Owners Talk to AJC

[Lascar78]

AJC: THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS
A spirited anniversary

By TIM TUCKER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/02/06

On Friday morning — two years to the day that Atlanta Spirit closed on its purchase of the Hawks and Thrashers — three members of the team's ownership group sat in the otherwise empty Philips Arena stands, answering a reporter's questions. Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz and Michael Gearon Jr. had a lot to say about the teams and a little to say about their ongoing feud with estranged partner Steve Belkin.

Two years ago today, you bought the teams.

Levenson: "Time flies when you're having fun."

AJC: Knowing all that you know now, would you do it again?

Levenson: "I would do it again. I would do it differently."

AJC: How?

Levenson: "I think people will understand what I mean by that."

AJC: Your assessment of the state of the Hawks?

Levenson: "The people I talk to around the NBA that I hold in high regard tell me that we are closer [to being a winner] than probably I realize. . . . We added two very important pieces last year, Joe Johnson and Zaza Pachulia. Joe Johnson has been all that we hoped for and more."

Peskowitz: "Compare Zaza to [last year's No. 1 draft pick Andrew] Bogut. They're in the same age bracket, play the same position; their numbers are comparable. And I think Zaza has greater upside."

Levenson: "So in that first year, at the height of the dysfunctionality of the ownership group, that's what we were able to accomplish on the basketball side — adding two long-term valuable pieces. There's more work to do."

AJC: Do you regret passing on Chris Paul in last year's draft?

Gearon: "I think it's extremely easy after the fact to evaluate in every draft players you could or should have taken. . . . Marvin [Williams, whom the Hawks picked ahead of Paul] is going to be a great pro. He has gotten better every month."

AJC: What is the Hawks' top priority this summer, point guard or center?

Gearon: "Resolve the lawsuit with Belkin."

Levenson: Billy [Knight, Hawks general manager] is, as you know, a very secretive guy. I'm a journalist by profession, I like accessibility, I like full disclosure, that's part of my DNA, but I've come to understand how important it is [in sports] to keep that stuff to yourself."

AJC: How do you feel about the job [Hawks coach] Mike Woodson has done this season?

Levenson: "I think it's a really hard question. I think Woody has grown with this team this year. Last year he was clearly a rookie NBA head coach, but he has grown with this team, has created a bond with his players."

Gearon: "The biggest challenge is he's a young coach, and with a young coach you go through growing pains."

Levenson: "There were times this season when we talked to our GM about Woody and his position as coach, and we also sought advice from people outside our team. And the advice we got was (a) be patient, (b) this guy is a consummate professional who works very hard, and © you have the youngest team in NBA history so you've got to understand that."

Gearon: "[Earlier this season], without a doubt, there were a lot of questions. We all talked about what would make this team better. We challenged [Knight] on a lot of things, and he did his analysis, and he came back to us and gave us a lot of strong reasons to continue to be committed to Woody, and that's what we did. . . . We made a public commitment to support the coach, and after that the kids played a lot better."

AJC: You've said that, regardless of whether the Thrashers make the playoffs, [coach] Bob Hartley and [general manager] Don Waddell will be back next season.

Levenson: "Yes."

AJC: Similarly, have you decided that Woodson and Knight will be back?

Levenson: "Nobody has asked me that question, and we haven't had that conversation [among the owners]. That is a conversation we have had with regard to Don and Bob, and we have thoroughly vetted that conversation."

Gearon: "I think the difference — the reason we've discussed that with hockey more than basketball right now — is hockey is farther along in the development process and the expectations are higher. The reality is if [goalie] Kari [Lehtonen] had been healthy at the start of season, we wouldn't be fighting for a playoff berth, we'd be fighting for a top seed. So we had that conversation. It's not something we've been worried about [recently] with basketball."

AJC: Do you have any doubt whether hockey can succeed in Atlanta as a business?

Levenson: "I have no doubts."

Peskowitz: "Winning is everything — the on-court product, the on-ice product."

Levenson: "Our model [in hockey] is Tampa. Look at what they're doing in terms of gate receipts. It's working. It's working in a much smaller market."

AJC: Do you worry that when the legal dispute [with Belkin] plays out, you might not own the teams?

Levenson: "It's inconceivable to me."

[KB21]

I like the fact that people around the league basically told the owners to be patient. Some of our fans could learn something from that.

[tmac13]

They seem to be very noncommital on both Woody and BK..I am sure they have had as many poor reports on the job of the Hawks management as good ones..Remember the Sekou article last week where scouts called the Hawks roster inept. Its also interesting they seemed to go outside the organization to ask questions,which means they question BK and Woody's abilities in their jobs,which they should as poorly as the team has performed.

[Popeye]

Basicly what they said is"

Will Waddell and Hartley be back next year??....Definetly!!!

Will Woody and Billy be back next year???......ummmmmmmmm I dont think so

[Diesel]

I'm more apt to keep Woody than BK?

I think when you consider that we have the youngest team in the league and tha we are 11-22 against teams above .500...

However, it's BK who has failed to bring in the right pieces.

I think Woody does believe that he can change the tradition of basketball by just calling a 6'9 player whaever you want him to be.

Actually, I don't ike some of Woods rotations... so I don't know who to really blame..

[ggp]

I wanted to draft Chris Paul instead of Marvin Williams. In the early stages of their development, I think that I was right. However, BK had to draft with the future in mind.

Drafting Paul might have made this team perform better this season. Our record could have improved enough to move out of the lottery. The problem is that we still would not be a contending team. We would be stuck in NBA mediocrity for years to come.

I am willing to admit that BK is teaching me about how to build a basketball team. I support BK fully and I want him to stay at the helm for at least another three years. Woodson has done a fantastic job with this group of youngsters. He has shown the growth as a coach and is getting the most from his players. Hiring a name coach might create a spike in wins but I doubt that anyone else can be more successful in the long haul. Changing coaches would be a big mistake.

Conclusion: Extend Knight's and Woodson's contracts.

[joannes3000]

Quote:

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However, it's BK who has failed to bring in the right pieces.

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JJ is definitely a right piece.

Smoove is looking like a right piece and will look even better once we get a defensive big.

Chillz isn't looking like a wrong piece.

Marvin looks like the wrong piece now but I'm confident in saying that he'll be a right piece in 2 years tops.

[DrReality]

It's good to hear they are evaluating everything. As new owners their learning curve has to be steep and the only way that can be done is by going outside the organization. It was refreshing to get an answer that was real.

There is the issue of BK getting the right pieces, but there is also the part of him creating the image they want for the Hawks. They have to have some concern given his lack on connection with the press, his appearance at the recent game. BK is the complete opposite of the Falcon's GM and they have to feel some sting as a result.

Good to hear from them. Makes me hopeful that they don't have blind trust.

[KB21]

The Hawks owners are gathering as much information as they can. When the subject of BK and Mike came up, they said they haven't discussed it. To me, that means that it is a non-issue. They also stated that because the hockey team is farther along in its development, the GM and coach of that team (I don't follow hockey) were discussed at length.

They site the bond that Mike has with his players right now, and that's something you don't want to mess with in a developmental situation like this. This team has improved and has a tremendous upside. You don't fire the coach that has grown along with the team, and you don't fire the GM that has put the upside into place. A new GM will simply be coming into the situation and benefitting from the talent that Billy has put into place, because as that talent matures, everyone will see the long term vision that Billy has for this team. Bringing in a new GM could possibly derail that vision, just as it did in Memphis.

[Plainview1981]

Quote:

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The Hawks owners are gathering as much information as they can. When the subject of BK and Mike came up, they said they haven't discussed it. To me, that means that it is a non-issue. They also stated that because the hockey team is farther along in its development, the GM and coach of that team (I don't follow hockey) were discussed at length.

They site the bond that Mike has with his players right now, and that's something you don't want to mess with in a developmental situation like this. This team has improved and has a tremendous upside. You don't fire the coach that has grown along with the team, and you don't fire the GM that has put the upside into place. A new GM will simply be coming into the situation and benefitting from the talent that Billy has put into place, because as that talent matures, everyone will see the long term vision that Billy has for this team. Bringing in a new GM could possibly derail that vision, just as it did in Memphis.

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What's the record in the last 15 games? You call that improvement?

[Guest Walter]

Whatever defense of the selection of MW ("very good pro"), this was not an endorsement of him.

W

[chillzatl]

he also didn't call Josh Smith, Josh Childress or Al Harrington important pieces either. What a ringing un-endorsement that is! Marvin is a rookie and as a rookie he's doing just fine. Unless you draft a polished, known quantity player (duncan) or you get lucky (Carmello), no GM is going to call a rookie an "important piece" because...THEY ARE ROOKIES.

The only people who are unhappy with him are people who can't get over the fact Billy Knight didn't pick Chris Paul and they want to hate on Marvin for that. As I would expect from that sect of haters, you don't even quote him properly. He said "great pro", not "very good pro". A slight difference I know. But a clear sign of how you feel about Marvin. He wasn't the pick you wanted, so that means he'll be no good.

[Lascar78]

and your point is?

[Final_quest]

Wow, it sounds like they aren't backing Woody and BK. It will be interesting if we clean house this summer.

[chillzatl]

they said that it hadn't even been discussed. They said they had specifically discussed it in the case of the Thrashers. But it had not been mentioned for the Hawks. Based on their "they are at different stages of development. The Thrashers have more talent", I take it to mean that because the Thrashers have the talent they do, it was worthy to discuss if the coach and GM were the right guys. As for the Hawks, they know that we don't have the talent to be discussing making coaching or GM changes at this point.

[tmac13]

We have lost 12 out of 14, we are again a bottom 4 team, our seats are empty, and the owners haven't discussed our management?..If you really believe the topic has never come up with them I have some swamp land in Florida you might be interested in...

"We have not discussed it" = We don't wanna talk about it with the press

[chillzatl]

They explained the situation quite clearly if you ask me. It's a non-issue.

"we are 12 of 14" - Over that time you'll notice that we've taken a sharp hit in depth and skill (Lue, Childress, Salim). The owners aren't dumb and they aren't overexcited little fans. They will have noticed that we were playing well, we lost some players and then started playing at a lesser level.

If they weren't discussing it before that 14 game stretch. Why would they now? They know why we're losing and it's not because our coach and GM, over the last 14 game stretch, got super shitty all of a sudden.

That's the problem with being a fan. Fan is short for Fanatic.

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fa·nat·ic n.

A person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause.

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Our owners aren't unreasoning, illogical, overexcited fans. They don't think in terms of game to game. They don't start cursing players and debating how much time Woody has becuase we lost a bad game to a bad team. They don't start discussing when they should fire Billy because Marvin is having a typical rookie season for a 19 year old and Chris Paul is playing better than ANYONE expected this season. I am thankful for this....

[Lascar78]

I read it that way too. With the thrashers, they have the talent to win, and it's a lot easier to evaluate how the coach is doing for instance. It's a lot more important to have the right guy in there too.

To me this reiterated what they said earlier in the season. BK saved Woody's job, and they will give both of their performances a serious review once the season's over. I expect both to still be here as long as they like what they are hearing from BK pre-draft (i.e. he agrees no more SFs).

I think Woody is given a chance to win or lose his job next season with more cohesive talent. I think BK is given this offseason to show that he can put a more cohesive team together.

[thesheedera]

Quote:

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Whatever defense of the selection of MW ("very good pro"), this was not an endorsement of him.

W

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I never read that...I read this:

Quote:

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Gearon: "I think it's extremely easy after the fact to evaluate in every draft players you could or should have taken. . . . Marvin [Williams, whom the Hawks picked ahead of Paul] is going to be a great pro. He has gotten better every month."

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Quote:

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"very good pro"

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Quote:

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"great pro"

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Walter, same thing? Keep chuggin that haterade, even if it causes you to misread simple english.

[Final_quest]

I hear what you guys are saying, and perhaps you have to take what the owners said at face value. At the very least it was a lukewarm response, and it left the possibility open that they would not be back.

Look at it from another angle. What would the owners have said if they were going to most likely fire Woody and BK?

You can't say while someone is still performing their job that they are going to be let go. You have to say exactly what was said. We haven't talked about it could mean they haven't talked about it or it could mean we aren't at liberty to say that we're gonna fire their asses.