4. Was the Hawks playoff run last year a fluke?
Speaking of another under-performing team: the Atlanta Hawks.
The Hawks are currently 12-10, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
They have not looked like the same team that went all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals and gave the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks all that they could handle just last season.
Some NBA experts believe the Hawks struggles come from the “too many guys” syndrome. That may sound ridiculous because the whole point of the game is to have as many good players on your team as possible. That may be true but in some ways having too many good players can create tensions in the locker room.
Players who would normally get more minutes on any other team aren’t seeing the court as much as they’d like. This could result in “testy” feelings in the locker room as well as more selfish play.
If players aren’t getting as much playing time as they’d like to or think they deserve, they might decide to “make the most” of their time on the court and get as many shots up as possible.
This has been a problem for the Hawks earlier this season, but it seems as though Atlanta has figured something out as they have won eight of their last ten games.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Hawks decide to do around the trade deadline. With their talented, deep roster, they are one of the few teams capable of going after a big time star if one were to become available. On the flip side, if the Hawks keep up their impressive play, they may decide not to do anything.
If anything, this Hawks squad is one of the most interesting teams in the NBA and remains one to keep an eye on come trade deadline time.