NewsWhore
11-19-2009, 05:20 PM
For fans of the Atlanta Hawks this early season success has been three years in the making. After being perennial bottom feeders, the drafting of Al Horford was the signaling of a new generation of basketball in the Dirty South, but no one knew it would come this fast. The team had been trying to build a playoff quality team through the draft, and while Horford was a touted player, Atlanta's youth was seen as its biggest enemy. But Horford, Joe Johnson, Josh Smith and the rest of the Hawks have given the NBA and the city of Atlanta an early season holiday gift. The Hawks have now won 6 games in a row. They have jumped to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, pushing out the mighty Boston Celtics, and have the best record in the NBA, at 10-2. During this improbable run, Horford has been a key cog in the middle, capturing seven double-doubles on the season. He is averaging 13.8 points per game, with a monstrous 10 boards per game and 2 assists. He's shooting 57% from the field in 34 minutes of play and 2 blocks per game. Could Horford be the best player to come out of the Dominican Republic? It sure looks that way.
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More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#14)