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The Atlanta Hawks experienced much change to their roster this past offseason that has shifted the entire level of expectations around the organization.
There is now a sense that the Hawks could in store for a long season that could see them finish among the bottom tier well outside the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. However, second-year guard Malcolm Delaney voiced during an interview with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype that he strongly believes that tanking is not an option for the Hawks.
The mood around the team is that we still expect to win. I like being on an underdog team. I’ve always liked being on teams like that. Just because we don’t have star players or big names, people are going to overlook us; that’s typical in professional sports. But we have a good system and a good group of guys who genuinely like each other. There’s nobody who dominates the ball and we’re not fighting over who gets the most shots or stuff like that. I think we have a better shooting team this year and I think we could be better defensively since we’re younger and more athletic. With our system and the way we move the ball, we could surprise a lot of people. My goal is always going to be to win. I don’t believe in rebuilding. I certainly don’t believe in tanking. I’m going out to win every game because this is my contract year and I’ve gotten to this point because of winning. I’ll do my best to help the team win and that’s all I can control.
Although that may not be what the team is embracing, Atlanta may not possess enough to be highly successful this upcoming season. The team saw All-Star forward Paul Millsap leave in free agency for the Denver Nuggets while the team traded away former All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets.
There are some huge voids on both ends of the court for the Hawks to fulfill with their young roster that features much unproven talent. There could be a major adjustment period for these players to develop into capable players in those huge roles.
Ultimately, Atlanta could be in store for a rough season that could feature many bright spots with their young roster.
