As the NBA preseason marches on, Ball Don't Lie looks at all 30 teams, outlining off-season transactions, projecting win totals, spinning tracks, and much, much more. It's a fun, hot mess. Today, the Atlanta Hawks.

Last Season: 37-45; lost in first round of the playoffs to the TD Banknorth Garden

Key Players Added: Maurice Evans (free agent via Orlando), Flip Murray (free agent via Indy/Detroit), Randolph Morris (free agent via NY), Othello Hunter (free agent via ... um ... yeah ...), Thomas Gardner (Scotts Miracle-Gro)

Key Players Lost: Josh Childress (Greece discotheque), Salim Stoudamire (bolted to San Antonio, stole eight Hawks' basketballs)

Kelly Dwyer's Endless Grey Ribbon: The Hawks were so all over the place in 2007-08, both on the court and off, that the 36 wins I have them penciled in for even seems like a stretch.

It might not make any sense to those who weren't watching, what with the team's young core and with the late-season exposure the Hawks received, but Atlanta actually started 2006-07 as a top-notch defensive team. In fact, for most of the season — while most scribes and TV pundits talked about the team's offensive firepower and Joe Johnson's scoring touch — it was defense that was winning games for these Hawks.

That slowed as winter thawed, however, and especially after the team traded for Mike Bibby. What followed were some offensive gains that, frankly, I don't think the team can keep up. Entering this season, are these Hawks going to have it in them to get back to that defensive mindset? Are they going to play the same hungry D that won them contract extensions (for coaches and players), or are they going to point fingers and look for shots?

And I don't want to hear how the Hawks "took Boston to the brink," either. They were blown out badly on the road, and won three close ones at home. Bravo to the latter, but the team still lost by an average of 12 points per game. That's not "to the brink." That's "flipping a coin and having it land on heads, three times in a row."

Worse, this is a thin team. The draft work of former GM Billy Knight and the summertime work of an ownership group that really doesn't like to spend money made sure of this. Sure, the owners and Knight did well to bring in Mike Bibby last February and sign Maurice Evans over the summer, but these are two players who will be in their 30s this year and are on the downside of their career.

And people are going to have to come to turns with where Bibby is at. His 38 three-point mark was very much appreciated last year, but the reason the Hawks turned it around with Mike at the helm last season is because average is better than far-below average. And going from Anthony Johnson to Mike Bibby means an improvement. But it doesn't mean that Bibby, who turned 30 last May, isn't anything more than an average point guard. Possibly a bit below average, once you factor in that defense. The game doesn't hold a candle to his name, at this point.

Reasons for hope? Players improve, year to year, until they're in their late 20s when they plateau. And Al Horford, Josh Smith, Marvin Williams will improve. This will help overcome the depth issues, partially. Joe Johnson will stay the same, and Bibby will drop off slightly or (more likely) stay the same. Replacing (and I know I'm oversimplifying, because they did share court time quite a bit, but you get the point) 30 minutes of Marvin Williams and 20 minutes of Josh Childress with 35 minutes of an improved Williams and 15 minutes of Maurice Evans will be a drop-off, though.

Acie Law, however, was shockingly bad, and I wouldn't expect much. For a 23-year old rookie to play that poorly last year (check out the stats), yeah, this isn't a guy you should be waiting for.

On top of all that mess, you know this Mike Woodson thing just isn't going away. He's had issues with Smith and a few others on this team, and both parties are probably pretty shocked that the other side of the conflict is still around as 2008-09 starts. Throw in what could be some lingering resentment over the Josh Smith contract negotiations, a new GM who might want his own coach, and the usual ownership mess … 36 wins? That's one less than last year, and that still feels like a lot.

One year in the playoffs wasn't horrible, it was worth it, and it was fun to watch. But that might be it for a while.

Expected record: 36-46

Lolnbaz:

Zaza Pachulia's Chicken Tabaka Recipe:

Name is from Georgian "tapha" — means heavy skillet. This simple dish beam with flavor used to be staple in Soviet times. I am surprised it don't make it here in Atlanta. Just like Italian pizza but better.

Directions:
1. Pat hen dry and place breast side up on locker room ottoman.
2. With Team Dime sharp knife, slice down the middle of the breastbone, to separate the rib cage.
3. Turn hen over and let Al flatten it with fist. Tell Al hen look like TJ Ford.
4. Rub hen with crushed garlic and dust with cayenne.
5. Heat cast-iron skillet large enough to hold the hen. Add butter. Lots.
6. Once butter melts put hen in the pan.
7. Cook skin side up over medium high heat for 5 minutes, then flip over.
8. Place a plate over hen and ask Speedy to sit on it. Cook hen over medium heat for 20 minutes, until skin is brown and crusty. Turn, replace Speedy, and cook for 5 more minutes.
9. Leave threatening voice message on Kevin's answering machine.
10. Serve with garlic sauce, rice, green beans and love.

Real Talk, Blog Talk:

HOOPSWORLD: "When the Hawks were faced with a potentially disastrous first round meeting with the Boston Celtics they could have folded. No one would have batted an eye if they had gone down in four games. Instead, head coach Mike Woodson convinced his team that if they pushed the tempo constantly they could make a series of it. That's exactly what they did. They pushed the tempo, and as a result pushed the series to the limit. They'll only be better in the open court with Mo Evans in the mix."

Andre Gomes: "This starting five has conditions to make a good job, but it will be necessary for the team to have a good bench, in order to be competitive. Even though they lost Childress in this offseason, the truth is that GM Rick Sund made an excellent work and added to the roster some experienced players, who will also be very useful for this season. To replace Childress as the team’s 6th man, the Hawks got Mo Evans from the Magic, who is coming from his best season as a Magic, with 8.9 ppg and 48.1% FG. His physical presence and shooting ability from the perimeter makes him an interesting player. The guard Flip Murray has also joined the team from Indiana, where he was a starter at the end of last season. He is an experienced player and besides being useful to rest Johnson and Bibby, he will also be an extra offensive threat (averaged 9.4 ppg last season).

The team maintains almost the same structure from last season. Mike Woodson has all the conditions to continue the growing of the Hawks, who won just 13 games four seasons ago. The Hawks solved the Childress problem very well by hiring some veteran player, who add depth to the team, knowing that they need to improve this season if they want to reach the playoffs once again. Even though it will be hard, the Hawks have chances to reach that goal once again."

Deadspin: "Josh Childress flew the coup in order to hoop it up in Greece. They tend to be inconsistent on the offensive end because they rely so heavily on streaky jump shooting (Johnson, their leading scorer, was 43 percent from the field in 2007-08). Weak three-point shooting. At times, they don't seem to give their full effort, especially on the road, where they were 12-29 last season. They might be thinking a little too highly of themselves right now, due to their playoff performance against the Celtics (who clearly weren't at their best in the early rounds)."

Associated Wax: T. Grose and the Varsity, "Nothing Can Stop Us"

Associated Wax, B-Side: Queen, One Year of Love

Michael Bay's Twitter Season Projection:

michael_bay: If last year was "Bad Boys II" for the Hawks, this year is their "Lionel Richie Collection."
03:01 PM October 10, 2008 from web

Related: 08-09 NBA Preview