If James the roundballer ever decides to pen the memoirs of his Atlanta days, he might borrow a few suggestions for the title from James the writer. Consider these actual James works, and how they apply to the team his namesake left behind:

*The Bostonians. In the case of the Hawks, the Bostonian in question is former Celtics swingman Rick Fox, one of the summer's prize free agents. Atlanta, in dire need of a small forward, zealously pursued Fox but saw the budding thespian sign instead with the Hollywood Lakers. The Hawks' failure to bag Fox leaves a gaping hole at the 3-spot. The ageless Tyrone Corbin got the bulk of the minutes there last season and could be the starter again this year.

The Hawks are strong at the other frontcourt positions. Center Dikembe Mutombo saw his game blossom in Atlanta last season after signing as a free agent. Over the previous few seasons in Denver, Mutombo had degenerated into little more than a shot blocker, but Hawks coach Lenny Wilkens asked him for production at both ends of the floor, and Mutombo obliged. "Lenny wanted me to play a different game," Mutombo says. "I was a total player again, involved in the offense, not a stick of furniture." Not that he wasn't still sticking back shots. Mutombo's shot-blocking savvy helped him earn defensive player of the year honors last season.

Joining him up front is power forward Christian Laettner, who benefited last year from his full-time move to the 4-spot and earned his first All-Star selection. Wilkens has to be concerned, though, that Laettner wore down as the season progressed and was ineffective in the playoffs.

*"Within the Rim." The backcourt combo of point guard Mookie Blaylock and shooting guard Steve Smith is as capable as any in the league of putting the ball in the bucket. Blaylock is one of the NBA's most dangerous three-point shooters and also led the league in steals. Smith, a post-up threat against smaller shooting guards, should be even tougher this year, thanks to a rigorous off-season conditioning program.

*"The Bench of Desolation." How else to describe Atlanta's reserves? The 7'4", 343-pound backup center, Priest Lauderdale, has the demeanor of a Saint Bernard and, unfortunately, the low-post moves of one. The lone experienced reserve in the backcourt is journeyman Eldridge Recasner. First-round pick Ed Gray out of Cal, who was second in the nation in scoring last season, will back up Smith. The top player off the bench will be third-year power forward Alan Henderson, who missed nearly all of last season with viral pancreatitis—a topic far too unseemly for the urbane James to have written about.

*The Other House. The most noticeable change for the Hawks will be their digs. The charmless Omni was demolished in July to allow for the construction of a new arena on the same site, which means that for the next two seasons the team will split time between the cavernous Georgia Dome (capacity 21,570) and the cramped Georgia Tech Arena (9,000). The Omni never did much to generate fan excitement: The Hawks averaged 50 wins over the past four seasons but drew only 75% of capacity there, and those few fans who did show up usually raised a din akin to what you hear as the collection plate is passed around on Sunday.

*The Awkward Age. On Oct. 28, Wilkens turns 60, a milestone at which a lot of people begin pondering a move to Florida. But the winningest coach in NBA history chose to stick around, signing a contract extension in August that will carry him through 2002.

Last year Wilkens's Hawks won 56 games, beat the Pistons and gave Chicago fits in the Eastern Conference semis before bowing out in five games. Wilkens wants to be around to challenge for the Bulls' mantle after the champs disband, if not sooner. "I'm excited about this season," says Wilkens. "No doubt in my mind—we're a better team."

—Mark Bechtel