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Well fellow Hawks fans, it has been a long summer but the season is finally here. And back by popular demand we have the weekly power ranking round up. So without taking anymore space, let's get started. First up on our list, Matt Moore of CBSSports.com put the Hawks surprisingly high at #13.
They are relying on a lot of young guys but they really only need one to step up and they have a great nine-man rotation.
SB Nation's Jason Patt also ranks the Hawks at No. 13 and sees them as a playoff team.
The Hawks didn't get any of the top free-agent prizes, but they snagged Paul Millsap at an absolute bargain to replace the hole left by Josh Smith. Millsap and Al Horford form an excellent frontcourt, while Jeff Teague returns on an affordable deal. Kyle Korver is back to provide elite shooting, so the Hawks should be in good shape to secure one of the final playoff spots in the East.
Next up Marc Stein of ESPN.com drops us a good amount to #21 even though he is very anxious to see Schröder in his first NBA season.
Suspect that I'm far more excited about Dennis Schroeder's first NBA game taking place on Dirk Nowitzki's floor -- just like Dirk debuted on Detlef Schrempf's -- than your average Hawks fan. Also suspect we'll be talking far more about Hawks trade scenarios than Hawks basketball this season.
Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports puts us #23 thinking that the loss of Josh Smith justifies the ranking.
Al Horford is now the face of the Hawks with Josh Smith gone. Horford is also the only remaining player from the 2006-07 team that began a six-year playoff streak. Expect a lot of empty seats in Atlanta.
Finally, Jimmy Spencer of Foxsports.com puts us at #14 while complimenting what Danny Ferry has done for the Hawks have done this summer.
Two truths were revealed this summer: Paul Millsap has a bad agent and Danny Ferry is starting to fix the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks' good-enough blueprint remains for now, but Ferry has opened up future flexibility for something more than just a first-round
As you can see, our Hawks are all over the place within the rankings. But let me know what you guys think of the different spots we are in. Are we placed too high or too low? Personally I think the lower rankings are due to having a new team, new coach and because we might look to trade some players.