Atlanta Hawks Historic Roster

The Atlanta Hawks have been around the longest among their fellow atlantic division foes. The Hawks began playing basketball in 1946 as the Buffalo (NY) Bisons, then in 1953, the Hawks relocated to the Milwaukee, Wis. they then moved again to St. Louis, Mo. in 1955 before finally landing in Atlanta, Ga in 1968. The Hawks have had a history of great players.
    The best center in Hawks franchise history was Walt Bellamy. Many fans would point out Dikembe Mutombo, don't worry Mutombo will be included on the Denver Nuggets list of stars. By the time, Mutombo came to the Hawks, he was just a defensive enforcer. When you think of Ballamy think Dwight Howard, in terms of stats, Ballamy averaged around 20 points per game and 14 rebounds per game, unfortunately the NBA did the record blocks until the end of his career. Howard averages 18 points and 14 rebounds per game, respectively. Ballamy is still the Hawks franchise leader in total rebounds and is No. 9 in NBA history for rebounds.
    The best player and power-forward in franchise history was Bob Petit. Petit is considered to have changed power-forward position and was elected to the All-Star team ever single season he played. Generally considered to be the No. 3 big men in the league behind Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Petit averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds per game during his 11 year career. Petit led the Hawks to their only NBA title in 1958.

    The best small-forward in Hawks history was Dominique Wilkins. While Petit was the best player in franchise history, Wilkins was the most popular player in franchise history. Wilkins is most well-known for defeating Michael Jordan in the 1985 slam dunk contest. Wilkins was an electrifying player who could get to the rim with ease and was always among the league leaders in points scored per game, winning the scoring title in 1986. The only thing that held Wilkins back from being the franchise's best player was the fact he was unable to win an NBA title, while Petit was able to overcome the franchise's hurdle. Unfortunately, Wilkins' brilliance was overshadowed by the Jordan era.
    The best shooting-guard in Hawks history was Pete "Pistol" Maravich. Maravich took the league by storm when he entered the NBA in 1970, he introduced moves like the "behind-the-back" pass and "between-the-legs" dribble. Pistol Pete was the 1970s version of Steve Nash, making passes that that were unbelievable and combined the great ball handling with an outstanding jump shot. Marivich averaged 25 points per game and just over 5 assists per game, at a time when assists were hard to come by. Maravich was unable to win a title in Atlanta, but was able to secure the elusive title when he was signed by the Boston Celtics.
   The best point-guard in Hawks history was Lenny Wilkins. Wilkins is the only person NBA history to be inducted into the NBA hall of fame as a player and as a coach, both of which he accomplished as a member of the Hawks. Wilkins averaged 17 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds per game, the most impressive being the rebounding numbers for a 6-1 point-guard. He also finished second in MVP balloting to Chamberlain for the 1968 season.