Harrington will get his chance in Atlanta

The 24-year-old Harrington will get his chance as a member of the Atlanta Hawks, who acquired the 6-9 forward from the Pacers in a sign-and-trade deal for swingman Stephen Jackson, who was an unrestricted free agent.

Originally selected out of St. Patrick’s High School by the Pacers in the first round (25th pick overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft, Harrington played in 79 contests for Indiana in 2003-04 and averaged career-highs in points (13.3 ppg) and rebounds (6.4 rpg). He started just 15 games and played just under 31 minutes per night. With the Hawks, Harrington will be a fixture in the starting lineup and should see a significant increase in his playing time.

"I want to start by saying thanks to Billy (Knight), Dominique (Wilkins) and Coach (Mike) Woodson for giving me this opportunity," Harrington said at the press conference where he was introduced as a member of the Hawks. "This is something that I’ve been looking for for a long time. I feel like this is a great situation for me, for this city, for this organization and we are going to turn it around quickly."

Over his six-year career, Harrington has played in 354 regular-season games, starting 91, and has averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 boards. He also has significant playoff experience which will help the youthful Hawks as they improve in the upcoming years and try to re-enter postseason play. Harrington played in 25 playoff games for Indiana and averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds in those contests.

"I am finally in a position where I can really be a role model for my teammates - it’s bigger than just starting," said Harrington. "Now I have a lot of responsibilities and these are responsibilities that I have been looking for the last two years of my career. I’m very excited be here and we are going to get it ’poppin’ out here again."

Harrington joins an Atlanta squad that is in the first steps of the re- building process. The Hawks still have guard Jason Terry, who is an offensive threat. The 26-year-old Terry was second on the Hawks in scoring (16.8 ppg) and led the club in assists (5.4 apg) this past season, while Jackson was Atlanta’s leading scorer at 18.1 points per game. Harrington will be asked to surpass Jackson’s offensive production.

"That’s what this team needs, and that’s one of the challenges that I am ready to accept," said Harrington. "I know I am going to be ready, because I know I’ll work hard this summer. I don’t think anyone works harder as me and with that brings confidence in the offensive end and my total game."

The Hawks hope rookie swingman Josh Childress, who was selected out of Stanford with the sixth overall pick by Atlanta in the 2004 NBA Draft, will be able to make an immediate impact. The Hawks feel that they could have a formidable threesome in Childress, Harrington and Terry.

Harrington is ready for the challenge and is happy to be a part of the Atlanta franchise.

"I wanted to come here because I feel like I have a lot more to offer," said Harrington. "Indiana was a great situation, I am going to miss everybody there, but it just came to a point with that team that we just had too many guys. Something had to give and I guess I was the one that was willing to step back and try a new thing. It was a blessing in disguise - it just happened out of nowhere. I am just so happy to be here - I have family here and this is a place that I definitely can make my home."

Atlanta is off to a solid start in re-shaping its franchise. The Hawks still have a long way to go before they are contending for a playoff spot, but building a roster with young and athletic players is a smart way to go.

Harrington wanted a chance to start and he is going to get that opportunity with the Hawks. Not only will he be a starter, but Harrington will be a go-to guy for a team that is starting over. The six-year veteran’s time has come and he will be give the chance to shine in the NBA.

"I have an announcement to make, said Harrington. "Atlanta come out and support us. We are going to turn this thing around and we are going to play hard, give 110%. Just come out, bear with us and I promise that we are going to give maximum effort every night and we are going to make it entertaining."