Third Season is a Charm for Kruger

Jeff Denberg of the AJC writes that this is more like it for Lon Kruger -- a roster of talented, healthy and committed players after two years of misery.

A coach who refused to complain when things were tough, Kruger can quietly exult because the Hawks now have the physical tools to end their three-year playoff famine, their longest in 25 years.

They start training camp Tuesday with the strongest and deepest squad Kruger has had.

The combined record of 58-106 over the past two seasons tended to obscure Kruger's record as a turnaround coach in college when he enjoyed success at Pan American, Kansas State, Florida and Illinois. In those days, Kruger recruited the talent. Now, he relied on general manager Pete Babcock.

And after adding Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, Nazr Mohammed and Ira Newble the past two years, Babcock has supplemented them with a veteran 20-point-a-game scorer in Glenn Robinson and an interesting rookie point guard in Dan Dickau.

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Atlanta Hawks

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Terry could gamble for a bigger payoff

Jeffrey Denberg of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Jason Terry is thinking about his future. He is entering the option year of his rookie contract and will earn $2.1 million. After this season, he will be a restricted free agent.

Terry has stated that he wants to remain a Hawk. "I love it here," he said after a recent practice. "I love playing with my teammates. I think we're on our way to being really good. Guys like Theo [Ratliff], Reef [Shareef Adbur-Rahim], Dog [Glenn Robinson], we're on our way."

He also knows that being a good player on a bad team does not always guarantee a big contract. In order to raise his stock, he has to get the Hawks into the playoffs and he has to have a good season while doing so. If he can do that, he could be looking at a contract like Baron Davis’ $79 million deal.

"If I want to go for that kind of contract, we've got to have a great year, and I have to have a great year," he said. "That's pressure. The question is whether I want to have to deal with that kind of pressure, how it will affect my game and whether it will affect my teammates. I don't want that to happen. That's the last thing on my mind."

Terry has averaged over 19 points per game as a starter but has struggled with the point guard duties. Terry says he's constantly talking about his contract situation with his agent, but he knows it's his call, and he insists he is not going to drag it out. "I'm going to do it before training camp [Oct. 1]," he said. "I'm either going to sign now or put it off to the end of the season. But I'm going to put it away if I do that. I don't want it hanging over us."

So Terry has the choice of signing an extension now, or waiting until after the season and signing next summer. If he signs a 6-year extension now, he will be eligible for another contract at 31 years old. But he may be signing for less than he’s worth. If he plays through the season, he has the chance to increase his worth, but by signing a 7-year contract next summer, he will be 33 when that contract expires.

The Hawks are content to let Terry make his move. General manager Pete Babcock said the team will accept either path Terry chooses. "We told Jason it's his call. We love him as a player, and we want him to be here. How he goes about this is his decision," Babcock said.

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Hawks Sign Darvin Ham

The Atlanta Hawks knew that recently disabled guard DerMarr Johnson would be fairly big shoes to fill, and the Hawks began that effort today when they signed free agent forward Darvin Ham on Tuesday.

But the move does little to replace the skill sets that Johnson brought to the lineup and Jason Walker wonders what's next for the Hawks.

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Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks

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