Fri, Aug 19, 2005 at 12:00am

HAWKS LAND JOE JOHNSON

The Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Joe Johnson from the Phoenix Suns for guard Boris Diaw-Riffiod and two conditional first-round draft picks.

What does it give the Atlanta Hawks
A big, talented guard who will take over as their on-court leader and hopefully help the Hawks turn the corner onto Respectability Road. No team has been worse than Atlanta's the past couple of seasons and with Johnson they're going high-risk, high-reward: Johnson hasnât proven he can play point guard full time and his $70 Million price tag is a bit of a stretch. Co-owner Steve Belkin resigned over the deal so it was far from a no-brainer. If it pans out, the Hawks will field one of the NBA's tallest and most athletic, versatile line-ups with the 6-8 Johnson running the point, 6-8 Josh Childress playing shooting guard, two 6-9 forwards in Josh Smith and Al Harrington and a 6-11 center in Zaza Pachulia. If it all doesn't pan out, this will be yet another misstep in a long line of them by the Hawks.

What does it give the Phoenix Suns
Two first-rounders which will likely bring talented players, and a prospect in Diaw-Riffiod who brings a skill-set similar to Johnson's. The Suns liked Johnson and hoped he would stay, but he reportedly wanted to run his own team and the $70 Million was a bit pricey. Phoenix prepared for Johnson's departure with the signings of free agent Raja Bell and rookie Dijon Thompson, and with Jim Jackson still around and Lendro Barbosa improving the Suns could afford to let Johnson go. And then there's Diaw-Riffiod, who like Johnson is in his early 20's and is an athletic 6-foot-8 former first-rounder known for his playmaking and defensive skills. Johnson may become an all-star, but the Suns did just fine in this deal.

Fantasy impact