When Al Horford was lost perhaps for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, it was supposed to have a deflating effect on the Hawks. Not the other teams.
And yet, here are the Hawks, patching that flat faster than an Indy 500 car crew, defying all logic by surviving and even thriving without their All-Star center and team leader.
Even with a healthy Horford, the Hawks were talented yet tepid, prone to bouts of self-destruction and mental lapses, and definitely outside the loop of the elite in the East. And now, at least record-wise, they belong. Imagine.
Johnson started playing up to his salary (well, close enough, anyway) by raising his game across the board. Josh Smith, who always seemed more comfortable whenever Horford was off the floor, amped his level, too, and hopes it gets him to the All-Star Game. Jeff Teague is flourishing. Then Thursday night, the Grizzlies came to Atlanta without Zach Randolph and out-Hawked the Hawks, keeping themselves in contention in the West until Z-Bo returns from a bum knee. "All the teams who are missing those important players are good teams and deep teams, so they can deal with it better than most," said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.
But none of those teams has a bigger margin for error than the Hawks. Horford is likely gone for the remainder of the regular season. Atlanta isn't blessed with a franchise center (like Tim Duncan) or game-changing All-Star (LeBron, Wade) who can compensate for a missing starter. The Hawks without Horford are obviously vulnerable inside -- and the Grizzlies exploited that weakness by attacking the rim relentlessly -- so normally, this would certainly spell doom. But the defense has tightened up and Johnson raised up, averaging nearly three points more per game since Horford's injury.
Despite the rosy record and optimism, the Hawks need to be cautious, for a few reasons. The only team with a winning record they've beaten without Horford is Portland. The Hawks lost big to the Spurs and Sixers. The Hawks are reaching deep into their bench and giving major minutes to players like Ivan Johnson; how much longer can he be productive?
As nicely as general manager Rick Sund found quality pieces at bargain prices (Tracy McGrady, Ivan Johnson, Vladimir Radmanovich), he'd be wise to stay in the hunt for Kenyon Martin and explore a trade for Chris Kaman if he can be added without pushing the Hawks much closer to the luxury tax threshold, where they don't belong.
