We're all aware of what this season means to the city of Atlanta. 2 short years ago, these Hawks went on the run of my lifetime and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. (They even had home court advantage at one point.) That trip was cut short due to some dumb fuck referee that couldn't keep his feet away from Trae's ankles when he was shooting. The season was pretty much over from there and the Milwaukee bucks and that freak from Greece won their championship. We were so close, but so far.
At this point in my life, Atlanta sports had done nothing but shit on a plate and forced it down my throat for 25 years. You don't get to choose what town you're born in, and if you choose the sports team you root for, you're a weak piece of shit. You're born into this hellhole and the only way you can escape is by having a competent front office that wants to win. Fortunately, we Atlanta natives received that in Alex Anthopoulos. The man pulled off some incredible moves at the trade deadline and turned an 88 win baseball team into World Series champions. This is how championships are won, by management and ownership getting off their ass and actually caring for the city and trying to win. After the curse was lifted, UGA goes out and finally beats Alabama in the national championship game and the state is finally rolling. (No apologies to any GT, GA State, or GA Southern fans. Your programs are trash and I do not want to hear it.)
So after the first 25 years of my life, I am finally the fan of a championship team. Not only that, we won 2 fucking championships in like 3 months. How the hell does that happen? I don't know, but all I do know, is I want all the fucking championships now. (Oh, I just realized Atlanta United fans might also get upset that I don't count their championship as the curse breaker, and to you I say, fuck you. Soccer in the south doesn't matter.) Anyways, it's the Hawks turn now.
Over this offseason, the Hawks made a huge splash in free agency trading for All-Star guard DeJounte Murray. This dude, does not care about your mama, your daddy, your kids, or your spouse, he just wants to go out there and hoop. Personally, I think this is exactly what the city of Atlanta and specifically Trae Young needs. Trae needed someone to not only come in and take some of the weight off his shoulders carrying the offense, but he needs someone to keep him in line when they are on the court. DeJounte is that dude. Standing at 6'4 and a real defensive threat, Murray is the exact architype that fits with Trae.
The new-look Atlanta Hawks have mostly familiar faces from last year and even from their run from 2 years ago. However, the new starting 5 featuring Murray should improve the Hawks defense from last in the NBA in 2021 to somewhere in the middle of the pack in the NBA. We do have to say goodbye to my personal favorite Hawk and the hero from Game 7 against Philadelphia, Kevin "Red Velvet" Huerter. My God I love this man and I am really going to miss his consistency in the lineup. Unfortunately for him, he ended up at a garbage franchise in the league, Sacramento. Our thoughts and prayers will be with him during this trying time.
Now for the mother fucker that needs to get his shit together so the Hawks can actually compete this year, Deandre Hunter. This man will make you want to pluck each of your eyelashes out one by one. There has never been someone who looks so dominant in such random ass games and is such a liability in important games. I still believe he has the talent he flashed at us for those 20 games 2 years ago, but I don't know if he believes he has that talent. I will need to see him exploit mismatches more often and hopefully DeJounte Murray pushing the pace of play provides more opportunities for Deandre to score.
Onyeka Okungwu is another player that will be make or break for the Hawks this year. We need OO to extend his minutes a little more, continue to be a force on defense, and continue to grow into the #1 center role behind Clint Capela. I would love to see these guys split minutes this year 50/50 to help save Clint come playoff time.
The 2022-23 Hawks will have something to prove this year. The Eastern Conference is fucking loaded and the Hawks are projected to finish around 7-8 in seeding. I want to be the first to say, if these guys mesh well out of the gates, push the pace of play, and improve on defense (just to average), the Hawks are going to walk away with a 1-4 seed. I am so pumped for this season and can't wait to watch the Hawks shit all over the Knicks after they thought they were getting Donovan Mitchell.
By: Jared Hamby
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