Editing Atlanta Hawks (section)

=== 1996–2001: Dikembe Mutombo era ===
During the off-season, shot-blocking All-Star center [[Dikembe Mutombo]] signed a 5-year, $55 million deal with the Hawks.

The Hawks finished the 1995–96 season with a 46–36 record, fourth in the Central Division. Midway through the season, they acquired [[Christian Laettner]] from the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]]; Laettner would get an All-Star appearance in 1997. They upset the third-seeded Pacers in the first round in five games; however, lost in five games to the [[Orlando Magic]] in the semifinals.

Around this time, it was decided that the Omni should be replaced by a new arena. The Omni was designed with [[weathering steel]] that was intended to rust into a seal around the arena so it could last for decades. However, the designers and architects did not reckon on Atlanta's humid subtropical climate. As a result, it never stopped rusting, and looked somewhat dated despite being 25 years old. When Turner won an NHL franchise, the [[Atlanta Thrashers]], one condition was that a new arena had to be in place before the new team took the ice for the first time, as The Omni was unusable even for temporary use. Eventually, it was decided that The Omni would be demolished and a new arena for the Hawks and the expansion NHL Thrashers would be built on the same area. Following the 1997 playoffs, the Hawks moved back to Georgia Tech's Alexander Memorial Coliseum, with the [[Georgia Dome]] used for larger-capacity games, until [[Philips Arena]] opened before the 1999–2000 season.
[[File:Lipofsky-Dikembe Mutombo (cropped).jpg|thumb|Dikembe Mutombo (shown in 2001) was the face of the Hawks during the mid to late 90s]]
The Hawks had two 50+ win seasons in 1996–97 (56–26) and 1997–98 (50–32), with center [[Dikembe Mutombo]] winning defensive player of the year awards back to back. The Hawks defeated the [[Detroit Pistons]] in five games in the first round of the 1997 NBA playoffs, but lost in five games in the second round to the defending champs [[Chicago Bulls]]. Game 4, an 89–80 loss, would be the last game at The Omni. In 1997–98, forward [[Alan Henderson]] won Most Improved Player award. However, the Hawks would lose in four games in the first round of the playoffs to the [[Charlotte Hornets]]. The Hawks would end up with a 31-win campaign in the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season. In the first round they defeated the Pistons in five games again, but they could not advance past the second round of the playoffs, as they were swept by the eighth-seeded [[New York Knicks]].

In the [[1999–2000 NBA season|1999–2000 season]], their first season at Philips Arena, the Hawks traded [[Steve Smith (basketball)|Steve Smith]] to [[Portland Trail Blazers|Portland]] for [[Isaiah Rider]] and [[Jim Jackson (basketball)|Jim Jackson]], and sent [[Mookie Blaylock]] and a first-round draft pick to the [[Golden State Warriors]] for [[Bimbo Coles]] and a first-round draft pick. Smith and Blaylock had been two of the Hawks' most popular players during the 1990s, and Smith had recently been awarded the [[J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award]] for his charitable endeavors, as well as being selected in the [[1998 NBA All-Star Game]]. By contrast, Rider had a history of behavioral problems both on and off the court. Rider's troubled conduct continued after his arrival in Atlanta. Rider missed the first day of training camp and was late for two games. After reports that he smoked [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] in an [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]] hotel room during a January road trip, the league demanded that he attend drug counseling, and fined him a total of $200,000 until he agreed to go. When he showed up late for a March game, the Hawks released him.<ref>[http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2000/aug/04/510593978.html Archive for August 4, 2000Las Vegas Sun<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930035055/http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/text/2000/aug/04/510593978.html |date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref> The Smith/Rider trade sent the Hawks into a downward spiral. After only missing the playoffs four times since 1977, they fell to seventh place in the Central Division with a 28–54 record; they would not return to the playoffs for eight years.