The Atlanta Hawks are entering the 2014-15 season after a very critical summer. The Hawks had to deal with co-owner Bruce Levenson and his 2012 email to Danny Ferry that consisted of numerous inappropriate racial remarks about Philips Arena's crowd along with the type of atmosphere at the games. Levenson ended up resigning, and Ferry took a leave of absence.
In costless agency, Atlanta added Thabo Sefolosha after trading away hometown kid Lou Williams to the Toronto Raptors. Sefolosha was an efficient role player in Oklahoma City and can very well be just as good of a sixth man presence that Lou Williams was in Atlanta.
A huge piece of great news for the Atlanta Hawks entering this season is the return of All-Star center Al Horford. Horford has missed the previous 10 months of action due to a torn pectoral muscle. He also tore a pectoral muscle in the 2011-12 season. Critics also forgot that the Hawks were third in the Eastern Conference in 2013-14 prior to Horford's injury. After he was shut down for the season, Atlanta plummeted and fell all the way down to the eighth seed.
Luckily for Atlanta, the impressive play of newly acquired costless agent Paul Millsap kept the Hawks locked in for a playoff spot. His first season in Atlanta resulted in his first All-Star game appearance. Millsap averaged 17 points and eight rebounds per game in 2013-14. He posted double-doubles at will and constantly helped the Hawks rally in many critical points during games.
Expect Kyle Korver to continue his dominance as the best three-point shooter in the NBA. Korver broke Dana Barros' record of consecutive games with a three pointer made at 89 games on December 6, 2013 at home versus the Cleveland Cavaliers. Korver has been extremely dangerous around the perimeter and does a great job of moving without the ball so he can costless himself up for an open three.
The growth of point guard Jeff Teague will continue to keep Hawks fans excited. His PPG game average has increased every season since his rookie year in 2009 and is blossoming into a future All-Star. Teague's career started to take off after an impressive second round playoff performance against the Chicago Bulls in the 2010-11 season. He also had three games of 20 points or more in the first round series against the Indiana Pacers in the 2014 playoffs. Expect Teague to thrive in head coach Mike Budenholzer's offense that he brought from San Antonio last season.
Every team in the southeast division made significant improvements this offseason, whether it was in costless agency or the draft. There's a huge possibility that four out of the five teams in this division could make the playoffs. Among them are the Hawks, Heat, Hornets, and Wizards. The southeast will definitely be one of the deepest divisions in the NBA, and you could expect the Atlanta Hawks to be a dark horse to win it.