According to a report by ESPN.com, the Hawks are also one of the teams interested in the Magic big man:

“Sources told ESPN.com that the aforementioned Hawks, meanwhile, engaged Orlando in trade talks for Howard earlier this month with an offer believed to be headlined by $124 million guard Joe Johnson and swingman Josh Smith. You have to figure that the Magic, though, would insist on Al Horford if such discussions ever got serious.”

However, it appears that Howard has little desire to play in his hometown, due in large part to the team’s disorganized ownership situation.

Atlanta started off the 2011-2012 season with a resounding victory over the Nets, with strong contributions from newcomers Vladimir Radmanovic, Tracy McGrady and Jannero Pargo off the bench. Radmanovic, the recently acquired forward, led the team with 17 points and five assists in just over 27 minutes. McGrady had 12 points, two rebounds and one block, while Pargo added six points and three assists and three rebounds.

The Hawks’ starters showed a lot of energy as well, and Jeff Teague had an encouraging performance with 13 points, three assists and three rebounds in 24 minutes.

The Nets were playing without Brook Lopez, out with a stress fracture in his foot, and never led once during the game.

Next Up: The Hawks will take on the Washington Wizards in their home opener at Philips Arena tonight at 7:30 p.m. EST.

Ahhh, it feels good to write about real games again. The Hawks open the regular season tonight against the New Jersey Nets at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Nets are coming off a 90-84 win against the Wizards yesterday.

A few things to look out for in tonight’s game:

• Which Jeff Teague will show up? - With Kirk Hinrich still out with a shoulder injury, the young point guard will have a chance to show that his standout performances against the Bulls during the playoffs last season weren’t complete flukes.
• Role of veteran newcomers - The Hawks’ offseason moves didn’t exactly jump out in the “breaking news” column and seemed to have a geriatric theme. The acquisition of veterans Tracy McGrady, Jerry Stackhouse, Vladimir Radmanovic, and Jannero Pargo add a lot of years and wisdom to the bench, but how will this translate in the win-loss column?
• Will Josh Smith get over his fear of the paint and stop taking perimeter jump shots? - After shedding 25 pounds in the off-season, let’s hope a leaner, meaner and more aggressive J-Smoove shows up.

The Atlanta Hawks wishing you a Happy Holiday:

Hawks beat reporter, Michael Cunningham’s post headline says it all: “Hawks look the same, want different results.” Despite a brief stint as a part of the Chris Paul fanfare, the Hawks’ “offseason” moves have been relatively tame thus far. Among the team’s “major” deals are the acquisitions of veterans Tracy McGrady and Vladimir Radmanovic. Even the earlier talks about moving Josh Smith have died down, and the Hawks are resolute to work with what they’ve got.

“We can’t blame it on what we need,” said Joe Johnson. “We can get it done with this group and what we’ve got. We just have to believe.”

And according to a prediction by CBS Sports, the Hawks will end up 2nd in the Southeast Division, one spot above where they were in last year’s standings. CBS has Atlanta beating out the Magic, in large part due to the uncertainty surrounding Dwight Howard’s status.

In today’s edition of “Minor Moves that Probably Won’t Matter”…

The Knicks acquired Tyson Chandler in a major deal and Chris Paul and Dwight Howard rumors continue to swarm. Meanwhile, the Hawks have signed Vladimir Radmanovic who averaged 5.1 points per game and just under 16 minutes per game with the Warriors last year. Radmanovic is a ten-year veteran and is known for being a strong 3-point shooter. Great. So we can continue to be a jump-shooting team that’s scared of the paint. He was drafted 12th in the first round by Seattle in 2001.

The Hawks also lost guard/forward Damien Wilkins who signed with the Detroit Pistons. Wilkins 3.5 points in 52 games with Atlanta last year and is the nephew of former Hawks star, Dominique Wilkins.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against T-Mac, the Hawks’ most recent acquisition.

Nor do I have anything against Al Horford, who was often used as a power forward/center last season. In fact, I think Horford would be much better utilized if he could play just pure forward.

Other options on the current training camp roster include: Zaza Pachulia, Jason Collins, and draft pick Keith Benson. Pachulia’s not a bad option at the position, and he certainly knows how to stay aggressive in the paint. But I still don’t think he has the kind of dominating presence the Hawks need inside. Both Collins and Benson have potential but very limited playing time and experience.

Here’s what Horford had to say on the issue:

“I am still going to keep playing both,” he said. “I think that Josh and myself we can bring a lot of problems to people. At times I am going to have to play the four and I think Josh is OK with playing the three. That way we stay very athletic and we can do different things.

“And I think that’s why we need big bodies here, a couple of solid bigs to come out here and help us out. I know there are quite a few of those out there in free agency and we should try to pursue them.”

Exactly.

According to an ESPN report this evening, the Hawks have agreed to a one-year deal with shooting guard Tracy McGrady. McGrady played for the Pistons last season but spent the majority of his 15-year career with the Rockets in Houston. McGrady is a seven-time All-Star but has been hampered by injuries in recent years.

If confirmed, the addition of Grady would bring a seasoned veteran to a relatively young Hawks team.

Get ready, Hawks fans. Basketball is just about back. The Hawks have announced a two-game preseason series against Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats. The games will take place Monday, December 19 and Thursday, December 22. The first game will be at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte at 7 p.m. Then, the two teams will travel to Atlanta to play the final game at Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for the Atlanta game will go on sale one week from today.

The last time the two teams met was for the final game of the regular season last year. The Hawks lost 96-85 in Charlotte.

The Hawks will also hold an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday, December 16 at Philips Arena that will be free and open to the public.

With the NBA free agency market opening up in just over a week, trade rumors and speculations on who’s staying and who’s going are rampant. Aerys’s Luck of the Irish took a look at CP3′s prospects of going to the Celtics. Here’s what other hopeful Hawks writers are saying about Paul coming to Atlanta:

“[ESPN analyst Chris Sheridan] stops short of putting the Atlanta Hawks on that list but does say that Paul is fond of the city of Atlanta and the Hawks could offer New Orleans an enticing package: ‘The Atlanta Hawks are another team that could offer New Orleans an enticing package of, say, Marvin Williams and Jeff Teague. It’s not known whether Paul would consider signing an extension with the Hawks but he is known to be fond of the city of Atlanta.’”

“I am not sure if a package of Jeff Teague and Marvin Williams would satisfy the Hornets enough to get them to pull the trigger as the Hawks would likely have to offer more. No doubt New Orleans would likely ask for either Josh Smith or Al Horford depending on whether or not they are able to bring back David West. However, if Jeff Teague continues to impress the way he did in the Chicago series, then it might not be a far fetched as it seems at first glance.”

The addition of the Hornets’ star would bring a top caliber point guard to the Hawks after the team passed both Paul and Deron Williams up in the 2005 draft for Marvin Williams.