Zach Lowe of SI.com reeled off his list of teams that emerged from the NBA offseason as big winners and the accolades and adulation keeps on coming for Hawks GM Danny Ferry:

From Lowe:

But these are minor details amid new general manager Danny Ferry's miraculous success in clearing shooting guard Joe Johnson's deal from the Hawks' cap sheet - the kind of success, again, that cannot be untangled from the motives of Atlanta's always-messy ownership. A GM can't make moves like these - unloading the alleged franchise centerpiece and loading up on one-year deals - without ownership's OK to take a step back and prioritize building a champion over some feel-good second-round playoff games (and the accompanying gate revenue).

The minor details Zach speaks of is the truth that the Hawks can't clear enough space for both Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, but just the fact that Ferry is able to ignite that discussion as well as getting ownership's buyoff on stepping back and shooting for better results make the Hawks winners.

Hit the link to read the full summation as well as see the other teams with whom the Hawks are keeping company with on this list -- a further validation of a job needed and well done so far by Ferry.