The most recent issue of Sports Illustrated has a somewhat humorous blunder - unless you're an Atlanta Hawks fan.
The Oct. 20 issue has a graphic on how draft picks relate to a team's on-court performance. The graph plots each team based on how they have performed since 2009 relative to how many picks they've had, and where those picks were in the draft.
This was obviously just an oversight, but it's rather noticeable to Hawks fans wanting to see where their team ranks, or if one were to take the time to count the number of logos.
It brings up an interesting question though: Where would the Hawks be on this graph?
Atlanta had 11 draft picks between 2009 and 2013 (graph does not represent 2014 draft since the season hasn't been played yet), an average of roughly two per season. They only had five first-round picks, none higher than 17th overall, yet they made the playoffs each season. Below is a breakdown of the picks, and where the team finished that year:
2009 Draft Picks: 19, 492009-10 Finish: 3rd in East (Made Playoffs)
2010 Draft Picks: 24, 532010-11 Finish: 5th in East (Made Playoffs)
2011 Draft Picks: 482011-12 Finish: 5th in East (Made Playoffs)
2012 Draft Picks: 23, 432012-13 Finish: 6th in East (Made Playoffs)
2013 Draft Picks: 17, 18, 47, 502013-14 Finish: 8th in East (Made Playoffs)
SI doesn't specifically explain the criteria for where exactly they plotted the teams where they did, but it would appear to me that the Hawks would be somewhere in the yellow shaded section, as the team seems to be outperforming its pick placement. Of course, one could argue the validity of this graph to begin with, as rookies often need several years to develop and have a legitimate on-court impact. But it's fun to play.
Where would you plot the Hawks on this graph? Leave a comment below to let us know how you think the team has performed.
Story by Jaryd Wilson