Will changing GM's really change much?

[KB21]

Despite what some people have said, the Hawks did offer a significant piece of this team management wise to Jerry West last offseason. The reason West turned this team down was that he saw a management set up that was doomed to fail. What he saw was a lack of commitment to the scouting aspect of the game.

The Atlanta Hawks have the smallest scouting department in the NBA. Will changing GM's really make that much of a difference?

Don't take this as a Defense of Pete post. I think a change needs to be made, but the entire structure of the organization needs to be changed.

[CHORO44]

I think this franchise needs to be sold to some hands on owners. I live in Sacramento and the Maloof's have done an excellent job with the Kings by superior marketing and letting real basketball minds run the show (Petrie). I truly believe we need AOL to sell this team to Bird's group or some other hungry, basketball-loving owner. Once that owner(s) is/are in place then they need to hire a superior management team and scouting department.

I wish the NBA would start forcing owners to view their teams as an extension of themselves and not some tax-write off or corporate perk.

If Sacramento runs the table I'd like to see us go after Geoff Petrie and offer him the challenge of restoring our floundering franchise.

[KB21]

It's going to be extremely difficult to find an owner that has money like the Maloofs or Mark Cuban to be that much of a hands on owner. I really doubt that Larry Bird's group will have the financial backing to really invest in the team long term.

Bob Johnson would have been a good candidate, but he got the Charlotte franchise.

[Guest]

Another significant factor in the refusal of Jerry West to take the position was the contract status of people (SAR, Theo, etc.); though GRob was not yet on the roster, Toni's contract was...

Memphis had more draft picks, and higher ones, that would allow Jerry to manipulate things quite a bit more. Additionally, they pretty much made him GM/owner - he has the say in every decision that's made (I have a feeling).

I understand why he turned us down. And yes, ownership more than likely played a role as well...I was truly surprised that AOL let us go over the cap this year...I wonder if that was expected.

[KB21]

I don't think the contract status of Theo and SAR had any effect on Jerry's decision. He took over a team with immovable contracts in Bryant Reeves, Michael Dickerson, and Jason Williams. It's no different thatn the situation in Atlanta, except that the Hawks players are better.

[Guest]

Reeves is coming off the books. JWill's contract, with the way he's been playing, really isn't all that bad, a little high, but not that bad...Dickerson, well, he's a good player but has been bitten hard by the injury bug with his recurrent sports hernia...

they're really better off than we are as far as contracts go - I mean, if anything, they're in a pinch now, trying to figure out which players to keep and how to get a guy like Shane Battier pt...I wish the Hawks had similar problems...

[Guest]

except that the Hawks players are better."

they are?

[KB21]

Big Country's contract is coming off the books because he retired, but Jason Williams and Michael Dickerson's deals have 5 more years on them after this season.

With SAR, Glenn, and Theo, the Hawks only have 2 more years of their contracts.

Jason Williams is still going to be hard to trade even though he is playing well right now, because there is a sense of skepticism with him. Most people are waiting for him to revert back to being the Jason Williams that will jack up a 3 point attempt on a 3 on 1 break.

It doesn't look like Dickerson will ever get healthy. He's had this sports hernia for two years now. He undoubtedly has some terrible fascia.