Michael Lee of the AJC writes that so much appeared to be changing in the short regime of coach Terry Stotts. The Hawks took good care of the ball, their defensive intensity was high and so was the morale.

But in Stotts' third game, they looked like the same old Hawks. They reverted to old form Monday night, leaving the Miami Heat with easy lanes to the basket, wide open perimeter jumpers and a tasty assortment of turnovers. It all amounted to a 93-84 loss, the Hawks' 10th in a row on the road.

In the NBA, it's about respect. To follow, players have to believe in the man leading them.

Not that the players didn't respect Lon Kruger, but on one level, Terry Stotts has an advantage that Kruger could not claim.

"He's been with winning franchises for a decade. You can't knock that type of experience," said Hawks reserve forward Darvin Ham, who spent the past three years in Milwaukee, where Stotts was an assistant for George Karl. "He's a big part of the success [Karl had]. A lot of times George relied on him for support in tough times -- I'm sure in Seattle and I know for sure in Milwaukee. Lon was a phenomenal college coach, but the college game and the pro game are two different things.

Coming back from celebrating Christmas in the northeast Georgia mountains with his wife, Jan, new Hawks coach Terry Stotts had his whole day planned Thursday. He'd work out. Watch game film. Practice at 6 p.m."It got shot," Stotts said of his plans. Shot, in a good way.

Hawks general manager Pete Babcock fired Lon Kruger and promoted Stotts for the duration of the season, in hopes that he will fulfill Kruger's guarantee and lead the Hawks into the playoffs. Stotts said he was disappointed to see Kruger dismissed after an 11-16 start -- "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Lon," he said -- but he has desired to be an NBA head coach for years.

Stotts was assistant under George Karl in the CBA and NBA for 12 of the past 13 seasons, following him from Seattle (1993-98) to Milwaukee (1998-02) before parting ways this summer. On Friday, Stotts discussed his plans for the Hawks.

His first day on the job, new Hawks coach Terry Stotts proved that he could make a tough decisions -- Jason Terry is his point guard . . . and his shooting guard.

Stotts said that he would try to mix things up, and he did, inserting 5-foot-10 point guard Mike Wilks into the starting lineup three days after he was called up from the NBDL and moving Terry to the two.

Out of box? Yep. Effective? You bet.

Terry hit an off-balance 18-footer at the buzzer to give Stotts and the Hawks an 81-79 win against the San Antonio Spurs. Terry finished with 15 points and seven assists, and after his game-winning jumper, he was mobbed at halfcourt by his teammates.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim had 27 points and 11 rebounds, and Glenn Robinson added 18 and 8 boards for the Hawks (12-16), who head off to Washington to play the Wizards today.

Lon Kruger was convinced he could win in the NBA with a smile and an easy manner, and get the best out of his players with a positive attitude.

He was wrong.

As a result, the head coach who guaranteed the Hawks would make the playoffs this season won't be around to see it if they do. The Hawks, who haven't made the postseason since 1999, fired Kruger Thursday. The team also dismissed assistant coach Gar Heard.

Terry Stotts, who joined Kruger's coaching staff this season, takes over for the rest of the season.

Terry Stotts parted with veteran NBA coach George Karl after a 14-year association because he was no closer to being a head coach than when he started with him. It took 27 games with the Hawks before he inherited a struggling team from Lon Kruger.

The Hawks were 11-16 when general manager Pete Babcock pulled the plug on his sinking ship Thursday.

Now the job belongs to Stotts, who joined the Hawks prior to this season from the Milwaukee Bucks.

The coach has changed, but the ambition remains the same, according to the one player who performed at maximum level under Lon Kruger.

"It is more a reflection of us failing him than him failing us," forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim said of Kruger's firing Thursday. "It's easier to replace the coach.

"But this doesn't change our mind-set, our goals, our confidence or belief in making the playoffs. There's still time to make the playoffs."

RealGM.com's Hawks Affiliate Jason Walker reports that Lon Kruger will be fired by the Hawks tonight at a 8:00PM EST press conference. The press conference will follow a 6:00PM EST practice session.

Walker reports that assistant coach Terry Stotts will be named the interm head coach.

"We just fell back into a poor effort," general manager Pete Babcock said in announcing the changes Thursday night. "I didn't want to make a change on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and I tried to convince myself it still could work. But we're not maximizing our potential, and we needed to do this."

"I think Lon is a great coach," Babcock added. "It didn't work out here. There were reasons, and Lon shouldn't take the blame for what happened. He has great qualities. We thought it would work and that he would be the head coach for a long time to come."

Kruger was joined on the unemployment line by assistant coach Gar Heard.  With talent such as Glenn Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jason Terry and Theo Ratliff at his disposal it is not a stretch to say that the Hawks have thus far underachieved this season, one which Kruger had previously promised a playoff appearance.

Jeffrey Denberg of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes that although Kruger was not present for the news conference, he did note that the NBA is vastly different from the platform of college where he was previously successful with Kansas State, Florida and Illinois.

"At this level it's a players' game, and you don't have the opportunity to affect things as much as you would in college," Kruger said.

"In college the coach can have a great effect on the outcome of games. But the truth is, at the pro level, the better players you have, the better you will be. You can close that gap a little more in college . . . But at the pro level the players really determine things more."

"While this decision is bittersweet, and while I would have liked for it to occur under different circumstances, this is an opportunity I'm very excited about," said Stotts on his new position.

Michael Lee of the Atlants Journal-Constitution reports that Saturday was a good news/bad news day for The Hawks? Emanuel Davis.

Davis was placed into the starting lineup in place of Glenn Robinson who sat out with a stiff back. It was Davis? first start of the season. It will also be his last start of the season.

With less than five minutes left in the second period, Davis was backpedaling on defense near the elbow of the free throw line. He jumped to read a pass from 76ers point guard Eric Snow, but when Davis landed he rolled over in pain. Allen Iverson hit a running one-hander on the play as Davis was on his back pounding the floor in agony with his left shoe.

Teammates Darvin Ham and Alan Henderson carried Davis to the locker room.

The diagnosis: a torn right achilles tendon. Team physician Mike Bernot said he will be out six to eight months.

It has been three months -- Sept. 21 if you are counting, and this eager man-child can't help counting -- since his big Mercedes smashed into a tree and exploded. Three months since he came within a fraction of an inch, literally, of becoming a quadriplegic.

Even in the darkest times DerMarr Johnson could manage a smile, and on a Tuesday night when he is in Philips Arena surrounded by the game he loves and the people who are such an integral part of his life, the 22-year-old Atlanta Hawks guard can talk health with an ailing friend and then switch back to his own condition.