Are the Hawks playoff-bound?

By Bill Ingram Sports Central Columnist

When season tickets for the 2002-2003 season went on sale, the Atlanta Hawks told their viewing public that if they did not make the playoffs, they would refund part of their money as a sort of guarantee.

It was felt that Hawks GM Pete Babcock had made all of the necessary moves last summer to put them in postseason play, but when Theo Ratliff went down for the season and Toni Kukoc had trouble staying healthy, that dream was laid to rest. It appears that the injury gods will have their work cut out for them if they are to stand in the way of Atlanta's playoff destiny this year.

In one foul swoop, the Hawks have unloaded one of their biggest injury problems and added a premier front court talent. On Friday, they traded Kukoc, Leon Smith, and a future first round draft pick to the Bucks for the man who was once the highest-paid player in the game -- Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson. Landing Robinson was a great move, but getting rid of Kukoc in the process was a master stroke.

Kukoc was supposed to be the point forward for the Hawks, a role he created in Chicago as part of the Bulls' dynasty. The Hawks were so confident in Kukoc's ability to run the offense that they didn't bother to land a true starting point guard to run the show. Instead, they brought in a pair of reserves, neither of whom could run the show on their own -- as the Hawks learned the hard way.

Emanual Davis and Jacque Vaughn had both been solid backups in Seattle and Utah, respectively, and they were supposed to be more than enough to hold down the position with Kukoc there. Well, Kukoc wasn't there, and the Hawks quickly learned just how important it is to have a proven point guard on the roster.

Kukoc only played in 59 games, starting in nine and averaging only 25 minutes per game for the season. He spent most of his healthy games trying to get back into game shape from his latest injury.

The only bigger question mark the Hawks, who had more injuries than any other NBA team last season, was Ratliff. Babcock had planned his entire defensive set around the presence of Ratliff, who missed nearly the entire season with various injuries. By the end of the season the Hawks were consistently trying to play two-on-five with Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry carrying the bulk of the offensive load. That won't be a problem this season.

Ratliff, who manages to average about 50 games per season, is said to be healthy. Robinson will provide a balancing front court presence to go along with the scoring of Terry and Abdur-Rahim. The Hawks have re-signed Matt Maloney, who ran the Houston offense for two years after Rudy Tomjanovich rescued him from the CBA. Dan Dickau and Nazr Mohammed will provide a nice punch off the bench.

It does appear that the Hawks might be able to live up to the promise made to their season ticket holders. Unless ... Hawks' fans better pray for health. The way things have gone lately, you just can't count the Hawks out of the lottery.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.