Atlanta Hawks cinderella season has now come to an end. The team that went from eighth in the Eastern Conference last season to number one in the conference this season, now has to face the facts. The long, grueling NBA season has come to bite them and now they head back home, thanks to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs swept the Hawks out of the playoffs and now the questions for this offseason are coming fast for Atlanta. Two of their starters, All-Star Paul Millsap and wingman DeMarre Carroll, are now going into free agency and could possibly command some big money from teams looking to improve right now. The one obvious advantage the Hawks have is that Millsap and Carroll are not exactly the youngest players in the NBA. Their next contract could be their last big one as they get older which could favor the Hawks but there’s also another factor.
Following from Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
“I think looking at different options, looking at this team, looking at what we’ve built thus far, in weighing my options I can’t make a decision right now,” Millsap said. “It’s been a long series, a long year, for me and the team. Let things die down, cool off, relax and think about it a little bit. We are a family. This team is close. It will play a lot into the decision.”
The togetherness of this team is apparent. They’ve been on ESPN to talk about the way the five of them and Coach Budenholzer came together this season to surprise the NBA. Four of them went to the All-Star Game together and they’ve banded together to take on all opponents and fight all the adversity thrown their way until they just couldn’t fight anymore.
The thing is, they are probably one or two formidable bench pieces away from pushing forward beyond the Eastern Conference Finals. When Kyle Korver went down, so did their shooting efficiency and they hurt from beyond the three-point line. Adding a shooter and possibly another efficient big man would be at the top of their list, after bringing back Millsap and Caroll of course.
