With all the drama surrounding the NBA lockout, the sheer excitement and happiness of the new collective agreement, and the more recent disappointment surrounding the NBA’s decision to rescind the trade between the Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, and Houston Rockets which would have brought Chris Paul to Los Angeles (as well as Dwight Howard‘s upcoming decision), we’ve all forgotten about the Atlanta Hawks, a pretty good team that has been rebuilding, adding pieces here and there to make itself a contender.

Why should we be concerned about the Hawks, you ask? The answer is simple. A good-enough-to-make-the-playoffs core has added two tried and true veterans to its lineup. Those veterans are Tracy McGrady and Jerry Stackhouse. Now of course, the two of them have been plagued by injuries as of late, especially McGrady, whose time on the sidelines literally took him from being a marquee player to an expendable third or fourth option (on a good day) on the court.

However, these two guys might still have it, and if T-Mac and Stack can show flashes of their younger, healthier, flashier selves, then the people of Atlanta might have themselves a serious contender. Beyond that, they bring veteran leadership to an incredibly young team, and can help to bring the best out of the young whippersnappers that round out the ATL roster. Cinderella stories do happen in basketball (just ask the Memphis Grizzlies or the ’06-’07 Golden State Warriors), so it may not be wise to count out the basketball veterans just yet.

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