Harrington

As a wide-eyed 18-year-old rookie with the Indiana Pacers in 1998-99, Harrington shared a locker room with Reggie Miller, Chris Mullin, Sam Perkins, Dale Davis, Derrick McKey, Mark Jackson and Rik Smits.

"The things I've learned from them I can pass on to the young guys that we just drafted. I've been there before and I know they are going to be looking for direction," said Harrington, who averaged 13.3 points and 6.4 rebounds, both career-bests, last season. "The biggest thing I am going to preach is that defense can keep you in every game."

Harrington has his own adjustment to worry about as well. Never a full-time starter in six seasons, he will be leaned on as a starting forward and go-to guy.

"I'm going to have to be mentally stronger," he said. "(In Indiana), I could rely on Ron (Artest) and Jermaine (O'Neal) to carry us out of games. Now guys are going to be looking at me to do that – it’s going to be an adjustment, but it’s something I look forward to."

Walker

The Hawks have averaged only 30 wins in five seasons during the new millennium, forcing General Manager Billy Knight to engineer a comprehensive overhaul in an attempt to eradicate the can't-win virus.

Knight retained only Boris Diaw, Chris Crawford and Jason Collier from a squad that probably overachieved in winning 28 games last season. After engineering a series of trade-deadline deals – remember Rasheed's Hawks' career? – to clear cap space and net an additional first-round pick, Knight tabbed Josh Childress (6th pick overall) and Josh Smith (17th) as two cornerstones of the future.

Childress, was a First-Team All-America selection at Stanford and Smith, 18, led Oak Hill Academy HS (Va.) to a 38-0 record last season, and will be one of the NBA's most athletic players the second he steps on the floor.

To address the present, Knight hired Larry Brown-protégé Mike Woodson as head coach, and dealt for three-time All-Star Antoine Walker and blossoming star Al Harrington. The team dipped into the free agent pool to reel in former Georgia Tech stars Jon Barry and Kenny Anderson.

Woodson must somehow find a way to impart upon Walker the relentless defensive mindset that carried the Pistons to the NBA Championship. It certainly seems his squad has the offense and the veteran smarts to compete in a division that features expansion Charlotte and two other rebuilding squads in Washington and Orlando.

Only the Shaq-bolstered Heat seem out of reach for the now-compliant Hawks in the Southeast, but they don't hand out automatic playoff berths for second place.