Rick Sund shouldn’t be making decisions for Hawks
Rick Sund will decide on his future soon, but Hawks should be hiring another decision-maker. (Jason Getz/AJC)
As early as next week, the Hawks will make an announcement on the status of Rick Sund. Maybe he comes back as general manager. Maybe he comes back as team president. Maybe he comes back as consultant, spiritual adviser, GM Emeritus and VP of Deflecting Blame for the Joe Johnson Contract.
Doesn’t really matter what he decides. It’s a problem.
Sund is considering retirement. Do you know what some say when an athlete is considering retirement? He already has checked out. The same belief should apply to coaches and team executives.
In all likelihood, no matter what Sund chooses to do, he will remain with the Hawks through the draft. He still has the downtown office on Marietta Street. He will attend an NBA draft combine this weekend. He will be the Hawks’ executive talking to other general managers about players who potentially might be available in trade.
Sund goes into this Hawks’ offseason as both a possible lame duck and their primary makeover artist — a bad combination.
This is not a bash Rick Sund column. To the contrary, given the budget constraints he works with — granted, constraints created by the Johnson contract that he endorsed — and the knucklehead ownership group that he works for, I actually think Sund did a pretty good job this season, particularly in the area of building the Hawks’ bench.
Is Sund a bold, think-outside-the-box kind of executive? No. But it’s not like every young, edgy, risk-taking GM hasn’t had things blow up in his face, too. Sund is solid, even if unspectacular.
But this is an important offseason for the Hawks. I know. They all are. But the thought of this team coming back with the same core again doesn’t excite the masses, and the most plausible high-level trade subject is Josh Smith. He has one year left on his contract, and he would prefer to be elsewhere.
Sund generally isn’t swayed by a player (or coach) having an expiring contract, but it doesn’t make sense to risk losing a player of Smith’s caliber for nothing on the free-agent market next summer.
The point is that Sund isn’t the one who should make the decision on trading Smith – or any decision. If he wants to return as a consultant/adviser, that’s fine. But the decisions over the next several weeks will shape the Hawks’ future, and it isn’t logical that the team would have Sund – who already has at least his toes into retirement – would be doing the shaping.
“I don’t even want to go there,” Sund said Wednesday when asked if he was coming back. “Going forward, I’ll take some time, talking to my wife, talking to the owners, and in time there will be resolution.”
Think about this: The Atlanta Spirit owners, visionaries that they are, have known about this since at least December. They approached Sund following the lockout about a contract extension. He put them on hold. A smart owner at that point might have started doing his homework on young executives around the league and made a move right after the season.
It has been three weeks since the Hawks played their final game. The draft lottery was Thursday night. Trade rumors have started. The draft is June 28. Trades involving veterans shift into high gear thereafter. Free agency begins July 11. How long before we know who’s pulling the strings? And shouldn’t that have been decided already?
For what it’s worth, Sund likes Smith. He likes this team. He believes that if Al Horford and Zaza Pachulia stayed healthy, “We would’ve gotten to that elite level,” which he defines as one of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
He wouldn’t directly answer questions about Smith or potential trades, but said, “To get to [number] one or two in the East, I think we have to explore possible ways to get there, and hopefully not take a step back.”
It all sounds fine. But I don’t want a realtor who is moving several states away trying to convince me what neighborhood to build a house in. The Hawks need someone new calling the shots.
By Jeff Schultz
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154 comments Add your comment
falCans
May 31st, 2012
6:35 pm
soooo take on the 2nd worst contract in the NBA (Amare) who may scor3e more than Josh but is not nearly as productive. Amare contract IS NOT INSURED. So pay a injury prone big double the pay of Josh for 6 more points a game?? Amare doesnt rebound or defend or distribute the ball. Josh does all so ill take the 6 points less. And since when was Amare a #1 guy??? He is a complimentary piece paid like “the man” lol he Joe 2.0 And older than Josh. Seriously my guy you gotta think this over!!
falCans
May 31st, 2012
6:43 pm
YES YOU KEEP JOSH!!! W ho said he is leaving for sure??? Besides the main reason he is leaving is because of you fair weather fans…. to our home town kid of all ppl. Why would u trade a 27 yr old Smith for Gasol (33) and cost us twice as much as Josh does and plays no defense??? If yuou know BB then you must understand the role/effect Josh defense has on a game. & he shoots because he has no plays set for him. not to mention LD KEEPS HIM AT THE 3 POINT LINE!!
HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN A PLAY CALLED FOR JOSH IN THE POST, HIGH OR LOW???
tjhook
May 31st, 2012
7:07 pm
Keep Smith and trade Horford and Marvin Williams for a wing player (can play one or two) Maybe Trevor Ariza from New Orleans in a trade along with some others who can help match it financially.
Bill
May 31st, 2012
7:16 pm
Hawks will do nothing..a group of Loser Owners!
Admirable Snackbar
May 31st, 2012
7:19 pm
STAY THE COURSE. good things happen to those that wait.
next year is it! GO HAWKS!!
FALCONSJRT
May 31st, 2012
7:23 pm
The hawks need to go get Free agents guards Stevie Nash or Former hawk Jason Terry or both together. Then trade Joe Johnson a first and 2nd round picks to the magic for Dwight Howard or Trade JJ to the lakers for Andrew Bynum and a draft pick. The front court of Big Al, D-Howard or Bynum and j-smoove with Ivan johnson off the bench from the front court! Now that’s a championship team in the making! I wish i was the GM!!!!!
tyger
May 31st, 2012
7:28 pm
Billy Knight not a bad idea!
Except for Teague this is still BK’s team…
And not a bad team at all…
Woody, his nemesis, is gone…
Belkin, his nemesis, is gone…
JJ, his Trojan horse, is still here…
Let him finish what he started…Phase II
For all the hoopla over drafting too many forwards…
Seems to have worked just fine…
In fact, its the forward we didnt get, that hurts most…
Shouldve taken Rudy Gay over Shelden Williams…
But Woody have to have a BIG…
This is a good deep draft…
Let the 2nd best talent man…pull the trigger…
Many will pine, but Marvin…
Marvin aint Adam Morrison or Kwame Brown…
Marvin aint Kevin Durant or Westbrook either…
Marvin is Marvin…I can live with or without Marvin…
We’re at an cross road, cant drop the ball…
Just like 8 years ago…we need an executive pro…
Sund held serve, but we need calculated risk now…
Who scored ZaZa??? Who scored Smoove w 17th pick?
Al was a no brainer…Marvin was a decent bet…
Chills would look a lot better w/ us than Suns…
Get the guy on the phone…
Enough
May 31st, 2012
7:33 pm
I have never responded to a column previously, but I feel compelled to in response to this lazy, cynical, crowd appeasing article. Rick Sund has done an amazing job. Jeff, you act like our franchise is the New York Yankees and that we are entitled to win a championship with anything less a failure. Elite stars don’t want to play for the Hawks. Of course Joe Johnson is not as elite of a player as other max salary athletes. But that’s not the point. Name a player that without the benefit of hindsight you would have preferred to have signed over J.J., who was available and would have been willing to sign. Do you not think Sund would have preferred to sign Lebron James over J.J.? The simple truth is the top stars would rather play in Miami, NY, LA, Boston, etc. And don’t say Atlanta is a big city so that makes us attractive. Which crowd would you rather play in front of, OKC or Atlanta? The problem is us, the cynical, notoriously fair weather, negative fans. Maybe your attitude sells newspapers, but it only perpetuates our root problem — ourselves. We should instead appreciate Sund’s saviness in ignoring columnists/ fans’ pleas to trade Josh Smith, his confidence in sticking with Jeff Teague, and his commitment to Al Horford. Any fan or writer who thinks he knows better than Sund and feels we deserved better than our past few year’s performance given the constraints is delusional.
Delbert D.
May 31st, 2012
8:07 pm
Not to worry, Jeff; it’s only pro basketball.
Jeff Schultz
May 31st, 2012
8:11 pm
DCBravosFan: Thanks. Actually, while not saying Hawks would’ve been top-2, I would’ve liked to see what the team could do at full strength. Would’ve been interesting.
Jeff Schultz
May 31st, 2012
8:14 pm
Another GM –
“Jeff you are aware that Gearon is the GM correct?”
Point taken.
Jeff Schultz
May 31st, 2012
8:18 pm
Enough — Not sure if you actually read the column or not (I’m guessing not), so let me quote from it: “This is not a bash Rick Sund column. To the contrary, given the budget constraints he works with — granted, constraints created by the Johnson contract that he endorsed — and the knucklehead ownership group that he works for, I actually think Sund did a pretty good job this season, particularly in the area of building the Hawks’ bench.”
Rather, this is about moving forward. If you want to know more, you may want to actually read the column.
GT Alum
May 31st, 2012
8:31 pm
Does Sund actually make any of the decisions or does he just do what the owners tell him to? Seems like the owners make all of the big decisions.
Enough
May 31st, 2012
8:50 pm
To quote the headline of your article: “Rick Sund shouldn’t be making decisions for Hawks.” You refer to Sund as “VP of Deflecting Blame for the Joe Johnson Contract.” You go on to implicitly infer the Joe Johnson contract was a massive mistake (in case you did not read your article) — “constraints created by the Johnson contract that he endorsed.” You say that he is not a “bold, think-outside-the-box kind of executive,” which seems to imply he is not sophisticated or imaginative enough to warrant that praise and that we want someone to come in and do something “bold” that shows how brilliant he is as a “think-outside-the-box” executive. Bold and outside the box is what won the Hawks Priest Lauderdale and J.R. Rider. You go on to state “the thought of this team coming back with the same core again doesn’t excite the masses. The most plausible high-level trade subject is Josh Smith” Really? Trading Josh Smith is the solution? Are you kidding me? The objective of a G.M. is to win games, not to create big, splashy trades to impress the Jeff Schultz’s of the world. What other than brilliant do you call signing Tracy McGrady, Willie Green, Jannero Pargo, Vladimir Radmanović, and Ivan Johnson, at least 4 out of 5 of which he signed for the league minimums? All were significant contributors to the team at various points throughout the season. After all that you’re trying to tell me you’re a Rick Sund fan, but you are just too concerned that he is going to continue as GM, but not really put effort into it because he would actually rather be retired? I don’t think you could insult someone’s integrity any more than that. I respect Sund for not committing until he is sure that he can be fully into it. He does not need Jeff Schultz to make that decision for him. Phil Jackson contemplated retirement several times and went on to win more championships. Pat Reilly has previously retired. Michael Jordan retired from basketball. Your rationale that anyone who debates whether they can fully commit to their job before signing an extention should be fired is irresponsible and offensive.
Zing
May 31st, 2012
8:50 pm
Spot on, Jeff. This ownership group seems to be doing the absolute minimum to regards to managing it–they’re like caretakers at this point. And I don’t mean in regards to the payroll; they want the team to remain good and retain value. But I would not be surprised whatsoever if news broke tomorrow (or anytime in the near future) that an agreement to sell the Hawks was in the works.
Speaking of– any rumors on anything of that nature, Jeff?
Zing
May 31st, 2012
8:51 pm
*in regards
Disgusted
May 31st, 2012
8:53 pm
Sund has not done that badly under the circumstances, I do not know who could take this team to the next step to at least the ECF.
Sund might want to get out before this thing begins to slide and who could blame him?
Josh Smith is going to look to go elsewhere after next yr and cannot blame him for that.
Would not be a bad thing to get Pau Gasol, I’d hate to give Josh for him straight up. Would try offering Marvin Williams and something else.
Neki
May 31st, 2012
8:55 pm
falCans,
So how do we keep Smith if we dont have any money there, genius? He wants a Max deal or close to it and we are in Lux. Tax, heck we have to sell one of our second picks that we got along time ago to the Warriors to offset that cost. So in other words, you want use to keep sell picks so we can keep Josh and trading Al is out of the question right now.
@Enough
You got to remember this team havent been in ECF finals since it was moved here and we and the Clippers is only team on that list. People wants to see a good product that actually wants to win a championship for the city, not collectin paychecks. We the fans have a right to say whats is on our minds. Rick Sund has done a wonderful job but he is just in a bad situation and I think that nobody in their right mind will take this job as long that ASG is in charge.
Jimmy Crack
May 31st, 2012
8:55 pm
GM, coach, whatever. We’re a good team, but not great. This team needs a quality big man but the good free agents seem to go elsewhere, and out of college the good ones tend to get picked early in the draft and we’re just good enough every year to pick late.
hawks21
May 31st, 2012
9:03 pm
To the Josh haters, I have a trade that may work for everyone. Trade Josh to Orlando, then trade Howard to (Brooklyn)/NJ Nets, the n trade Brooks to Atlanta! New lineup Teague, Johnson, Williams, Horford, Brooks! Bench – Jeff, Tracy, Zaza, Green, Ivan…..
Marco Pillow
May 31st, 2012
9:08 pm
Excellent blog Jeff. I wouldnt want Sund building a deck of cards house… He hamstrung the Hawks with Joe Johnsons contract. He gave JJ Kobe money and got Mike Bibby production…
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:11 pm
Josh does not and will not get a max deal ANYWHERE in the NBA. Theat said there are loopholes and incentives for teams to re sign there stars and for the player to re up there contract @NEKI…. Im the biggest smooth fan ever but c’mon… u think he is getting a max deal lmao wow. He is going to get an extension not a raise of significant proportion. (12-15 mil)
Marco Pillow
May 31st, 2012
9:12 pm
Shoulda kept Jason Terry. Wasted draft picks on Marvin &Shelden Williams. Hawks suck.
Neki
May 31st, 2012
9:12 pm
@Enough
i want to look at your post and I am going to try to figure out
” You go on to implicitly infer the Joe Johnson contract was a massive mistake (in case you did not read your article) — “constraints created by the Johnson contract that he endorsed.”
So you that contract that Joe got was a right choice? I know what we have to resign him but for that amount, it was going to hamspring any upgrades for this team. He knew but still did it, should he some of the blame for that.
“You go on to state “the thought of this team coming back with the same core again doesn’t excite the masses. The most plausible high-level trade subject is Josh Smith” Really? Trading Josh Smith is the solution? Are you kidding me?”
Then we do the altenative and sign Josh to a Max deal and then we have to give up Zaza or Teague, keep selling draft picks, still having 1st round celing, getting no respect from nobody and keep losing fans.
The objective of a G.M. is to win games, not to create big, splashy trades to impress the Jeff Schultz’s of the world.
That is one part of the GM to make decision that includes big, splashy trades, sign FA, evaluate talents as well. So in other words that Hawks should stay still and keep trying the same core that has been together after this year is going to be the longest because Mavs, Lakers, and C’s will make changes because they dont stay still, they move forward.
At the end, Rick Sund is more like a fall guy on this but it is on his watch so he does deserve some of the blame.
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:14 pm
And Al can and i hope will be traded now while he is still valuable on the market. Every year it goes down so we need to trade him now. Smith production cant be matched unless we get a max player in return…. or the #! pick in this year draft but id still rather keep the hometown kid. See Jeff all ATL fans aren’t “fair weather”
Neki
May 31st, 2012
9:14 pm
@falCans
This is the NBA when you can give out Max contacts like candy and there is teams that wants JSmooth and he will get top dollar (contact year) and Max. So it is get something for him or leave with nothing at all and since NBA doesnt do Comp pick, Then you are screwed. Ask Orlando about that.
Marco Pillow
May 31st, 2012
9:17 pm
Should have let Dominique Wilkins be coach.
Enough
May 31st, 2012
9:20 pm
@Neki
Please tell me, without the benefit of hindsight, which free agent that was willing to come to the Hawks at the time you would have preferred we sign over Joe Johnson for the max contract?
Second, I don’t recall Rick Sund stating that his plan for this offseason is to do nothing. Please correct me if you read that somewhere.
In terms of who deserves the blame, why is everyone so eager to assign blame? The fact this team finished as the fourth seed in the East despite the most player games lost to injury of any team in the NBA I see as more of a reason to look for people to praise than people to blame.
As for holding Sund responsible for the failure of the Hawks to win a championship in the decades preceding him, I don’t get that at all.
Marco Pillow
May 31st, 2012
9:23 pm
Im sure Hawks will draft another Shelden Williams. If Kobe,Lebron,D.Wade,Durant,Rondo,and Shelden Williams were available Hawks would pick Shelden Williams every time.
Neki
May 31st, 2012
9:25 pm
Nobody is holding Sund completely responsible but it fell on his watch, so he get some blame to this. We all know that it was ASG that deserve most of the blame.
For that FA, nobody because at that time, because nobody wants to come to a place that ownership was fighting each other(I think they were still in court I think) and there was uncertain around that time. That is one of the reasons why ASG/Sund freaked out about JJ leaving.
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:25 pm
Your logic is way off NO NBA TEAM WILL GIVE HIM A MAX CONTRACT. Where have u even heard a hint that he is seeking 6 years 120 mil?? or 5 years 100 mil. And why are you so sure he is leaving? Its clear he wants to stay just wants support from management and fans (guess thats not you). All things that can be corrected…EASILY. lET ME TELL YOU SOME PEOPLE WITHOUT A MAX CONTRACT
Steve Nash Pau Gasol Chris Paul Lebron James and the big 3 kobe (over 20 mil a year but not enough years) Even KEVIN DURANT
But someone will give Josh 20 mil a year for 5 years???? cant be seriuos
Marco Pillow
May 31st, 2012
9:26 pm
Ok. Sund could have let JJ walk then sign a REAL star player this year worth $20 million a year…
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:28 pm
@ enough I get your point. Even though Jeff says he is not bashing he most certainly is, though I agree with his points. Sund did a great job this year but no smart business man would keep a GM to make off season decisions when he mite not even come back… unless that person is Jerry West
Neki
May 31st, 2012
9:29 pm
@falCans
I know a few teams will do it and if he does what he did this year, he will probably get and if not, he wants to go to a team that has a real chance to make to ECF/Finals. Because if we resigned him then we have to give somebody up, and No, Al isnt one of them.
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:31 pm
we have to get over th JJ contract. He is here for at least 2 more years its unfortunate but true. Maybe we can do the amnesty routine in his finl year but who wants to pay a guy 60 mil to leave now?? I wouldnt. No one will take him in a trade soooo were stuck. get over it guys
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:37 pm
@ Nekei you dont have a clue lol and im not bein mean or anything but we can give him an extension and keep our core. Your “facts” just aren’t Fact. And maybe you didnt just see the list of people without Max Contracts you should look again. His numbers arent good enough for a max. Honestly besides the mavericks and New Jersey no other team can offer a max contract and its been well documented who those teams are persuing lmao this is to far fetched to even debate
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:39 pm
I feel like im debating a tea party member about whether Obama was born in Hawaii or not. @ Jeff heeellllp!!!
falCans
May 31st, 2012
9:43 pm
wooow I agree with NEKI, 0_o, we should have let JJ walk… the funny thing is if we did he would have came back at a cheaper price. It was a desperation move and a bad one.
Neki
May 31st, 2012
9:43 pm
Okay, so how much you think he is worth? I will love to hear this.
Double Dribble
May 31st, 2012
9:58 pm
Michael Gearon shouldn’t be making decisions on what’s for dinner, let alone anything dealing with a major sports team in Atlanta. His crybaby act when the Thrashers left was a cover for really pathetic decision making on his and the other owners’ part.
And I don’t know how Rutherford B Hayes, er… I mean Ruthie Swinedel can decide how to put his pants on in the morning.
The ASG make the Keystone Cops look like Sherlock Holmes.
WalterEgo
May 31st, 2012
10:00 pm
Shultzie, I don’t get it. The Hawks have a host of problems: 1) perhaps the worst ownership situation in sports, 2) a cheap coach that can’t or won’t reign in his players and won’t fight for his team in crunch-time, 3) moderate talent absent skill-sets and some positions…Sund is frankly the LEAST of the Hawk’s problems. He filled out a roster admirably with minimum salaried talent. He’s drafted Teague with a late first. He’s done so with OWNERSHIP that makes him sell picks, won’t allow him to hold scouting tryouts when every other NBA team is, and gives out unwarranted maximum deals to fringe stars entering their twilight. He may want to “retire” but only because he’s worked for ASG buffoons, worked well despite their buffoonery, and still he gets reporter BS about it.
Ronald Millsaps
May 31st, 2012
10:23 pm
So, the Hornets just happened to land the top pick, just like Orlando just happened to do so in ‘93 in spite of a 1/66 chance. Hmmmmm.
David Stern needs to go. Quickly, when’s the last time you heard anything bad said about Derrick Rose? Announcers go out of their way to promote him. Could it be because he’s one of Stern’s projects?
Allen Iverson is not one of them. A.I., who was next to unguardable between ‘95-’01, and who is a true ambassador of the game, is on Stern’s bad side. Referees admitted to deliberately not making calls for him when he got popped. Why is this? How can a major sport get by with having such a crook as commissioner who has done nothing but sabotage the game’s credibility? Oh, yeah; the video I endorsed last night might have something to do with it, but I’ll not pick up that conversation now.
Tim Donaghy made many allegations against Stern, all of which were denied. Indeed, Stern tried to make Donaghy a scapegoat, just like Bud Selig and co. did with the shipping employee concerning Ryan Braun’s drug-testing sample. Stern’s allegations were a thesis sentence with no supporting paragraphs; Donaghy’s had years and years of examples, witnessed by observant fans, to account for his supporting paragraphs.
Doc Rivers, who’s about as classy as they come, uncharacteristically had a vulgar tirade against the league’s officiating in 2000. As he said, the officials might as well have had Vince Carter jerseys on. Not justifying his comments by Stern’s lack of legitimacy, but it was certainly an influence. Speaking of Doc, didn’t Miami get by with offensive interference on their last trip down the court in regulation? No whistle.
Stern has no credibility. Rod Thorn has no credibility. Basketball is an amazing sport, and the fact that it’s still in business despite having basically a lying nazi at the top is just as amazing.
Look carefully; some players get pushed; others don’t. An extreme polarization exists. Dominique got shafted a few times in his career, particularly in the early nineties, and his not making the top 50 or the initial Dream Team are egregious, particularly the former, as at least Chuck Daly all but said Chris Mullin was a role player on it. Iverson is getting shafted. The Sacramento Kings got shafted in 2002. Karl Malone got shafted in the league’s not throwing the book at Kenyon Martin—-another favorite of Stern, after Martin’s amazingly-blatant cheapshot of him. Of course, Malone was outspoken and had the guts to speak against Magic’s playing with HIV, which likely infuriated our “reputable” commissioner. Rumor has it that the Houston Rockets got shortchanged on whistles for years because said commissioner was infuriated that they beat the Lakers in ‘86. I’m not at all surprised. Stephon Marbury had all but no help in 2000-2001; Keith Van Horn and Kerry Kittles debuted at game # 66, and they finished the season strongly. Jason Kidd had the whole roster the following year, and we then heard how much better he was than Marbury. He is better than Marbury, probably, but not for the alleged “reasons”. Then Shaquille goes down in 2002-2003, only to have suddenly the first round shift to best-of-seven. Jalen Rose in ‘98 gets suspended over a technicality after doing the best job of guarding Michael Jordan perhaps ever. Bob Costas campaigns for the move voice tone-wise on the air.
Don Nelson would be an excellent commissioner. Bill Walton, Larry Bird, etc. would be as well, and Bird’s comment about the good influence of white basketball talents was not racist, as Stern all but said, and the league’s success is NOT measured by its revenue, contrary to what Stern, again, said.
By the way, was Anthony Davis wearing lipstick on the night of the title game, or was the lighting just hitting him badly? I’d hope it’s the latter.
I say get new ownership and a new GM. Do a better hiring job than the Falcons did; I like who they hired fine but think they could’ve done better and wonder how keen they are. Heck, make Steve Holman the GM.
MSC
May 31st, 2012
10:24 pm
not related but pleaseeee draft Royce White!!! he is a beast!
MOVE NOW !!!!!
May 31st, 2012
10:37 pm
THIS TEAM NEEDS TO LEAVE ATLANTA ONCE AND FOR ALL, THERE IS NO NEED TO HAVE THIS NOTHING SPORT IN THIS TOWN WASTING TIME AND MONEY.
I REALLY FEEL FOR YOU IDIOTS WHO KEEP SUPPORTING THIS CRAP TEAM, THEY NEED TO GO TO SEATTLE AND NEVER HAVE THE nba RETURN TO THIS TOWN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
cpsman_atlanta
May 31st, 2012
10:42 pm
I shall repeat a previous post from this thread: Hell is Not Hot Enough for Gearon, Levenson and the rest of YOUR Atlanta Spirit Group.
Signed, another Atlanta Thrashers fan, and someone who won’t step foot into Philips Arena or root for the Atlanta Hawks until Atlanta Spirit Group, every single one of them, is G-O-N-E!!!!
Ronald Millsaps
May 31st, 2012
10:44 pm
This team for years has made bad moves. Remember the time they traded Antoine Carr for Kenny Smith—only to make no effort to keep Kenny after the season? They also indicted Mike Fratello for a .500 season even though Doc, Battle, and Koncak were out for large periods of time. They knew what Smith’s salary was and what keeping him would cost. They traded a core player for half a season of return, which was insane. They traded Carr because they had a “logjam” of forwards and a lack of guards, ignoring, again, that two of their guards were injured. They a year later offered Blair Rasmussen, a forward, a lot more than Smith asked for, which, again, was insane.
Disgusted
May 31st, 2012
10:50 pm
What are you doing on a basletball blog Move Now????
If you hate this sport so much—Truth it that its a great game and more Atlantans care about it than do not care–ATL has proven that it will support good basketball.
ATL is one of the best NBA TV ratings cities around–All we need is good ownership and a couple stars with role players and the Hawks would shoot through the roof in popularity.
Unfortunately, our ownership does not have a motivation to sell—–Those #$@# got what they wanted once the Thrashers were sabotaged outta town. They got their NBA team and rights to the arena and they cannot manage either one of them with any semblance of competence. How these clowns made money in their other businesses mind boggles me.
One thing about Rick Sund——–He has not really gone out and screwed anything up. Has not make it much better but has not done anything stupid ullike Billy Knight, it was BIlly Knight who picked Mediocre Marvin over Chris Paul and drafted 12th man type Sheldon Williams.
Disgusted
May 31st, 2012
10:54 pm
“Signed, another Atlanta Thrashers fan, and someone who won’t step foot into Philips Arena or root for the Atlanta Hawks until Atlanta Spirit Group, every single one of them, is G-O-N-E!!!!”
I third that one, but I want to lose the owners, not the team. The Phillips Arena was going downhill the last time I was in it last March. Have they replaced that blank TV wall? And to pain over the All-Star game murel, that was cheap, plain cheap and tacky.
I despise that group too; Wish that Josh Smith would go where he could win–He deserves better than that junk.
Even if they would win I could not be all that happy with this bunch in charge.
youcrazydiamond
May 31st, 2012
11:04 pm
We’re so screwed.
Paul in NH
May 31st, 2012
11:05 pm
Sund should telephone the dumbest owner in the league (his team is in the 704 area code) and offer Marvin for their 1st round draft pick. Since the guy loves Carolina blue he might go for it.