From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Atlanta Hawks |
|
|
| Conference |
Eastern
Conference |
| Division |
Southeast Division |
| Founded |
1946 |
| History |
Tri-Cities Blackhawks
(1946-1951)
Milwaukee Hawks
(1951-1955)
St. Louis Hawks
(1955-1968)
Atlanta Hawks
(1968-present) |
| Arena |
Philips
Arena |
| City |
Atlanta,
Georgia |
| Team Colors |
Red, Black and Gold |
| Head Coach |
Mike
Woodson |
| Owner |
Atlanta
Spirit, LLC/Nintendo
of America |
| Championships |
1 (1958) |
| Conference Titles |
4 (1957,
1958,
1960,
1961) |
| Division Titles |
14 (1956,
1957,
1958,
1959,
1960,
1961,
1963,
1964,
1966,
1967,
1970,
1980,
1987,
1994) |
The Atlanta Hawks are a National
Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Franchise history
The franchise was formed in 1946 as the Tri-Cities
Blackhawks of the National
Basketball League; it was based in the tri-city
area between Moline,
Illinois, Rock
Island, Illinois, and Davenport,
Iowa. When the NBL merged with the Basketball
Association of America to form the NBA,
the Blackhawks reached the playoffs
in the NBA's inaugural year, under the leadership
of coach Red
Auerbach. However, the following season, after
the team drafted Bob
Cousy and made the blunder of trading his rights
to the Chicago
Stags (who would later surrender him in a dispersal
draft to the Celtics
after they folded), they failed to qualify for the
postseason. In 1951, the franchise relocated to
Milwaukee
and became the Hawks.
In 1953, the Hawks drafted Bob
Pettit, a future NBA MVP. Despite this, the
Hawks were one of the league's worst teams, and
in 1955 the Hawks moved yet again, this time to
St.
Louis, Missouri.
With acquisitions in the draft and free agency,
the Hawks became of the league's top teams. In 1957,
the team advanced to the NBA
Finals, losing to the Boston
Celtics in a double-overtime thriller in game
seven. In 1958, the Hawks again advanced to the
NBA
Finals under coach Alex
Hannum and captured their only NBA Championship
in game 6 against the Celtics.
The Hawks remained one the NBA's premier teams
for the next decade. In 1960, under coach Ed
Macauley, the team advanced to the Finals yet
again, but lost- again- to the Celtics in yet another
game seven thriller. The following year, with the
acquisition of rookie Lenny
Wilkens, the Hawks repeated their success, but
met the Celtics in the Finals again and lost in
five games.
The next few years the Hawks remained contenders,
every year advancing deep into the playoffs and
also capturing several division titles. In 1968,
however, with new owners Thomas
Cousins and Carl
Sanders, the team moved to Atlanta,
Georgia. The following years after the move
showcased a talented Hawks team, including Pete
Maravich, which won a division championship
and advanced to the Finals yet again. However, after
this period of success, the Hawks experienced a
few years of rebuilding; the Hawks had all losing
records in those years and never advanced past the
first round of the playoffs.
In 1977
Atlanta
Braves owner Ted
Turner bought the team and hired Hubie
Brown to become head coach. In 1979 the Hawks
team finished with 50 wins and won the Central Division.
In 1982 the franchise acquired superstar Dominique
Wilkins, and in the next four seasons the team
had more than 50 victories each season. However,
the team could not advance past the semifinals of
the playoffs. In 1993, Lenny Wilkens was hired as
coach. In the 1993- 1994 season coach Wilkens led
the team to 57 victories, a team record, and in
1995 Wilkens broke the record (previously held by
former Hawk coach Red
Auerbach) for most victories by an NBA head
coach with victory number 939.
However, in recent years the Hawks team has struggled,
yet again becoming one of the league's worst teams.
In March 2004
the team was sold to a group of executives by the
name of Atlanta Spirit LLC [1]
by Time
Warner (who inheirited the Hawks and Braves
upon its merger with Turner
Broadcasting in 1996), along with the Atlanta
Thrashers pro ice
hockey team, with which the Hawks share the
Philips Arena. After the change in ownership, though,
the Hawks still struggled. In the 2004-2005 season
the Hawks gained the notorious reputation of the
league's worst team with a mere 13 victories (five
less than even the expansion Charlotte
Bobcats and the struggling New
Orleans Hornets). Despite their league worst-record,
though, the Hawks only landed the number two pick
in the 2005
NBA Draft (the first pick went to the Milwaukee
Bucks). With the 2nd pick in the 2005 NBA Draft,
the Atlanta Hawks selected Marvin Williams of the
University
of North Carolina. Marvin
Williams is considered to be the player with
the most potential and marketablity of the draft
class. Additionally, the Hawks have Josh
Childress, Josh
Smith, Salim
Stoudamire, and nearly $25 million in cap space
for 2005 free agent market. In the summer of 2005,
the Hawks completed a sign-trade deal with the Phoenix
Suns that landed Atlanta Joe
Johnson in return for Boris
Diaw and 2 future 1st round picks. They also
signed Zaza
Pachulia from the Milwaukee
Bucks. These changes occurred after an ugly
power struggle between the owners for nearly 3 weeks
before the moves were made. [2]
Recently, the Hawks have shown some improvement.
Even with a league-worst record, they still managed
to triumph over the defending champion the San
Antonio Spurs, 94-84.
Players of note
Hagan, Pettit, Ed
Macauley, Lenny
Wilkens and Bob
Ferry, all of whom played for the Hawks in St.
Louis, have been inducted into the Missouri Sports
Hall of Fame.
Retired Numbers
- 9 Bob
Pettit, F, 1954-65 (1954-55 Milwaukee, 1955-65
St. Louis)
- 17 Ted
Turner, team owner, 1977-2004 (17 for his
cable-TV empire, which began with Atlanta's Channel
17, WTBS)
- 21 Dominique
Wilkins, F, 1983-94
- 23 Lou
Hudson, F, 1966-77 (1966-68 St. Louis, 1968-77
Atlanta)
- 40 Jason
Collier, F/G 2003-05 (2000-2003 Houston Rockets)
Hudson and Wilkins have also been elected to the
Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Not to be forgotten:
Current roster:
Coaches and others
External links
