A T L A N T A   H A W K S
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Hawks at a Glance Coach: Lon Kruger Last Year: 33-49 (Stats) Key Additions: G Dan Dickau, F Glenn Robinson Key Losses: F Toni Kukoc, G Jacque Vaughn, C Hanno Möttölä Projected Starters PG Jason Terry SG DerMarr Johnson SF Glenn Robinson PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim C Theo Ratliff Key Subs PG Dan Dickau SF Ira Newble PF Alan Henderson C Nazr Mohammed

By John Hollinger, CNNSI.com

Once again, Atlanta comes into the season looking forward to a playoff run after a major offseason acquisition. The addition of Glenn Robinson to a lineup that already includes Jason Terry and Shareef Abdur-Rahim should make the Hawks a tough team to stop this season, and the expected return of Theo Ratliff will shore up a porous defense.

That's how it looks on paper. However, Hawks fans have seen this movie before. They expected to contend for a playoff spot last season after picking up Abdur-Rahim in the offseason. Instead, they lost Ratliff for nearly the entire season and took most of the year to settle on a playing rotation. Without Ratliff, the defense was a mess, and the Hawks didn't surround Terry and Abdur-Rahim with enough offensive talent to make up for it.

Gaining Robinson should ease the burden on Terry and Abdur-Rahim, which is a good thing because the supporting cast is still unimpressive. The Hawks will have their fingers crossed that they can get healthy seasons from their three big scorers and Ratliff.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, F -- The Hawks are an unusual team because they have three players of roughly equal importance in the offense: Abdur-Rahim, Robinson, and Terry. However, when it comes down to the final seconds and the team needs a basket, the smart money is on Abdur-Rahim to go to his righty jump hook in the post.

Abdur-Rahim has shown flashes of brilliance since his rookie season in Vancouver, but he has never taken the steps to stardom that seemed so likely when he first entered the league. He did make his first All-Star team last year, but that was because he left the Western Conference, not due to any improvement in his game.

Even if he doesn't get better, Abdur-Rahim is one of the league's better power forwards and a great building block for the team. Better yet, he's still young enough that Hawks fans can hope for more. If he can get more consistent with the jumper and improve his left hand, he could take another step up as a scorer -- and take the Hawks up with him.

DerMarr Johnson, G -- Johnson is the leading candidate to start at shooting guard for the Hawks this year, but whoever it is will have a target painted on him from the opening tip-off.

At the offensive end, opponents will make sure that Johnson is the man they leave open when they go to double-team Atlanta's three potent scorers. He showed some progress with the 3-point shot last season but has yet to prove he can make teams pay by getting a half-step and beating his man off the dribble. His poor ballhandling has been a major impediment to his development.

At the defensive end, Johnson is more accomplished, but he will have to cover for Robinson's weaknesses by taking the opponent's top perimeter scorer. He may not be up to the challenge, especially against bulkier forwards who can punish his skinny frame in the post.

Can Lon Kruger coach?

Kruger is one of several college coaches hired to gaudy deals in the late '90s, and as a group they have been a spectacular failure. Last season, he took a team expected to challenge for a playoff spot and had it out of contention within the first few weeks. While injuries were certainly a factor, so was his personnel selection. His strange devotion to Hanno Möttölä was particularly puzzling, but he was also fond of career benchwarmers like Emanual Davis and Mark Strickland. Hawks fans can at least take solace in Möttölä signing with a team in Spain, thus robbing Kruger of the tempation to play him.

One can argue that the injuries and slow start forced Kruger to experiment with hs lineup, and by the end of the year he had settled on a group that played very well down the stretch. However, expectations are high enough that he can't afford to spend half the season tweaking the lineup. His future as an NBA coach depends on it.

No refunds

Fast Facts • Only two teams blocked fewer shots than the Hawks last year. • Abdur-Rahim and Terry were the only Hawks to average in double figures last season. Every other team in the league had at least three players.

The Hawks are so confident that this year's team can make the playoffs that they've offered each season-ticket holder $125 if the team falls short. While chances are they won't have to pay up on that bet, they may be a little too confident. The trade for Robinson will make their offense far more potent, but questions still abound at the other end of the floor. Ratliff can cover some of the mistakes, but if he isn't healthy, the team is going to give up points in buckets.

However, they should make a big improvement on recent history. With three strong scorers and a big-time shot-blocker patrolling the middle, if they can stay healthy, the Hawks should be a major player in the Eastern Conference playoff race.