Hawks News (7-31-03)

[HawkTodd]

The Dish: When Will the Hawks Make a Move? (7-31-03).

http://hawks.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=335

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Asbury Automotive Group Names Michael Kane New President and CEO of Texas Platform (7-31-03).

http://www.fandimag.com/bnews_pick.cfm?rank=2227

Asbury Automotive Group, Inc., an automotive retail and service company, announced that Michael Kane has been named president and CEO of McDavid Auto Group, based in Irving, Texas. Mr. Kane will replace current president and CEO David McDavid, who is leaving to pursue other interests.

According to the company, the McDavid Auto Group is one of the best-known brands in Texas, having been in its local market for 66 years. Today, the McDavid Group consists of 11 franchises in four cities throughout Texas, with annual revenues of approximately $500 million. It is one of the largest Honda dealers in the country, with two Honda stores and two Acura stores. Asbury acquired the platform in 1998 from Mr. McDavid.

"We would like to thank Mr. McDavid for his many invaluable contributions over the years, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. David is one of the best 'car guys' in the industry, and his vast knowledge and experience will be sorely missed," said Kenneth B. Gilman, president and CEO of Asbury Automotive. "Looking ahead, we feel very fortunate to have Michael Kane on board as CEO in Texas. His extensive background in automotive retailing and in the Texas marketplace, in particular, will be of great value to Asbury, and we are sure he will capitalize on the strong McDavid brand to drive increased revenues for the platform."

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Chat wrap: David Aldridge (7-31-03).

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=3812

Alain, Atlanta: what do you think of the Jason Terry situation in Atl and what kind of additional moves do you expect from the new management before season starts?

David Aldridge: I'm not sure Jason won't wind up staying in Atlanta. From talking to the Jazz I haven't gotten the indication that they're going to aggressively pursue him. As I said earlier I'm sure there will be a lot of teams trying to get Ratliff.

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Spurs swingman Jackson to visit (7-31-03).

http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~90~1543513,00.html

Fegan said Jackson also would visit the Utah Jazz on Friday and the Atlanta Hawks early next week.

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THE DAILY (7-31-03).

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_4741.shtml

Atlanta - Hundreds of fans attended the Hawks “Fabulous Finalists Party� to meet and mingle with the nearly 50 men and women vying for 20 positions on the 2003-04 Hawks Dance Team. Two lucky fans were even chosen to help judge final auditions the next morning. The dance team will be officially announced shortly.

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Hopeless Hawks now NBA's biggest lost cause (7-31-03).

http://espn.go.com/nba/columns/may_peter/1587754.html

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Half-full finale at Smith (7-31-03).

http://www.syracuse.com/sports/poststandar...40505220590.xml

Kueth Duany - The former Orangeman said he expects to receive an invitation to the Atlanta Hawks' training camp. Duany's agent had been talking to Detroit and the New York Knicks, but feels Duany's best chance is with the Hawks.

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Teachers in overtime with the Leafs (7-31-03).

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentSe...ol=969048863851

"Where the Leafs in the past had been able to write their own financial story, that may not be the case in the future," said Chuck Greenberg, president of Pittsburgh-based PlayMaker Sports Advisors LLC, whose clients include Dallas car dealer David McDavid, now in the process of buying the Atlanta Thrashers and Hawks from AOL Time Warner Inc.

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Theus hired as Pitino's assistant (7-31-03).

http://www.sportingnews.com/cbasketball/ar...731/485745.html

Theus, a two-time NBA All-Star, also played for Kansas City -- now Sacramento -- Atlanta and Orlando before finishing his career in New Jersey in 1990-91.

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Newman drops out, shrinking list for Bucks' job to 6 (7-30-03).

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/6422318.htm

Chances are George Karl won't be consulted for input on picking his successor as Milwaukee Bucks head coach.

But Karl left no doubt where his feelings on the matter rested.

"I'd probably hire me," said Karl, explaining that the current Bucks remind him of the Seattle SuperSonics team he rebuilt from the bottom up.

When reminded that he was not a viable option, Karl said he favored two of his former assistants, Terry Stotts, who is the interim head coach of the Atlanta Hawks, and Bucks assistant Don Newman.

While Stotts remains a frontrunner for the job, Newman eliminated himself from consideration on Wednesday.

"I hope Terry or Donnie gets it," Karl said. "Those would be my personal choices of the people they are interviewing.

"They both have an advantage to coaching this team because they know it and have a comfort zone with it."

Newman still may remain with the Bucks as an assistant under the new coach, but he is rumored to be interested in an assistant position with the New Jersey Nets.

"Don still may remain with the Bucks, but he is pursuing another opportunity (within the NBA)," said his agent, Danny More. "It appears the Bucks will go in another direction or they would have offered him the job by now.

"The Bucks also made it obvious he can stay with the team if he chooses, but he is also going to be pursuing another opportunity."

With Newman's elimination, six candidates - Stotts, Sacramento assistant Terry Porter, former Dallas assistant Sidney Moncrief, Phoenix assistant Marc Iavaroni, Detroit assistant Mike Woodson, and Seattle associate head coach Dwane Casey - remain candidates for the job.

Bucks general manager Larry Harris is expected to trim the field of candidates to two or three when all the interviews are completed late this week. Then, Bucks owner Herb Kohl is expected to get involved in the final decision with an announcement on the new coach likely to come early next week.

Karl understands that his input isn't likely to carry much weight with the two people who matter most in the hiring process, Harris and Kohl.

"Of course with the total change, the philosophy has changed with Larry and Senator Kohl, and that's up to them," said Karl.

Both Stotts and Newman had been with Karl since his time as coach of the Montana Golden Nuggets in the Continental Basketball Association. Karl and Stotts had an apparent falling out, and Stotts was dismissed from the Bucks staff on July 25, 2002.

He landed on his feet, however, taking a job on Lon Kruger's Atlanta Hawks staff. When Kruger was dismissed in mid-season, Stotts was named the Hawks' interim coach.

He remains in that position, but it is a tenuous situation at best. Dallas car dealer David McDavid is negotiating to buy the team, but the process has been dragging out.

"Terry and I had been together and he is still a fantastic friend in my life," said Karl of their split. "It was my decision."