Hawks fans finally breathe, Josh Smith has been re-signed, Can the Hawks be better than last season?

Finally, the conflict has been resolved. the rooster has crowed, the fat lady has sung, and our hero is Rick Sund. I believe he deserves all of the credit for organizing this deal, for making the arrangements for the Grizzlies to sign him an offer sheet of 5 years $58 million, and the Hawks to match that immediately. This was truely a bargain, while all of Josh Smith's draft classmates all got 6 year deals, at 60-72 million, he is getting more than the $9 million has was initially offered, and less than the $11-$12 million he was demanding.

Now that our core is set, our big three is in tact - Josh Smith, Al Horford, and Joe Johnson, we the Hawks and the fans can start concentrating on filling some holes, signing remaining free agents. Here are a few potential free agents we could/should sign:

Shaun Livingston

Fred Jones

Juan Dixon

Dikembe Mutumbo (lol)

Josh Smith is the heart and soul of this young hawks team, it was never a question of SHOULD the Hawks keep him, it was a question of how much we can afford and how much he deserves. He is what they call, "a freakish athlete who can score" but so much more than that.

There's a good, short interview with Mr. Marvin Williams from Sekou Smith of AJC.com, apparently Marvin has put on some weight, and is getting stronger and faster. We hope so, so he can increase his trade value, maybe we can get Allen Iverson for Williams and Bibby, just an idea.

Well, the game schedule for next season is out, and with the increased talent in the eastern conference, i think the Hawks are starting to develop some rivalries that will be intriguing match-ups in the future. Here are some of the teams that i believe the Hawks have beef with that will make for some great games in the future:

Boston Celtics

Milwalkee Bucks

Miami Heat

Orlando Magic

Chicago Bulls

Charlotte Bobcats

Olympikos (lol j/k)


I see a 45+ win season in the works here, a first time all-star in Josh Smith, and another playoff match-up with the Boston Celtics, and one of the greatest, biggest upsets in the NBA again, but it won't be such an upset when it happens, it will just be a natural passing of power from one champion to the next in the near future. Josh Smith NBA Finals MVP.