This was going to be the breakout year for the Atlanta Hawks, the year they returned to prosperity on the court and in the stands. Of course, it hasn't happened. In fact, the Hawks and their most recent trading partner, Milwaukee, both have gone into sharp decline. How fitting, they meet tonight.

It's Round 2 of Big Dog vs. Ray Allen, only Big Dog is nursing a strained ligament in his shooting elbow, plus a sore left elbow, and is unlikely to play for the third straight game. How fitting. How typical of what the Hawks have gone through since Sept. 21 when prize youngster DerMarr Johnson plowed his late model Mercedes sedan into a tree and broke his neck in four places.

	Glenn Robinson scored 23 points in a 98-80 win over Milwaukee on Dec. 5.

The Hawks, who led the league in player games lost to injury last season, have seen their bench decimated by injury -- forward Chris Crawford disabled by a second knee surgery, point guard Emanual Davis out with a torn ACL and center Nazr Mohammed missing a quarter of the season with a stress fracture. But that's the small stuff.

The Hawks also lost their coach. Lon Kruger was given a pre-Christmas boot by executive vice president/general manager Pete Babcock, who thought hiring a college guy was a great idea and then changed his mind. Now, ex-George Karl assistant Terry Stotts is in the line of fire.

After beating Philadelphia in an emotional opener, the Hawks dropped six straight under Stotts before rallying to win twice last weekend. Heightening the intrigue, Robinson missed both games. Now, fans -- the few, the brave -- are muttering that maybe he was the problem all along.

Stotts, who spent eight years with the Dog in Milwaukee, chafes under such illogical thought. In his view, the Hawks defended well with the Dog on the floor. Besides, a team that has trouble scoring doesn't improve by losing 20.5 points a game from its lineup.

How did this team come to be a 14-22 squad, loser of 10 straight on the road despite the acquisition of Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and center Theo Ratliff? The answers: Robinson is flawed and turnover prone, Abdur-Rahim has never won more than 33 games in six seasons and Ratliff is only now starting to play effectively after missing a year and a half.

Maybe they offer some hope for the Hawks whose decline is not yet middle-aged. The Hawks thought they would rejoin the upper class this season, but they are as bad on the court as they were a year ago when they finished 33-49, although the level of talent would appear to deserve a better fate. Salary-cap constraints, the lurking luxury tax and a series of wasted draft opportunities make for a bumpy road and an uncertain future.

Only if they were as desperate for a first-rate point guard two years ago as they are today. Back then, they passed on Jamaal Tinsley and Tony Parker. Tinsley is learning his craft in Indiana, where Donnie Walsh was able to look past Tinsley's spotty reputation and gave the Hawks a pick to take him 27th overall. Then the Hawks passed on Parker, who like Tinsley could not or would not work out for them, and Parker was gone with the 28th pick. That's how you end up with Dan Dickau, who now plays third fiddle to NBDL graduate Mike Wilks.

For the record, the Hawks keep their No. 1 pick this year only if it is in the top three. Otherwise, it goes to Milwaukee to complete the Robinson deal. Last year, the pick was also high-lottery protected and when it came up No. 8, the selection went to the Clippers (who drafted Chris Wilcox). This June, the Hawks will get Indiana's pick so long as it is not as high as 15th.

	“	I'm not going to overact. But I can't explain what happened. I can't accept it. And if this keeps up, there will be more changes. ”
		— Stan Kasten

Ultimately, Stan Kasten, who runs all three Atlanta teams, bears the brunt of the Hawks' failures.

Kasten was so committed to putting the Hawks back in the playoff picture that he allowed the club to run its payroll into luxury-tax territory, make a whirlwind of trading over the past four years and change coaches three times in four years. None of this has gotten the Hawks back to the postseason since their last visit in 1999, and the high hopes for this team are fading, at least among the people who buy the tickets and sit in the stands.

The paying customers, about 8,400 of them, were stunned on New Year's Day when the punchless Miami Heat beat the non-responsive Hawks 107-73. The fans indulged in a little booing but were for the most part shocked by what they saw in a home game against Miami.

A few days before the defeat, Kasten said there was no guarantee Babcock would be back next season. But how can a team with playoff aspirations lose to another lottery team by 34 points?

"I'm not going to overact," Kasten said after the loss to the Heat. "But I can't explain what happened. I can't accept it. And if this keeps up, there will be more changes."

"I'm going to look at this an aberration," he added. "I'm going to believe that's what it is. Again, if that's not the case, there would be more changes. We can't explain performances like this one and we certainly can't accept them."

The Hawks changed coaches "based on record," according to Kasten. But now, it's time for the Hawks to reassess their entire situation.

"We have to give it a little time to see what is working," Kasten said. "I can tell you we're actively looking at everything. Pete looks at trades every day of his life. We've got (four) more games coming up on a home stand against very good teams. Let's see how things go."

Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.