The Atlanta Hawks made their fifth-consecutive playoff appearance in 2012, but were derailed by a rash of late season injuries, which ultimately led to a first-round elimination at the hands of the Boston Celtics. Sensing things had gotten a little stale around the organization the Hawks’ front office hired longtime league veteran Danny Ferry to be its new president of basketball operations and general manager. Ferry immediately shook up the club’s core by trading away Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, which steered the Hawks in a different trajectory. Whether the risk should be considered positive or negative is too early to call.

HOOPSWORLD takes a look at the 2012-13 Atlanta Hawks:

Five Guys Think…

The Joe Johnson trade was lopsided and unfavorable for the Hawks from a talent standpoint. However, it was a move they had to make in order to create some flexibility for the future. As assembled the Hawks had peaked. With Johnson’s contract off the books they’ll potentially be able to make big moves next summer that could lead them to heights they couldn’t reach beforehand. In the meantime, the Southeast is still weak enough for them to remain the second-best team in it. Look for them to replace Johnson’s scoring by committee with several players stepping up in his place.

2nd Place – Southeast Division

– Yannis Koutroupis
 

Joe Johnson may be gone, but Hawks GM Danny Ferry didn’t throw his team into a rebuilding mode with the move. In fact, the Hawks have a decent chance of being as good as they were last season. Josh Smith likes the new direction of the team, which is important, and with Devin Harris in the mix the backcourt will be more competitive this season. Anthony Morrow will keep defenses spaced with his ability to knock down the open three, so the Hawks won’t miss Johnson’s outside game. The Hawks aren’t any worse than they were last season, and they might even be a little bit better.

2nd Place – Southeast Division

– Bill Ingram
 

The Atlanta Hawks were able to trade Joe Johnson’s monster contract over the offseason, which gives them much more flexibility going forward. However, the Hawks may have to take a step back before they take a step forward. Atlanta will likely finish as the second-best team in the Southeast Division behind the Miami HEAT, but that’s only because it’s a weak division that features young, rebuilding teams like the Charlotte Bobcats, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. New general manager Danny Ferry has the Hawks headed in the right direction, but it’s unlikely that the Hawks will make any noise in the playoffs this year with a roster that features many role players on expiring contracts.

2nd Place – Southeast Division

– Alex Kennedy
 

Bless you, Danny Ferry, for trading the untradeable contract, but you’ve still got a lot of work to do with the roster you’ve got leftover. For all the praise he got for dumping Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, Ferry did an odd job piecing together a roster post-trade. Mostly, he acquired a ton of middle-tier shooters, like Lou Williams, Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow, and rookie John Jenkins, none of whom really looked primed to fill Johnson’s role in the offense. Apparently, they’re going to try and do it by committee for now. The team really is still Josh Smith and Al Horford’s, though, and they’re the guys who should lead this team while they play out the year and hopefully get themselves an opportunity to chase after a major free agent in the summer of 2013. In the meanwhile it isn’t going to be particularly pretty, though.

3rd Place – Southeast Division

– Joel Brigham
 

Ever since the Atlanta Hawks named Danny Ferry their president of basketball operations and general manager back in June, the winds of change have become the way of life for the franchise. One of Ferry’s first moves at the helm was trading franchise player Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets, a move which freed up $90 million in future salary and will give the Hawks plenty of flexibility to improve via trade or free agency going forward. Even without Johnson in the lineup, the team should still contend for a playoff spot in 2013 behind the play of Al Horford, Josh Smith and Jeff Teague. The problem is, as currently constructed the Hawks are in the middle of the pack which is a place Ferry has no desire to remain long term. Expect more changes in Atlanta this season.

2nd Place – Southeast Division

– Lang Greene

Top Of The List

Top Offensive Player: While forward John Smith is the team’s most explosive scorer due to his ability to finish on the fast break, the Hawks’ most efficient scorer is two-time All-Star center Al Horford. Before last season’s injury-plagued campaign, the former University of Florida standout had improved his points per game output and field goal percentages in each of his first four full seasons in the league. Horford is also one of the most dangerous jump shooting big men in the game today with a solid midrange game out to twenty feet. The biggest knock on Horford is that he’s a bit too unselfish offensively and in the past would routinely go stretches of games ranking third, fourth or sometimes fifth on the team in field goals attempted. With Joe Johnson’s departure to Brooklyn, Horford will be counted to raise his offensive game to the next level for the franchise.

Top Defensive Player: No matter how the end of season voting plays out, Josh Smith is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He nearly walked home with the award in 2010, finishing second to center Dwight Howard. Smith has finished top five in the league in blocks per game in four out of the past seven seasons and already ranks 44th on the all-time career list at just 26 years old.

Top Playmaker: Jeff Teague is not a high-volume assist-producing point guard, however, some of that distinction could be attributed to head coach Larry Drew’s motion offense which stresses ball movement. The dynamic Teague provides the Hawks is heavily centered on his quickness and ability to penetrate the lane at will. The fourth-year guard will have an assortment of shooters waiting on the wing ready to hoist three-point buckets off his dribble-drives. The addition of Kyle Korver, John Jenkins and Anthony Morrow should keep opposing defenses honest enough to allow Teague to go to work.

Top Clutch Player: This distinction isn’t about clutch scoring, but Josh Smith’s ability to make key plays in late game situations for the team will be huge. Smith can be a force on both ends of the floor. He has the versatility to defend multiple positions and possesses a speed advantage against bigger defenders offensively. Smith is also the club’s emotional leader. It is not uncommon for those following the club to see the team’s demeanor frequently mirroring Smith’s.
 
The Unheralded Player: Zaza Pachulia’s name won’t resonate with the casual fan, but as reserve big men go in today’s NBA the veteran center’s name should be near the top of the list. With two-time All-Star Al Horford appearing in just 11 regular season games in 2012 due to injury, Pachulia filled in admirably as a starter by averaging 8.7 points and 8.8 rebounds on 51 percent shooting. Pachulia will be a free agent next summer and it is unknown if he’s part of the team’s long term plans, but his teammates have always raved about his toughness, work ethic and the way he fits in the locker room.

The Best New Addition: The Hawks traded Joe Johnson to the Brooklyn Nets this past summer and with the move sent a consistent 18-20 point nightly threat to a new zip code. Even though his offensive production was on a slide in recent seasons, it’s still going to be hard to replace Johnson because at 6’7 he produced all types of mismatches the Hawks were able to exploit. Enter high scoring shooting guard Lou Williams, who the Hawks signed to a three-year $15.7 million deal in free agency. Williams has the ability to play both guard spots and over the past two seasons has been a 20+ point per game scorer on a per 36 minute basis.

– Lang Greene

Who We Like

1. Josh Smith: There isn’t a more polarizing player on the Atlanta Hawks roster more than Smith. The veteran forward has the ability to make fans scream in joy and in seemingly the next second lash out in frustration. Despite any perceived shortcomings, Smith is an All-Star caliber talent. The old front office staff labeled Smith as the lynchpin of the franchise’s success, but it remains to be seen if the free agent to be (summer 2013) is viewed the same way by the new regime.

2. Al Horford: Despite playing out of position since entering the league, Horford has still managed two earn two All-Star selections at center. Horford is the only current Hawks player locked up past the 2015 season and is arguably the team’s most important building block for the future.

3. Jeff Teague: After being buried on the bench for the majority of his first two seasons in the league, Teague has emerged as a quality up-and-coming starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks. The team’s front office has stated it will be more of Teague’s team than ever with the departure of Joe Johnson to Brooklyn. In his first full season as a starter Teague averaged 12.6 point and 4.9 assists on 48 percent shooting from the floor.

4. Danny Ferry: The Hawks’ new president of basketball operations and general manager hit the ground running by trading franchise player Joe Johnson to Brooklyn within two weeks of assuming control. The trade removed close to $90 million in future salary off the team’s payroll. The move was huge for the Hawks who were restricted from making major roster moves because of Johnson’s deal. The team will now enter the summer of 2013 with close to $35 million in salary cap room and the flexibility to become participants in the trade market. Ferry has constantly reiterated that his blueprint for the team doesn’t involve being satisfied with inhabiting the middle of the pack. That’s music to the ears of Hawks fans.

5. John Jenkins: The former Vanderbilt product was arguably the best shooter in the 2012 draft class. During summer league play in Las Vegas, Jenkins averaged 15.6 points on 51 percent shooting from the floor and 44 percent from three-point range.

– Lang Greene

Strengths

Despite the roster shakeup this past summer, the Hawks will still have enough talent to make a run for a spot in the playoffs. The team’s strength will be in its ability to shoot from long range with John Jenkins, Anthony Morrow and Kyle Korver all possessing elite-level range. The long-range accuracy will help the team’s returning starters Josh Smith, Al Horford and Jeff Teague offensively. Horford and Smith will be able to operate on the low block free from consistent double teams most nights and the collection of shooters will also give Teague more lanes to penetrate and attack the basket.

– Lang Greene

Weaknesses

The Hawks lack size in the frontcourt and depth on the wing. Both Josh Smith and Al Horford could be considered undersized in their respective power forward and center roles. Another area the Hawks need to address is at the small forward position. Team executive Danny Ferry dealt Marvin Williams; the team’s starting small forward since 2007, to the Utah Jazz in a trade which netted guard Devin Harris. To date, the Hawks have not found a legitimate replacement to handle major minutes at the three spot.

– Lang Greene

What Needs To Be Said On Opening Day….

My goal is for us to be one of the fastest teams in the league this year. In Jeff and Devin, we have two lightening-quick players that can really push the ball up the floor. You two will be responsible for setting our pace every game. If you don’t force the tempo, it won’t inspire guys to run with you and we definitely want to get Al and Josh racing up the floor. But, just because we play fast doesn’t mean we need to neglect our defense. That, as usual, is the real key to major growth. Our defense staying solid and producing turnovers will fuel our running game to play faster. So let’s play hard on D, fast on O and win as many as we can.

- Anthony Macri and Brett Koremenos

The Burning Question

Are the Atlanta Hawks reloading on the fly or was the Joe Johnson trade the start of a massive rebuilding project?

The Atlanta Hawks have reached the playoffs for five-consecutive seasons, but only Josh Smith, Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia remain from the start of the streak. With Joe Johnson now hoisting jumpers for Brooklyn and Marvin Williams serving as a glue guy for Utah, what will be the Hawks’ next move? The Hawks will have roughly $35 million in salary cap room next summer and could become a major player in free agency. Or the franchise can use some of the room to lock up Smith and Jeff Teague long term. But the question remains, is Danny Ferry sold the team can rise to an elite level on the backs of Al Horford and Smith? If he isn’t, more changes are undoubtedly on the way.

– Lang Greene