team, same with the 'Cats. Both teams have the talent, they just need to put it together. As for the Bulls, I'm giving up on them already. They showed nothing last year and did nothing to really improve over the offseason. As for the Hawks, I think they should pretty easily make the playoffs actually. They're stockpiled with talent that's going to get better and better all the time. Their starting lineup looks damn good - Bibby/Johnson/Marvin/Smith/Horford - albeit a bit undersized in the frontcourt with Horford at the starting center spot. Their bench is a little iffy with the loss of Childress, but I think this team has enough talent in the starting five to carry this team to the playoffs in the Leastern Conference.
I see the Hawks and Heat vying for the 8th spot. If Miami does better than I expect, then they compete for the 7th seed.
I think Bulls should be a playoff team, and I don't think they will just barely scrape in there. They will (imo) have a pissed off Gordon on the qualifying offer, trying to play superstar ball to get that big pay raise. And then they will have guys like Kirk/Deng who will want to bounce back from their down years, Gooden is playing for a new contract, and Tyrus by all reports has been working out like a madmen. So put all that together with Derrick Rose, and you should have a playoff team. Charlotte, they have a lot of talent. If I just looked at talent, no doubt, I think Charlotte would be a playoff team. But for whatever reason, they just can't put it together. Once there is a resolution on the Gordon situation, I will begin working on my predictions for next season, as that can affect a lot. East has a lot of teams that can make the playoffs. I don't think the Hawks are one of them though. (Celtics, Pistons, Magic, Cavs, Heat, Bulls, Bucks, Philadelphia, Washington, Charlotte are the potential playoff teams that come to mind).
