By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

WRONG MOVE IN ATLANTA?

It's difficult to understand why the Atlanta Hawks have been so disappointing, but it's hard to believe any of it is Pete Babcock's fault.

Still, the Hawks fired Babcock as their general manager April 2.

I often look at the Hawks' lineup and ask, "Why isn't this team in contention for the playoffs?" After all, the Hawks have a talented nucleus that features players such as Jason Terry, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, and Glenn Robinson. Throw in center Theo Ratliff, and you're really scratching your head.

For whatever reason, the Hawks haven't played as a team, and none of their All-Star caliber talent has been consistent or reached its potential. But can you really blame the GM for that?

Granted, Babcock has been running the Hawks since 1990, and it could be argued that they've been the most ignored team in professional sports during the past decade. They became so desperate to draw a crowd, the Hawks promised a $125 refund to season-ticket holders if they failed to reach the postseason.

Well, let the reimbursing begin.

It should be noted that the Hawks will be undergoing an ownership change, and perhaps the team's current management was just getting the inevitable out of the way when it fired Babcock. That still doesn't make it right.

I admit, this one's a little bit personal, as Babcock allowed me to interview him for hours at a time for my book. He was honest, polite, and conducted himself like a person instead of some untouchable sports figure. Heck, Babcock even asked about my cat.

Most important, he displayed a true passion for the game, his coaches and his players. He loves basketball first and last, and refuses to allow things such as exasperating contract negotiations or annoying shoe commercials to make him bitter.

Babcock has come a long way since his days as a high school coach in Phoenix and volunteer scout for the New Orleans Jazz. He also spent time as a scout for the Denver Nuggets, then an assistant coach and GM for the Clippers. He later became GM of the Nuggets.

Not long ago, Babcock told me, "A lot of times, I still wonder what I'm doing here. I'm still amazed by the fact that I'm an NBA general manager. It's very rewarding, and I feel lucky."

No doubt, Babcock will resurface. But my question is, what will become of the Hawks?

They still have Terry, Abdur-Rahim, Robinson and Ratliff. They still have some nice young talent in Dion Glover, Dan Dickau, and DerMarr Johnson, who will be back next season after recovering from the neck injury he suffered in a car accident.

They might not have a coach, as Terry Stotts still has the "interim" tag before his name. Stotts replaced Lon Kruger prior to the All-Star break, as Kruger failed to get the Hawks to stay motivated. Stotts has also struggled in that area, and former Phoenix coach Scott Skiles and current New Orleans coach Paul Silas are two names that keep popping up as candidates for the Atlanta job.

Of course, without a GM, the idea of hiring a coach is nothing more than a rumor.

The bottom line is the Hawks need to figure out a way to start winning and creating some interest in the team. And in this case, I'm not exactly sure starting at the top was the best possible plan.

MAVS ON THE RUN

Why is everyone saying the Dallas Mavericks have no shot to reach the Finals?

With Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Nick Van Exel, and especially, Dirk Nowitzki, the Mavericks are the smoothest and most frightening offensive team I've seen in some time. When they're clicking, these guys are downright GOOD.

I know, I know. It's been less than a month since I mentioned the possibility that Nowitzki just might be overrated. You pretty much wanted to break my fingers after reading that theory. But hold the angry e-mails, because I'm changing my tune.

If Nowitzki plays like he did in a recent nationally-televised game in Minnesota, a game in which he scored 34 points and the Mavs led by as many as 35 ... well, you'd have to start considering him for league MVP.

As for Steve Nash, I just can't explain it. With his wild hair and crazy eyes, Nash looks like he ought to be the drummer for Pearl Jam. Either that, or a professional soccer player. Instead, Nash runs the offense to near perfection and scorches opponents to the tune of 17.7 points per game -- many of which come on shots that used to get me thrown out of practice

A lot of folks say the Mavs don't have the necessary tenacity on defense to go far in the playoffs. That may be true, but it'll be no fault of Mavs swingmen Eduardo Najera and Adrian Griffin.

Najera reminds me of Indiana's Ron Artest, as Najera is very physical and will bite, scratch, and claw you if it means keeping you from scoring. Najera and Griffin also have great attitudes and are team players in the truest sense. Neither seems to mind compiling garbage points near the basket as they wait for Nowitzki, Nash, and Finley to miss.

Finally, the biggest reason I think Dallas can beat other Western powers such as San Antonio, Sacramento, and the Lakers? Well, the Mavericks lead the league in free-throw percentage. Last season, if the Kings had just made their foul shots, they would have advanced to the Finals.

Instead, the Kings made the rim cringe with fear every time they stepped to the line. That's something the Mavericks never do.

RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- Kudos to the Nuggets for listening when I wrote that guard Jeff Trepagnier belonged in the NBA. As I sit down to write this, the Nuggets signed Trepagnier to a second 10-day contract. Hey, at least somebody takes this thing seriously.

-- Last week, I asked for your predictions on who would win the NBA's draft lottery. I received 182 responses, and a whopping 93 chose the Memphis Grizzlies. That would be good for the Grizzlies, whose pick goes to Detroit unless it's No. 1. The Nuggets received 24 votes, the Clippers got 19, the New York Knicks 18, the Chicago Bulls nine, and the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors seven apiece. Only five people predicted that the winner would be the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently own the worst record. The Atlanta Hawks got zero votes. All I have to say is, for a guy who supposedly has 10,000 readers, 183 votes ain't much.

-- I'll be honest, I almost forgot that forward Joe Smith still plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Smith is a nice fellow, but what a disappointing career.

-- It's interesting that when Kevin Garnett goes nuts and Wally Szczerbiak or Troy Hudson get shut down, the Timberwolves lose. One general manager told me, "You can't stop Garnett, but you CAN stop everyone else on that team. So most teams just leave Garnett alone. It's already been proven he can't do it alone." To Garnett's credit, he never gets too frustrated, and he always keeps his teammates involved, offering them moral support no matter how bad things get. My pick for MVP.

-- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Clippers may be interested in hiring Lenny Wilkens as their next coach. Wilkens is expected to be let go by the Raptors at the end of the season. If true, it would be a good move for the Clippers, who have loads of talent but little idea of how to put it all together. Wilkens is 65, but who cares? Just look at what 69-year old Hubie Brown is doing in Memphis.

-- You have to love Chicago guard Jalen Rose. He's become one of the league's best leaders and most underrated talents, and he seems to enjoy playing with all the young guys on the Bulls. Rose is still young enough to lead the Bulls into the playoffs, and I wouldn't be surprised if they get there soon.

-- I finally understand why Michael Jordan tried to work out a trade for Bulls point guard Jamal Crawford. Crawford is tall, athletic, and a good ballhandler and defender. He also knows how to score. Does this mean Jay Williams is on the trading block? I know a lot of Bulls fans who hope so (and a couple others who don't).

-- Eddy Curry has become everything the Bulls hoped for when they made him the No. 4 pick in the 2001 draft. He's been aggressive and productive, and is slowly becoming one of the league's top centers in a league short on top centers.

-- I don't follow college basketball very much, but I'm excited to see what becomes of Marquette guard Dwyane Wade once he gets to the NBA. Wade reminds me a lot of Milwaukee's Desmond Mason, as Wade is extremely athletic and a true basketball junkie. He's the type of kid who loses a game, then heads straight to the gym to improve himself. There aren't many of those left.

-- Be sure to check out Memphis Commercial-Appeal columnist Geoff Calkins' wonderful piece on Grizzlies GM Jerry West. West can relate to today's turbulent times, as his brother was killed in the Korean War. Here is a link to the story:

www.gomemphis.com/mca/grizzlies/article/0,1426,MCA_475_1850235,00.html

-- Readers Brian Jones, Steve Ouellete, and a host of others e-mailed to correct me for writing that Detroit guard Chauncey Billups was drafted by the Nuggets. Billups was actually drafted by the Boston Celtics.

-- ABC's pre-game show drives me nuts. First of all, there needs to be more player features and less banter between analysts Tom Tolbert and Bill Walton. I mean, must EVERYTHING be modeled after "Pardon The Interruption"? Secondly, the network needs to lose the "fans" behind the studio. Those people are actually paid by ABC to stand, cheer and act excited that the NBA is in their town. In other words, not only is the screaming annoying, it's not even genuine. Having said that, the actual game coverage by ABC and ESPN is the best I've seen. Kevin Frazier is still the best studio host; Sean Elliott still the top analyst.

-- Tim Hardaway, of course, is the best analyst to have returned to the NBA. Hardaway should give Indiana what Mark Jackson did in 2000, when the Pacers reached the Finals. Hardaway provides leadership, and most of all, big-game playoff experience. But I can't help but wonder if other players might be mad at him for some of the things he said on ESPN. Goodness knows, if an NBA team ever signed me, about 12 seconds would elapse before I wound up on the ugly end of a flagrant foul.

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