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Tuesday, October 31, 2000
Hawks: Well, at least they're young
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Team page/schedule | Stats: Preseason / 1999 | Roster
Last year: 28-54, seventh in Central, 14th in conference
Coach/GM: Lon Kruger/Pete Babcock
Arena, first game: Philips Arena (19,445); Nov. 4, 1999
All-time franchise record/NBA titles: 2,049-1,961/1
Notable: Hawks' last prior non-playoff season was 1991-92
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THE TOP EIGHT
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Pos
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Player
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Key Stat
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Skinny
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PG
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Jason Terry
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4.3 apg
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PG of the future, but might not be ready
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SG
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DerMarr Johnson
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--
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Rookie from Cincy will be asked to score
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SF
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Jimmy Jackson
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16.7 ppg
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If healthy, on this team, scores 20 easy
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PF
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Alan Henderson
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7.0 rpg
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Played 82 games, scored 13.2 ppg
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C
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Dikembe Mutombo
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3.2 bpg
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Best defensive C in game might be dealt
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6th
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Chris Crawford
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4.6 ppg
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This tells you how bad things are here
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7th
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Lorenzen Wright
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4.1 rpg
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Underachiever now showing glimpses
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8th
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Hanno Mottola
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--
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Might even start if Jackson's knees act up
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The Hawks just need better overall personnel. They have a good coach in Lon Kruger. But it's his first year out of college, and that's always an adjustment year for any coach. The Hawks are still trying recover from the losses of Steve Smith and Mookie Blaylock. Then they lost Isaiah Rider without getting anything in return. Now they have to decide what they will do with Dikembe Mutombo because he's a free agent at the end of the year. Other than Mutombo, who will miss the first few weeks of the season with malaria, the Hawks are lean on talent.
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By Jeffrey Denberg
Special to ESPN.com
The Good
J.R.'s gone. That's cause for a parade down Peachtree Street. Maybe it's the only one they'll have for a while but at least the franchise is back on track. Lon Kruger has come on to give the Hawks a fresh, aggressive style, a decision that is in keeping with the youth of this roster that shows only two players 30 or older. There is some nice, fresh talent here, starting with Jason Terry at the point and No. 6 pick DerMarr Johnson, who at 20 already is capable of some amazing feats. Dikembe Mutombo is not expected to have the slightest affects from malaria and he's also expected to be around all season to anchor the defense, another good move by the Hawks. Power forward Alan Henderson has bulked up and finally looks like a man for the position. The cast, including Terry and Johnson, includes five first and second-year players taken through the draft. The entire cast has bought into Kruger's policy of hard work and his aggressive style. It ought to pay off in more entertaining games. On top of that, the Hawks can look forward to a summer in which they will be a player in the free agent market.
The Bad
The Hawks' fan base has seriously eroded in recent years. The failure of an aging, veteran team led to the absurdity of the Rider year. This young makeover is a few years away from achieving anything. That sets a tone of skepticism and there will be a lot of nights when the Hawks are playing in a half-empty arena at home. On the court the difficulty will be in finding offense. The Hawks do not have a single pure shooter on their roster. Swing guard Jim Jackson is the Hawks' best scorer, but Jackson is turnover prone and the coaching staff has to find a way to get him catch-and-shoot opportunities. The problem is even he does not command a double team and the Hawks have no one else who can, unless DerMarr Johnson matures in a hurry.
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THE BIG QUESTION |
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Will the kids on this team progress enough to make it a decent season? There are five first-rounders, two from the second round over the last three years. This is GM Pete Babcock's handiwork and over this season and next summer he will find out whether or not he was able to rebuild an aging, creaky team that missed its chance at the brass ring.
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Whose team is this?
If Mutombo had a commanding personality, this could be his team. He comes off a season in which he was the leading rebounder in the league (14.1), the No. 2 shot-blocker and he is the senior man by four years over Jackson, seven over Henderson. But Mutombo is not a forceful figure in the locker room. He is much too easy going. One of the Hawks' big problems over the years has been absence of leadership in the locker room as well as in the coach's office. That's why Kruger is a refreshing change. He has set the tone and the agenda. There is no question that he's the boss.
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| Terry |
How they'll play
The Hawks will play fast because it's the only way they can survive. With Mutombo on the defensive board to start the break, the Hawks will have their best chance to attack. Kruger wants to eliminate the slow down in the low post, the interminable isolations that the Hawks ran under Lenny Wilkens. And his defense will swarm, trying for turnovers. Remember, this is a team that can't really shoot straight, so for these birds, it's the only way they can play. Among Johnson, Roshown McLeod and Jackson, somebody's got to be able to have a hot game every night if the Hawks are going to be successful.
Projection
The Hawks won 28 games last season, the worst in franchise history. With the East weaker and the locker room harmonious it would seem a cinch that they will move up. Maybe not. Unless there is some repressed shooting talent on this team it will be very difficult for them to make the leap to anywhere near .500. If Kruger can get this club into the high-30s he will have set down a baseline for future Hawks teams to build on and will have turned around a situation that some perceived as hopeless.
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