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
Sports Antipasta « The Michael Bari Show
May 31st, 2012
11:30 pm
[...] Sund will decide on his future soon, but Hawks should be hiring another decision-maker. Sund’s contract expires at the end of June and he’s had discussions with the team’s owners [...]
Jason
May 31st, 2012
11:41 pm
This article is a waste of space. We all know Atlanta Spirit Group needs to go. They screwed over hockey fans and they continue to screw over Hawks fans, this city and state by remaining as owners. It’s time for them to LEAVE. The hell with the GM, it’s the owners who are fully responsible for the Hawks never moving to the next level. They are NOTHING more than a bunch of greedy executives who care nothing about the Hawks or Philips Arena, only about their bottom line. That’s why Philips Arena rots away and why they sold the Thrashers and why it’s WIDELY known to NBA players why Atlanta will NEVER, EVER get a Super Star player. Even Boulton and Kovy on the Devils threw them under the bus yet again in a recent interview. This is 1000% ASG doing and THEY NEED TO LEAVE, they are NO LONGER WELCOME HERE.
Sam Drucker
May 31st, 2012
11:49 pm
Sund isn’t too far off in his comments. If not for Josh Smith the Hawks clearly should have beaten Boston and the Philadelphia series was winable. They very well could be playing the Heat right now in the finals and we wouldn’t be subjected to the daily “drool” of Schultz and Bradley.
TnHawk
June 1st, 2012
12:06 am
With Horford, Hawks were third best – that is pretty close to being in the top two. Not ridiculous.
Rick Sund
June 1st, 2012
12:17 am
The Hawks had the best season ever. Now pay me!
ryan
June 1st, 2012
2:05 am
Atlanta does get great tv ratings for the nba but lets face it- its due to the large amount of Knicks, Celtics and Lakers fans here ( the Knicks due to transplants) and Boston/LA because of their history.
One immediate improvement would be to remove the silly banners at the top of Philips Arena and only allow banners for championships or Hall of Famers. Goodbye LEED building and Widespread Panic.
Do you think Boston or LA has such frivolity in their building.
Sell the team
June 1st, 2012
5:41 am
Sell the team so we can care again. ASG has destroyed half the major pro franchises in town. We went from a major city to only braves and falcons. By the way hope Kovy and Moose get to carry cup. Kudos to kovy for knowing when to leave these idiots. His loyalty to the franchise would have resulted in being stuck in Winnipeg
News: Sefolosha sparks Thunder to 102-82 win over Spurs – Atlanta Journal Constitution | News Aggregator for you
June 1st, 2012
6:47 am
[...] Rick Sund shouldn’t be making decisions for Hawks [...]
Sefolosha sparks Thunder to 102-82 win over Spurs – Atlanta Journal Constitution | The Time of Press
June 1st, 2012
6:51 am
[...] Rick Sund shouldn’t be making decisions for Hawks [...]
mark
June 1st, 2012
7:08 am
Just stop it! The Hawks need new ownership, until that happens we are just spinning our wheels. please Mr. Blanks buy the hawks.
IAToolHumani
June 1st, 2012
7:23 am
Seperated at birth : Rick Sind & Nolan Ryan.
Bring Back the Thrash
June 1st, 2012
7:43 am
The word “smart” and the Spirit Group do not go together, they are the death of the Thrashers and now the Hawks as predicted.
Trojan
June 1st, 2012
7:46 am
In this year’s deep draft, Sund has already sold one of our draft picks. He is horrible. The ASG is horrible.
Paul in NH
June 1st, 2012
8:29 am
“Do you think Boston or LA has such frivolity in their building.”
I can’t tell if there are frivolous banners in the Garden because all of the championship banners and retired jersey numbers (for both the Celtics and the Bruins) are in the way.
HAWKLESS
June 1st, 2012
8:48 am
Looking at the rosters of the best teams in the NBA the only hawk that would start for any of them would be Al Horford. All of the other starters are not team players especially iso Joe. It is time to unload players and start over starting with a new GM, Coach and coachable players.
justahawkfan
June 1st, 2012
9:08 am
The Hawks will become a serious contender if and when the NBA big wigs allows it. We will never be champs as long as Strerns is at the helm. Book it! We have good enough personnel to cotend right now. We need to be promoted by the NBA and HawKs leaders and have a few crutial calls go our way. Until then enjoy the NBA reality show.
Disgusted
June 1st, 2012
9:32 am
We pro sports fans in Atlanta have become a negative and cynical bunch—And it it with good reason given what we have had to go through in pur proffessional sports history (almost 50 yrs now).
This Hawks team has had pretty good stretches in the Hubie Brown/Mike Fratello & Dominique/Lenny Wilkens and in the most recent 5 yr run. But there is always something that blocks this team from getting as far as the ECF.
Only the Clippers are the only team that has been around since the league went to the Confrence format since 1970-71 season. Now, we have had much better teams than the Clippers but U tell me we could not have made one run to the ECF over these yrs.
We have had some bad luck, bad decisions, etc.,
The Levinson/Gearon group cannot possibly be percieved as good sports team owners in this city, they are the least trusted for sure. Well, the Braves ownership is not trusted either, that is a different story.
As a former Thrashers fan, I can root for the players and coaches but cannot support this product until the Octocluster is gone.
I see Bob Hartley got a HC job with the Flames—Good luck for him.
Ben
June 1st, 2012
9:33 am
Schultz,
Trying to get someone else fired? Why am I not surprised…
Disgusted
June 1st, 2012
9:33 am
The Hawks were a serous contender in this past playoff series but missed on a few breaks.
It really has not been a bad 5 yr run.
Smitty
June 1st, 2012
9:43 am
Am I the only one who watches the Hawks ownership, or listens to them in the case of idiot Gearon, who is instantly reminded of those days of suffering thru the Falcons as guided by the Smiths(read Clampets) ? Josh Smith is a very tough situation. Whether to keep him or trade him, closely reflective of the decision to bench him or play him in a game when he decides to lead the fastbreak and the team in turnovers
Smitty ex Thrasher STH
June 1st, 2012
9:51 am
Maybe Sund can trade the Hawks to Winnipeg for the Jets/Thrashers before he is shown the door.
Bill
June 1st, 2012
9:52 am
What happen to the poll?
wcj
June 1st, 2012
9:52 am
Enter your comments here
wcj
June 1st, 2012
10:04 am
a new GM may want to trade joe johnson and/or josh smith for better talented players and 1 round draft picks. These owners are so concerned that the hawks may slide back to years gone by and not make the playoffs, do not see the big picture: THIS TEAM CAN’T WIN IN THE PLAYOFFS. No GM is coming here with his hands tied behind his back because he can not trades due to owners unwillingness to trades.
R. Stroz
June 1st, 2012
10:15 am
Given the ineptitude of the ASG, they will promote Sund to Team President as they did with Don Waddell.
The ASG (Arena Slumlord Group) continues to damage Atlanta sports.
DawgNole
June 1st, 2012
10:20 am
Durrtydogg
May 31st, 2012
4:29 pm
There is some serious delusional people on this blog . . . In this town we celebrate mediocrity. To win it takes guts and people with a low tolerance for straddling the line of “were almost there”. The wait and see approach has not and will not work. Yet, many of you are comfortable with losing and not being competitive.
Durrtydogg
May 31st, 2012
6:24 pm
Being happy to make it to the second round may be ok for many of you, but to towns like Boston, Miami, LA and such, its not going to fly. You are suppose to want to win Championships not watch bottom lines.
_________________________
This says it all. Would you mind stepping on over to the Hawks’ bog and posting these opinions? I’ve been bringing this message for several months now over there, but I still have many doubters. Some seriously delusional people on that blog too.
gLenn
June 1st, 2012
11:18 am
Really weird that a GM contract would go till July 1 . It should end atleast a month earlier . A GM has no real role during the playoffs . Agreed on the silliness of resigning Larry Drew with people like Jerry Sloan looking to coach again . Hawks are to soft .
This was the Hawks chance to go to the ECF’s . Chicago will be healthy next season . They should be livid for there series loss to the Celts .
Bill Gullion
June 1st, 2012
11:28 am
Champions in professional sports are built on good organizations, top to bottom. When was the last time the Hawks had this. Was it the leadership of Ben Kerner and Marty Blake when the franchise was still in St. Louis? They won a championshlip in 1958!
McGillacutty
June 1st, 2012
11:34 am
Everybody hollering about how we could have had Rondo need to stop! If we would have drafted Rondo he would not have developed the same way as coming into the situation with Boston and the Big 3. He learned from those guys and refined his game to the level you see today. Who would Rondo have learned from in Atl? Joe? LMFAO GTFOH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DawgNole
June 1st, 2012
11:36 am
Admirable Snackbar
May 31st, 2012
7:19 pm
STAY THE COURSE. good things happen to those that wait.
next year is it! GO HAWKS!!
______________________
We’ve been waiting for 44 years–and your suggestion is that we wait?
Yeah, right.
Marco Pillow
June 1st, 2012
11:52 am
Sund’s contract is up. He can’t be fired just not resigned.
Marco Pillow
June 1st, 2012
11:55 am
Great players dont need to learn from anybody. Nobody taught Kobe,LeBron,or D.Howard.
tyger
June 1st, 2012
12:06 pm
Hawks in good, not great, shape…the facts…
- Hawks relatively still young team…
- Have made playoffs 5 years straight…
- Have 2/3 Allstar caliber players…
- Have good coach, good market…
- Have #23 pick in June NBA draft…
- Best player has expiring contract…
- Best player repeatedly requesting trade…
- Best player undervalued, underappreciated…
- Best player leaving, like it or not…
- Most expensive player signed 4 more years…
- Most expensive player overvalued, underappreciated…
- Most expensive player is a 3x Allstar and Olympian…
- Most expensive player can score down the stretch…
- The ownership is the ownership – not Mia nor NO…
- The mkt is good, fickle, but good…win some big games…
Question is what type of makeover do the Hawks need?
- With Horford, JJ as the core – you are a playoff team…
- With Smoove, Marvin – you should get to 2nd round…
- But thats not good enough, and Smoove is leaving…
- How to replace Smoove and move up, that is the question?
- There won’t be an All-star at #23 in the draft…
- Is there an All-star in the top 10??? Possibly…
- Are there salary-cap savings to be had for a FA? Possibly…
- Would there be a significant drop-off without Smoove?
- The Hawks will definitely miss Smoove’s intangibles…
- However, Horford proved the Hawks are no one man show…
- Thank BK for that – he stocked the team with athletes…
- Slide Horford to PF, ZaZa to Center, JJ to SF/SG etc…
- Trade with team with 2 #1 picks for Smoove/#23…
- Goto the BK playbook, reload with uber-athletes with upside…
- Plug in needs with veteran minimums on backend…
- Upgrade the backcourt…- BIG need overrated…
- Horford/ZaZa will be back
Can we give Marvin away?
- Certainly, he’s worth a late pick/ 2nd rd/ future considerations…
- But Why? 6′9, 230, young, decent 3pt shooter that can defend?…
- Review Game 6 with Boston, that’s why you keep him…
- Biggest game of the year, his championship pedigree shows…
- We took Marvin #2, we paid Marvin, we have to work w/ Marvin…
Anymore questions?
JSS
June 1st, 2012
12:32 pm
It is funny how people propose trades for multiple picks (like 1s) for people on the Hawks roster. Only SUPERSTARS in the NBA are moved in that manner. Chris Paul didn’t that kind of value, how in the heck are Smith, Johnson, or Horford going to get that kind of consideration? Geez!!!
You cannot even give Williams away (they’ve tried 2 straight years), he’s like Diaw was for Charlotte! Every player personnel decision maker in the world is waiting for Hawks to cut him or let his 2nd contract run its course… You have a better chance of getting Georgia Five quick pick winner!
PMC
June 1st, 2012
12:41 pm
I’ve read a few mock drafts that have the Hawks taking a Small Forward.
How many would that make in the last 10 years?
PMC
June 1st, 2012
12:42 pm
A real starting center would help the team but they are few and will all be gone before 23.
GT Alum
June 1st, 2012
12:53 pm
PMC -
Apparently not enough, if we’ve still got Marvin as our starting SF.
cdog
June 1st, 2012
1:09 pm
i totally agrtee with mr. shultz. how can people even twist their mouth to support rick sund job with the hawks? then agree with the firing of mike woodson when it was sund who failed to prepare the hawks for the playoffs and following years. sund sat on his tail and did nothing. he use the excuse of the others but he was the fault instead of woodson. he gave away draft picks for nothing, failed to relieve al hortford at the center position then virtually, gave away jordon crawford for nothin( kirk hinrich). sund is wasting fans and hawks time.sund sit back and verbally admired letting miami,indiana, chicago and boston leap frog the hawks, then still did nothing. it’s time for him to go. championships will never happen under him, never.
alex
June 1st, 2012
2:20 pm
this ownership group always get one solution to coach or gm hiring decisions, contrary to absolute majority that hire as best as possible asg hired cheapest available. (check hawks and thrashers coaches and gm history). my predictions, despite mediocre job. sund out priced himself. and we going to get new gm for lower available price in bill knight category. so attendance for hawks games in next 3-5 years will drop to new low level and relocation rumors will increase when lease for Phillips arena about to be paid. good job asg clowns you maybe be able to relocate from Atlanta not one but two franchize.
tyger
June 1st, 2012
3:58 pm
Smoove for one #1 pick…
The 2nd #1 pick is swap for Hawks #1…
Smoove is a defacto All-star…
Smoove is better than anyone in draft…
Only trading him b/c he requests it…
And will continue to request it…wants big mkt…
Marvin doesnt hurt us…
Doesnt help us as much as he should…
But he doesnt hurt us…
JJ, Horford, Marvin, ZaZa will make playoffs…
Upgrade the backcourt and we go deeper…
DawgNole
June 1st, 2012
4:09 pm
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.
____________________
Ah, another fan-blamer who’s “amazed” at mediocrity, who delights in 44 years of postseason failure. Thank you for not “responding to a column previously.” We can only hope that today will be the first and last time.
DawgNole
June 1st, 2012
4:16 pm
WalterEgo
May 31st, 2012
10:00 pm
Shultzie, I don’t get it . . . . Sund is frankly the LEAST of the Hawk’s problems . . . . 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.
____________________
Schultz is not a “reporter,” dimwit. He’s a COLUMNIST, and he’s paid to publish his OPINIONS. He’s doing his JOB.
I happen to agree with him about Sund; you don’t. That’s what OPINION COLUMNS are for–to generate reader interest/reaction–pro and con. And this column has done exactly that.
DawgNole
June 1st, 2012
4:48 pm
tyger
June 1st, 2012
12:06 pm
Hawks in good, not great, shape…the facts…
[blah blah blah]
Anymore questions?
_____________________
Yeah. How much longer do we have to wait for postseason success?
MrHughes
June 1st, 2012
5:24 pm
If the hawks draft another SF on June 28th, I just might have to throw my TV off the balcony.
KevinM
June 1st, 2012
5:46 pm
If it weren’t for the injuries, this team would have beat Boston in the playoffs.
If I was younger, I could say that Kate Upton was on my bucket list.
But it isn’t happening!
If it weren’t for Rick Sund, we wouldn’t know what it was like to keep a job with average results!
If it weren’t for the Hawks, we wouldn’t know what the results were if we kept doing the same thing.
If it weren’t for Gearon, we all might have something stupid to say to Boston just before a big playoff game. Thanks Mike!
benchwarmer
June 1st, 2012
10:25 pm
does anyone in the hawks organization know whack about basketball? it has been a long time since quality, talent and effort were a mainstay of the team. Barkley says they are a “cool team” and he was not being nice. I think that is about right. A bunch of posers. One or two real players.
superiorblogman
June 2nd, 2012
2:46 pm
Good blog. I agree with Jeff on this.My dad is about to retire and every since the moment he made his mind up that this was it. He has been thinking about how great it will be to just do random stuff for the rest of his life.
Sund needs to go and this franchise ownership needs to do the same. We really would benefit from just doing with NO did and give the team to the league and get us some of that homecooking or better yet just hire someone with a big fat sack like myself.
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=7mh23tu
Hawks get:
Kevin Martin
Samuel Dalembert
Steve Blaks
Josh McRoberts
Rockets get:
Pau Gasol
Lakers get:
Joe Johnson
Josh Smith
corporate tv ball sux
June 3rd, 2012
1:21 pm
i am still in wonder why ivan didnt play hardly at all in the boston series. those of us who watched all the games this season saw that when hinerich came back, the hawks became a tighter, less selfish team all around. and ld is a good coach but we need a coach that will lead this team and get them to play like they should play. my vote is van gundy. and yes we need a gm that will make better decisions for the team and work with the coach.
corporate tv ball sux
June 3rd, 2012
1:29 pm
i get the feeling that all the people wanting the hawks to trade josh just want him for their favorite team.
David
June 3rd, 2012
6:39 pm
Hawks should draft Fab Melo and trade Josh Smith for a athletic wing to play the three. Marvin Williams becomes a great 6th man.