THE SIDELINES : Rockets Send Lucas to Hawks

The Houston Rockets today traded much-traveled guard John Lucas and center Tim McCormick to the Atlanta Hawks for guards Kenny Smith and Roy Marble.

For the Rockets, the key player in the deal is the 6-3 Smith, the sixth selection overall in the 1987 draft out of North Carolina.

Smith, 25, was traded from Sacramento to Atlanta midway through last season and appeared in 33 games. For the year, he averaged 11.9 points per game, but slipped to just 7.7 points with the Hawks.