NBA power rankings 2012: Atlanta Hawks No. 10

The Atlanta Hawks are No. 10 in the initial NBA power rankings from Seth Rosenthal of SB Nation. With the regular season not yet underway, the rankings are based on last season's records as well as offseason transactions. Here is what Rosenthal has to say about the Hawks:

Josh Smith is playing for a contract, Al Horford's chest has been reassembled, and they compensated for the loss of Joe Johnson by adding Devin Harris and ALL of the shooters.

The Hawks finished last season 40-26 and earned the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs, though they were eliminated in the first round by the Boston Celtics. There are only three Eastern Conference teams ahead of Atlanta in the power rankings, so Rosenthal feels the Hawks can improve on last season's results.

Smith and Johnson led the team in scoring a year ago with 18.8 points per game, while Horford and Jeff Teague also scored in double figures. In addition to Harris, the Hawks also added shooting guard Kyle Korver from the Chicago Bulls.

Atlanta begins its 2012-13 season against the Houston Rockets on Friday.