"I think the trade results speak for themselves."

That was Steve Belkin's terse but telling response by e-mail to a request for comment on the Hawks' dismal season and whether he feels vindicated in his opposition to last summer's trade for Joe Johnson.

The trade ? Boris Diaw and two future first-round draft picks to Phoenix for Johnson ? triggered a bitter battle within the Hawks' ownership group. Belkin opposed the deal because, he said at the time, the Hawks were giving up too much of their future. His fellow owners contended Belkin actually opposed the trade because he didn't want to spend the money required by a five-year, $70 million contract for Johnson.

After a showdown in a Boston courtroom ? where Belkin's lawyer said Johnson's price was too high and the other owners' lawyer compared Johnson's value to the Hawks to Larry Bird's to the Celtics in the 1980s ? the trade went through and Belkin agreed to sell his stake in the Hawks and Thrashers to his partners.

That sale, for a price to be determined by an ongoing series of appraisals, isn't expected to close until February, Belkin has said.

Meanwhile, the contentious trade has generated renewed buzz around the NBA because of the Hawks' futility and Diaw's improved play in Phoenix.

Johnson, who has struggled as a point guard, is averaging 18.2 points, 5.1 assists and 4 rebounds per game. Diaw, as an undersized starting center, is averaging 10.8 points, 6.5 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game. The key stat, though: The Hawks are 2-16.