5 Glaring Questions the Atlanta Hawks Face Entering Next Season

If there is a season next year, then the Hawks have plenty of questions that need to be addressed, not just by new ownership and every member of the front office, but by players as well.

With new ownership comes definite changes, and what will be changed is up in the air as Alex Meruelo is not allowed to talk about his plans due to the NBA lockout.

Still, going into next season the Hawks are contenders. Contenders for a championship? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that they can't push the boundaries of their limits. This is a perennial playoff team that is a key piece or two away from contending for a championship. So any minor swing could move them up or down on the pendulum of contenders.

Here, Hawks fans can gauge an idea as to what questions need to be answered by the organization for the coming season. 

After the Season Is Over, Do the Hawks Extend GM Rick Sund's Contract?

Here is my answer to this question: no.

While that's just my opinion, here is what I think Alex Meruelo's opinion will be: no.

While Sund is not the worst GM in the world, he most definitely is not the GM of the future.

He's delusional enough to believe that the Hawks can win a championship with the roster they have now. While the roster is solid overall, it has glaring weaknesses, like the lack of a penetrator and the need for a center. Not to mention that the supposed leader of the team fails at implementing or even going along with the offense the head coach is trying to run, instead he resorts to isolation tactics and stall-ball.

Sure, the team is talented, but if he's not willing to make any major roster changes the Hawks will be stuck in no man's land; they'll be a tweener for years to come. It's coming to the point where the Hawks are going to have to gamble with this roster, and if he's not willing to do it, then he shouldn't be heading the operation.

In addition, he hardly had enough swaying power within the organization to convince the ASG not to try and make basketball related decisions. The purpose of an owner, unless he, she or they are a basketball genius, is to hire the right basketball people to make the right basketball decisions for the franchise. The ASG made decisions over Sund, and Sund worked with them on some of the more questionable calls for this team over the last 3 or 4 years: the re-signing of Marvin Williams and Mike Bibby for hefty prices, the gargantuan contract of Joe Johnson and the trading of Jordan Crawford. While him and the ASG did strike gold with the drafting of Al Horford, his cautiousness doesn't make him the man for the future.

You can bet the farm that Mr. Meruelo is already thinking of a new GM. Whether he fires Sund once his takeover is official, or whether he lets his last year on contract run out is not the real question. The real question here is, who's the next GM?

What to Do with Larry Drew?

This hiring falls on the ASG.

Drew was not necessarily a bad hiring but more of a cheap one. He was the easy way out for an ownership spending money in all the wrong places, and not spending them in all of the right ones.

Drew failed to implement the motion offense he promised, as he also failed with having complete control over the team. He could not get Josh Smith's head in the game, letting him roam the perimeter and jack up ill-advised 18 footers. He called plays in which Smith would be on the perimeter, only further tempting him to shoot. He didn't give Al Horford enough touches, as well.

The loss of Jordan Crawford can also be traced back to poor decision-making by Drew. Because Drew refused to play Jeff Teague throughout the regular season, there became a legitimate concern for the Hawks issues with point guard play. Mike Bibby was getting burned on every play, and his aging knees no longer gave him the legs needed to run an offense. Instead of just playing the explosive Jeff Teague and buying out Bibby or letting him ride the bench, he traded Bibby, Jordan Crawford and Mo Evans to the Washington Wizards for Kirk Hinrich and Hilton Armstrong.

Hinrich is most definitely a mastermind of perimeter defense. He does all the right things defensively, but as shown against the Bulls, the Hawks hardly missed a beat without him when Jeff Teague took over. Teague was much more of a playmaker and offensive contributor, while his defense was sufficient to say the least.

Because Drew never played Crawford either, he didn't know the Hawks had found a diamond in the rough with their 24th pick (technically he was 27th pick, but he was traded for the 24th pick, Damion James). When Crawford went to Washington he exploded by dropping 39 points in one game and going for a triple-double in another. With Jordan Crawford, the Hawks would be in an easier position to let Jamal Crawford walk, knowing that Jordan was an able replacement. To think about all this talent in Teague and Crawford left floundering on the bench, Drew just wasn't smart enough to realize it.

Still, as far as adjusting to teams defensively, Drew showed plenty of worth, being creative enough to single-cover Dwight Howard and let him do his damage, while shutting down all of the other players. It was a strategy that worked as the Hawks surprised the Magic in the first round of the playoffs.

He took the Hawks further than Mike Woodson ever did, but his failure to give the Hawks an identity, along with his bad personnel decisions, should be the deciding factor. After or before next season, the Hawks should look for a more experienced coach to take over. 

Do the Hawks Resign Jamal Crawford?

Jamal Crawford is an offensive firecracker. He's the master of the shake-and-bake move and nails 4-point plays like it's his job.

Even so, the Hawks have put themselves in a position where Crawford will most likely not be coming back to Atlanta, and that's not his decision either.

Crawford was hoping for a contract extension this season, but as the ASG continuously low-balled him with contract offers, he never agreed to the terms. He's earned a decent salary, but replicating his current contract would be the best thing to do, because he's not worth more than $10 million per year. Still, it appears the ASG didn't exactly offer that, as the terms were on the lower end of the spectrum.

Maybe Meruelo will be able to patch things up with Crawford, but, even then, is it still worth re-signing him?

He's a defensive liability and the Hawks aren't in a position to offer him an enormous amount of money. Financially, it might serve the Hawks better to target a more needed position, such as a center. Still, if Crawford does in fact leave, his presence off the bench will be missed.  

How Many More Minutes Should Jeff Teague Recieve?

Clearly, Jeff Teague will see more minutes this coming season. He's earned it.

The way he went off against the Chicago Bulls in the second round turned some heads. 

His play was so stellar he has some Hawks fans thinking he is the point guard of the future, the point guard the Hawks have been missing for sometime now. While he'll never be a Chris Paul (whom the Hawks could have had... Marvin Williams...), he seems more than ready to take over as the starter.

How many minutes should he shoulder, though? It's not like he's ready to see 45 minutes per game, but he's certainly earned more than 25 or 30. The tandem of him and Kirk Hinrich is a great one defensively, and while Hinrich will be old reliable, it's time to reduce his minutes and give Teague somewhere close to 38 minutes per game. Hinrich will, of course, be oft used, but it's time to let Teague run the show. 

Who Are They Going to Add to Contend?

While the photo to your left is no doubt an oldie (is 5 years ago considered old?), it's very possible those two players swap colors.

The Hawks need a shakeup. Whether that means trading Joe Johnson, Al Horford or Josh Smith, something needs to happen.

While most of the trade rumors have been swirling around Josh Smith, Joe Johnson is a piece the Hawks should seriously consider moving as well. It may be difficult to move such a behemoth contract, but it's possible (right, Gilbert Arenas?). The Hawks could get serious value in return and maybe some picks to accompany it.

Smith's name has surfaced with potential swaps that would give the Hawks one of Chris Kaman, Andre Iguodala, Monta Ellis or even Andrew Bynum. Smith just might be the Hawks most valuable trade asset, but no one knows if Meruelo is looking to move him like the ASG was. He may have other plans. It seemed as if the Hawks were making a full commitment to Horford at the power forward position, and if that's the case then that raises the question of how do you get him more touches?

But with Smith still here, the focus is on who is going to be traded, because it's becoming obvious that there will be minor changes within this franchise so the Hawks don't just fall off the map. Who's it going to be?

Just some questions to keep in mind while the lockout marches on.