Denberg "Hawks wont go anywhere without Ratliff"

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Hawks won't go anywhere without Ratliff

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By Jeffrey Denberg

Special to ESPN.com

The Atlanta Hawks have always understood the first rule of the NBA -- if you don't have a center, you don't have a chance. That's why they bankrolled Tree Rollins, Moses Malone and Dikembe Mutombo over the years. That's why they are banking on Theo Ratliff now.

Without a first-rate center the last year and a half, the Hawks have been in a brutal, blind stagger, extending their run of lottery years to three -- their longest slump in more than 20 years.

A healthy Theo Ratliff in the middle would help Atlanta improve its 25th-ranked defense.

With Ratliff back in apparent good health, the Hawks are a solid bet to make it to the postseason again.

When vice president/general manager Pete Babcock made the deal for Glenn Robinson, the Hawks added the perimeter shooter they missed since the Steve Smith trade in 2000. That augmented the deal a year ago that brought in power forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim. But Ratliff, a cat-agile defender in the post and a traffic cop for the team's young guards, is the key to success for a team that won a combined 58 games the last two years.

By playing in two July summer-league games, Ratliff showed he is physically recovered from a severe hip injury that put him out for all but three games last season, the only ones he played since February 22, 2001 when he was a 76er.

"Been too long, much to long," Ratliff said. "It's time for me to get back on the court and play some basketball."

Finally, the Hawks can receive solid dividends from the trade that sent Mutombo to Philly for Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed and Toni Kukoc (who was sent to Milwaukee in the Robinson deal).

A broken scaphoid bone in Ratliff's right wrist sidelined him after 50 games in 2000-01 on the eve of his first All-Star game appearance. He finished as the league leader in blocked shots, but he did not have a single rejection as a Hawk because the fracture did not heal until the summer.

It was nearly on the eve of training camp last year that Ratliff made an awkward move which led to surgery to repair torn hip cartilage. When he came back from that, he was done in by a series of muscular and ligament injuries.

For the record, Ratliff played Oct. 30 against Houston, Nov. 1 against Washington and Jan. 11 against Toronto. Grand total: 82 minutes, 26 points, 16 rebounds, seven blocks. He hurt so much from a groin injury in that Toronto game he could not even attempt to play again. The Hawks blamed it on a bursa sac, the hip, the forward tilt of his pelvis which invited injury -- any and all of the above. All were a factor.

The Hawks finally sent Ratliff to Vancouver to meet with therapist Alex McKechnie, who had remarkable success with the Hornets' Jamal Mashburn and others. Ratliff could well be his latest success story.

"I feel better than I've felt in a long, long time," Ratliff said before an arduous workout with strength coach Pete Radulovic, followed by a session on the Philips Arena practice court with teammates.

The single caveat is the right hip socket and its repaired cartilage. Ratliff's surgeon, Mark Phillipon, has performed similar procedures on NHL players. He told the Hawks that Ratliff will be fine. Ratliff believes that but admits, "I've got pain there and I expect I'll always have pain there. The thing is it's nothing I can't deal with."

The tilt in his pelvis has been corrected by a regimen of diligent workouts. He believes his troublesome midsection will now remain injury free.

“ I believe I can (stay healthy). That's what I'm working toward -- play every game at a high level and take this team back to the playoffs. ”

— Theo Ratliff

Can Ratliff work a full season as he did his first four years in the league? "We'll find out," he said laughing. "But I believe I can. That's what I'm working toward -- play every game at a high level and take this team back to the playoffs."

At age 29, Ratliff passed up a chance to opt out of his contract after next season by not exercising the option last June. So, he's a Hawk for at least three seasons at $8.9 million, $10 million and $10.9 million.

"The thing is I want to have a good year for the good of my team and for the enjoyment of the game," he said. "When you are away from basketball as long as I've been, you have a chance to realize how much you love it and how much you miss it."

Including 25 games lost to ankle miseries in 1999-2000, the man from Demopolis, Ala., has sat out 136 of 242 games the last three seasons.

But Ratliff also showed what a fine teacher like Herb Brown (Larry Brown's brother) can do for a superior athlete's game. He became a solid 12-points-a-game scorer with the 76ers, and with his quickness, court sense and wonderfully long reach, he gained a reputation as one of the league's foremost defensive centers.

The Hawks got a taste of that last October in an exhibition game against Charlotte when Ratliff initiated defensive rotations that utterly foiled the Hornets and provided his teammates with sugar plum dreams of the playoffs.

"Theo makes you a better defensive player when he walks on the court," Jason Terry said. "He's a coach on the floor, directing traffic. You don't have to worry about gambling a little because you know he's going to cover your man. There's no question we're one of he best teams in the East when he plays."

And so a franchise that has averaged fewer than 29 victories the last three years can build on a realistic dream. Playoffs, anyone?

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[Nique21]

Good article, thanks! I don't think there's no question we can't win the East without a healthy Theo. It is a must we keep him in the middle. Mohammad stepped up well last year, but having him start this year gives us no backup. Mohammed will be a great backup, if he's not traded. Terry gave good props to Theo at the end of the article too, I thought.