huge news from insider-everything must go

[codyatl]

They say there are no guarantees in life. Hawks GM Pete Babcock is learning that lesson the hard way. At the start of the season, the Hawks were guaranteeing season ticket holders a playoff berth this season. Three months later, the dreaded, but all too familiar "r-word" has crept back into the Hawks vocabulary. The Hawks are talking rebuilding ... again.

It's rare to hear an NBA GM publicly take the blame for a train wreck. But if you're Babcock, at this point, you don't have much of a choice.

Almost every move Babcock has made the last few years has blown up in his face. Trading Steve Smith for Isaiah Rider. Signing Alan Henderson to a long-term deal. Swapping Dikembe Mutombo (and his expiring contract) for an injured Theo Ratliff. Drafting DerMarr Johnson ahead of Desmond Mason, Hidayet Turkoglu or even Jamal Crawford. Exchanging Lorenzen Wright and the draft rights to Pau Gasol for Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Swapping Toni Kukoc and the Hawks' 2003 first-round pick for Glenn Robinson. The list keeps going and going.

"We stuck with our plan, and I was wrong -- across the board," Babcock told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Those are harsh words. But these are harsh times in Atlanta right now. The fans have abandoned the team. The Hawks owners, AOL Time Warner, announced $100 billion in losses this week, the most ever by a U.S. corporation. The team's one bright spot, hosting the 2003 All-Star Game, suffered a huge setback when not one Hawks player was selected to participate in any of the events.

Team president Stan Katsen has vowed to "leave no stone unturned to get this thing fixed." Originally, the thinking was that the Hawks would do that by trying to add another veteran impact player to the roster, which on paper appears quite talented. But for some reason the Hawks are less than the sum of their parts. After weeks of being rebuffed in trade talks, Atlanta has changed its thinking. The quick fix is out. The wrecking ball is on its way. The Hawks may have to destroy this team to save it. Numerous GMs around the league now claim that everyone on the Hawks' roster is available. And they mean everyone.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Power Forward

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

45 20.2 8.1 2.9 .474 .821

Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff, Jason Terry, Nazr Mohammed, rookie Dan Dickau and even the newly acquired Robinson all have been attached to at least one trade rumor this week. The latest, according to the NBA GM Rumor Network, has the Hawks talking to the Spurs about Abdur-Rahim for Steve Smith and Danny Ferry. The Raptors and Sixers are offering to take Ratliff off the Hawks' hands. The Raptors are reportedly offering quasi-retired Hakeem Olajuwon and guard Lindsey Hunter. The Sixers are offering to swap Ratliff for Derrick Coleman. Terry's name is popping up all over the board. New York, L.A., New Jersey, Miami, Denver. In almost every instance, the Hawks are insisting that whoever takes Terry also take on the last two years and $16 million of Henderson's ungodly contract. There's talk that the Blazers, Kings and Lakers are all interested in Mohammed.

Theo Ratliff

Forward-Center

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

45 7.8 7.2 0.7 .491 .694

While many in the league are scratching their heads, trying to figure out which deal may happen, they may be missing the point. This behavior all seems to be pointing in a different direction altogether. Maybe all of these deals will happen. Every proposed deal has one thing in common: The Hawks get back players whose contracts are set to expire this summer. It makes no sense for them to do this with just one player. The Hawks' payroll is currently $55,994,703. Moving one player would get them out of luxury-tax land, but their hands would still be tied as far as the cap goes. If they could move Ratliff and Rahim, they could slip anywhere from $8 million to $10 million under the cap. If they could package Terry and Henderson together, they could clear another $9 million. Dump Mohammed, as well, and another $4.7 million comes off the books. If Babcock was "wrong across the board," why not pluck every feather you can out of the decaying Hawks?

Finances and cap flexibility aren't the only incentives for the Hawks to hold a fire sale. Babcock, who was convinced the Hawks would be a playoff team this year, traded away his 2003 first-round pick to the Bucks as part of the Robinson deal. The pick is top-three protected, but unless the Hawks start losing more games, it's probably gone.

Jason Terry

Guard

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

45 17.6 3.3 7.3 .410 .877

"We were willing to burn that pick, because the history of that stage of the draft is you get role players," Babcock said. "If we knew it was going to be [a high lottery pick], then we would've thought twice about it. I go back every day and rethink every single move I've made in this rebuilding process to see what went wrong and why we're not better than where we are."

Babcock told Sports Illustrated last week that "there's no one more aggressive than we are" on the trading market. However, he continues to tell local reporters he isn't shopping anyone. "We don't market our players," he told the Journal Constitution. "We have players we'd prefer to keep and build around, [but] we're talking to everybody about every conceivable possibility to straighten it out, because we don't want to ride the course the rest of the season." But everyone, including Babcock, sees through that.

The only real question left is whether Babcock will be around this summer to rebuild the Hawks once again.

"The thing that's really bothered me isn't people are calling for [my] job, but Stan Kasten's," Babcock said. "Calling for my job is fine. I'm the one that made the decisions. It's absolutely unfair for people to be calling for Stan's job. He hired me to do this. He's the boss. I feel badly because I put him in a bad spot. If he decides he needs to make a change, that's his decision. I would respect his decision, but my fondest wish would be to see this thing through to completion."

[TheDude]

the worst part is we don't even need to blow up the frickin team...just some pieces need to be added or rearranged..

[swolehawk2]

Hawks management consists of a bunch of [censored]' idiots. They don't need to give all our talent away for nothing....cap space will just mean we will go after the top free agents...won't get any to sign...then use our money to over pay for 2nd tier players .....then we will be in the same situation. We need to get a guard like Alvin Williams or Snow to play along JT and a coach with experience to coach them....we put talent together...then after for 40 games with two coaches who are suspect at best...we blow the team up because management went and promised the playoffs...[censored] idiots. I hope u all realize that if we had not promised the playoffs...it would be just another rebuilding year...and everyone would be saying that the Hawks have put together a nice core...and they will use this year to gell and develop chemistry ...look for the Hawks to be contenders in the near future. That would be what the media would be saying.. but that playoff promise BS has us giving talent away for nothing!

How many of you think if we trade for cap space...we will be able to land a top free agent?

[SWISH9061]

I for one say let's blow this thing up and start over. People talk about chemistry but I really think the talent level on this team is overrated. Adding a Snow or Williams would be great but that doesn't get us the athleticism and speed that we lack in the front court.

Look at Reef, Big Dog, Theo, Hendu, Nazr - None of these guys (except for Theo who's still not all the way back) have the length and atleticism needed to compete in today's NBA. The only way we get this is through the draft or free agency.

Yes, money talks and if we had enough of it to offer we'd get players. More importantly, we need to hold on to our picks.

[chillzatl]

Look at Reef, Big Dog, Theo, Hendu, Nazr - None of these guys (except for Theo who's still not all the way back) have the length and atleticism needed to compete in today's NBA

That's a load of bs. Two of those guys (reef and bigdog) have been competeing and succeeding for years. There was a time when MJ said that bigdog was the only guy in the league he couldn't stop. That's high praise for a guy who lacks the tools to compete. Just because the guy doesn't play hardnosed defense, doesn't mean he can't compete. And don't be fooled by the goldenword of the season, athleticism. Look at the bulls and the clippers. They are loaded top to bottom with athleticism and aren't winning a damned thing.

Now don't kid yourself. We are short on talent. Not overall, but in specific areas. But we have PLENTY of talent on this team. More than enough to be a playoff team. Maybe not a championship contender, but defenitely a playoff team. What we lack and have lacked since day one is chemistry and identity. Nobody knows whose team it is, nobody knows who "the man" is and nobody has the guts to step up and demand that responsibility.

[swolehawk2]

That is BS ..you can't convince me that with some tweeking and a good solid NBA coach the team can't win with this frontcourt. [censored] if the pistons can win with that front court Wallace Cliff and Michael Curry anybody can win. [censored] NJ went to the finals with Kenyon Van Horn and Macc. Milwaukee almost went with Dog, Mason, Ervin Johnson. We need a good coach and a guard like I mentioned before.

[Guest]

The reason we don't have a identity is because

the players have few things in common....

Puppy Dog-mid range shooter

SAR-Post player

JT-3pt threat and little bit of slashing

Theo-help defender

Nazr Mohammad-Rebounder

newble-Defender

Look at the Kings...Most can shoot and pass......

Look at the Mavs:Nash/Dirk/Finley are all shooters

and decent passers

Spurs-

Bowen/Duncan/Rose/Robinson are all defenders

Nets

Athletic ability and uptempo players

The Hawks players don't fit together.

[jaywalker72]

...But I wouldn't toss the whole team out just yet, but I would look to trade from a position of strength (like center) to add another ball handler, whether that is a SG, SF, PF, whatever before I gave up on this team completely...

[Guest]

We need a couple of players with games that are

abit like.The players don't understand how each

other works because they all play the game in

basically different ways.

[SWISH9061]

I'm not overlooking the success that Dog and Reef have had in this league. They definitely have skills but look at the guys that burn them night after night - Harrington, Webber, Griffin, Jefferson, Pierce, Marion, Stoudamire. Not all of these guys have as much skill as Reef and Big Dog but they're all long and athletic. Granted they'll burn a lot of guys in these league but they make the game look so easy whenever they're up against our frontcourt.

Answer this question - if you were Jerry West would you trade Gasol for Reef??

Again, it's about getting a ring and patching this team with another vet just isn't gonna cut it - IMHO

[JTFan31]

We make these trades and we are a crock of $hit team and GM's and and everyone else in this organization. So many things I want to say and just can't, because this really gets me pissed off. So they made a mistake by guaranteeing playoffs, ok fine, take the blame, BUT DON'T F***ing BLOW UP THE TEAM.

We have 3 guys we can build around......JT, Reef & Big Dog. Say maybe we can trade one of those guys, but I rather not. Just a piece here and there and we will be fine. I think is coming along lately, we are adding athletic players that are swingmans.

I just dont understand the reason behind trading Reef for Smitty and Ferry. I mean I like Smitty and all but he is not the same as he once was. If we are gonna trade Reef, they better give us Smitty and Rose at least or maybe Ginobili and Rose or Smitty. I dont want no dead beat in Ferry. We trade Reef and we give up all the low pst presence we ever had.

This is ridiculous Babs. You F**ked up dude, now take the blame and you are, but DON'T blow up the team. That must be the most idiotic thing I have ever will witness in pro sports.