In this edition of the NBA PM: These Atlanta Hawks are pretty dang good…Relax, Blazer Nation…How should the media be covering Delonte West?…HOOPSWORLD chats.

Hawks Deserve More Credit: The Atlanta Hawks didn't make many changes at all this offseason. They re-signed three of their own free agents – center Zaza Pachulia, forward Marvin Williams, and point guard Mike Bibby – and brought in point guard Jeff Teague in the draft. They let guard Flip Murray go in free agency, satisfied with their one major offseason move: a trade of reserve guards Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to the Golden State Warriors for Jamal Crawford.

In the end all the Hawks did was shuffle their reserve guards, nothing else. They brought into the 2009-10 season a team that went to the playoffs two straight seasons, advancing to the second round last spring. They have a nice mix of veteran leadership) Bibby and Crawford) to go with youthful exuberance and enthusiasm (Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Williams). Their defense is solid and they rotate well, plus the length of players like Williams and Smith makes them able to defend multiple positions and cause numerous matchup problems.

And Crawford? He may have been just what the team needed. Yes, Murray brought some of the same instant offense off the bench last season, but he's not the passer Crawford is and can be even streakier than the former Michigan Wolverine from Seattle. Crawford, for his part, believes the Hawks have found a nice rotation with him off the bench.

"I think it gives us good balance," he said. "We have a really, really strong starting five and we have a really good bench, so we try to balance both and make the best of it."

Last night the Hawks won in Portland led by Crawford's 27 points to push their record in the young season to 3-1, and giving them a 1-1 split so far on this four-game road trip (they lost to the Lakers in L.A., and wont at home against Indiana and Washington).

Atlanta's road trip continues tonight in Sacramento and then Saturday in Charlotte, so there is a very good chance this team is 5-1 when it returns home for a tough matchup against the Denver Nuggets.

Oh yeah, and they also feature All-Star guard Joe Johnson, who is leading the team with 22.0 points a game. Is it safe to say the Hawks are loaded?

On the Flip Side…: That game in Portland had two sides, with the other being the home team lost again, dropping their record to 2-3. While it's true the Blazers haven't exactly lost to bad teams – Denver and Atlanta at home, Houston on the road – it's still not the start many in Blazer Nation were expecting. The question has to be asked – is it too early to panic?

Are you kidding? Absolutely it's way too early to panic. The Blazers are still very much a work in progress and they need to be allowed time to find their way. It's not easy integrating three players who are either new or getting larger roles into the rotation. In addition to free agent point guard Andre Miller, center Greg Oden's bigger role and a healthy small forward Martell Webster are pieces Coach Nate McMillan didn't have last season. Each of these players is getting 20 or more minutes a game, so balancing that with what worked last season is going to take some getting used to – for everyone.

If you've seen Portland play this year you know they haven't looked good at all. All-Star guard Brandon Roy seems to be pressing a bit, taking shots he might not necessarily have taken last year. Sometimes players put unneeded pressure on themselves after signing a big contract, so maybe Roy just needs to relax.

Outside observers say this team seems to lack fire on the court, which would go along with the recent discussions that players other than Roy also need to step up for this team, to lead, to push each other. Players also have to be cognizant of the fact that playing with fire and heart is a team thing just as much as a personal one; if people aren't on the same page, it's not going to work out well.

Five games in it doesn't look good, but at the same time with all the changes this team needs to be allowed more time to find its identity. It's quite likely they are going to be just fine. The schedule hasn't being very forgiving, but that's something that could change quickly.

If the Blazers are still under .500 after 20 games, then maybe there are issues, but I expect them to have everything worked out by then.

Read of the Day: Here is a read that fascinated me today, a discussion of how the media is handling Cleveland Cavaliers guard Delonte West in light of his bipolar disorder. It was written by Vince Grzegork of Cleveland Scene and brings together some pretty good insights.

At the root of the article is the question of whether or not the media is covering West correctly. Too harsh, too much? Too lenient, not harsh enough? At what point does West himself become a story that needs to be covered, rather than simply leaving it to will he or won't he play? Obviously if West gets arrested that's news, but how much space is the correct amount?

Brian Windhorst, the Cavaliers beat writer for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, talks about that in the article.

"In my seven years on the Cavs beat, this has probably been the most complicated story to cover after Carlos Boozer's leaving in free agency," says Windhorst, speaking broadly. "Last year, partially out of respect for [West's] battle and because he was so open with us when he returned to training camp, the media protected him to a certain degree. I have never been close to someone who is bipolar, but I read a lot about it and I talked to many professionals about it in trying to understand what Delonte goes through on a daily basis. Because of that, I'm inclined to give him some space even when it goes against journalistic instincts.

"Last season, I was certainly aware that Delonte was shaky at times, though it never seemed to show on the floor, and that made it easier to leave alone. Sometimes I would slip some references to it into a blog because I felt a responsibility to the fans, and the stakes of the season were so high. I wrestled with how to handle it, trying to show respect and compassion for Delonte and struggling with reporting on an issue that could become a problem when all the chips were on the table. It is not black and white, and just like with how the team handles him, there's no handbook on handling an athlete who is battling these problems."

All of those are excellent points, but is there an answer? Should West be a story, and whether or not he is getting or taking advantage of the help he needs? And how does anyone know what's causing whatever it is West does?

There are no easy answers, that's for sure.

HOOPSWORLD Chats: I'm up next on the chat schedule here at HOOPSWORLD tonight at 8pm Eastern Time. Joel Brigham, based in Chicago, is our first chatter on Thursday at 1pm Eastern Time, and Tommy Beer, our fantasy editor based in New York, will follow up at 8pm Eastern Time. What stands out so far this season? What is surprising? Who needs a trade already? Remember - get your questions in early for the best shot at getting them answered! For all the complete chat wraps, click here!

And, if you so desire, you can follow me on Twitter here.

With the advent of Twitter lists (which are fantastic by the way), here is a list of all of the HOOPSWORLD peeps on Twitter. Follow away!

Also, here is another list I personally use following NBA media (teams, beat writers, top blogs, etc.). Is there someone I'm missing? Drop a comment and I'll make additions to the list.