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

29-year old Joe Johnson was re-signed to a max deal over the summer despite what he said about the fans during the playoffs which surprised me. He played in 76 games (all starts) for the Hawks last year and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 21.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He has now played in 699 games (629 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 36.9 minutes, 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Johnson is the best offensive player on the Hawks who hope he’s still motivated despite already getting paid.

30-year old Jamal Crawford is a very good weapon off the bench for the Hawks. He played in 79 games (0 starts) for the Hawks last year and he averaged 31.1 minutes, 18.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Crawford has now played in 676 games (393 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 32.4 minutes, 15.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Crawford can handle either the point or shooting guard spots giving him even more value to the Hawks. I look for him to have another solid year for the Hawks.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HAWKS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: A

32-year old Mike Bibby looks like he will be the Hawks’ starting point guard when the 2010-11 NBA season starts but he’s clearly slipping. Bibby played in 80 games (all starts) for the Hawks last year and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He also only shot 41.6% from the floor as his whole game appears to be fading at the same time. He has played in 882 games (878 starts) in his NBA career and he has averged 35.3 minutes, 15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Bibby was at his best when he was a shoot-first point guard but his shot just isn’t going down much anymore.

22-year old Jeff Teague will push Bibby for his starting job in 2010-11. He played in 71 games (3 starts) for the Hawks as a rookie last season and he averaged 10.1 minutes, 3.2 points, 0.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He will need to improve his shooting to get more minutes as he only shot 39.6% from the floor and 21.9% from three point range as a rookie. Teague did play a couple of very impressive games late during the regular season in 2010-11 so he might be ready to push Bibby to the bench at some point in 2010-11.

21-year old first round pick Jordan Crawford is more of a shooting guard but he won’t have much of a chance getting minutes behind Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford there. Jordan Crawford played in 35 games at Xavier last season and he averaged 32.8 minutes, 20.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Unlike Bibby and Teague, Crawford is a good shooter as he hit 46.2% of his shots from the floor and 39.1% from three point range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HAWKS POINT GUARDS IN 2010-11: C

In head coach Mike Woodson’s five years in Atlanta the Hawks have improved in wins every single season. If that happens again the Hawks will be in great shape this season. The Hawks were 47-35 (57.3%) under Woodson last season and they were also 4-7 (36.4%) in the playoffs. Woodson now has a 153-257 (37.3%) in his five seasons with the Hawks during the regular season and he is 7-11 (38.9%) in the post season. The Hawks hope that Woodson continues the good work as the fans in Atlanta have high hopes for the 2009-2010 NBA season.

The power forward situation for the Hawks sounds more like a law firm than a basketball depth chart. 23-year old Josh Smith will start at power forward this season for the Hawks. He played in 69 games for the Hawks last season and he averaged 35.1 minutes, 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.6 blocked shots per game. He is one of the best stat stuffers in the NBA as he can do it all well and he will again in 2010. 34-year old Joe Smith will serve as the Hawks back up power forward and he is a talented player. Smith played in 57 games for the Thunder & Cavs last season and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Back up center Zaza Pachulia will also get some playing time at power forward for the Hawks this season and he will do well.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B+

28-year old Joe Johnson is one of the best players in the NBA and he seems to be getting better. He played in 79 games for the Hawks last season and he averaged 39.5 minutes, 21.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Johnson can take over games on offense as he has a lot of great moves and he can really shoot the rock. 29-year old Jamal Crawford will back up both Johnson at shooting guard and Bibby at the point. He played in 65 games for the Knicks and Warriors last season in which he averaged 38.1 minutes, 19.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Look for Crawford’s numbers to come down since he doesn’t have a starting job but he won’t be shy about putting up his fair share of shots.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: A

Rookie Al Horford will be the top backup at both power forward and center. He will likely get more playing time at center behind Zaza Pachulia and he might eventually replace him at some point in the season as the starter. Josh Childress will also get a ton of minutes off of the bench for the Hawks as the main backup to Marvin Williams and Joe Johnson at small forward and shooting guard. He played in 55 games (13 starts) last season and he averaged 36.8 minutes, 13.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He also shoots the ball well as he hit 50.4% of his shots from the floor, 33.8% from three point range and 79.5% from the free throw line. Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue will both get some playing time at point guard for the Hawks. Johnson is a traditional pass first point guard. The veteran played in 27 games (17 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 7.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Lue was one of the better offensive players for the Hawks last season and he can also play some shooting guard. He played in 56 games (17 starts) last season for the Hawks and he averaged 26.6 minutes, 11.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. Shelden Williams will get whatever playing time that Horford, Smith and Pachulia don’t hog up this season. Williams played in 81 games (31 starts) for the Hawks last season and he averaged 18.7 minutes, 5.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Salim Stoudamire will provide instant offense off of the bench if the Hawks have a need at shooting guard. He played in 61 games (0 starts) last season and he averaged 17.0 minutes, 7.7 points, 1.0 rebound and 1.2 assists per game. Solomon Jones and Lorenzen Wright will be sitting at the end of the bench for the Hawks this season. Jones was solid when he got to play, which wasn’t much. Jones played in 58 games (8 starts) last season and he averaged 11.5 minutes, 3.3 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. Lorenzen Wright also will be sitting on the bench and he deserves to after how he played last season. He played in 67 games (31 starts) last season and he averaged 15.4 minutes, 2.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. Speedy Claxton will also be nailed to the end of the bench despite his hefty paycheck.