The Atlanta Hawks typically haven't been on the forefront of using the NBA D-League, but that is soon about to change if the upcoming draft goes as General Manager Dave Pendergraft thinks it will.

"I think we will get a piece," he said. "I don't think we will necessarily get a rotational piece. We can get a player who after some seasoning can stay in the NBA for a while, that can make a career out of it. If we can keep our roster intact I don't see a lot of playing time. It will be a situation where we take advantage of our D-League affiliate."

The Hawks were at one point or another planning to sell their pick (24th overall) which still seems a more likely occurrence than the team actually using the Development League simply because they haven't really shown they're down with the sickness D-League.

In the past, Atlanta has assigned Othello Hunter and Thomas Gardner for what ended up being a grand total of four games played for the now defunct Anaheim Arsenal before the aforementioned players retook their spots at the end of the Hawks bench.

The Hawks haven't seemed to be very in tune with the Development League in terms of call ups, either, but my memory might be skewed based on the fact that they called Mario West up last season instead of a player that was more deserving and less familiar.

If you're wondering what the perspective of a Hawks' fan is (and possible targets), check this Kris Willis post out.