Atlanta Hawks: Co-owner Bruce Levenson Q-and-A
Hawks co-owner Bruce Levenson was the point man for the team’s recruitment of general manager Danny Ferry. He said he took the lead because he had a previous relationship with Ferry back when Ferry was Cleveland’s general manager.
My impression is that the Hawks are more likely to make major moves with Ferry in charge rather than Rick Sund, who would have been more a caretaker if he’d stayed on as GM. Levenson said he’s not sure of Ferry’s plans because the two didn’t talk much about the current roster before he was hired, instead focusing on building a long-term program.
But Levenson said he believes the Hawks will benefit from an outsider’s fresh perspective because the owners are close to the current players.
“It will be interesting to see what direction he goes,” Levenson said.
Here are some excerpts from Levenson’s session with reporters yesterday:
From Levenson’s opening remarks at the press conference.
“We had hurdles to overcome to get Danny to come here. Not just because of some of the missteps that we’ve made but also because he and his family were in a great position in San Antonio. He turned down other opportunities to leave and teams were knocking at his door.
“We had dozens of meetings–Rick, my partners, Michael [Gearon Jr.] and Ed [Peskowitz]. For every question we asked [Ferry], he asked 10 of us. Danny challenged us to make sure of our commitment. To make sure my heart is in this. To make sure we all invest of our time and our money to build an enduring, championship organization.
“He wanted commitments from us to increase our investments in our facilities, in our sports medicine and science, in analytics and, most importantly, in our player development. We said yes, yes and yes.”
Q. It sounds as if you kind of had to sell Danny on the job. What concerns did he have and what did you tell him to alleviate those concerns?
A. “Above everything else, he was concerned would ownership make the commitment that needs to be made to create the enduring championship organization that he only wants to be a part of. He had a laundry list of things that he wanted to talk about, some of which I spoke of up there, others I’m not going to get into. There is literally a laundry list of things that he was not come here if we didn’t agree to that.”
Q. You mentioned facilities as one of them. Also, basketball operations–
A. “Analytitcs. There is a new wave of analytics sweeping over us. There is new investments in sports medicine and sports science that need to be made. There’s a whole litany that can be done from a player-development standpoint, such as an affiliation with a D-League team. These are just some of the things that we have talked about and he has shown me why they are all important, why they are all part of building something enduring here.”
Q. He was concerned about having autonomy if he took the Philadelphia job. Did you ensure him complete control of basketball operations and decisions?
A. “Yes.”
Q. That was an important consideration for him?
A. I think that was a given probably from the first sentence. From his end, and mine as well.
A. You have no cap space, and not much room under the luxury tax, the exact amount won’t be known until the league audit. If it comes down to it will you spend into the tax? I know you did this year because of circumstances but do you anticipate being a tax payer going forward?
“The answer is, yes we have in the past and if it makes sense, I am sure we will in the future. Those are going to be Danny’s decisions. They really are. It’s interesting, Michael, we spent 100 hours talking to each other. I’m not exaggerating. And I can’t recall a single minute we spent discussing this current roster—sign this player, trade for that player. We didn’t have any discussions whatsoever along those lines.
“Our discussions were, ‘How are we going to build something long-term?’ My kids find this hard to believe because they keep asking me: ‘Well, what are we going to do about this player? What about that player?’ I tell them we haven’t had those conversations. There is a much, bigger long-term picture here that Danny and I spent all of our time focused on.”
Q. How would you describe Danny’s team-building philosophy?
“We had some really interesting conversations about that. He brings a focus to the draft that is, if you look at San Antonio’s and Cleveland’s success in that regard, it’s really a broad focus that shows a really deep understanding of everything from the analytics to the team chemistry to the psychology of a player. How you look at a player and look at if this player has a chance to be developed in a real player-development program.
“We talked about one example—I don’t want to go into the [name of the] player—it was a player they thought they could take a chance on, an area of deficiency in his game they felt confident they could improve. This player was undervalued because of that. That sort of ability to capture that kind of value is going to be really, really important with the new collective bargaining agreement.”
Q. San Antonio has had a lot of success with finding undervalued players–
A. “It’s not been luck. There really has been a devotion to a process. Investment in things you can’t look at and say, ‘Oh, that’s going to give you ‘x’ return on your investment. But it’s something, taken collectively, has produced the sort of home runs they’ve been able to produce in player development over a long period of time. In the new collective bargaining agreement, having an edge like that is going to be the diffence between winning and losing.
Q. You said you talked to Rick three months ago and decided to make a long-term hire. What about the timing picking up Drew’s contract before having a GM in place. What was the thinking there?
A. We had already begun talking to Danny. Rick and I had that dinner three or four months ago, and the next morning I called the Spurs and asked can I talk to Danny. I did start talking to Danny that day. We picked up Larry’s contract subsequent to that. We were far from coming to terms with Danny at that point. I did discuss the wisdom of what we did there [with Ferry].
Q. He was fine with that?
A. “He was fine with it, yes.”
Q. You tried to sell the team last year. Are there still plans to sell the team by you or any of your partners?
No.
Q. Was that a question Danny had for you?
“We have one of the smallest ownership groups in the NBA. I would love to find strategic investors to bring into the group, not so much for their money but for other things they might bring to the table. That may happen at some point. But, no, we are not selling the team. We are very much in control of the team. We will be in control of the team for the long haul, for a long time.
Q. Normally it’s Michael [Gearon Jr.] here. Where is he?
“He’s out of the country on a long-planned family vacation.”
Q. Is this your most important free-agent signing?
“When we got here, we were told there was no way this city could attract quality free agents. We were able to bring Joe Johnson in here. That was a seminal moment for this franchise. Danny, I think, is another seminal moment. He has five kids ages 5 to 15. It’s a big deal for him to take his kids and bring him to this city. . . . This was a terrific outcome for us and I know it’s going to be a terrific outcome for Danny.”
Q. Some teams have proprietary analytic systems. Is that something you could build here and bring in people experienced in that area?
“Yes.”
Q. Do you know what Danny’s plans are for the basketball staff?
“This is a great time for him to get to know the staff, evaluate the staff and make decisions going forward.”
Q. Are the other staff members on expiring contracts like Rick?
“Some are, some are not.”
Q. You lost in the first round and some wonder has this team gone as far as it can go. With new management in place, if you are looking to make a dramatic move, is this the time to do it?
“Danny and I never once spoke about the current team. That was frustrating because my sons wanted to know. That’s not what this is about. We didn’t talk about the current team. We talked about building an enduring championship organization going forward and what that would look like in terms of investment on our part, in terms of commitment in our part of our money and time and our heart. We talked about the new CBA and it’s impact on teams’ flexibility and ability to continue to build and change. We talked about the relationship between the business side and the basketball side and the importance that they pull in same direction. . . . He will go talk to Rick, Larry and the players and then come back with his thoughts on what we need to do going forward.
“Personally I replay every moment of that series against Boston, from the shot that Willie [Green] missed that he hits 63.7 percent of the time from that spot. From Josh [Smith] getting injured in that game, to Al [Horford] coming back, to Zaza [Pachulia] not being there to other things that I can’t talk about that happened but that others have made apologies for. That [series] was a killer for me. It makes the decision that much harder. If we’d gotten blown out by a very good Boston team in four games, it would be much easier answers to your questions.”
Q. I think a lot of people agree the injuries and the thing you can’t talk about affected that series. But do you also look beyond that and say, ‘Are we good enough to beat Miami?’
“I think it’s a lot more important how Rick and Larry and Danny and, probably most importantly, how the players think about that, Michael. Rick was very smart. He waited a couple weeks to do his exit interviews with the players we have under contract. To a man, they would say yes to that question. I think that’s important. It’s not the only thing, but it would not be good if they didn’t feel that way.
Q. In your opening remarks, you talked about hurdles you had to overcome to overcome to recruit Danny and the missteps you’ve made over the years. Danny mentioned your humility. What were some of those things you talked about?
A. “He asked me about all the things you guys have been writing about over the years. That was a really healthy conversation because it was an outsiders’ perspective asking about everything from the lawsuit to the failed sale. It was a time, for me, for reflection. It really was. To understand how someone in Danny’s position would look at it and be able to talk through, not just my side of the story, but the impact that I thought it had on our organization. I don’t need to go over them all with you. You guys know what those things would be.
“Danny did his homework. I think he read everything that had ever been written about this organization. He looked at interviews that had been conducted. He, rightfully so, had questions about all of that stuff. In some cases I think I had explanations for them, in other cases I think we made mistakes. The challenge is not to make those mistakes in the future.”
Q. If you hadn’t hired Danny, would Rick still be GM?
“Rick has been beyond fantastic throughout this and I’ve been transparent. Our plan was, he was ready to stay in that GM role for another season if that’s what it took for us to find the right person. I said to Rick this is not going to be easy finding the kind of person we are looking for. It may take a while. Rick was great about that.”
Michael Cunningham, Hawks beat
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111 comments Add your comment
Mike
June 26th, 2012
4:18 pm
MC,
First of all, Thank you for a very great interview and thanks Mr. Levenson to take time out of his schedule to talk to you being honest about this move.
I think the ASG had grown up alittle bit, it take a man to admit mistakes and sins and try to correct those mistake and never doing it again. When I was reading this, it felt like it. ASG never really took being owners seriously or they half-massed it (really on Thrashers), but when somebody else from a another organization tell you these things, it make you look back to see the wrong that they did. ASG is going to be still be hated but atleast they learned from it and growing from it.
This city is hungry for a team that wants to be the “team” in Atlanta. The fans is hungry for more then some playoff success. We want to host Eastern Conference Finals or NBA Finals in Phillips. I think this is a good start to that.
Grandad
June 26th, 2012
4:19 pm
Levinson sounded sincere.
chuckw/deadjournalist
June 26th, 2012
4:19 pm
wow, type-o city. “their” not “they’re” and “personnel” not “personal”
Grandad
June 26th, 2012
4:19 pm
Pardon me;
Levenson
Sautee
June 26th, 2012
4:20 pm
Astro, you’re still in diapers compared to me, doc, KenS, and Grandad.
If you are old, we are ancient.
BIG DOG
June 26th, 2012
4:22 pm
Danny need to pick up the phone ASAP and call Kings
What trade is better for the Kings
Josh and #23 for Tyreke and #5
OR
Kyle Lowry and #14 for Tyreke and #5
HA
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
BIG DOG
June 26th, 2012
4:25 pm
Teague, Tyreke, Joe, Horford, #5 Andre
Pargo, Gerald Green, Marvin, Ivan, Zaza
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Astro Joe
June 26th, 2012
4:27 pm
Sautee, you said it, not me.
BIG DOG
June 26th, 2012
4:29 pm
Josh make 13mill next year
Tyreke make 5mill next and in 2013 6mill
Plus Andre 4mill
Hawks would save 4mill under the cap.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
Melvin
June 26th, 2012
4:34 pm
Hawks should look at signing JR Smith. He declined his 2.4 mil player opt so now he’s eligible for a 20% raised as a FA. Under 3mil for a guy with his scoring ability is a super bargain. Also, I wouldn’t mind Rashard Lewis at the vet min as well. Swap Green and Vlad for Smith and Lewis. Hawks now have reliable shooters to stretch the floor.
Rod from College Park
June 26th, 2012
4:35 pm
“Astro, you’re still in diapers compared to me, doc, KenS, and Grandad.
If you are old, we are ancient.”
That’s obvious. LOL
Grandad
June 26th, 2012
4:36 pm
There has been more [real] info forthcoming
from the hawks in the last 48 hrs
-than-
the last …………………………………………….
in forever.
Seriously; in the past it has always been like a state secret
to release any kind of information.
We as Hawks fans have always been starved for news.
Personally;
I think much of what was dicussed between B.L. and D.F.
was fan appeal, Winning Culture, filling the arena,
enhancing the Hwks brand, etc., which all goes together.
Back to my point:
” talkin` about the Hwks ” being forthcoming, being accessable,
gettin` on ~ e s p n ~ news / talk shows / et al,
maybe, just maybe, due to Mr Ferry – they finally get it.
Rod from College Park
June 26th, 2012
4:37 pm
Melvin,
No don’t say JR Smith. You know how much these oldheads hated Jamal, they would have real problems with JR Smith. LOL. I would take him in a heartbeat.
Ray
June 26th, 2012
4:38 pm
I’m holding out hope that Ferry realizes that Josh is the key to the future trading him to someone like Boston or even Nets puts Boston back in Title contention and Nets at least boosts them to playoff status.
Most glaring issue we need is a Center we’ve been saying that for years Zaza is a starting capable C maybe not All-star status, but he’s starting capable he more than handled the duties after Horford went down.
Melvin
June 26th, 2012
4:43 pm
Rod,
For 3 mil, JR is a steal….
O'Brien
June 26th, 2012
4:44 pm
Kings have turned down Lowry, #14 and #16 for Tyreke Evans and #5. Tyreke has also made it known he does not want to play SF.
O'Brien
June 26th, 2012
4:47 pm
Any interest in Randy Foye? He can probably be had for $3 mil too, and could be our lead guard off the bench. Who knows, maybe he could even play with Jeff in spurts.
Grandad
June 26th, 2012
4:48 pm
O`B
Wroten is far from a player with one deficiency.
* [can`t shoot]
Worse – he reportedly is a bad teammate.
* (amongst other negatives)
My guess was kawhi Leonard:
He started dropping on draft nite – supposedly -
`cause he could not shoot.
Otherwise;
K.L. was a premier pick / potential # 1, perhaps.
SA Spurs moved up in the draft trading George Hill
to pick Leonard @ # 15 (I believe).
There were those who were paying attn:
noticed how hard K.L. was working on his shot,
plus how much he improved over such a short period of time;
Bingo; Kawhi Leonard meets SA Spurs.
____________________________________________
-OR-
It could have been someone else.
What do I know.
BIG DOG
June 26th, 2012
4:51 pm
Listen to the Big dog.
True Rumor word on the street.
D William, D 12, Josh
Brooklyn Nets 2012
So trade Josh ASAP.
BIG DOG IN THE HOUSE
O'Brien
June 26th, 2012
4:52 pm
This past post season, J.R. Smith shot 18% (5-28) from 3 (including a game where he went 1-8 from 3), and 32% from the field. That would not have helped the Hawks.
That being said, I don’t mind J.R. Smith for $3 mil, but LD would have to know how to reel him in when his shot is off. Can LD do it?
Will
June 26th, 2012
4:55 pm
All you Josh Smith fans need to understand something:
This team needs to get cap room now. It could be Josh or it could be Al, but those are the two best trade assets we have. No one wants Marvin or Joe and if Ferry moves either of them it would be a miracle and he could already secure a bust in Atlanta sports HOF for doing so.
I want Josh here like most do but get your hearts off your sleeves. This team has tough personnel decisions to make and you might as well get used to that.
P.S. If Ferry moves Josh don’t hate him, hate Gearon, Sund, and Joe. (Joe’s time will come.)
O'Brien
June 26th, 2012
4:56 pm
JR Smith’s FG made-FGA in the playoffs against Miami:
7-17, 6-11, 5-18, 3-15, 3-15. Maybe Miami figured him out in games 3, 4 and 5.
Astro Joe
June 26th, 2012
5:01 pm
For $3M, I’d take a run at Jamal or JR Smith. It’s all about value. And for a set of encyclopedias, we can sign Rashard McCants.
Najeh Davenpoop
June 26th, 2012
5:03 pm
“True Rumor word on the street.”
Unless BooBoo confirms it, I don’t believe any rumors.
hawksfancents95
June 26th, 2012
5:04 pm
i am still elated with the signing of Danny Ferry, the hawks giving him complete control is the 1st step to mending this broken process of being good enough but nothing great. i think a draft day trade may be in the works to make a splash for ATL this off-season. we need to dump AL for someone valuable and a pick so we can keep Josh for this year+ a new contract. Im starting to think that someone projected in the top 15 may slip to us at #23 and we will capitalize.
If you are on this site you obviously follow/love the hawks and i dont see how you cant be more optimistic about this upcoming year and the direction of this franchise.
*Fantasy Trade Of The Day*
Rajon Rondo and Etwaun Moore(or cheap salary guy) for Jeff Teague and Al Horford
doc
June 26th, 2012
5:18 pm
sautee how does social security feel?
KevinM
June 26th, 2012
5:19 pm
JC1’s best days are behind him.
JR Smith does not use the ability given to him…..too many distractions and off the court non-sense.
MWP – haha, no way.
“O’Brien
June 26th, 2012
3:53 pm
Najeh,
I would pass on MWP for Marvin and the #23 pick. Even swap? Sure, because the Hawks need some attitude (imo). But They both have 2 years, $15 mil left, so we’re not saving any money, and it would cost us the #23 pick.”
OB, we can’t trade our #1 as far as I recall…if we pick up another one, perhaps we can.
But let me add to what Big Dog said:
“June 26th, 2012
3:58 pm
Lakers always trying rob somebody.”
The Lakers and Celtics have 1/2 of the all-time championships. Why does anyone make a trade with them? Has there ever been a player that has played better after they left the Lakers? The Celtics?
Simply put, let them stay in purgatory draft hail and don’t give them any talent, no matter what you get in return.
I don’t even see Pau Gasol playing better away from LA.
One more:
“BIG DOG
June 26th, 2012
4:22 pm
Danny need to pick up the phone ASAP and call Kings
What trade is better for the Kings
Josh and #23 for Tyreke and #5″
BD, I was for giving up Teague if I had to move Josh to go get a #5 and see if I could grab a potential superstar. He needs to be offensive however. Keep that #23 for development.
So say you move Teague and Josh, taking 15.6M off the payroll. You then have Evans (2013-14 is a team option), #5 and #23 coming in at 9.97M or let’s call it even at 10M. You’ve saved 5.5M and now you can consider if Steve Nash would have any interest coming in at 7.5M – 9M for 2 years.
So I have:
#5 + #23
Al
Zaza
Joe
Tyreke – one more attempt at PG or 6th man.
Nash?
Fill the bench with anyone except Marvin, Collins, Stack and Damp.
I’m fired up heading into the offseason at that point. We draft one inside guy and one shooter.
2 transactions and potentially 3 new starters.
hawksfancents95
June 26th, 2012
5:22 pm
quick update, i was able to trade marvin williams for daniel gibson straight up, marvin at 7.5 mill and daniel at 4.4 mill. maybe we could do that and give clev our #23 and #43 and cleveland can give us their #33 and #34? idk how that was successful but it was, am i missing something here or did i find an awesome plausible trade?
hawksfancents95
June 26th, 2012
5:23 pm
scratch that we cant trade our first rounder.
Sugar Ray
June 26th, 2012
5:30 pm
I can’t believe these owners didn’t know about analytics and the need to invest in all of these other areas.
Actually, you know what? I can believe it.
Ray
June 26th, 2012
5:38 pm
hawksfancents95
I’d take that trade plus tell Cleveland to give us both second round picks cause John Jenkins fell out in some latest mock drafts the first round and if I’m not mistaken weren’t the hawks high on Doron Lamb? If so he’ll be there around that number as well.
hawksfancents95
June 26th, 2012
5:41 pm
im on a tear today but i think we should trade AL to a team that will still be bad(Charlotte,TOR,DET,GSW,SAC) for a way lesser player and next years 1st rounder, so we can get in that top 5. Cody Zeller,Nerlens Noel, Shabazz Muhammed and some legit 7 foot centers will be there and if we can get one of the three names i mentioned i think we can be a legite title contender for years.
Jake
June 26th, 2012
5:42 pm
DRAFT FAB MELO OR TRADE UP FOR ROYCE WHITE.
MARK MY WORDS….WHITE WILL BE GREAT IN THE NBA
Jake
June 26th, 2012
5:45 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnMk_IvFZTs
GET HIM!
terrell
June 26th, 2012
5:49 pm
They can show me better than they can tell me. If we start the season with the same old core, then its the same ole Hawks. Make some moves to help the team, and I’ll be encouraged. Point blank. Btw, if Ferry can get somebody to take Marvin or Joes contract I’ll kiss my own a.. No joke
Lacsho
June 26th, 2012
5:51 pm
Great interview MC, wow the ASG are really committed. This was one of the best off season moves for the Hawks. Hmmmm I wonder if they are having the draft party at Phillips this year?
Jake
June 26th, 2012
5:54 pm
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/draft/2012/06/23/royce_white_profile.nba/index.html
KevinM
June 26th, 2012
5:58 pm
Jake, I’m buying Royce White….excellent on the floor.
Quick story…..before heading to Iowa State, White was looking for a team after leaving Minnesota. Feelers got out and White wanted to check out UK and Calipari….turns out White said he was too afraid to fly to Lexington, but couldn’t commit to a visit. Hindsight being what it is….how good whould White have looked in that lineup last year? And who ended White’s college career? UK.
So as much as has been said about his anxiety issues, there’s a lot to overcome there. So that is the only question mark, as his off the court issues are his biggest hurdle or he would be Top 10 IMO.
So like Boston probably will, if you have an extra #1, you can take a chance on him. He gets a 5 year deal, so you have to be convinced his issues are minimal.
cp
June 26th, 2012
6:04 pm
Good interview. Sounds like the Hawks want to draft a guy with a lot of value. Im thinking Wroten or Q Miller is the pick. LD said in a interview that he was very impressed with Q Miller. If Houston cant get that Dwight deal done then I think they call up and give the Hawks whatever they want because they will be desperate to make some type of move. Two first rounders and Dalembert would be a good deal with Josh. I know a lot of the Smith fans on here dont want him moved but if dude makes it clear to Ferry he wont come back then you have to move him.
Rufus1
June 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Royce White….Stud
He is doing all that “work” at 260 -270lbs….. Wow
cp
June 26th, 2012
6:05 pm
Royce White wont slide past Boston. Its rumored that they are the team that made him the promise. I could see Boston taking him and Nicholson although it seems that Nicholson might move up into the teens.
cp
June 26th, 2012
6:10 pm
I rather have Foye than J.R. Smith.
KevinM
June 26th, 2012
6:18 pm
“cp
June 26th, 2012
6:10 pm
I rather have Foye than J.R. Smith.”
cp, give me Jodie Meeks and/or Eric Bledsoe…both are going to be contributors for a long time.
Hawks Blog Legeng Worldwide Clyde
June 26th, 2012
6:22 pm
We need a center that can come in and block shots more than a wing or a backup point. Festus Ezeli is all about protecting the rim not moving out the way when people drive to the hole.
We haven’t had a center since Mutombo left and now is our time to get one. Horford, Collins, and Dampier ain’t gonna cut anymore.
KevinM
June 26th, 2012
6:27 pm
Overall comments about Doron Lamb from a group of scouts, execs and coaches.
Doron Lamb, 6-5 guard, Kentucky: “Very solid basketball player. Can shoot it, defend. He’d be a good combo guard coming off the bench.”
John Jenkins, 6-4 guard, Vanderbilt: “Probably a late first-rounder because he has that elite skill as a shooter. But he’s a little undersized. Strictly a catch-and-shoot guy. Kind of like the Jodie Meeks of the draft. He measured well in Chicago. What he did at Vanderbilt speaks for itself. He has really improved his body and his strength since the season ended.”
Will Barton, 6-6 forward, Memphis: “I’m a fan. Tough kid, high energy, he can dribble and pass, and he can rebound well for a little guy. I think he likes to win. He cares. His skinny body worries me a little bit, but he just figures out a way to compete out there.
Dawg
June 26th, 2012
6:36 pm
Now that was an amazing interview. That was the first owners interview in the history of the Hawks that was worthwhile to read.
The Hawks are on the right path (finally).
Rod from College Park
June 26th, 2012
6:40 pm
OB,
“JR Smith’s FG made-FGA in the playoffs against Miami:
7-17, 6-11, 5-18, 3-15, 3-15. Maybe Miami figured him out in games 3, 4 and 5.”
Would you rather have Kirk Hinrich or JR Smith. You know my answer. LOL
Rod from College Park
June 26th, 2012
6:42 pm
“JC1’s best days are behind him.
JR Smith does not use the ability given to him…..too many distractions and off the court non-sense.
MWP – haha, no way.”
Same nonsense we heard about Steven Jackson and Javale McGee this year before they were traded. Look at what they did in the playoffs.
High-sider
June 26th, 2012
6:54 pm
@Grandad
“H-S;
Have you ever gone to jail ?
for protecting a group of young people of a different color;
who were being wrongly accused; and mistreated;
by local authorities.`’ ?
I Have !
It cost me dearly.
I would do it again …proudly !
___________________________________________
Right is right – wrong is wrong / it has [no] color !
___________________________________________
You brought up the Jews / Hebrews in a previous post;
yet refuse to consider they were abused throughout history.
Remember the “holocaust”.
I am -not- a Jew. / I`m just sayin`, many have been oppressed.
Poor folks of all color have and are oppressed right now …
all over the wortld !
___________________________________________
High-Sider
You are a sad angry man.
I love all my fellow mankind and especially womankind.
I agree with you;
Shane Battier is White !
-also-
If any NBA player has “one drop” in `em;
we get to count `em;
therefore, you cannot say the NBA is a black man`s league.
It is a multi-cultural league of the greatest athletes in the world !” – Grandad @1:26pm dated 6/26/2012
Yes, I have gone to jail – twice for nonpayment of traffic tickets. I didn’t like it (jail) and it was an inconvenience.
I think you missed the point when I mentioned white (Jew{ish} and Gentile) males in NBA executive management. My point is/was that (white) NBA executives (e.g., GM’s, directors of player personnel, team presidents, directors of basketball operations, etc.) are given too much credit for team success when it’s the players who are the ones “getting it done” and “putting in work.” These (white) executives are framed as the ultimate thinkers, intellectuals, visionaries, scholars, analysts, “brains,” etc. behind an organization’s success while the (black) players are framed as just the “natural,” “instinctive,” “athletic” common workers/laborers who were strategically assembled by these (white) “long-range planning, forward-thinking architects” known as NBA executives.
I find it compelling that you would tell me to “Remember the Holocaust” which did not happen on American soil. I find it hypocritical that some of you (white folks) tell us (black folks) to “Remember the Holocaust,” “Remember the Alamo,” “Remember Pearl Harbor,” “Remember 9-11″ but tell us (black folks) to forget about slavery. Many of you (white folks) want us (black folks) to forget about the trans-Atlantic slave trade (in North, Central and South America and in the Caribbean), centuries of bondage/slavery, “Jim Crow,” segregation/apartheid, the destruction of the black family, and the hegemony/colonialism of Africa and people of African descent. How dare you!? Jewish Holocaust survivors and Native Americans (the indigenous people of {the} America{s}) can receive a form of reparations from the German and American governments but the descendants of black slaves in America and throughout the Western Hemisphere (”Black Holocaust” survivors) can’t receive reparations? The root word for “reparation(s)” is “repair” and we (black people) are in need of repair because we (black people) are a “broken people.”
I may be a sad, angry and/or bitter man but my collection of trials, tribulations and woes is my “cross to bear”; what is “your cross (to bear)”?
I didn’t say Shane Battier was white and, if I did, my statement/declaration was (made) in jest. In an interview years ago, Larry Bird said (to paraphrase) that basketball is or has become a “black man’s game.” Larry Bird didn’t mean that all the basketball players (in the NBA) were black but that most of the players and most of the best players were black. Larry Bird said this; High-sider did not say this.
terrell
June 26th, 2012
6:58 pm
I just pray to God, Ferry read LD’s interview where he encouraged Josh to run the break on offense. smh.