Because the Atlanta Hawks have been so bad the last two seasons -- and make no mistake, back-to-back seasons of 28 and 25 wins is pretty bad -- people lump this team in with the other lottery locks. However, that's wrong. Atlanta was a playoff bunch seven straight years before 1999-00, though never a successful one. It's the old problem of being good enough to never rebuild. Well, the rebuilding is on. And it looks darn good.

	Kukoc can still be a fine player if he can stay healthy.

So as we continue our 2001 Summer Spotlight Series, here's the deal with the Hawks.

The good: The lineup when the Hawks got smoked opening day against Charlotte last year -- and went on to lose 13 of the first 15 -- was Jason Terry and Jimmy Jackson at guard, Hanno Mottola, Roshown McLeod and Alan Henderson up front. So look no further for why the Hawks suffered their worst season since moving to Atlanta in 1968. The active lineup improved slightly as the season went on. But today, only Terry remains and now he has experienced talent around him.

Terry, first of all, wasn't all that good last November, either. At one point he was benched after it became obvious that playing the point wasn't his gig. But as a two-guard, Terry flourished. When he started dropping in 25 points on most nights, the Hawks decided they could build around him.

The big move was finally parting with All-Star center Dikembe Mutombo, a soon-to-be free agent that had to go. The Hawks got arguably their top three frontcourt players in one deal in Theo Ratliff, Toni Kukoc and Nazr Mohammed. It never did translate to wins because Ratliff was hurt and never played, Kukoc was banged up and Mohammed had to play center. Ratliff isn't Mutombo, but he's close. He was on his way to possible defensive player of the year honors before breaking his hand, and he's a better scorer. Kukoc is a gifted playmaker still, when his back and feet don't hurt, and Mohammed, whom the Hawks re-signed this summer, is a nice sixth man with offensive potential.

The last piece to the most improved starting lineup in the league is Shareef Abdur-Rahim, acquired for the third pick in the recent draft (Hawks figured to take Shane Battier) and other minor pieces. Abdur-Rahim was a 20-10 guy -- though nobody noticed because it was in Vancouver. Here he becomes an All-Star and bigger scorer.

	THE FACTS
	2000-01 record: 25-57, 7th in Central, 13th in East Playoffs: none Team leaders: Terry 19.7 ppg; 4.9 apg; Mutombo 13.5 rpg Team stats (NBA rank): Points, 91 (26th); Rebs, 42.9 (12th); FG %, .431 (22nd) Current rotation: Ratliff C; Abdur-Rahim PF; Kukoc SF; Terry SG; Davis/Vaughn PG; Mohammed 6th man Spot in Summer Power Rankings: No. 14

The bad: With four of the five starters accomplished at offense or defense (none of them are good at both, which we'll get to), the Hawks lack only a point guard. They now have two, though neither will scare Steve Francis in this season's opener. From the Jazz comes former Kansas star Jacque Vaughn, a diminutive sort with little shooting ability but the goods to pass the ball. Vaughn got his first chance to really play last season, when the guy supposed to replace John Stockton logged 20 minutes a night. But he didn't shoot well and has no range.

But Vaughn will likely back up former Sonic Emanual Davis, who has more rebounds than assists in his career but can take his game outside. Davis has more experience, and the Hawks like the fact he's 6-5, a lot bigger than Terry and Vaughn. Plus, Kukoc is a lot like a point guard anyway. Davis will be able to defend the big guards.

The ugly: It began with Isaiah Rider, really. When the Hawks got the malcontent in the Steve Smith deal, the losing began. When Smith, Mookie Blaylock and good guy Grant Long all left, the losing began and Hall of Fame coach Lenny Wilkens got hung out to dry. It was sad, really, the way that ended. Last season's franchise-worst start didn't endear fans to new coach Lon Kruger, but all is forgiven now that this team certainly appears playoff bound.

But there was plenty of ugly last season. Terry did eventually emerge, but nobody else did. DerMarr Johnson was the sixth pick of last year's draft, but he looked like the 20-year-old that he was. He made 21 starts, but it's tough to play a kid who shoots .374 from the field. Now the Hawks can bring the 6-9 talent along slowly. Likewise, kids Chris Crawford, Cal Bowdler, Dion Glover and Hanno Mottola aren't ready for major minutes.

The future: The Hawks have completed a pretty nice roster overhaul, and the players in question aren't old, either. Abdur-Rahim, for example, will be 25 this season. Ratliff is 28. Mohammed and Terry are younger. The bench has numerous young guys that can contribute without having to shoulder the load. And since the league's dominant teams call the West home, the Hawks are in a good position.

Kruger can smile today at what certainly appears to be a playoff team. General manager Pete Babcock took plenty of heat for the dismantling of the club, now he gets to sit back and enjoy.

Don't get the idea we're looking at the next Eastern Conference rep here, but the Hawks aren't in line for another 50-loss season. It's time to see if Abdur-Rahim can be a winner, if Kukoc can perform in key games again, if Terry can hold up and if Ratliff can stay healthy. Other than that, everything's fine.

So we asked you this question about the Hawks: Can this team go from 25 wins to as many as 50?

Check the file to the right for selected responses.

Eric Karabell is ESPN.com's NBA editor.