Today's roundup takes us down the (mis)information highway, where Chad Ford takes shots at the Hawks front office (the real one, not here at HFO). HFO gets down to business and gets a response from one of the Hawks owners.

Also, with Thursday's interesting decision by the Clippers not to match the Suns offer to Q Richardson and then trading for Kerry Kittles, the free agency of Erick Dampier has taken yet another financial hit. What now?

Finally, we look at the sudden interest in Travis Hansen and sees Josh Smith taking his first real (community) steps with the Hawks.

Failing to complete a trade this offseason, the Knicks are believed to have greatly increased their chances of acquiring one of their main targets when they exchanged Nazr Mohammed with Kurt Thomas in the team's proposed sign and trade for Warrior Erick Dampier, the New York Daily News is reporting.

The deal on the table for Golden State GM Chris Mullin to consider now consists of Thomas and Othella Harrington for Dampier.

The Knicks, Pacers and Grizzlies have all been vying for Dampier but are over the cap, while the Atlanta Hawks are under the cap and have made an offer to the free agent center according to sources.

Stephen Jackson was very relieved when he finally signed a six-year, $38 million contract in a sign-and-trade deal that sent him to Indiana.

Jackson's agent Dan Fegan was heavily criticized when Jackson declined a multi-year deal from the San Antonio Spurs before last season and took a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

"In some respects it was a really difficult decision because it was met with such widespread criticism," Fegan said.  "When you have the confidence in your own abilities and the confidence in your client's abilities, you can make it work."

Instead of firing Fegan as many wanted him to, Jackson stuck with his agent, finished the season on fire and signed the big contract to play in Indiana where he always wanted to be.

"There was some friction" - with Jackson - "but one of the truly amazing things about Steve is his resiliency. He's able to just bounce back. He handles adversity better than any person that I've just about ever met. He almost thrives on it in ways you can't teach people."

The trade rumors are still swirling around Warrior big man Erick Dampier.  And now with the Warrior?s recent acquisition of forward/center Dale Davis, it seems even more likely that Dampier will be dealt.

The question now becomes?to whom?

The Knicks have pursued Dampier the most intensely and were prepared to offer him a six-year deal starting at $9 million per season.  The Van Exel deal could affect the Knicks and their bid to pull off a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would contain Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.

The Hawks are also very interested; however they are unwilling to spend as much as the Knicks even though they have about $12-million in cap space to spend.

His options, however, are dwindling. The Memphis Grizzlies and Indiana were also interested in Dampier, but the Warriors reportedly wanted Stromile Swift from the Grizzlies or Jonathan Bender from the Pacers, two players those teams are unwilling to part with.

Given all the scenarios, the Knicks seem to have the upper-hand.  And with the free-agent frenzy that inflated many contract salaries now over, they might get him for a better price than originally expected.

Erick Dampier flew to Salt Lake City to talk to the Hawks' brass, including GM Billy Knight and VP Dominique Wilkins.

Knicks president Isiah Thomas is awaiting these discussions, hoping finally to upgrade his team's roster.

Because they're offering Dampier more money right now, the Knicks appear in solid position to land the Warriors' 6-foot-11 unrestricted free agent, a big and talented body to throw up against Shaquille O'Neal in the East.

The Hawks are under the salary cap and could still trump the Knicks' offer with a $74.1 million deal.  But the sense it that they will not.  

It's uncertain if a sign-and-trade deal is in place for Dampier.  Mullin said that the Knicks are not the only team he's talking to:  "We're talking to several other teams. When something becomes clear, we're going to regroup and move from there."

Newsday's Greg Logan reports that even though Atlanta officials met with free agent center Erick Dampier yesterday, they are expected to leave him to the New York Knicks and shift their sights to restricted Grizzly free agent Stromile Swift.

Meanwhile Chris Mullin, general manager Dampier's Golden State Warriors, denied published reports which stated an agreement was in place with the Knicks should that be Dampier's preferred location, with big men Othella Harrington and Nazr Mohammed heading to the bay area.

"It's all speculation," Mullin told Bay Area reporters at a news conference introducing Warriors point guard Derek Fisher. "Nothing is imminent right now ... We're talking to several other teams. When something becomes clear, we're going to regroup and go from there."

The Hawks have cap room to sign Dampier to a maximum contract but Logan writes they may be leery of his work ethic, which is why they are turning their attention to Swift.  New York is offering Dampier a contract starting at $9 million per season.

Golden State center Erick Dampier met with Atlanta Hawks general manager Billy Knight and new coach Mike Woodson on Monday in Salt Lake City, where the Hawks' summer league team is playing.

According to David Aldridge, it is unlikely that Dampier would accept Atlanta's offer, which is approximately $1 million less per season than what the Knicks offered to him.

The Knicks have structured a sign-and-trade deal with the Warriors that would have Golden State sign Dampier to a six-year contract, starting at $9 million per season, and then trade him to New York for forwards Nazr Mohammed and Othella Harrington.

Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks received some good news Sunday when the Golden State Warriors accepted their offer of Nazr Mohommed and Othella Harrington for a signed and traded Erick Dampier, but will Dampier choose the Knicks over the Atlanta Hawks?

That is the decision facing the 7 foot monster who meets with Hawks officials today in Atlanta.  The Knicks want Dampier to meet them in New York tomorrow before he makes his decision, which according to the New York Post could come as soon as today.

The Knicks are reportedly offering Dampier a six year contract starting at $9 million, while the Hawks can sign him to a maximum salaried contract with cap room.  New York, via the sign and trade, have the luxury of a seventh year to offer if need be.

"Erick wants to win a championship and the Knicks are definitely in the mix," said Ed Jones, Dampier's business manager and director of his kids foundation.

The Post reports that the Warriors were also pressing for Nick Van Exel to be included as part of a bigger deal, but Thomas was not interested.  It is believed that the Knicks boss is still interested in the Bulls Jamal Crawford who is younger, bigger, and improving.  However Harrington was a big part of the package being offered to Chicago which will make things harder for the Knicks.

The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks completed the trade Thursday which will send Al Harrington to the Hawks for a freshly signed Stephen Jackson, ESPN is reporting.

The trade helps both players, with Harrington tired of coming off the bench in Indiana and Jackson looking for security.

"Al made it very clear that he wanted to start," Bird said. "We had an opportunity to pick up a young man who fills a need on our team and we feel very honored. If you're going to get rid of somebody good, you better get somebody good in return and we did that."

Jackson, who averaged 18.1 points for the Hawks last season, can provide the consistent perimeter shooting the Pacers lacked last season.

"This is definitely the place where I wanted to be," Jackson said. "Just finally being able to be a part of it, being secure, being able to take care of my family and that I have another chance to get a championship, it's an ideal situation here. This is the perfect opportunity for me and I'm in the best position I could be."

The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to terms with their own free agent center Jason Collier today. Collier will sign a two-year contract worth $3.2 million.

Picked up by the Hawks last season on a series of ten day contracts before being signed for the remainder of the season, Collier was on the verge of being run out of the league. Collier was the 15th overall selection by the Houston Rockets in the 2000 NBA Draft, but never averaged more than 4.2 points per game in 3 seasons with the Rockets. He was released by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the preseason during their 2003 training camp, before hooking up with the Hawks to average 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds in 20 games, 16 of them starts. Collier, a 7-footer, is an alum of Georgia Tech.