Ray Allen is barking up the wrong tree, and he'd better watch out. The Big Dog is prepared to take a bite out of him.

This should come as no shock to the Hawks.

Atlanta knew that by acquiring Glenn Robinson in the offseason, they'd get a big-time scorer and a "Big Dog," as he's been known since his college days at Purdue, who won't back down to anyone. Robinson sent a message this week to former Bucks teammate Ray Allen after hearing Allen had called him a ball hog and blamed him for Milwaukee's bad team chemistry.

In a recent article in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Robinson called Allen "soft" and "a little punk," setting the stage for what could be a tenuous Hawks-Bucks game Dec. 5 in Atlanta.

"I have no respect for him," Robinson said in the Journal-Sentinel. "If this was a street game, I'd be going upside his head when I see him. But this is the NBA.

"Don't forget, I raised him in this league," Robinson added. "He was my rookie when he came in the league. Now, all of a sudden, how is he going to bite the hand that fed him? That's a coward move."

Allen and Robinson were not close during their six seasons together in Milwaukee, but Allen has been vocal about his pleasure that Robinson was dealt to Atlanta for Toni Kukoc and a future No. 1 pick. Allen also had questioned Robinson's work ethic and accused him of being selfish with the ball.

About Allen's claims of selfishness, Robinson said, "I passed the ball to Ray more than he passed it to me."

"He needs to let me live my life and finish my career instead of talking about him being glad that I'm gone," Robinson said.

Robinson worked out with the Hawks on Monday for the first time since a strained left hamstring forced him to miss the team's last two preseason games. He's played only in Atlanta's preseason opener but expects to play Thursday against the Miami Heat.