Denberg on the trade

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Big Dog deal proves Hawks not just barking

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By Jeffrey Denberg

Special to ESPN.com

Turns out, the Milwaukee Bucks were very serious about moving at least one of their Big Three after falling into the lottery last spring. And it turns out the Atlanta Hawks were very serious when they said they will make the playoffs this season.

Ah, a match made in heaven.

Glenn Robinson gives Atlanta its first 20-point scorer at small forward since Dominique Wilkins.

Glenn Robinson becomes Atlanta's first consistent 20-point scorer at small forward since Dominique Wilkins and will be a welcome addition to an anemic offensive attack, while the Bucks figure they benefit from addition by subtraction even if Toni Kukoc continues to fade as a major player in the NBA.

By moving Robinson, the Bucks apparently have found a place in their starting lineup for Tim Thomas' $67 million contract and they get a 2003 first-round pick from the Hawks as well. Leon Smith, the troubled former Chicago high school star, was thrown into the pot, but Smith was so out of shape this summer he could not make the Hawks' summer league team.

A trade that works for both teams? You bet. The Bucks are free of Robinson's $80 million contract that runs through 2005 and demand for the basketball becomes less intense. If Kukoc can regain his health, he joins Thomas in making Milwaukee a very tall and mobile team. That said, however, Kukoc played only 1,494 minutes in 59 games last season and has continuing problems with plantar fasciatis.

The Hawks have some financial concerns. After all, Robinson, Shareef-Abdur Rahim and Theo Ratliff will be max-contract players in three years, but the Hawks weren't going to get better unless they took a gamble. "We aren't going to improve unless we make a trade," vice president and general manager Pete Babcock said recently.

Babcock indicated that he was talking about a big deal. He got one as the Hawks became the latest Eastern Conference team to swing for the fences after the Boston Celtics pulled the trigger to land Vin Baker and the Cleveland Cavaliers dealt Andre Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers for the potential of Darius Miles.

Robinson carries some baggage after being charged in a domestic dispute last month. The Hawks hope he will settle his business by Tuesday. What they see most keenly is Robinson's marvelously consistent performance -- at least 20 points a game in seven of his eight seasons and at least six rebounds a game in six of his seasons. At 29, Robinson has some hoop life left. He'll give the Hawks what they so badly need -- a third scorer to go with Abdur-Rahim (21.2 points per game) and Jason Terry (19.3).

With Robinson installed on the front line with Abdur-Rahim and Ratliff, the Hawks can go with Terry at the point and give third-year player DerMarr Johnson a chance to become their starter at shooting guard. If Johnson isn't ready for that role, they can fall back on defensive specialist Ira Newble, assuming he comes to terms on a free-agent contract.

Atlanta thus becomes a reasonably well-balanced team that has a strong chance to make the playoffs after three straight awful seasons during the franchise's worst slump in two decades.

Atlanta thus becomes a reasonably well-balanced team that has a strong chance to make the playoffs after three straight awful seasons during the franchise's worst slump in two decades.

Did coach Lon Kruger know he was going to get this kind of help when he boldly guaranteed last May that the Hawks would make the playoffs? Of course not. Atlanta announced it would write a $125 check to every season ticket holder if the team wound up in the lottery again. If the Hawks make the postseason, the first game is on the house for those same season-ticket holders.

The Hawks then drafted Gonzaga's Dan Dickau to become their backup point guard and set their sights on dealing for some offensive help. Babcock ducked the fall out of one absurd rumor -- Latrell Sprewell for Jason Terry -- and played a patient game with the Bucks, who were convinced they could not return with Sam Cassell, Ray Allen and Robinson as the core of their team.

The deal may well put both teams back in the playoffs. Certainly, Atlanta takes a big step forward after finishing last season 15-10 and showing some grit.

With Ratliff apparently healthy again after a summer of hard workouts and a two-game summer league stint, there is some depth to the front line with Nazr Mohammed and Alan Henderson to back up the power slots. Chris Crawford can play both forward slots, assuming he regains his health after two knee surgeries. Johnson and Dion Glover can play guard or swing to small forward behind Robinson. Veteran Emanual Davis gives the Hawks three point guards. Newble is another valuable asset if he signs.

So, the Hawks appear on the way back after a long collapse. Certainly, they're paying the price to produce their first good team in three-year-old Philips Arena.

[Playoffs03]

Finally a so-called "expert" did some research instead of making himself looks like a fool. a good step forward, but i bet anyone in this forum can do just as good a job as him. some (ie jaywalker) probably can do better than that. it is definitely a good improvement for guys from espn, they finally knows that JT is the point guard and DJ is the shooting guard.