Atlanta Hawks Find a Great Gator in Al Horford

The Atlanta Hawks have one of the brightest futures in the NBA, and that future is centered around Al Horford.

On the night of the 2007 draft, no one in Atlanta was sure who the Hawks would pick. The Hawks had spoken with many players, including Mike Conley Jr., Al Horford, and Al's old teammate, Joakim Noah.

When Horford was finally selected, there were mixed reactions. Most cheered because they knew Al could play; however, those who thought the Hawks needed a point guard were not too pleased. That all changed when Atlanta drafted Acie Law, a point guard out of Texas A&M, with the 11th pick.

When big Al stepped onto the court, the fans weren't disappointed.

Al didn't blow people away with his scoring. He did impress with his rebounding and was a pretty good defensive presence, although he was not the greatest passer or shooter. While his stats were not great, there was something about him that was.

As the season progressed, Hawks fans, players, and coaches quickly figured out what it was. Passion!

Al Horford brought a passion and a winning attitude that hadn't been present in Atlanta in almost a decade, and people began to catch the fever.

That same passion in Atlanta grew with the trade for veteran point guard Mike Bibby, and the Hawks began to smell the playoffs. They fought hard the last month of the season, and made it to the postseason for the first time in nine years!

Al Horford continued to impress in the playoffs when in his first game in Boston, he had a double-double!

The intense, eighth-seeded Hawks, behind Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, and Al Horford defended their home court against the top-seeded Celtics, and took the series to seven games.

Joe Johnson said he hadn't seen Philips Arena that full and crazy since he's been in the NBA.

Al finished the season averaging 10.1 points per game, a far cry from Rookie of the year Kevin Durant, who averaged 20.3 ppg.

However, Al had Durant beat in many categories, including 9.7 rebounds per game to lead all rookies. But the real reasons many (including Charles Barkley) believed Al deserved rookie of the year, were the intangibles that he always brings to the table. He has a winning attitude, and hey, Al's team made the playoffs!

Atlanta had the youngest of any playoff team this year, and with superstars in the making, the A-town certainly has a bright future.