Hawks center Theo Ratliff is expected to come home today from New York, where he played in the EBC streetball tournament in Rucker Park. He said he plans to congratulate Hawks coach Terry Stotts and general manager Billy Knight, now that the two have been retained.

Ratliff also likely will make this request of Knight: Bring in some veterans.

"We have had all young guys here. When you try to have all young guys lead your team, it's a disaster," Ratliff said. "We need a veteran guy at the point guard or the [shooting] guard."

Ratliff, 30, will be entering his ninth season as a pro. He led the league in blocked shots for the second time in his career with 3.23 rejections per game and averaged 8.7 points, 7.5 rebounds in 81 games --- the most he has played in five seasons. He admits that losing in Atlanta the past two seasons has been difficult.

"You want to win, be competitive and play the game the way it's supposed to be played," Ratliff said. "I don't think that's been stressed enough since I've been here. With a veteran guy, you have somebody else to speak up when things aren't going right. Not just me. It doesn't work if it's just me all the time."

One possibility Ratliff suggested was free agent and former Hawk Steve Smith, who recently won a championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs.

"He knows the game, what it takes to win --- the extra things it takes to be a better team," Ratliff said.

Contacted by phone in his hometown of Detroit, Smith reiterated his interest in returning to the Hawks, especially since they finally have some structure in place despite delays in the sale of the team. Smith has had talks with Denver and Miami, but said,"I still have the most interest in Atlanta."