OldTimeHawk

BTW, I have yet to see anything that has said the scout was a former Cavs scout.

the point is this - the NBA has took a font and center stance on any percieved racism and gave Sterling a lifetime ban for comments he made privately. Yet the NBA tries to cover up sterotypical scouting reports because they know that reports like this are probably not the exception they are they norm. They dont want their house of cards falling and give Sterling any ammo whatsoever to blast them in a potential lawsuit. You guys that accuse Ferry of Elitism kinda missed the whole boat with whats probably been going on for years going on behind the scenes.

why should I change my opinion or " give it a rest "?? Its bs that the organization the report came from and has been sent out throughout the NBA is basically given a free pass to continue business as usual , but the full effect of the media and pc police come down on Atlanta . And Ferry is still being referred to as a racist in the media and to some extent here. Why do you think he took a leave after being punished internally ?? Hes doing his best to lay low and hope that the goodwill he has built up throughout his career helps shift the public perception of him .

makes perfect sense - sending out sterotypical reports should only effect the organization that actually has a gm read those reports aloud. Its only racist if you read them , not if you write them . Ferry is such a nit wit . So if you read wors that are interpreted as racist only the actuall reader is racist . we all know why Cleveland isnt effected , its cause it would upset the NBA marketing campaign featuring his highness.

nothing wrong with taking responsibility for your role , but why does Ferrys role exceed what should be obvious - that in all likelihood this scouting report was used around the NBA and Cleveland was well aware of the comtents BEFORE it was sent around the NBA. Its not like it was an entrapment sting and Ferry was the only one that took the bait.

I love Nique , and he certainly is deserving of a statue , but just what is his role with the Hawks ?? Is there something he brings to the table that can help the Hawks lure potential free agents ( I think his stature certainly could help in this area ) or is his new title simply ceremonial ( a waste of his potential in my opinion ).

pc apologist talk ....... and once again why isnt the media asking for Clevelands role ????

I dont think his strategy is solely about landing a precieved star - I think its more about building a team with players that understand their roles - having a bonafide star can make things easier , but we dont need a Carmello and his ego / baggage that has never been high on developing as a team player regardless of the talent around him . Its always been about Carmello first , so what Carmello thinks means nothing to any intelligent player. Again , instead of being gutless and afraid the Hwaks should have come out strongly and said the report came from Cleveland and was distributed around the league and the MBA should investigate Cleveland if they feel the contents were or are racist - that puts Cleveland on the defensive instead of Atlanta taking ownership of the words. Atlanta can have a star player, they just wont get them from the lottery because they are too good for it , and they cant compete with the bigger markets for one. They will simply have to get lucky in the draft and develop one , but I personally like a team that has players that each bring unique skills to the table that makes for a strong overall unit.

the point once again is the origin - it was a scouting report that was sent out to the Hawks - why isnt there an investigation into who knew of the report , emails related to any correspondance concerning the report, teams that were given the report ?? Why is it assumed only the Hawks recieved and used the report to elavuate players?? Basically Ferry is being used as the scapegoat , Cleveland which knowingly distributed the report is unscatched . Its not so much about the scout as it is about who knew about the report. Dont tell me the Hawks were the only team to get that report. Yes the Hawks could have stood up for Ferry and stood by him - and in turn asked the NBA to investigate the source of the report and who internally knew. Instead Ferry is expected to take the blame for the reason top free agents wont come to Atlanta even though free agents have historically avoided Atlanta .

Are you serious ?? Everything I mentioned is going on here. Ferry is well known in NBA circles and has never been even remotely accused in all his years of playing with peoples of all nationalities yet no one has in the Hawks organization has taken a firm stand and said enoguh is enough . Its fear based and its cowardiced . Anyone can say maybe Ferry isnt the best GM and they are certainly entitled to their opinion, but to have to listen to all this bs about Him being a racist is laughable , especially when hes outed by a pos like Gearon and the fact that there is ZERO investigations or interest of investigating the source and who knew about the report BEFORE it came to Altlanta. In short WITCH HUNT.

the problem is in as much that Ferry did read that report he has been punished for it . You guys keep talking about the point he felt comfortable enough to read it and should have known better - it was sent from Cleveland - how many other organizations read it and passed it on ??? Why is Cleveland suffering ZERO conseqences - their front office and GM had to have read it and known the contents - and other NBA executives had to read it also . WHY is Ferry taking heat for an internal rport that originated with Cleveland ?? Its looking more and more like pile on the white guy in charge and Cleveland gets a pass.

its funny how in the last few years the definition of racist has changed - now you can be a racist if you say words that arent your own - you can even be a racist if you say words that sound like a slur - for example the guy on the city counsel in DC that used the word niggardly to express they neeeed to tighten up the budget - its ok to elect a crack head for mayor - just dont say a word that sounds like a slur or your a racist. The problem is really simple - you have idiots that are always ready to exploit race and then you have ignorant followers that make up mobs. Then of course you have folks that know the truth but are too cowardly to stand up for whats right. Bottom line is the pc police have crushed common sense and courage on a business level and made it another witchhunt .

30 teams and "we " missed out on key free agents ? I guess the other teams that missed out have crappy gms too? The point is most of these free agents especially the top ones already have a destination in mind before their contract runs out. In the last few years its gone from them wanting to be the top dog to just wanting to be a piece of a stacked team. We are simply one of the other franchises that have to build a team a different way. Its not about cherry picking and going after the top free agent names, its about adhering to the system and getting guys that want to be here . Not everyone wants to be in Atlanta just like not everyone wanted to be a Clipper- however you work on changing the culture and you will start to attract the free agents that you can realisticly get. Yes we need a center , but maybe we get him around Allstar break if we are playing lights out ball. Teams out of the running always want to dump salary in an effort to try to lure the next big free agent in the off season . We just want the right free agent at the right time, that isnt going to shakle this team for years - like the over reach on Joe Johnson . Ultimately though a united mangaement and ownership is what is needed - if we had that the Ferry bs would have never been allowed to get out of hand. And quite possibly we would have aggressively pointed the finger back at Cleveland.

no its called a double standard - its ok to hold Ferry and the Hawks accountable for someone elses words - Racism is only racism if there is enough minority outcry. In Clevelands case the NBA and any other African American that is labeling Ferry and the Hawks racist can pick and chose who they wish to destroy.

and yet deals are still being made in Cleveland even though they were the origin of the scouting report. The media and Gearon is the driving force behind the Ferry drama - if they had any journalistic credibility they would be writing pieces on why the scout hasnt been exposed and why Cleveland isnt doing a top to bottom investigation to ensure that nothing racist is going on in house . Utter bs we are still getting the finger pointed at the Hawks organization.

of course he deserves a statue . The guy was the most dynamic player in team history and the reason we were relevant in the 80's. Im proud to be a Nique fan

he had me when he didnt resign Josh Smith ....

so is the NBA investigating Cleveland ?? This is the origin of the scouting report , why isnt Silver speaking on t that ongoing investigation instead of us rehashing about the racist words Ferry repeated ?? Just who is being protected in Cleveland ??

the Hawks are never going to be able to sign a superstar talent - there I said it - unless they draft one. Too many things they are up against - none of them racial - all of them business wise. First and foremost any Free agent getting max offers from their team of origin isnt going to leave money sitting on the table. Now if Atlanta was a huge TV market team maybe - just not the case. Unless as has been spoken earlier - a player wants to return home to play - or the player is chasing a championship ring and the team has a squad thats close already it just doesnt make sense. You get your superstars through the draft or you usually dont get them . So Atlanta has to put together the pieces and hope the can bring unique skills to the table that will gel . Or get lucky and get a guy that has underachieved because of the system and thrives in the role Atlanta uses them in .

the core in Miami is still there - I think we will see a different Bosh and they may actually be a better team now that they dont have to share the BB as much. Deng fits in well there and Miami will contend next year.

In order to get a superstar you need to completely blow up the team and hope you get lucky in the lottery or be a big market team that can offer the player more national exposure as an incentive to come here. I think we lost Deng because he was convinced by Miami they are closer to a championship than we are even though the money offered was probably close.

Poverty and lack of education will limit how far up the social and professional ladder you can climb. Experience and personal perception and ideology shapes how you think . Thats why you have such different viewpoints on this issue . I have white friends that think it was racist just as I have black friends that dont think its a big deal . I have liberal friends that dont think it was a big deal as well as conservative friends that do . Bottom line is if you dont think Ferry is a racist but still want him gone what does that say about the climate in America ??

Yeah I wonder when the Cavs organization gets investigated and folks get to sift through every email and decide to put their spin and context on every syllable ?? I would love to read their rap sheet on Labron !

no actually its about the fans

so this racial diversity extends to the locker room too ?? Are we going to set the line on everyone and everything including music that is played that may disparage women , minorities and other races ??