Babcock Expected to Leave Denver, Join Atlanta as General Manager

Pete Babcock, the off-again, on-again general manager of the Denver Nuggets, will take over as general manager of the Atlanta Hawks in a move expected to be completed Wednesday in Atlanta.

The Times’ sources said that Stan Kasten, currently president and general manager of both the Hawks and the Atlanta Braves, will remain the president of the Hawks but relinquish the Hawks’ general manager job to Babcock and concentrate on the Braves.

Babcock, once an assistant coach of the old San Diego Clippers under Paul Silas, was the Nuggets’ general manager until he was replaced by Dave Checketts when a new minority ownership took over the Denver team last summer. But when that deal fell through in late summer, Babcock was back in his old job. Soon, however, the minority ownership deal went through, with help from TV official Bob Wussler, and Babcock was replaced by Jon Spolestra, formerly of the Portland Trailblazers.

Last week, Spoelstra was fired and Babcock was back in once again with the Nuggets. But when his powers were reduced considerably in the areas of trades and player personnel, he began negotiating with the Hawks.