Mark Bradley wrote recently about "who's worse" between the Hawks and Thrashers, an article of which I disapproved.
In response, I have decided to undertake a semi-rational take on which team has the best shot at making the playoffs, rather than lambaste both organizations...
Current record and standings
Hawks: 21-28, 9th in Eastern Conference
Thrashers: 28-27-4 (60 points), 11th in East
Projected finishes
Hawks: 13-20, for a final record of 34-48
Thrashers: 25 points, for a total of 85
Moves that could be made
Hawks: None likely
Thrashers: Marian Hossa for "X" (hopefully a lot)
Even in the NBA's atrocious Eastern Conference, 14 games under .500 is probably not going to cut it. The Thrashers are in slightly better shape under my prediction, but still will be cutting it extremely close.
My final predictions: The Hawks have about a 30 percent chance of making the postseason, and the Thrashers I'd put at 45 percent.
If the Thrashers do deal Marian Hossa, and depending on what they get for him in return, those numbers can be swayed a bit.
Good luck to both teams. I'd love to see the Philips Arena double-booked for postseason appearances this spring.
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