In Week 11, the Atlanta Hawks began their six game road trip with four games. The Hawks went 2-2 in those 4 games, grabbing two wins vs the Pacers & Kings and two losses vs the Heat & Pistons.
It was a weird week. The Hawks started off with an impressive win against Indiana, then went on to lose in a valiant effort against Miami, then played badly against Detroit, then won underwhelming-ly against Sacramento.
To say the least, the Hawks were inconsistent….as they have been for most of the season. Because of that, the Hawks stayed around the same area in multiple power rankings, in the middle of the pack.
The Hawks are as high as #9 and as low as #14 in the Power Rankings that I’ve gathered.
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NBA.com/John Schuhmann (#12, up 4):
"Joe Johnson is owed, like, a gazillion dollars over the next four years. And you know what? The Hawks are pretty much the same team whether he’s in the lineup or not. They went 4-2 without him over the last few weeks, struggling a bit offensively, but still playing top-five defense. They’re 17-13 without Al Horford."
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ESPN.com/Marc Stein (#14, stayed the same):
"Go ahead. Try figuring these guys out. You putting more stock in the recent wins over Orlando, OKC and Indiana? Or the losses to the Warriors and Pistons? Elias says Friday night’s 86-85 loss in Detroit was their eighth straight defeat in one-point games on the road … one short of the NBA record."
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FoxSports.com/Sam Amico (#13, stayed the same):
"Would be a big surprise if at least Marvin Williams wasn’t moved by March 15."
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SportsIllustrated.com/Britt Robson (#11, up 2):
"Forward Josh Smith is emblematic of his team: Whether you praise or dismiss him (or it), he’ll do something to rebut it. Smith’s champions were forced to watch him flail around during a 5-for-20 shooting performance that included a 2-for-11 fourth quarter in a home loss to Golden State last Wednesday. But those critical of that and other Smith games where he shoots Atlanta out of a chance to win had to button up two days later when he went off for 24 points (on 10-of-19 from the field) and 19 rebounds to keep the Hawks in the game before the subs won it in the fourth quarter against Milwaukee. And those critical of the Hawks’ record against elite teams were at least temporarily silenced by Saturday’s triumph over the West-leader Thunder, which featured 13 points and nine rebounds from Smith in the final eight minutes after the game was tied at 79-79. Atlanta snapped Oklahoma City’s seven-game winning streak even though Joe Johnson and his backup Willie Green joined Al Horford on the sideline and Tracy McGrady limped off in the first quarter. The resilient Hawks, with Smith leading the way, now rank fifth in defensive efficiency."
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NBCSports.com/Kurt Helin (#10, up 1):
"If the Hawks move Josh Smith it needs to be part of a bigger plan to rebuild this team into a contender. Do you trust the Hawks management to do that? Besides, how to you rebuild with Joe Johnson’s contract on the book anyway? The Hawks went 4-2 with [Johnson] down injured, by the way."
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HOOPSWORLD.com/Eric Pincus (#9, up 3):
"The Hawks aren’t rushing to trade Josh Smith who has wanted out since the summer."
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SBNation.com/Tom Ziller (#12, up 2):
"The Hawks might be playing themselves into the race for home court in the first round, albeit against Philadelphia, who as the presumptive Atlantic champ gets the No. 4 seed unless they are caught be Boston or catch Orlando for No. 3."
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CBSLosAngeles.com/Martin Sumners (#13, down 2):
"Rumors of Josh Smith demanding a trade hasn’t stopped him from playing well, such as Sunday night’s 28 points and 6 boards in a 106-99 win over the Kings put the Hawks back on track after a tough 89-86 loss to the Heat and a 86-85 defeat to the Pistons."
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SheridanHoops.com/Chris Sheridan (#12, down 2):
"Josh Smith wants out and has wanted out for a year. You have to figure Kirk Hinrich is on his way out to get them out of luxury tax territory. Of all the teams willing to get Dwight Howard as a rental, you have to take them most seriously. Dwight is from Atlanta (he attended the 1996 Olympics, as a spectator, when he was 10 years old, and developed a crush on gymnast Dominique Dawes)."
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Week 12 Preview:
The Atlanta Hawks are set to play four games in Week 12. They’ll first continue their six game road trip on Tuesday at Denver, then they will finish their road trip on Wednesday when they go to LA to face the Clippers. After that, the Hawks will head back home in a short home game stand, facing the Washington Wizards on Friday. They’ll end the week with a road game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
My prediction is that the Hawks will go at least 2-2 in Week 12. I don’t even want to bother on picking which teams they will win and lose against, because like we all know, the Hawks….are consistently inconsistent.
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