After an extremely strong 7-1 start to the season, the Atlanta Hawks have gone a mediocre 4-7. That evens out to an 11-8 record at the current date, putting Atlanta smack in the middle of the East pack. Average a disappointing place to be, given that the Hawks were the first seed in the East this time last year.
What's given the Hawks difficulty?
The loss of DeMarre Carroll during the off-season has to be the biggest reason. Carroll was Atlanta's second best three point shooter, and Atlanta's fifth best scorer overall. Accordingly, when you compare this year's Hawks team to last year's Hawks team, this year's team is worse at shooting and defending the three.