Another positive article, yeah right

[phoostal]

What can you do the media just doesn't believe in this team. This article just doesn't think the trade was good. Like I said before it has become humorous now.

P

Risky proposition

Marty Burns, Sports Illustrated

When Glenn Robinson was a freshman at Purdue, a school custodian

gave him the nickname "Big Dog." Robinson liked it so much he had the

image of a bulldog with a spiked collar tattooed on his chest.

The Hawks can only pray that Robinson, acquired in a trade with the Bucks

last week, behaves like man's best friend in his new city. While it seems

Atlanta pulled off a major coup -- basically giving up only veteran Toni Kukoc and a 2003 first-round

pick for the talented Robinson -- the deal is not without significant risk. Big Dog may have an All-Star

pedigree, but he's also capable of coming back to bite his new team.

Robinson faces three misdemeanor charges of domestic battery, assault and illegal possession of a

firearm, stemming from a domestic dispute that occurred last month. According to police and

prosecutors, he showed up drunk at his fiancee's suburban Chicago home in the wee hours of the

morning demanding to be let inside. Once there, he allegedly pushed the woman and demanded she

turn over a handgun he had left there previously.

Robinson, 29, apologized for the incident the following day, but the damage was done. He's free on

$5,000 bond, and a court hearing is schedule for later this month.

Robinson is innocent until proven guilty, of course, but the incident should make the Hawks wary.

Burned badly by the failed Isaiah Rider experiment of three years ago, they can ill afford another

public relations disaster. The fact that Robinson carries other baggage as well -- he has a previous

arrest for public intoxication and was once stripped of his captaincy in Milwaukee -- only makes it

more dicey.

Still, Hawks president Stan Kasten says the organization is convinced that Robinson's recent arrest

was an "aberration" and called the star player genuinely "remorseful." He also said the team researched

Robinson's character, talking to people around the league, before agreeing to the deal.

"It was a one-time thing," Kasten said. "Having been through this before with guys who screwed up ...

it's a very good thing to see somebody say, 'I was just wrong. I was embarrassed. It'll never happen

again.' That's not the typical way today, but it's the right way."

The funny thing is, for all his scoring skills, Robinson's on-court game isn't without its critics, either. He

doesn't play much defense, a major weakness for the Hawks last season, and he often has trouble

handling the ball in traffic. Though Robinson is clearly a better overall player than Kukoc, the fact

remains that the Bucks were basically willing to give him away.

Ever since the Rider fiasco, Hawks GM Pete Babcock has talked about the need for character guys

on his roster. It's why he supposedly didn't want Latrell Sprewell, even though the Knicks were

shopping the one-time coach-choker to the Hawks. Yet in taking on Robinson, the organization

apparently has decided the silky-smooth scoring machine is worth the trouble.

"He accepted responsibility," Babcock said. "Some athletes don't accept their responsibilities. That's a

positive sign."

It had better be. For if Robinson doesn't work out for the Hawks, Babcock might be the next guy who

gets tattooed (by fans and the media) and comes out looking like a dog.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. Click here to send Marty a question or

comment.