Clutchcity:

Stop the presses. Kelvin Cato had a good game.

And it wasn't preaseason.

The enigmatic big man, knocked hard for his lazy play and poor attitude, grabbed 12 rebounds to go with 9 points, took a pivotal charge on Shareef Abdur-Rahim late in overtime and nailed a huge jumper with 1:31 left in the extra period to help the Rockets beat the Hawks 89-84 in the Compaq Center.

Entering the new season, the Hawks figured they would be able to score with the new pieces in place in the lineup. During their first night, however, the struggled offensively like the Hawks of old.

The Hawks shot less than 37 percent from the field and missed several scoring opportunities down the stretch in an 89-84 overtime loss to the Rockets. In his first regular-season game as a Hawk, Marietta native Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 28 points and 18 rebounds but also committed three of his six turnovers during key moments at the end of regulation and the early moments of overtime.

"I have to be stronger with the ball," Abdur-Rahim said. "I can do better. No excuses."

The Hawks didn't receive much scoring help from Jason Terry, who scored six points on 2-of-9 shooting in 42 minutes. Theo Ratliff, playing in his first regular-season game since being acquired from Philadelphia in February, scored 12 points.

Watching the Hawks struggle to generate offense was downright scary as the Rockets tried to combat Abdur-Rahim's scoring with a zone defense that forced the guards to shoot from the perimeter. They looked for a second scorer to step up, and coach Lon Kruger went 11 deep searching for an answer.

OK, folks. It is now safe to enter Philips Arena during the NBA season and not worry about yawning yourself to death. Here is a Hawks team to like or maybe to love, but let's hold your hugs and kisses for a moment.

Defense? Forget about it. The Hawks will have Theo Ratliff as a shot-blocking machine in the middle of their likely eternal zone under the league's new rules. Otherwise, this will be an offensively minded bunch with just hopes of keeping the scoreboard from exploding for the other guys.

You also have this problem for the Hawks involving beef and bulk. They don't have any. All you need to know is that Nazr Mohammed is among the few Hawks who won't fly across the court after a chest bump from Shaq or Karl.

And, as is the case for most teams, health is a concern for the Hawks. They'll always have the various aches of Toni Kukoc, owner of a creaky back and foot problems. Ratliff joined the Hawks last February after a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, but he missed the rest of the season with a damaged wrist. Although Ratliff's wrist is fine, he currently is recovering from hip problems.

Want to know what Atlanta Hawks' coach Lon Kruger thinks of his current squad and their changes this year?  Read his interview with writer Jeffrey Denberg from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution here.

Four of them are Southerners, two of them hometown legends in their time.

Meet Theo Ratliff of Alabama and Cal Bowdler of Warsaw. That's in Virginia. And Dion Glover and Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Marietta.

Jacque Vaughn is from Pasadena, an All-American at Kansas who reads Whitman and Frost and Angelou and Sylvia Plath. On long night flights, he will take out a pen and write his own.

Hanno Mottola comes from Finland by way of the University of Utah and Toni Kukoc is from the rocky Adriatic coastal city of Split in Croatia.

They are as diverse as society and as companionable as you could imagine for a team with 11 new faces in two seasons. No sly looks in the locker room, none of the destructive whispers from dissident factions. "There are no issues on this team," Jason Terry said.

These are bright men, sociable for the most part, extremely well-paid and aware that they are privileged.

"This team is like America," general manager Pete Babcock said. "It's a melting pot, a little from this part of the world, a little from that. Believe me, it wasn't intentional. We were looking for good people who could play the game. This is how it turned out.

"We've always tried to bring in good people," Babcock said. "We went against our own philosophy once [Isaiah Rider] and we won't do that again."

Strained Back. Tendonitis. Sore Ankle. Left/Right Knee Contusion. Turf Toe.

Those are just some of the "injuries" that have been used over the years to place a player on Injured Reserve. Some are legit, some are the diagnosis of Springfield's resident quack, Dr. Nick Riviera.

Think we're kidding? The Seattle Sonics once placed Moochie Norris on Injured Reserve with Insomnia.

The Houston Chronicle by way of the Bloomberg News gives some insight on the practice of stashing players on the injured list. Over the years, the NBA's injured reserve list has become akin to the NFL's Taxi Squad.

"It's probably as abused as any rule is in the NBA, and has been for many years," said Atlanta Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. "All of this lying is bad for the perception of our sport." Babcock's Hawks are known for placing players on the injured list only if they require the use of a wheelchair and a breathing apparatus.

"The league takes everyone at face value regarding who's hurt and who isn't," said New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn, a former league executive. The Nets, as we all know, haven't had reason to make up fake injuries for several years.

The most common reason for symbolically clubbing a player in the knee with a lead pipe? Most teams have players they don't want to surrender. These players are either handy trade fodder or young players that teams want to groom, just not in a meaningful regular season game.

NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik said league officials are constantly re-evaluating the injured list policy.

"We're not totally happy with that situation," he said.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting that the Atlanta Hawks have picked up the fourth year options on guards Jason Terry and Dion Glover, while Center Cal Bowdler was not so lucky.  Terry had a stellar year last year, averaging close to 20 points per game, and was a certainty to be picked up.  Glover was the third leading scorer on the Hawks squad this preseason, averaging just over 11 per game, and it was fairly certain the Hawks would make this move.

Bowdler, however, has shown little during his time with the Hawks, and while Babcock ensures this does not mean his time with the Hawks is limited it does offer the Hawks flexibility.  Bowdler is not fussed with the Hawks move, or lack thereof, stating he has not 'earned an extension' to this point.

In other Hawks news, the club has announced that forward Alan Henderson will start the season on the injured list with chondromalacia of the right knee.

Jeffery Denburg of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The Hawks renewed the contracts of Jason Terry and Dion Glover Friday, keeping the young guards in the fold through the 2002-03 season.

Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the two receive percentage raises based on the rookie contracts they signed in 1999. Terry, the 10th overall pick, will go from $1.689 million to $2.153 million while Glover, the former Cedar Grove High and Georgia Tech standout who was the 20th selection, will go from $1.027 million to $1.584 million.

The Hawks did not exercise the fourth-year option on center-forward Cal Bowdler. "Purely a business decision," general manager Pete Babcock said.

We want to retain some flexibility," Babcock said. "Right now we have 10 guaranteed contracts for next season. If we picked up the option on Cal that would make 11. This is not to say we won't re-sign him next summer."

Bowdler was not upset by the news.

"I don't have the credentials for an extension," he said. "I haven't earned it and I haven't had a chance to earn, so it's not a problem for me. I plan to be in the league a long, long time."

By not extending Bowdler, however, the Hawks will have an easier time trading him because many teams are looking for players with one-year deals, again to have flexibility. That was the case with Nazr Mohammed, a throw-in last February in the Dikembe Mutombo trade.

The Hawks rallied repeatedly behind 26 points from Shareef Abdur-Rahim and 25 from Jason Terry on Thursday night but could not climb the hill, losing 111-107 in an entertaining exhibition final.

It was 100-96 with 5 1/2 minutes left. With reserves playing down the stretch, both teams finished the preseason 4-4.

"It was a long preseason, and we made it through," Terry said. "Now, it's time to play the games."

Sounding a similar theme, Orlando coach Doc Rivers announced, "We survived preseason, and I am glad it's over."

Last season Toni Kukoc was superb.  He ranked near the top in the league, sixth to be exact at .456, in three point percentage and played brilliantly after being traded midseason with Theo Ratliff for man-mountain Dekembe Mutombo.  In the offseason he had more surgery on his feet in an attempt to relieve chronic plantar fasciaitis which also links to lower back problems when not managed, which he said has reduced the soreness, and he is now running more fluently.

But his shot is not falling and he is frustrated, so why is this happening?  "I spent six months not playing basketball, and the game doesn't come back to you so fast when you are out so long" said Kukoc.  "I'm not trying to do the things I've never done."

Kukoc also mentioned a little thing called timing, and that he hasn't quite got it back yet.  So do not fear Hawks fans, Toni Kukoc is not injured.  He is just playing himself back into basketball shape.