The second round of the playoffs is underway and with only eight teams remaining, it means another eight have been eliminated from title contention. The offseason is the time for these teams to retool to prepare for deeper runs next season. The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most consistent teams in the NBA the past six seasons, but not in a good way. The Hawks are always the fourth or fifth seed in the playoffs and have lost in the first round three out of the last six years. Read More »

“Welcome to Atlanta where the playas play” … stop it. Stop the chorus of the Jermaine Dupri/Ludacris hit single right there.

It was an embarrassment.

I don’t know what the ratings were for Game 4 between the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics, but it couldn’t have been funnier than watching a “Martin” re-run. The final score read 101-79, but it doesn’t tell the full story. It was a blowout of epic proportions. Fans at the TD Garden should get their money back and fans watching from home should get their time back. This type of poor basketball display is what initiates the discussion about the root of it all. The focus instantly shifted away from the series itself back to who is to blame. Read More »

Nobody told Jeff Teague he had to stick to the script.

Before last summer’s Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Hawks and top-seeded Bulls tipped off, Teague was cast as a bit player. The 6-2 point guard, Atlanta’s first-round draft pick in 2009 who was on the verge of being labeled a bust, had averaged just 4.5 minutes of action in just two appearances during the Hawks’ first-round series. But when injuries forced Teague into a starting role – and a nightly matchup with league MVP Derrick Rose – he responded like a man ready to steal the show. Read More »

Some surprising news hit campus this morning: North Carolina junior point guard Larry Drew II will transfer from the university, Coach Roy Williams announced Friday.

“This morning, around 9 o’clock, I got a message to call big Larry,” said Williams at his Friday press conference in reference to Drew’s father, the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. “At that point he informed me Larry was leaving, and we had a long discussion, most of which should be kept private.” Read More »

The Hawks had the Celtics where they should have wanted them: Rajon Rondo was out, the C’s were on a two-game losing streak, and the Hawks were at home. Nate Robinson, who’s not really a point guard, was starting at point guard for Boston. And although Joe Johnson had shot just 8-for-26 the last two games, he was facing a team that the Hawks swept last regular season.

So what happened? The Hawks fell behind by 26 in the first quarter, and the Rondo-less Celtics bruised and cruised to a 23-point win that was never close. Read More »

The Atlanta Hawks are off to an 8-4 start, with five players averaging double-figuring scoring and a sixth, Marvin Williams, putting up 9.9 points per game. Aiming for their fourth straight playoff appearance with most of the same core, the Hawks are maturing as a unit, and much of the credit goes to improved ball movement and the diversity of the sets they are running under new coach Larry Drew. Read More »

As NBA training camps get underway, we preview the upcoming season with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Jordan Crawford, Josh Powell, Etan Thomas

Lost: Joe Smith, Randolph Morris, Mario West Read More »

During the past week we’ve looked at the projected top 10 fantasy point guards, shooting guards, small forwards and power forwards. Now it’s time to complete the puzzle by examining the projected top 10 fantasy centers for the 2010-11 season. Solid centers are the rarest of breeds for fantasy basketball, but that doesn’t make it any easier to rank them. Share your reactions below, and remember that this is based on a nine-category perspective. Read More »

No college basketball rivalry can touch Duke vs. North Carolina, but with the defending national champion Blue Devils a notch above the ACC right now, there is a less talked-about Tobacco Road rivalry that should be wildly entertaining, fiercely competitive, and could grow to approach that Duke/UNC bitterness in due time:

That would be North Carolina vs. NC State. Read More »

When Joe Johnson was averaging 12 points per game on 29 percent shooting in Atlanta’s second-round playoff sweep at the hands of Orlando, it was the worst possible time to have a slump during a contract year. For a player whose talent has never been doubted — rather, critics question his ability to be a leader and perform like a franchise superstar on the big stage — coming up so short in the playoffs wasn’t the lasting impression J.J. wanted to leave with potential suitors. Read More »