The Hawks outrebounded the Wizards 43-34 last night and that negated the fact that the Wizards shot 50% from the floor. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks last night with 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Al Horford also had a very solid game last night with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Jamal Crawford only shot 5 of 15 from the floor but he still finished up with 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in 34 minutes off the bench. Josh Smith (12 points) and Mike Bibby (12 points) each pitched in on offense for the Hawks in this game. The Hawks are off to a fast 3-0 start to the year.

The Hawks shot 51.4% from the floor and they outrebounded the Sixers 46-36 tonight but they still had to fight them off to win this game. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks in this game with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Al Horford bounced back in a big way tonight with 20 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocked shots on 9 of 11 shooting from the floor. Jamal Crawford pitched in with 19 points, 1 rebound and 5 assists in 32 minutes off the bench. Josh Smith didn’t shoot well (4 of 11 from the floor) but he still helped out with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 6 blocked shots. The Hawks are now off to a nice 2-0 start to the 2010-11 season.

The Hawks shot 52.5% from the floor last night and they were leading this game 91-75 after three quarters on the way to a very nice road victory. Joe Johnson led the way for the Hawks in this game with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists. Mike Bibby surprised everyone last night with a awesome effort as he finished up with 19 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists. Bibby was shooting the lights out last night as he was 7 of 9 from the floor and 4 for 4 from three point range. Zaza Pachulia was also outstanding last night as he finished up with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocked shots in 30 minutes on the floor. Marvin Williams pitched in with 15 points and 7 rebounds which is pretty solid for him. The Hawks are 1-0 on the year.

The Hawks were 53-29 last season and they have all of the key personnel back for another run this year. The Eastern Conference is tougher this season and the Hawks are breaking in a new head coach (Larry Drew) but I see no reason to think that they aren’t one of the top teams in the East. With that in mind I would bet the over on wins and I would consider making a small bet on the Hawks to win the NBA Championship as they are currently 60-1 to do so.

The Hawks improved their win totals for six straight years under head coach Mike Woodson but they still fired him after the Orlando Magic swept them in the second round of the playoffs, destroying them in every single game. Drew is a long time assistant who was on Woodson’s staff so the players know him and he knows them. The Hawks have a lot of talent on this team so I would be surprised to see them not continue to win under Drew.

24-year old Al Horford might be a tad undersized but he gets the job done. Horford played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks last year and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 14.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 229 games (225 starts) in his first three years with the Hawks and he has averaged 33.3 minutes, 12.0 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Horford keeps getting better so I expect that he will have another fine season for the Hawks in 2010-11.

26-year old Zaza Pachulia is a very solid back up center and he can play power forward in a pinch. Pachulia played in 78 games (1 start) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 14.0 minutes, 4.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He has now played in 500 games (163 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 20.1 minutes, 7.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game.

31-year old Jason Collins will likely have to fight off Etan Thomas for any scrap minutes at center behind Horford and Pachulia. Collins played in 24 games (0 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 4.8 minutes, 0.7 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He has now played in 596 games (429 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.7 minutes, 4.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HAWKS CENTERS IN 2010-11: B+

24-year old Josh Smith is one of the best players in the NBA at filling up the stat sheet. Smith plays well at both ends of the basketball court especially defensively. He played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks last year and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 blocked shots per game. Smith has now played in 457 games (435 starts) in his six years with the Hawks and he has averaged 33.7 minutes, 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.3 blocked shots per game. Smith is the glue that holds the Hawks together and the scary thing for opponents is that he’s still getting better.

27-year old Josh Powell will likely back up Smith this year. Powell played in 63 games (0 starts) for the Lakers last season and he averaged 9.2 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 261 games (28 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 12.6 minutes, 3.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

32-year old Etan Thomas will get some P.T. at both power forward and center if he can make the team. Thomas played in 23 games (1 start) for the Thunder last season and he averaged 14.0 minutes, 3.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. He has now played in 396 games (74 starts) in his NBA career and he has now averaged 17.7 minutes, 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HAWKS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: B+

24-year old Marvin Williams was shopped around over the summer but the Hawks couldn’t find any takers so he will be the starting small forward once again in 2010-11. Williams played in 81 games (all starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 30.5 minutes, 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. He has now played in 365 games (290 starts) in his five years with the Hawks and he has averaged 31.4 minutes, 11.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. In fairness to Williams, the Hawks don’t run a lot of plays for him because of the other mouths to feed offensively.

31-year old Maurice Evans is a solid bench player as he plays good defense and he doesn’t need the basketball in his hands to help the team win. Evans played in 79 games (5 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 16.7 minutes, 5.7 points, 1.9 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. He has now played in 465 games (99 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 19.4 minutes, 6.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Evans brings a lot of energy off the bench for the Hawks when he’s on the court.

22-year old rookie Pape Sy is a long shot to see the court this year. Sy played in 30 games in France last season and he averaged 14.2 minutes, 5.2 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HAWKS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: C