EIGHT-MAN ROTATION
Pos	Player	Key Stat	Skinny
PG	Jason Terry	rookie	Good points, assists, steals this year
SG	Isaiah Rider	13.9 PPG	Points should go back to 18-20 level
SF	LaPhonso Ellis	20 games	Last year a hernia; what injury this time?
PF	Alan Henderson	27 assists	From Most Improved to Most Listless
C	Dikembe Mutombo	12.2 RPG	Consistent, but should be scoring more
PF	Lorenzen Wright	7.5 RPG	Escapes Clipperdom and could emerge
PG	Jimmy Jackson	8.4 PPG	Career 17.5 scorer will see lotta minutes
PG	Bimbo Coles	9.5 PPG	Capable vet is good insurance for Terry

		The Hawks made so many offseason changes. They traded Steve Smith and Mookie Blaylock and brought in a new backcourt. I think it will take them a long time to adjust to a new system. Bringing Isaiah Rider on board is always a challenge for any organization. They gave a big contract to Lorenzen Wright. I don't think the Hawks will be as good this year. They will go with rookie Jason Terry at point guard in the backcourt. They will probably struggle to make the playoffs. It will depend on how quickly they gel. Rider has already had some problems in training camp. His situation is very precarious.

Rider said he'd be in Atlanta at the beginning of September to start training with and getting to know his new teammates. He never showed. Then he blew off media day, to the astonishment of coach Lenny Wilkens but not, apparently, GM Pete Babcock, who said, "We're disappointed, but we're not surprised."

Next, Rider missed the first two days of training camp because, depending on when he was asked, he wouldn't get on a commuter jet ("a crop duster," he called it) or he doesn't want to be on a team that has no chance at the championship.

Ouch!

All this makes for interesting copy, but the truth is, the Hawks knew what they were getting into before they got into it. If Rider helps the team get to the Eastern Conference finals, the Hawks don't particularly care if he's late for practices or skips community appearances.

In fact, short of murder, they will live with Rider's transgressions this year, in the name of unloading Steve Smith's multiyear contract. If the Rider experiment works, the Hawks will offer him a new contract. If it doesn't, they'll have some extra cap room next summer.

But enough of the soap opera. Of the 13 players with guaranteed contracts on the roster, only six were Hawks last season: Dikembe Mutombo, Alan Henderson, Chris Crawford, LaPhonso Ellis, Roshown McLeod and Anthony Johnson. Another three are rookies -- the Hawks came up big in the draft with Jason Terry, Cal Bowdler and Dion Glover.

Atlanta came up just as big in offseason trading, getting Bimbo Coles, Lorenzen Wright, Jim Jackson and Rider for either draft picks or veterans with large, multiyear contracts.

One thing all of the new Hawks have in common is that they can run like crazy, and that's the game plan. Of course, when you ask a young team to run, you have to expect turnovers. Many, many turnovers. So look for the Hawks to play erratically in the early going. But as Jackson says, "I don't think you want to gel and be playing your best basketball in November. You want to be playing your best basketball in March."

Hawks fans hope Jackson's off by a few months; the Hawks really expect to be playing their best ball in June.

	Player to watch
	Wright Who knows how good Lorenzen Wright could have been if he wasn't a Clipper. Two years ago he produced 9 points and 8.8 rebounds, and blocked a few shots as well. Wright and Dikembe Mutombo are twin towers that don't score much, but the potential is there for Wright to score 12 a night. The Lakers saw that, and that's why they coveted him. The Hawks may have a sleeper here.

Point guard
Since he became the Hawks head coach in 1993, Wilkens has been saying he wants to run an uptempo offense. It's a good thing, because Terry, Coles and Johnson will be running with or without permission. If they can dish it off as well, the Hawks will be in great shape.

Although Wilkens won't tip his hand, insisting that starting jobs are won in training camp, it's a foregone conclusion that the starting job is Terry's to lose. Coles will give the Hawks a veteran presence who's willing to do whatever it takes to win. Johnson must perform well early and often to escape 12th-man status.

Shooting guard
It's a whole new ballgame at the 2-spot. Jackson, Rider and Glover are big and athletic, and each has something to prove.

Jackson continues to be haunted by the "selfish" tag hung around his neck by Mavericks coach Don Nelson five NBA stops ago. In his effort to do whatever is necessary to prove he's a bona fide NBA starter, Jackson should be a perfect team player under Wilkens. Rider needs to prove that he isn't just a jerk, something he's struggled with since becoming a Hawk. Glover has the most to prove and the shortest history backing him. Can he possibly be ready for the pros after only a year at Georgia Tech?

All three say they're willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. We'll see.

Small forward
Both Ellis and Crawford return to compete for minutes here. Both players feel they'll start, but only the hustling Crawford played like a starter last year. Meanwhile, Ellis returned to past form, missing 30 games with a hernia.

Amazingly, Crawford, the player with the least glitz and most grit on the team, looks like he could get the starting nod over the fragile Ellis. Wilkens won't forget Crawford's attempt to play through a separated shoulder in the playoffs.

Power forward
Despite injuries that knocked him out of 12 games last season, Henderson was third in scoring (12.5) and second in rebounding (6.6) for the Hawks last year. If he can keep himself healthy, there's no reason to believe Henderson -- the club's reigning veteran with five years of Atlanta service -- won't improve on those numbers this season.

Bowdler, an athletic 6-10 college center who can shoot, regularly hitting college threes, has done nothing but impress in camp. As a big man who can play small, Bowdler could prove invaluable in backing up both forward positions.

Center
Mutombo led the league in total rebounds last season and was fourth in blocked shots (2.94 a game). For such a defensive force in the paint, it's a wonder that Mutombo averaged only 6.8 shots a game. While Wilkens has tried hard to convince Mutombo to be more engaged in the offense, the eight-year veteran fancies himself a short jump shooter, driving his coach and teammates crazy.

Although he's only 23, Wright already has three years of NBA experience. Like Bowdler, Wright is a young player with size and an ability to play more than one position; in this case, Wright will back up the 4- and 5-spots and provide much greater skills there than last year's backup, the black hole Mark West.

Coaching
Contrary to popular belief, Hall of Fame player and coach Wilkens, 62, is the perfect coach for a young team. His patience is unmatched, and he loves teaching the game. Of course, Wilkens loves it more when his players pay attention, absorb what he's teaching and actually execute on the court. Convincing a roster full of young players to do so will be a challenge, especially with Rider setting his dubious examples.

Now in his 27th year as a head coach, Wilkens is the winningest coach in the history of the NBA and figures to rack up another 50-win season this year. His strength is teaching fundamentals; while a Wilkens team might not always have the personnel to be great, it will never be truly bad.

Wilkens' biggest weakness? He expects his players to be as professional as he was as an NBA guard.