A Question for Jaywalker

[TheDude]

You seem to be closer to the organization or getting word than anyone else. What do you think the general direction of the team is now. As far as what to address in the offseason, positions of weakness to address and so forth...

also any word of anyone interested in purchasing the team?

[jaywalker72]

Here are some of the more common questions that I have emailed to me and may shed some light as to what I think is happening over at Hawks HQ.

As far as offseason stuff, you don't get much info until the offseason.

1. Will Pete Babcock be fired?

A month ago I though Pete would resign, but now I believe he will indeed come back.

Before anyone gets upset about that keep in mind that even if Pete did resign, they would likely replace him with somebody like him, so I doubt little would change.

The scouting dept. would still be tiny, making draft time a rough endevour at any rate.

It's an organizational problem, and one I get more frustrated with each day I see behind the curtain.

Which leads us to:

2. Will the Hawks be sold?

The way that the Turner properties are set up ends up tying the three franchises (Hawks, Thrashers, and Braves) together in many business deals, including the lease of Philips Arena that is shared between the Hawks and Thrashers.

So, no, I don't think they would be sold soon because it would take a premium offer to extracate the Hawks out of those business deals.

Combine that with the fact that most people aren't sure whether or not the NBA is a viable product in the ATL, and I think you see where I am coming from.

3. Will Terry Stotts be fired?

Well, he is just an interim coach, so the question really is, will he get the job?

No. The Hawks are going to want to bring in a veteran coach, such as Jeff Van Gundy or, if he becomes avaliable, Paul Silas.

4. Will the Hawks resign Terry?

I think they will either offer him the same deal he turned down last year or even less, and if he turns it down, they will offer the qualifier (more likely given his unsteady play at PG) and send Terry out to restricted FA.

If Terry gets an offer, I would expect the Hawks to match, as it would likely be less than the deal they offered to begin with.

If Terry does not get an offer, then I believe that JT plays out his fifth season and becomes unrestricted FA after that year, giving the Hawks and JT another year to determine if he is a starting PG in the NBA.

5. What's going to happen with DerMarr?

The Hawks will do whatever to keep him around, and that includes if it is determined that he can't play the game anymore.

DerMarr is an unrestricted FA, but the Hawks can only offer up to what his fourth year option would be had they picked it up (3.8 million). They can also use the MLE if they need to, but considering his lost season, I would be surprised if anyone offers Slim even 2 million a year.

For DerMarr's part, he wants to play here in the ATL, particularly if JT and Reef stay around.

[TheDude]

thanks jay...any words on bringing any veteran's in? i think that's an area that can help us...

[SWISH9061]

I for one would be very surprised if Babcock is not fired after this season especially if our pick falls in the 4-10 range. How much longer can the owners watch the Hawks get blown away (see last game) and not feel that this team needs a complete overhaul - starting at the top?

These guys may not know basketball but you bet your a$$ they know the bottom line - and it can't be looking good with a luxury tax payment coming as well as the ticket refunds. Sure the refund may be a small hit in terms of real dollars but it's going to significantly damage the Hawks image/credibility. Dan Patrick and Stu Scott are going to have fun with this.

Besides, without an overhaul, no big name coach is going to want this job. Van Gundy and Silas will have their pick of jobs so don't think they're coming here without some assurances that the front office (GM, scouting, etc..) is on track to field a competitive team - which won't happen on Pete's watch.

[Blunt91]

The only way someone like Van Gundy will come to the Hawks is if he is complete control of the team.If they make him headcoach/GM then it might be a done deal.

[Traceman]

unless its Doc Rivers. I like Van Gundy but I'm not sure that Van Gundy has the people skills to function well in both roles. I think he would be a lot like Pat Riley and I liked Riley the coach a lot better than Riley the GM. I think Van Gundy is a real possibility if Babs is fired.

That being said, unfortunately, I think the most likely scenario is that Silas comes in and Babcock stays. I wouldn't have a problem with Silas as coach but I don't think that Babs should be a part of the decision making team as the Hawks try to move forward.

[jaywalker72]

Don't worry about the GM/Coach thing...the Hawks aren't interested.

Why didn't the Hawks bring in Isiah Thomas? Because they wanted someone who had no aspirations of being anything but a coach, anywhere.

They will go after someone who is a coach, only a coach, and nothing but a coach, like JVG or Silas.

If they do go that route (GM/coach), then it should be noted as a significant change in paradigm, but again, I wouldn't think that to be likely.

[Traceman]

[SWISH9061]

That is good to hear as I'm not a big fan of the coach/GM position.

On the other hand it's a little depressing to hear that Pete might be back. How long has he been here and how has he been able to keep his job? I live in Houston and it's been amazing to see what the Rockets have done in the last 4-5 years in terms on bringing in talent and reshaping their team - thanks to GM Carroll Dawson.

I don't think we have a chance of getting a proven coach like Van Gundy or Silas. As much as I love the Hawks this team is a long way from being competitive and I just don't see an establish coach wanting to come here. So I think our best shot is an unproven, ex-player, assistant, who'll jump at the chance to be a head coach. That's not a bad thing as guys like Carlisle, Cheeks etal are out there.

[KB21]

Why can't the Hawks attract a big name coach like Jeff Van Gundy or Paul Silas?

With the same management team in Pete and Stan, they were able to bring in Lenny Wilkens in 1993. Stan Kasten recently brought in Bob Hartley, a Stanley Cup Winning coach, to coach the Thrashers.

This isn't a job that people are going to shun. Had we offered this job to Isaiah Thomas, he would have taken it over the Indiana job.

So, don't think that someone like Paul Silas isn't going to be willing to come in and work for Stan and Pete. Heck, considering Stan's loathe to firing people, a lot of coaches will run to this job. They know they will get at least 3 years to see what they can do.

As for the Hawks paying a luxury tax, AOL could really care less. They know they own the Hawks. That's about as far as that relationship goes. Everything money wise that goes into the Hawks, Braves, and Thrashers gets one line on the account books for the TBS section of the company. When the bean counters at AOL see the books, they see everything as a TBS expenditure or profit. So, the $10 million or so they will spend in luxury taxes may be only 0.5% of the total expenditures of the TBS Network. AOL won't even realize they had to pay a luxury tax.

[mdawg]

I wouldn't mind seeing Don Nelson as the coach/GM of the Hawks. He's done a [censored] good job with a team that was more pathetic than the Hawks before he took over.

[SWISH9061]

I just think that guys like Silas and Van Gundy are going to have the luxury of picking their spot because they are big-time/name coaches. Coaches of this caliber want to win and I don't see the Hawks being winners anytime in the near future.

I personally think that of all the teams which may need a coach this offseason (Cavs, Knicks, Rockets (maybe), Hornets), the Hawks are the least attractive team to lead - unless they keep the pick.