• BRIGHT FUTURE: If former Hawks forward Shelden Williams was looking for a mentor, he found one in rugged Sacramento forward Ron Artest. One of the NBA's most physical and intimidating performers, Artest said he's going to take Williams under his wing and help bring out the former No. 5 pick's physical side. "I like him," Artest said before Wednesday's game at Arco Arena. "He knows how to play. Now I'm going to teach him a few tricks and turn him loose on some people. Because he's got the size, strength and the skills he needs to be effective. He just needs somebody to help him with the little things."

• ROTATIONS: If Mike Bibby's right heel injury lingers Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he might be forced to tinker with his playing rotation to make sure he keeps Bibby as fresh as possible. "I'm not going to play him for long stretches to make sure he has something at the end of games," Woodson said. "My concern is that we always praise our bench, but now that it's changed dramatically, we've got to make sure we're getting the production we need there. They were great against [the Lakers, in a loss] Tuesday night. But we have to make sure we have all those guys giving us what they can if we've got some things that still need to be worked out with our first unit."

• ROAD TRIP: The Hawks are taking NBA road trips to another level with their scheduled plans for today. They're staying over in Sacramento after the game against the Kings, practicing at Arco Arena this afternoon and then boarding charter buses for the 85-mile drive to San Francisco for Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors. "It ought to be a real adventure," Josh Smith said. "I'd tell you I'm really looking forward to it. But that would be a lie."