Jeff Schultz in AJC

[hawkman]

Quote:

---

In another market these horrible owners would be called out on a daily basis. And when a writer finally has the guts to call a spade a spade...an owner calls him and asks him not to do it? Why? What has this ownership done to build equity with ANYONE? These guys need to be hammered 10x more than they are...this newspaper is as awful as any in the nation. Sekou is so concrened with keeping access he doesn't have the guts to write anything controversial. So, these guys have gotten a free pass after having presided over the worst franchise is sports.

Lunarblues: I have never read such a lightweight post on this site. You think everything is rosy in your little hawkland. You think this is all the good ship lollipop. Yeah, a guy should be fired for calling the Hawks owners out for being incompetant. Makes sense to most people here...

---

Good point about Sekou TP. I have no problem with the guy personally, but his articles will always put the Hawks in a positive light. That's the way it's always beeen with him, and that's the way it has to be....IF he wants to continue to have access to this team. Earlier, someone called Schultz a coward for writing his article. Well what do you think about Sekou's failure to objectively report about the current state of this franchise? Isn't what he's doing akin to sacrificing journalistic integrity just to maintain access to this pitiful franchise? And for what? So he can keep his job as a "journalist" and keep writing the same articles that he's beeen writing for the past few years? Once again, I'm not trying to flame the guy here but if no one has a problem with what Sekou's been doing, how can you have a problem with Schultz? If Sekou is thought of as a credible journalist around here then Schultz should be thought of as a credible journalist as well.

[TroyMcClure]

Quote:

---

Sekou is so happy to have a job working an "NBA" beat, it's not funny. He should be faaaaaaaar more critical if he knows anything about basketball, or winning for that matter.

---

This is what I wrote earlier.

In actuality, if he were to write more scathing articles, he would probably rise a little. Like Terrence Moore. He gets on national tv quite a bit. Unless it's the Braves, I want total honesty.

[Diesel]

Quote:

---

Good point about Sekou TP. I have no problem with the guy personally, but his articles will always put the Hawks in a positive light.

---

I don't know if it's a statement that was made up in business or if it's something confusia said... or some kind of proverb...

But there's this saying that rings true:

You don't Sh-t where you eat.

If you think that Sekou doesn't write negatively about the Hawks because he wants to keep his job... You're damn right.

In fact, I don't think you can find a beat reporter anywhere in the whole world who casts his team in a negative light.

Maybe when Sekou becomes a National media personality like Vescey or Stephen A. Smith, maybe then he can be more confrontational and he can be as opinionated as he wants to be...

But QUITE FRANKLY as Stephen A. Found out this week, that doesn't always play either.

Now, here's the bottom line for you marks who don't know any better and prefer to spend goobs of posts in your rosy colored fantasy land where every reporter has Journalistic integrity....

Jeff Schultz' primary job is to sell papers. If he can sell paper by drumming up as much controversy as he can, guarantee you.. he will do it.

Ask yourself.. How many times has he ever wrote a story about the Hawks? Maybe 2 times in 5 years. Shultz' is just looking for another angle because the Falcons are yesterday's news and there's nothing to talk about with the Braves. He'd be talking about Holyfield and FanMan if it sold newspapers.

[hawkman]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

Good point about Sekou TP. I have no problem with the guy personally, but his articles will always put the Hawks in a positive light.

---

I don't know if it's a statement that was made up in business or if it's something confusia said... or some kind of proverb...

But there's this saying that rings true:

You don't Sh-t where you eat.

If you think that Sekou doesn't write negatively about the Hawks because he wants to keep his job... You're damn right.

In fact, I don't think you can find a beat reporter anywhere in the whole world who casts his team in a negative light.

Maybe when Sekou becomes a National media personality like Vescey or Stephen A. Smith, maybe then he can be more confrontational and he can be as opinionated as he wants to be...

But QUITE FRANKLY as Stephen A. Found out this week, that doesn't always play either.

Now, here's the bottom line for you marks who don't know any better and prefer to spend goobs of posts in your rosy colored fantasy land where every reporter has Journalistic integrity....

Jeff Schultz' primary job is to sell papers. If he can sell paper by drumming up as much controversy as he can, guarantee you.. he will do it.

Ask yourself.. How many times has he ever wrote a story about the Hawks? Maybe 2 times in 5 years. Shultz' is just looking for another angle because the Falcons are yesterday's news and there's nothing to talk about with the Braves. He'd be talking about Holyfield and FanMan if it sold newspapers.

---

I have no problem with Sekou trying to assure his job security. But you have to admit that with all of the bad things surrounding this franchise right now that his articles do seem a little like pointless fluff. The team basically quit for two or three weeks straight and Sekou writes an article on Marvin Williams being more vocal during a practice? What's up with that? I just expect more inside info on relevant topics concerning the Hawks. It's bad when the Detroit news has more to say about your head coach than you do. What's strange is that if Woodson was fired tomorrow, Sekou would come out with an article about how he knew a coaching change was in the works weeks in advance. Well, that would be nice to know before it happens, not after the fact. Anyway, if that's what sekou wants to do, that's fine. Heck, I'd probably do the same if I was in the same situation. But the point is when a guy comes out with an article that's not pointless fluff about the Hawks, he shouldn't be picked apart by the ASG/BK lemmings around here.

[Diesel]

Again...

You don't s--t where you eat.

How many interviews and quotes do you think Sekou could get if he casted the Hawks in a negative light??

I expect to see story like:

1. Hawks looking forward to getting off the snide.

2. Hawks happy to see injury players practicing.

3. Hawks players realize that something must be done on the court.

Like I have said, Sekou shares the same relationship with the Hawks that every beat reporter share with it's team...

You must not remember Denberg...

It wasn't until Denberg wrote for ESPN that I realized that Denberg could say something slightly negative about the Hawks.

Denberg was as optimistic as Greymule.

You must not remember Voisin.

I thought Voisin and Nique were dating because her articles were so complimentary. I remember going to see Hawks Bulls. Nique and Jordan going head to head. Nique sitting at halfcourt cherry picking for half the game. The next day, Voisin writes a story explaining how Nique and Jordan matched offensive and defensive blows (or something to that effect).. I couldn't believe that she said defensive. She must have been talking about Jordan's defense...

[hawkman]

Maybe I should expect it by now. That's why when I pull up AJC/sports/hawks on the net, I just scan the titles. If I see more "fluff", I just go to Hoopshype rumors and look for actual "insider" info on the Hawks. Sad.

[TroyMcClure]

Quote:

---

You don't s--t where you eat.

How many interviews and quotes do you think Sekou could get if he casted the Hawks in a negative light?

---

He doesn't work for the Hawks. I know the game. I'm just saying he's not very good at it. Kind of like the Hawks.

[Diesel]

He's a beat reporter....

FIND 1 beat reporter that reporters Negatively on his/her team??

let me help you...

Philly is the worse team in the league and definitely tanking...

They played Charlotte the other night and got the breaks beat off of them...

Here's the article by their beat reporter:

Click

Note the title...

Quote:

---

Sixers unable to finish off Bobcats

---

They were behind the whole game. I don't remember them being in position to win...

It's not the job of the beat reporter to make negative comments about the team. It's his job to get quotes. Sekou has done a little more than get quotes...

[TexasPete]

The AJC has never had too many guys who will just lay it out there...Sekou is worried that his access will be gone if he calls BK/Woody/Spirit out.

I exchanged quite a few emails with him last year about BK and Woody. I can tell you that he couldn't stand BK last year and felt Woody was a nice guy in over his head. There is NO QUESTION Sekou thought Woody should be fired last year...

Something happened between then and now to put him more firmly into the BK/Woody camp. He never challenges these guys on anything, and this season is worse than last year. He is getting no "scoop" from BK...I'm not sure why Sekou changed his tune, but he is just echoeing the current excuses coming from the Spirit camp.

The AJC has the worst NBA coverage of any major paper in the country which is consistent with their overall image of a lousy and out of touch paper. And they wonder why business declines every year?

Nice job Sekou...we still get nothing good from your articles...except a few phony and highly unsubstantiated trade rumors.

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

---

The AJC has never had too many guys who will just lay it out there...Sekou is worried that his access will be gone if he calls BK/Woody/Spirit out.

---

If anyone recalls our own JayWalker got that sort of treatment from BK.

It takes all types to get the many sides of the story, it takes the ass kisser and it takes the ass-kicker. I don't fault either reporter in their coverage/editorials frankly, I just don't buy either of them hook, line, and sinker. However, in this case it's obvious that Schultz is making a more accurate reflection of the state of the Hawks.

W

[Diesel]

TP,

I don't know if you work at all... But if you did work, would you shine a negative light on the very thing that gives you a job?

It's very simple.. I guess you must be a homebody or something. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Sekou is not an investigative reporter... He's a beat reporter... Great big difference. Sekou brings us privelaged information straight from the horses mouth because he has that kind of access.

You expect him to give up that access for what??

15 secs of fame?

I doubt you will ever read a Hawks article by Shultz for the next 2 years.. This last one has been 2 years coming. However, when you want to know if the Hawks are really going to do something, Sekou is more likely to know than anybody else.

[TroyMcClure]

How many effing times do you have to be told? What great inside scoops has Sekou given us? He doesn't work for the Hawks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He works for the AJC. They want to sell papers. You could write the type of stories Sekou does from a laptop in Antartica.

[TroyMcClure]

Quote:

---

You expect him to give up that access for what??

15 secs of fame?

---

To be a man. Not a hack. That's what for.

[AHF]

Quote:

---

Gearon and any of the other owners have had ample opportunity to give statements to the press. They chose not to do that. That is their right. Schultz writes an article(based on actual facts) that paints the organization in a bad light. That is his right. The ASG can't have it both ways here. If the ASG doesn't want to talk to the media, that's fine. I don't agree with it but that's their right. But I do have a problem with an owner trying to stop a journalist from writing an article that may make his team/organization look bad. Gearon can feel free to control the information coming from the Hawks' website or anything that falls under their ownership umbrella. But he cannot control the information that comes from the free press. It's hard for me to fathom why a fan who seems to know so much about the Hawks and the organization and the current mess that's going on wouldn't agree with Schultz here.

---

Again, I didn't even criticize Schultz underlying argument about the state of the team. Moreover, our owners do talk with the media and have been quoted several times in the press over the last few weeks. There is no problem with an owner calling up a journalist without any threats or bribes made and asking him to listen to the owner's opinion on the team and buy into that. If Blank did that with Petrino and called up Schultz who was about to write a column about how Petrino is just another college coach who will fail in the NFL I wouldn't have any problem with it. Why should I have a problem with Gearon?

What I do have a problem with from Schultz column is the fact that he went out of his way to take a cheap and inaccurate shot at Gearon who has devoted 30 years to this franchise.

[Johnnybravo4]

I am guessing your last name is Gearon. I don't guess that you had problems with the Smiths being called the Clampets years ago.

[TexasPete]

What exactly is the cheap shot? I'm just curious...

[AHF]

Quote:

---

What exactly is the cheap shot? I'm just curious...

---

A guy is a former General Manager of the Atlanta Hawks.

He then serves for years as the team's President.

His next role is as the team's Chairman of the Board.

His latest role is as an owner with the team. These are his sole jobs over a 30 year time span.

When he calls up a columnist to defend the team's coach, not only does the columnist not know his history with the team but he goes out of his way to make it seem like Gearon's call is inappropriate and just another sign that this ownership group is unprofessional:

Quote:

---

How many franchises have the father of an owner phone a newspaper columnist

---

The guy could be a freaking face of the Hawks and suddently he is "the father of an owner," as if this was similar to the shame that would be involved if Dan Snyder's father called the press to try to get his son better coverage.

Take issue with what Gearon said but have a little respect for his history with the team - not to mention his current place as one of 9 owners (including Belkin).

For what it is worth, I have never met either Gearon. I just thought that after 30 years with the team, his talking with a member of the press hardly qualified as romperoom antics worthy of a snide shot at the ASG.

[TexasPete]

What really is being overlooked is the quote by Gearon where he says that the problem may be with the owners...and it may be the GM.

I think it is very interesting that he mentions that the problems may reside with the GM.

Does this mean BK is in more hot water than Woody? It sounds like it...although the mighty Spirit likely don't have the money or cajones to bring in a real GM.

[hawkman]

Quote:

---

What exactly is the cheap shot? I'm just curious...

---

I was wondering the same thing. I actually had to read the article again to see why this has become such a hot button topic. I don't see how Schultz went out of his way to mention Gearon in the article. My guess is if Gearon hadn't have tried to dissuade Schultz from writing it in the first place, his name wouldn't have been included. Schultz just reported events as they happened. His job is to report the news. When a man of Gearon's stature contacts you personally, THAT IS NEWS. I don't see what was so disrespectful about it other than the fact that he might have gotten his Gearon Jr's and Sr's mixed up.

[drzachary]

Quote:

---

Quote:

---

What exactly is the cheap shot? I'm just curious...

---

I was wondering the same thing. I actually had to read the article again to see why this has become such a hot button topic. I don't see how Schultz went out of his way to mention Gearon in the article. My guess is if Gearon hadn't have tried to dissuade Schultz from writing it in the first place, his name wouldn't have been included. Schultz just reported events as they happened. His job is to report the news. When a man of Gearon's stature contacts you personally, THAT IS NEWS. I don't see what was so disrespectful about it other than the fact that he might have gotten his Gearon Jr's and Sr's mixed up.

---

Here's my take: Schultz was implying (at least how I read it) that Gearon Jr got his daddy to call and yell at the columnist. Schultz is apparently ignorant that 'daddy' has been a crucial part of the Hawks for decades, OR he knew well who Gearon Sr was and chose to portray him as just an owner's dad. Ignorance or malice, take your pick.