The Hawks are not among the seven NBA teams with actual coaching vacancies, but most observers say a coaching change is more likely than not with a new owner about to come on board. The question, of course, is when?

Neither current management nor sources close to the team are at liberty to address the issue. Thus, the basketball staff is spending its time busily planning for the NBA Draft on June 26, including preparations to go to the Chicago scouting camp Tuesday through Friday.

It's possible, though not likely, the approval transfer from AOL Time Warner to car tycoon David McDavid may not be completed by draft day. So given the circumstances under which the Hawks now operate, if McDavid wants to hire a new coach and staff, it is hard to imagine the big-name candidates will hang around that long without an under-the-table agreement.

The stars of a deep pool of coaching prospects are the ones who have already shown they can be successful. Frozen in place until their sale is completed, the Hawks may find they have no choice but to stay with the current staff because all of the most attractive candidates could be gone.

Though reports out of Philadelphia indicated the 76ers were interested in Kentucky's Tubby Smith, who reportedly rejected their overtures, the era of the experiment with college coaches seems all but over. What Rick Pitino and John Calipari knocked sideways, Lon Kruger knocked dead.

Therefore, the Hawks' best hope among the proven talent may be Mike Dunleavy, who was reasonably successful in two of his three coaching stops.

The former NBA guard, who played at South Carolina under Frank McGuire, took the Lakers to the NBA finals in 1991. After one more season in L.A., Dunleavy bolted for Milwaukee and a four-year disaster when he failed to turn around the Bucks for Herb Kohl. A survivor, he moved to Portland, where he battled for a time with Isaiah Rider, winning 59 and 50 games, respectively, his last two seasons.

A Houston resident whose son Michael was a rookie with Golden State last season, Dunleavy's reputation appears to be reasonably strong, especially given the large number of available candidates. But he could also get a look from Houston and Philadelphia.