Lang Whitaker is many things - executive editor of Slam Magazine, a columnist for SI.com, and most importantly, a die-hard Hawks fan. For 2007-08 , Lang will be sharing his thoughts on the team in an exclusive column for Hawks.com. Check back every Wednesday throughout the season to read his latest musings, and read him every day at www.SLAMonline.com

"The Trade"
by Lang Whitaker

Sorry I'm a little late this week. Admit it: You thought I was a throw-in in the Bibby deal. If The Last Word had shown up this week on kings.com, you wouldn't have been shocked. I'd be over there extolling the virtues of Ron Artest and Kevin Martin, talking about how trading away Mike Bibby was a sign that we were building for the future. But I'm not. Thanks to some last-minute wrangling from my agent, I'm still a member of Hawks.com, and let me tell you, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else, yes, even after those Lakers and Kings losses.

Last weekend I was in New Orleans for the All-Star festivities. After a late night on Friday (thanks to Jordan Brand and ESPN), I was up and at 'em early on Saturday, and I bumped into my fellow Hawks chronicler Sekou Smith in the hotel lobby. He told me about the Bibby deal (from hereafter called The Trade), which was a few hours from being announced. By lunchtime, my Sidekick was blowing up with texts and emails from people wondering if it was true. Were the Hawks really about to, gasp, take on salary and make a real run at instant respectability? Yessir!

The funny thing about Mike Bibby is that I've never much liked him as a player. He was on a short list of guys I didn't care for, along with Kobe, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Brandon Roy…actually, there's about a dozen more guys who belong as well. It's nothing personal—I know most of those guys and they're all great dudes—but it was completely professional. Notice the one thing all those guys have in common? Yeah, they're all really, really good. And it bothered me that they were a) so good, and b) not on my team. Now Bibby is on my team, so he moves off that list. Once we trade for Kobe he'll become a personal favorite as well.

Now I find myself face to face with Mike Bibby, the point guard for my Atlanta Hawks. And it's not going to be easy to get used to this, for me or the players on the Hawks. Just watching the losses to the Lakers and the Kings, it was obvious that the remaining Hawks weren't quite sure what to do with Bibby on the floor, and I'm guessing it works in reverse, as well—Bibby looked a little out of pocket, as well.

Once the Hawks get all healed up and start to play like a team, I'm expecting great things, including a Playoff berth. For all the times I urged patience for Mike Woodson, noting that the Hawks weren't really a complete team, that time is up. We finally got ourselves a point guard.

Now let's see what kind of team we've got.

MAILING IT IN…

This week we hear from reader Peter, who wrote (before The Trade)…

Mr. Lang,

You keep saying 3-point shooter. How about Kapono for Marvin Williams...I just hope the Hawks don't sit on their hands like they usually do. It is sickening to see the Western Conference get better.

When the Hawks went on a win streak in December they were playing more guys and using guys to their strength. I think the coach has been gripping and not letting this team play to their strength which is uptempo.

Now he rotates about 7-8 players......He used to go about 9-10 players deep. This team is like Voltron they all have their elements worth noting.

Honestly, I think there are way too many weird lineup combinations - no wonder we cannot get any consistency.

Should I expect to see something happen this season, or should I expect more disappointment?

Well, something's gonna happen. It's been tough to find a rotation, mainly because these Hawks have a ridiculous spate of injuries (which immediately bit Mike Bibby, too). These things, however, one day will pass. And then we'll find out what kind of team we've got.

Lang Whitaker is the executive editor of SLAM magazine and writes daily at SLAMonline.com. He can be reached at lang@harris-pub.com. The best email he receives each week will run in this column.