Atlanta Hawks
Webpages concerning "Atlanta Hawks"
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Wikipedia-Article "Atlanta Hawks"
| Atlanta Hawks | |
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| Founded | 1946 |
| Arena | Philips Arena |
| Team History | Tri-Cities Blackhawks (1946-1951) Milwaukee Hawks (1951-1955) St. Louis Hawks (1955-1968) Atlanta Hawks (1968-present) |
| Team Colors | Red, Black and Gold |
| NBA Championships (1) | (1958) |
| Conference Championships (4) | (1957, 1958, 1960, 1961) |
| Division Titles (14) | (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1980, 1987, 1994) |
| Head Coach | Mike Woodson |
| Mascots | Skyhawk, Harry the Hawk |
The Atlanta Hawks are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Contents |
Franchise history
The franchise was formed in 1946 as the Tri-Cities Blackhawks of the National Basketball League; it was based in the tri-city area between Moline, Illinois, Rock Island, Illinois, and Davenport, Iowa. When the NBL merged with the Basketball Association of America to form the NBA, the Blackhawks reached the playoffs in the NBA's inaugural year, under the leadership of coach Red Auerbach. However, the following season, after the team drafted Bob Cousy and made the blunder of trading his rights to the Chicago Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal draft to the Celtics after they folded), they failed to qualify for the postseason. In 1951, the franchise relocated to Milwaukee and became the Hawks. In 1953, the Hawks drafted Bob Pettit, a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and in 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to St. Louis, Missouri.
With acquisitions in the draft and free agency, the Hawks became of the league's top teams. In 1957, the team advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to the Boston Celtics in a double-overtime thriller in game seven. In 1958, the Hawks again advanced to the NBA Finals under coach Alex Hannum and captured their only NBA Championship in game 6 against the Celtics.
The Hawks remained one the NBA's premier teams for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed Macauley, the team advanced to the Finals yet again, but lost- again- to the Celtics in yet another game seven thriller. The following year, with the acquisition of rookie Lenny Wilkens, the Hawks repeated their success, but met the Celtics in the Finals again and lost in five games.
The next few years the Hawks remained contenders, every year advancing deep into the playoffs and also capturing several division titles. In 1968, however, with new owners Thomas Cousins and Carl Sanders, the team moved to Atlanta, Georgia. The following years after the move showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete Maravich, which won a division championship and advanced to the Finals yet again. However, after this period of success, the Hawks experienced a few years of rebuilding; the Hawks had all losing records in those years and never advanced past the first round of the playoffs.
In 1977 Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner bought the team and hired Hubie Brown to become head coach. In 1979 the Hawks team finished with 50 wins and won the Central Division. In 1982 the franchise acquired superstar Dominique Wilkins, and in the next four seasons the team had more than 50 victories each season. However, the team could not advance past the semifinals of the playoffs. In 1993, Lenny Wilkens was hired as coach. In the 1993- 1994 season coach Wilkens led the team to 57 victories, a team record, and in 1995 Wilkens broke the record (previously held by former Hawk coach Red Auerbach) for most victories by an NBA head coach with victory number 939.
However, in recent years the Hawks team has struggled, yet again becoming one of the league's worst teams. In March 2004 the team was sold to a group of executives by the name of Atlanta Spirit LLC [1] by Time Warner (who inheirited the Hawks and Braves upon its merger with Turner Broadcasting in 1996), along with the Atlanta Thrashers pro ice hockey team, with which the Hawks share the Philips Arena. After the change in ownership, though, the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004-2005 season the Hawks gained the notorious reputation of the league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five less than even the expansion Charlotte Bobcats). Despite their league worst-record, though, the Hawks only landed the number two pick in the 2005 NBA Draft (the first pick went to the Milwaukee Bucks). With the 2nd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the Atlanta Hawks selected Marvin Williams of the University of North Carolina. Marvin Williams is considered to be the player with the most potential and marketablity of the draft class. Additionally, the Hawks have Josh Childress, Josh Smith, Salim Stoudamire, and nearly $25 million in cap space for 2005 free agent market. In the summer of 2005, the Hawks completed a sign-trade deal with the Phoenix Suns that landed Atlanta Joe Johnson in return for Boris Diaw and 2 future 1st round picks. They also signed Zaza Pachulia from the Milwaukee Bucks. These changes occurred after an ugly power struggle between the owners for nearly 3 weeks before the moves were made. [2]
Recently, the Hawks have shown some improvement. Even with a league-worst record, they still managed to triumph over the defending champion the San Antonio Spurs, 94-84.
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Famers:
- Walt Bellamy
- Cliff Hagan (St. Louis)
- Pete Maravich
- Bob Pettit (St. Louis)
Hagan, Pettit, Ed Macauley, Lenny Wilkens and Bob Ferry, all of whom played for the Hawks in St. Louis, have been inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Retired Numbers
- 9 Bob Pettit, F, 1954-65 (1954-55 Milwaukee, 1955-65 St. Louis)
- 17 Ted Turner, team owner, 1977-2004 (17 for his cable-TV empire, which began with Atlanta's Channel 17, WTBS)
- 21 Dominique Wilkins, F, 1983-94
- 23 Lou Hudson, F, 1966-77 (1966-68 St. Louis, 1968-77 Atlanta)
- 40 Jason Collier, F/G 2003-05 (2000-2003 Houston Rockets)
Hudson and Wilkins have also been elected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Not to be forgotten:
- Stacey Augmon
- Zelmo Beaty
- Mookie Blaylock
- Hubie Brown (coach)
- John Drew
- Jon Koncak
- Christian Laettner
- Doc Rivers
Current roster:
 Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Mike Woodson | Edit | |||
| C | 11 |  |
Esteban Batista | (Uruguay) |
| G/F | 1 |  |
Josh Childress | (Stanford) |
| G | 00 | |
Tony Delk (FA) | (Kentucky) |
| C | 54 | |
John Edwards | (Kent State) |
| F | 3 | |
Al Harrington | (St. Patrick's HS, New Jersey) |
| G | 36 | |
Royal Ivey | (Texas) |
| PG/SG | 2 |  |
Joe Johnson | (Arkansas) |
| G | 10 | |
Tyronn Lue | (Nebraska) |
| PF/C | 27 |  |
Zaza Pachulia | (Georgia) |
| G | 15 | |
Donta Smith | (Southeastern Illinois) |
| G/F | 5 | |
Josh Smith | (Oak Hill Academy, Mouth Of Wilson, Virginia) |
| G | 20 | |
Salim Stoudamire | (Arizona) |
| C | 25 | |
John Thomas | (Minnesota) |
| F | 24 | |
Marvin Williams | (North Carolina) |
| (FA) - Free Agent | Atlanta Hawks | |||
Coaches and others
Basketball Hall of Famers:
External links
- Atlanta Hawks official web site
- Atlanta Hawks InsideHoops.com coverage
- Official Atlanta Hawks Summer Pro League web site
- AmIAnnoying.com - Atlanta Hawks
| National Basketball Association (2005–06) |
| Eastern Conference |
|---|
| Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics | New Jersey Nets | New York Knicks | Philadelphia 76ers | Toronto Raptors |
| Central Division: Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | Indiana Pacers | Milwaukee Bucks |
| Southeast Division: Atlanta Hawks | Charlotte Bobcats | Miami Heat | Orlando Magic | Washington Wizards |
| Western Conference |
| Northwest Division: Denver Nuggets | Minnesota Timberwolves | Portland Trail Blazers | Seattle SuperSonics | Utah Jazz |
| Pacific Division: Golden State Warriors | Los Angeles Clippers | Los Angeles Lakers | Phoenix Suns | Sacramento Kings |
| Southwest Division: Dallas Mavericks | Houston Rockets | Memphis Grizzlies | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | San Antonio Spurs |
| Other Articles: NBA Finals | NBA All-Star Game | NBA Draft | Current Team Rosters | |