The top 10 Hawks of the past 10 seasons, Pt. 1

The Hawks have been in playoff contention for the past seven years or so now, but much of what that playoff success was built on was the few years before contention started. With that said, we take a look at the top 10 Hawks in the past 10 years.

Players were evaluated based on full season statistics with the team, as well as any awards received, and years of service with the team among other things. Let's take a look, shall we?

10. Josh Childress (2004-08)

285 G, .522 FG%, .360 3P% .799 FT% 5.6 REB, 1.8 AST, 1.0 STL, 11.1 PTS

Josh Childress was drafted by the Hawks back in the 2004 NBA Draft 6th overall. Childress showed great promise in his first season with the team, averaging 10.1 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in an 80-game showing, 44 of which he started. He was a key piece in the Hawks building themselves up

Childress would continue to post similar numbers in his four seasons in Atlanta, but had his best season in 2006-07, where he averaged 13 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in just 55 games. He was essentially the Hawks sixth man before our No. 9 Hawk of the past 10 years found his way into Atlanta.

Here's possibly Childress' best play as a member of the Hawks, when he opened a can up on Vince Carter:

9. Jamal Crawford (2009-11)

155 G, .437 FG%, .363 3P%, .856 FT%, 2.1 REB, 3.1 AST, 16.1 PPG

The Hawks added Jamal Crawford in the 2009-10 season, where he made an immediate contribution off the bench where he averaged 18 points per game, 2.1 points, and 3 assists. His first season in Atlanta earned Crawford the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year award, the only Hawk to ever do so.

In his second and final year with the Hawks, Crawford posted solid numbers again, this time 14.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. Although not a long-tenured Hawk, Crawford provided an amazing spark off the bench, unseen in the past 10 Hawks seasons. I have to give Crawford the edge over Childress, because he is indeed the 4-point play king, and was just more exciting:

8. Marvin Williams (2005-12)

487 G, .450 FG%, .329 3P%, .806 FT% 5.3 REB, 1.3 AST, 11.5 PTS

Many (most) people love to remember Marvin Williams as the guy the Hawks selected over Chris Paul, which hindsight is 20/20. But, back in 2005 many thought Paul was making a mistake going to the league after just two seasons at Wake Forest, and also took into consideration his lack of size among other things. So naturally, the Hawks had a similar thought process to many in the game, and selected Marvin. Considering how terrible the Hawks had been for so many years, Marvin Williams was a young player who did give good production, but never became the player all had hoped, which makes me put him back at the 8 spot.

After showing much improvement from his first to his second season, Williams had pretty much reached his peak. His best season was his third, where he averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Sure, Williams didn't pan out to be the player you wanted him to be, but you always knew you'd at least get 10 points and 5 rebounds out of the guy. It was an improvement from the lack of talent seen in prior seasons. I have to give Marvin the edge over Crawford here for his years of service and still decent numbers in that time.

7. DeMarre Carroll (2013-15)

143 G, .479 FG%, .379 3P%, .733 FT%, 5.4 REB, 1.8 AST, 1.4 STL, 11.8 PPG

Don't hate me over this one. Feel free to lash out in the comments or on Twitter. I have to have DeMarre Carroll at the 7 spot. Carroll was a great Atlanta Hawk, you couldn't truly be a fan of the team the past couple of seasons and not like the guy. He fought to be in this league, and made it. He had the best two seasons of his career under Mike Budenholzer in Atlanta.

After coming over from Utah, Carroll posted 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 73 games in his first season as a full-time starter in his career. This past season, Carroll played a huge role in the success of the team, and stole everyone's heart after suffering what appeared to be a severe injury against the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and coming back to finish out the series.

Here are his top plays from this past season:

Thank you, DeMarre.

6. Kyle Korver (2012-present)

220 G, .474 FG%, .474 3P%, .897 FT%, 4.0 REB, 2.5 AST, 11.7 PPG

Threezus comes in here at No. 6 over DeMarre Carroll. Korver has produced better stats, has spent more seasons with the Hawks, and was an All Star this past season. Should DeMarre have been an All Star? He most certainly could have been, but he wasn't. It's not a knock against him, but if you look at their body of work, Korver takes the edge here.

Korver has improved every year he has been in Atlanta, and has been a key piece in the Hawks puzzle. His three point shooting is arguably the best in the league, with a ridiculous 47 percent from behind the arc. Even if you asked him to do that, you would be asking a lot out of him. That just doesn't happen A Korver three has turned games around, and helped the team come back, and stretch leads. His importance to the Hawks is clear, and it's always amazing to hear the arena go silent, and then explode with cheers when he puts one up.

Very few guys can have an outburst like this:

Stay tuned for No. 5-1 tomorrow!