For some reason, Al Horford just doesn't get the respect he deserves. His former teammate at Florida explains why succinctly.

"Because he plays in Atlanta," Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah told me earlier this season.

People seem to forget that the Atlanta Hawks -- with a healthy Horford -- resided in third place in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 26, 2013, the day Big Al suffered a season-ending pectoral injury against the Cavaliers. Then it all fell apart.

The Hawks were 16-13 with Horford, 24-31 without their unassuming big man.

A year later, Atlanta is tied for second place in the Eastern Conference with a 19-7 record -- just one game behind Toronto in the loss column. And Horford is back to help lead the charge.

"He's one of the elite, maybe the best, two-way big men in the league," one general manager said of Horford. "Without him, the Hawks are a fringe playoff team. With him, they can finish third in the league."

"Shoot, they may even be able to win the East the way they are playing," added another GM.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the preseason Eastern Conference favorites after picking up LeBron James and Kevin Love to go along with Kyrie Irving. Noah's Bulls were a close second thanks to a healthy Derrick Rose and the addition of Pau Gasol and rookies Doug McDermott and Nikola Mirotic.

The Hawks are in front of both.

"We're a completely different team with him," admitted Hawks guard Shelvin Mack.

Horford is a two-time All-Star in his prime at 28 years old. He was averaging 18.6 points and 8.4 rebounds at the time of his injury, and his numbers have dropped off a bit this season (14.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG) -- but his impact on this team goes well beyond numbers.

"He's a diligent worker, sacrifices for others and is a terrific leader," Hawks second-year coach Mike Budenholzer said of Horford. "He's just so unselfish."

He's also someone who has the reputation around the league -- and it began in his college days -- for rarely taking a possession off. Remember, this is a guy who was critical to two national title teams at Florida. He and Noah both sacrificed for the betterment of the team, and Horford took a backseat for much of his tenure. This is a guy who was fine with finishing fourth on the team in scoring during the team's 2006 run.

"He's all about winning," said former Florida assistant Donnie Jones, now the head coach at UCF. "That's what makes him so special. He's rare these days."

"His presence just gives everyone else confidence," added Mack. "He doesn't care about his own numbers. He just wants to win."

If there's a star Hawk, it's Horford. Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

The Hawks have some nice players, but you don't win without stars in the NBA, and Horford is the star of this team both on the court and off. Sure, Jeff Teague has made tremendous strides over the past couple of years and leads the team in scoring. The addition of Paul Millsap a year ago was huge. Kyle Korver is as effective a pure shooter as there is in the league, and guys like DeMarre Carroll and Mike Scott are both playing well again this season. And second-year man Dennis Schroder has upped his game.

But the only way this team is going to remain near the top of the league is if Horford stays on the court.

"When he's healthy, he's one of the top 25 players in this league," another high-ranking NBA executive said. "He plays both ends of the court, and that's what separates him from some of the other big men. Sure, Dwight Howard is better defensively -- but he can't really score. Kevin Love is a better offensive player, but he doesn't guard. Horford does it all."

One NBA executive put the difference between Horford in or out of the lineup over an 82-game schedule at about 10 victories. Another said that figure might even be a bit conservative. That makes sense since last season the Hawks were three games over the .500 mark with him and seven games under without him. During one stretch from Feb. 4 to March 8, Atlanta dropped 14 of 15 games. This season, Horford's started all 27 games and look where they are now.

"No one is scared of playing them without Horford," one NBA GM said. "They could be a lottery team without him. I know that Millsap put up better numbers last year, but Horford is the better player when he's 100 percent -- and it's not even close."

Horford still is getting back to full strength. His minutes are just below 30 per contest, and he's not quite as aggressive on the offensive end. Remember, this is a team that was learning a year ago -- a new system under a new coach.

"We were all thinking too much," he said. "This year we don't have to worry about that. We can just go out there and play."

"Can they win the East?" asked one NBA executive. "Probably not, but they can be a factor in the league and get to the Eastern Conference semifinals. They have a nice young point guard, a shooter and one of the top front-line tandems in the league. But the key to their entire team is Horford."