The Atlanta Hawks are bringing Mike Bibby back to run the point, at the cost of $6 million a year. That’s a great value for Bibby, who remains a solid leader for a young team lacking direction and definitive leadership. Even better, Bibby’s contract will bring the Hawks to $48 million against the cap, meaning they still have plenty of room to bolster their bench.

The starting line, however, is pretty much set. Al Horford and Josh Smith will do the dirty work underneath the basket, while Joe Johnson, Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby will handle backcourt duties. On paper, that’s a formidable five-man starter set. However, if you’re an NBA fanatic like me, we all know where the holes are.

The biggest one is with Josh Smith, the “on the verge” superstar who has never take then leap. As the team’s second highest-paid player (Smith will make an average of over $12 million per year for the next four years), Smith doesn’t play like one. On nights he will be a dominating force, but we’re talking about a hyper-athlete that only breached the 30-point ceiling once last year when he scored 33 against Philadelphia on the last night of the regular season.

It will be Bibby’s job to push Smith through the roof, but that’s a tall order, even for Bibby. So the signing of Jamal Crawford is a huge boost to a young team that desperately needed to spread out the scoring responsibilities last year. Joe Johnson, who is the leading scorer and highest earner for the Hawks (21.4 points at just under $15 million), couldn’t rely on Smith in the playoffs, but at least now he’ll have someone to spread the ball to.

Crawford is an excellent compliment to Bibby. He’s a pure scorer who averaged 19.7 points last year in 11 games for New York, closing out the remainder of the season with Golden State. Though he can’t run the point, nor can he play exceptional defense, Crawford can be the scoring boost that Atlanta desired in the backcourt.

The Hawks stand at an honest +5000 to win the NBA Title last year. Their hopes, as always, rest on the shoulders of Al Horford. Though he averages 10-10 a season, Horford’s defense presence and beastly athleticism make him a force to be reckoned with. Horford bowed out of the playoffs with an ankle injury last year, and you could just tell how empty the Hawks looked without him.

As a team, the Hawks now have the final piece of their starting five, and the underdog betting backers in the NBA gambling community have lots to be excited about. The Hawks love blowing up the spread, especially at home, and with Crawford and Bibby gunning the backcourt, you can be certain that Atlanta is ready to flex their playoff muscle against the big dogs in Orlando, Cleveland and Boston. Will they win a title this season? Probably not. But if anybody faces them in the playoffs, they’ll be sweating for sure.


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