Clearing up the facts about the Hawks' failed attempt to negotiate a contract extension for Josh Childress and where the Hawks go from here:

Q. What was the Hawks' final offer to Childress, and did they ever raise the stakes after realizing that there was a chance he would leave for Europe?

A. The Hawks offered a five-year deal with a starting salary slightly above the NBA's $5.5 million mid-level exception that would have totaled $33 million over the life of the contract. They never formally raised their offer, and if they planned on doing so at the 11th hour, it was already too late.

Q. Did Childress' camp sideswipe the Hawks, or were the Hawks aware that he might pursue his options on the international market?

A. One of his Childress' agents, Lon Babby, answered that question on a conference call Wednesday morning, "We didn't sneak out of town. We were in touch with the Hawks on a daily basis. There was an ongoing dialogue. There was nothing melodramatic about how the process unfolded. That's the reality of it. They were fully prepared for our decision."

Q. Was there no viable sign-and-trade option for the Hawks that would have allowed them to receive some sort of compensation for Childress?

A. Babby, again, answered that question during the conference call: "I don't know how much I want to get involved with the details. We explored all possible options, and we never even came close to coming to conclusion on any kind of sign-and-trade. Why those discussions failed is kind of beyond the point."

Q. By not signing Childress, do the Hawks get any sort of salary-cap relief to pursue other players to replace him?

A. By retaining Childress' NBA rights there are salary-cap implications the Hawks have to contend with where he is concerned. Since his qualifying for the upcoming season was just $4.8 million, the Hawks don't even have the full mid-level exception to work with in finding his replacement. But the Hawks still have options and can pursue available free agents and can trade for players who could fill the role Childress played on this team.

Q. Does Childress' bolting for Europe have any impact on the Hawks' ability retain the services of Josh Smith?

A. None whatsoever. Other than being draft classmates and friends, the negotiations for each player were on totally separate tracks. The Hawks can still offer Smith the longest terms (six years as opposed to five), most lucrative and the most incentives of any NBA team. But the Hawks' negotiations with Smith don't appear to be in any better shape than their talks with Childress were before Wednesday morning.