By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

As the NBA playoffs loom on the horizon there is one absolute we all know, and that is the Atlanta Hawks will not be in the NBA playoffs.

The Hawks are 20-45 currently and will be in the NBA draft lottery. If the Hawks tank down the stretch they could end up with the worst record in the NBA. That title is currently held by Memphis sitting at 18-46. Atlanta is currently tied with Orlando and Brooklyn with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.

Can we really expect great things from a Hawks franchise that traded Bill Russell to the Celtics in 1956 when the Hawks were based in St. Louis? Russell ended up leading the Celtics to 11 titles.

While these current Hawks aren’t very good here goes my all-time starting five for the Atlanta Hawks:

PG: Mookie Blaylock: While playing for Atlanta, Blaylock led the league in steals per game for two consecutive seasons in 1997 and 1998.

He made his first and only All-Star game in 1994. As a result of his quick hands, Blaylock was selected to two All-Defensive first teams and four All-Defensive second teams.

Mookie was a pretty good shooter from the outside as well with very good 3-point range. I almost picked Doc Rivers as my point guard, but I think Mookie was a better player overall.

SG: Pistol Pete Maravich: The Hawks drafted Pistol Pete with the third pick of the 1970 NBA draft out of LSU.

Pete played 4 years in Atlanta and made NBA all-star teams and averaged over 25 points a game twice in his time in Atlanta, and in grand Hawks style Atlanta traded Pistol Pete to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for two players and 4 draft picks.

During his ten-year career in the NBA, Maravich played in 658 games, averaging 24.2 points and 5.4 assists per contest. In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and his No. 7 jersey has been retired by both the Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as his No. 44 jersey by the Atlanta Hawks.

Pistol Pete died at age 40 in 1988 playing in a pick-up basketball game.

C: Dikembe Mutombo: The 7’2  260-pound center who began his career with the Georgetown Hoyas was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players of all time, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times; he was also an eight-time All-Star.

Mt. Mutombo played in Atlanta for five years then was traded to Philadelphia in grand Hawks fashion at the trading deadline in 2001.

PF: Paul Millsap: Millsap played in Atlanta from 2013 to 2017 and was a four time NBA all-star after spending his first seven seasons in Utah. He helped lead the Hawks to a 60-22 record during the 2014-15 season and lost to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.

I was torn between Millsap and Al Horford at power forward.

SF: Dominique Wilkins: The Human Highlight Film is the greatest player in Atlanta Hawks history. Wilkins was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the third pick of the NBA draft in 1982.

Utah, with cash flow issues at the time, traded Wilkins to the Hawks for John Drew and cash.

Wilkins was the best dunker in the NBA and the leader of some pretty good Hawks teams of the 1980’s.

A nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA slam dunk contests, Wilkins registered 26,668 points and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career.

He was also robbed of 2-3 slam dunk titles as well. His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks in 2001.

Can you believe the Atlanta Hawks traded their best player ever to the Clippers in 1994? This is still the only time in NBA history a team in first place in their conference traded its leading scorer after the All-Star break for Danny Manning.

In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Outside of Philips Arena now sits a statue of Dominique Wilkins. I have looked for the Danny Manning statue in the same location but it is nowhere to be found.

Please get back to the playoffs soon Hawks. We miss you.