| | By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
|  | | Jason Terry is the Hawks' point guard of the future. |
How bad were the Atlanta Hawks in 1999-2000? In Lenny Wilkens' first six seasons as coach, the team averaged 50 wins (not including the lockout season) and made the playoffs each year. So what happened?
Isaiah Rider pouted, underachieved and was eventually cut, none of the team's youth proved without a doubt impending stardom, and a Hall of Fame coach was blamed for all of it and lost his job. The result was a 28-54 record, the franchise's worst through 32 years in Atlanta and 13 more in St. Louis. Go back to 1953-54, when the team called Milwaukee home, to find the Hawks this bad. And if you're a fan, we apologize in advance for what you will go through next season as well. Thanks for letting us know your opinion on the Hawks by e-mailing us. To see some of the better comments you wrote, click here.
Why the Hawks were 28-54: Have you looked at their roster? The team lacked scoring punch and any defensive players others than the man in the middle, and there was ongoing turmoil in the locker room because of Rider. Rider's not a winner, and made it clear he cared more about personal statistics, which weren't all that good to start with. He played 60 games and was under constant scrutiny after coming over in the strange Steve Smith trade before the team finally let him go.
That left Jimmy Jackson and Alan Henderson to do the scoring, but they only combined for 30 a night. Dikembe Mutombo did his job, as always, but no other player averaged more than seven boards. And top draft pick Jason Terry, the point guard of the future, didn't earn a starting role until more than half the season had passed and didn't shoot well when he got there. As for the bench, on most nights it contributed nothing. And Wilkens is now gone (to Toronto), with Lon Kruger and his first NBA coaching experience of any kind now staring him in the face. Good luck.
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Current projected top 6
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PG
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Jason Terry
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SG
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DerMarr Johnson
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SF
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Jimmy Jackson
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PF
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Alan Henderson
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C
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Dikembe Mutombo
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6th
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Roshown McLeod
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Team MVP: Mutombo. Team LVP: Lorenzen Wright never quite worked out. Surprise! That the Hawks actually believed they could change Rider. Up and comer: Definitely Terry, though McLeod has a future, too.
What they need: Assume that Mutombo is manning the middle, which is a good start. However, Mutombo isn't a scorer, which means the Hawks could really use a power forward they could count on for 20 points nightly. He wouldn't even need to rebound that much, just score. Henderson managed to make it though an entire season without getting hurt, but he's not the answer. Maybe soon-to-be former Clipper Maurice Taylor is.
If Terry gets better, and he should, he's the point guard for awhile, and Jackson is a competent swingman. But a big-time shooting guard, like Smith was, is a must. The Hawks may not go for someone big this offseason, looking to save the dough for after the 2000-2001 season, where they will potentially have more money than any other team.
What the plan is: The Hawks may have gotten their shooting guard of the future on draft day with the selection of Cincinnati's DerMarr Johnson at No. 6. Johnson is 6-9, but came out after his freshman year. He may not be ready to play a lot right away, although he does have the size, range and overall skills to log minutes on this team. Hanno Möttölä and Scoonie Penn were second-round picks and both could stick.
The Hawks may lose free agents Bimbo Coles and LaPhonso Ellis, but so what. With Terry getting better, Coles is a luxury a 28-win squad doesn't need, a good backup point. Ellis is productive when he plays, but injuries are always a problem. The Hawks don't look like players in the free agent market this year, so DerMarr Johnson may be asked to do a lot.
Direction heading: Hard to believe the Hawks, without a major scoring forward coming via trade or free agency in the next few months, are going to be any better. Nevertheless, if Johnson is an impact player, they shouldn't be much worse.
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