I wanna Believe....

The Hawks marketing team has done a good job in recent years trying to connect the team with the city and the fans in recent years, labeling the fans as "True Believers." Unfortunately, the team in recent years has been fraudulent. In the 2014-2015 season they came out of nowhere with an overachieving roster and team oriented basketball, winning 60 games for the first time in franchise history. That record overshadowed the Hawks core problem until the playoffs brought to light - the Hawks were missing a superstar, and the problem was amplified this past season. "NO! THAT'S NOT TRUE! WE HAD AL HORFORD!" Is what you might be thinking, but Al Horford was not the answer. Sure, he's made some All Star teams and pulled through on some clutch plays for this organization over the years, but he doesn't have the ability to completely take over a game on a nightly basis, and that's the difference between players and superstars.

Say what you will about Dwight Howard's past and his immaturity with the Magic, Lakers and Rockets - but I think he's finally turned the page and is ready to become the superstar big man that he was once on the cusp of accomplishing. Dwight Howard has more potential protecting the rim and amassing more rebounds than Al Horford could at the center position. Horford played his entire career in Atlanta out of position - he should have been a Tim-Duncan-esq power forward next to a bigger, more athletic center but that never developed. The ceiling on Howard hasn't quite peaked and this writer is fairly certain the ceiling on Horford has. Atlanta is Dwight's hometown and it's the one place Dwight can't afford to disappoint the fans.

The rest of the roster's success will depend heavily on Dennis Schroder's growth and ability to play more consistently. If Schroder blossoms into even just a top-15 caliber point guard, he's got enough weapons around him to lead this team to 50+ wins. Schroder runs into the most trouble when he tries to do too much or force shots and passes when they aren't there. If he can learn to rely on Paul Millsap and Dwight Howard he can become a much better point guard. Kent Bazemore is also returning to Atlanta after turning down more money to play elsewhere - probably a smart move for Bazemore as he has thrived in Atlanta's system and saw the limited success Demarre Carroll had in Toronto after leaving. Last season Kyle Korver regressed a great deal coming off the ankle injury he suffered in the playoffs and he also had surgery on his shooting elbow. Age is certainly holding back Korver and it certainly showed with his shooting percentage behind the arch declining. Korver can still be an effective shooting guard for this team, but he'll have to come off the bench for less minutes to have any impact.

I imagine either Bazemore moves to shooting guard or Tim Hardaway takes over the position if Korver is moved to the bench. Moving Bazemore may need to happen if the 12th overall pick Taurean Prince is ready to control the small forward position. The other Hawk's draft pick, DeAndre Bembry, has the ability to play small forward and shooting guard, much like Bazemore, but he has the ability to be more offensively developed than Bazemore. Ultimately this roster has much more flexibility this season and looks to be deeper off the bench than last. In addition to depth at the forwards and guards - if Tiago Splitter is healthy and Edy Tavares is ready for minutes at the NBA level as opposed to the D-League, there is also some depth and height at the center position behind Dwight Howard.

Last season the roster seemed to be taped together, trying to hold on to whatever success the 60-win team had left in the tank. When Carroll left and Korver regressed it put the team in a tough spot in terms of depth. This season they addressed depth in the draft picking up two players that are NBA ready, and played exceptionally well in the NBA Summer League. Picking up the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket Jarrett Jack in free agency to back up Schroder provides a consistent veteran to support and even mentor a young inconsistent player - much like he did with Steph Curry before leaving Golden State. Tiago Splitter is needed back healthy to backup Howard, and bringing back Kris Humphries was a key piece off the bench at the power forward behind Paul Millsap. With Howard as opposed to Horford in the paint, we're more athletic and bigger - Horford is better in the mid range game and from the 3-point line, but most teams prefer a center that never leaves the rim and I think it works better for the Hawks that way. In a recent article, CBS Sports ranked all the NBA rosters and the Hawks came in at number 10, which is an appropriate assessment if the pieces we have play consistently and perform to their expectations.