Originally Posted by
wilson
Well, the Lakers pulled it out last night against the Mavs, so the Hawks remain one of two undefeated NBA teams, rather than the last one (and with their 2nd road game in two nights in Boston this evening, I fear they won't be the last undefeated team). But who saw this coming? I, for one, was quite encouraged by last season's result, but with the loss of Josh Childress and the re-signing of Mike Woodson, I expected the team to take a step back this season, or at least to stay steady with last year's results while watching a few other squads pass them by.
And it's not as if the Hawks have reeled off six straight against a cupcake schedule: they have won against three playoff teams from last year, including road Ws against defending division champ Orlando and lots of people's preseason darlings, the New Orleans Hornets. The final victory against a playoff team came against the 76ers, who have clearly upgraded with Elton Brand.
The next two to three weeks, without Josh Smith, will be telling. The Hawks' most glaring weakness is a lack of depth, and Smith is the engine that often drives the machine at both ends of the court. Maurice Evans and Ronald Murray, however, have been surprisingly productive off the bench thus far, more than making up for Childress's production last season while actually allowing the team to go one guy deeper into the reserves.
And let's not forget Al Horford, who has been an absolute beast again so far (27 points, 17 boards, and 6 blocks last night in Chicago!).
So, how far can this team go? I think the lack of depth will catch up to them in the spring, but the franchise definitely appears to be still headed upward, and I think a top-4 playoff seed is within reach.