Listen to the Atlanta Hawks preview here.
After fiddling around for two years trying to recapture the magic of their 60-win team, the Hawks finally committed to rebuilding this summer. How did we get here and what happens now?
We were joined by Brad Rowland, the editor of SB Nation Hawks site Peachtree Hoops and the Locked On Hawks podcast, and Harry Lyles Jr., an SB Nation NFL staff writer based in Atlanta, to talk about the following:
- We walk through the string of transactions that occurred after that 60-win season, from the loss to DeMarre Carroll, to Al Horford leaving, to Dwight Howard, to Kyle Korver departing, to the decision to pull Paul Millsap off the trade market, and more.
- Why were the Hawks so reluctant to break their team up even when it was in decline? What sort of market factors played into that?
- Who's in charge now? How did instability in the front office contribute to the Hawks' confusing series of moves that got them here?
- Winning fans in the city has always been a challenge. What happens now that the team is going to stink?
- Plenty of talk about this year's team, including some mad Taurean Prince love from all three of us.
- Dennis Schroder ... yeah, he's a complex figure. What happens to his career now?
- We answer questions about Kent Bazemore's future, Coach Bud, and what exactly was the issue with Dwight Howard in the locker room?
- The customary banana boat question.
- Why should Hawks fans pay attention to this team? Why should national fans pay attention?
- Predictions, etc.
This podcast was part of the Limited Upside podcast’s 2017-18 offseason series previewing all 30 NBA teams with members of SB Nation’s team communities and other friends of the show. We’ve spent the last two-and-a-half months gauging the temperature of every fan base heading into what should be a terrific NBA season. There’s no better way to understand what makes NBA fans in each market tick.
We began these in August and counted down worst-to-first leading up to the season. Here’s how to listen to them all:
- Nets with Kristian Winfield and Nets Daily’s Anthony Puccio
- Lakers with Zito Madu and Silver Screen and Roll’s Anthony Irwin and Harrison Faigen
- Suns with Bright Side of the Sun’s Dave King and Evan Sidery
- 76ers with Tyler Tynes and Liberty Ballers’ Kyle Neubeck
- Knicks with Kristian Winfield and Posting and Toasting’s Seth Rosenthal
- Magic with Orlando Pinstriped Post’s Zach Oliver and Cory Hutson
- Kings with Kenny Carraway and Sactown Royalty’s Tony Xypteras
- Mavs with Tim Cato and Mavs Moneyball’s Kirk Henderson
- Wolves with Canis Hooups’ Eric Goldman and John Meyer
- Pelicans with The Bird Writes’ Oleh Kosel and Travis Tate
- Hornets with James Dator and At the Hive’s Nicklaus Denning
- Pistons with John Ketchum, Kofie Yeboah and Detroit Bad Boys’ Lazarus Jackson
- Nuggets with Denver Stiffs’ Adam Mares
- Heat with Kelly Cohen and Hot Hot Hoops’ Surya Fernandez
- Bulls with Ricky O’Donnell and Blog a Bull’s Jason Patt
- Pacers with Whitney Medworth and Indy Cornrows’ Caitlin Cooper
- Blazers with Blazers Edge’s Brian Freeman and Peter Sampson
- Bucks with Kevin McCauley and Brew Hoop’s Mitchell Maurer
- Hawks with Harry Lyles Jr. and Peachtree Hoops’ Brad Rowland
- Grizzlies with Grizzly Bear Blues’ Joe Mullinax
- Thunder with Eddie Maisonet and Welcome to Loud City’s Joshua Broom
- Thunder addendum! Carmelo Anthony trade emergency pod with Eddie Maisonet
- Wizards with Sports Illustrated’s Andrew Sharp and Bullets Forever’s Michael Sykes
- Jazz with SLC Dunk’s Mychal Lowman and James Hansen.
- Raptors with Raptors HQ’s Daniel Reynolds and freelance writer Seerat Sohi
- Cavaliers with Fear the Sword’s Chris Manning and MMA Fighting’s Eric Jackman
- Clippers with Clips Nation’s Lucas Hann and former L.A. video coordinator Mo Dakhil
- Celtics with Paul Flannery and Celtics Blog’s Nick Gelso
- Rockets with The Dream Shake’s Ethan Rothstein and Jeremy Brener
- Spurs with Pounding the Rock’s J.R. Wilco and Bruno Passos
- Warriors with Golden State of Mind’s Bram Kincheloe