NBA Power Rankings: Spurs on top? Kawhi not
Atlanta Hawks 37-30
Last week: 4-4
Last rank: 11th
The Hawks were a steady presence for most of the season, however this previous week they couldn’t find a way to snag more wins. Atlanta will likely make it to the postseason again, but they are more likely to get swept by LeBron James in the first round than end up in the Eastern Conference Finals. Since that sweep, a couple seasons ago things have rapidly declined for Atlanta. It got to the point where many were expecting them to have a fire sale at this year’s trade deadline. A deal that sent Kyle Korver to the Cavaliers looked to fit that idea, but then the team suddenly reversed course and decided to keep its remaining roster intact. Paul Milsap could’ve definitely fetched them some interesting draft assets on the open market, but they decided to keep him on board even as he approaches free agency this summer.
Their signing of Dwight Howard now looks like the best money spent on a free agent big man. However, with Howard, you can never be sure of what you’re going to get out of him from year to year. He might be on his best behavior this season, but next year we could see Mike Budenholzer holding a soda can during an interview basically pleading for the team to move Howard or let him go a’la Stan Van Gundy in Orlando.