Q&A / MICHAEL GEARON JR., Hawks owner: ‘Right where we had hoped to be’

[DrReality]

Q&A / MICHAEL GEARON JR., Hawks owner: ‘Right where we had hoped to be’

By Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, April 17, 2009

Home court advantage in the playoffs. A 47-35 finish to the regular season. Things couldn’t get much better for Hawks part owner and NBA Governor Michael Gearon Jr. On the eve of the team’s second straight playoff berth, amid the best season in more than a decade, Gearon spoke with Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith.

Q. You stuck with your coach, Mike Woodson, when other franchises would have made a change. What made you so sure you had the right guy for this job?

A. When we hired Woody we knew we were going to rebuild the roster, which we did. We got rid of all the players that were on the roster the year we bought the team, and we went with youth. The challenge with that is you have to give a coach an opportunity to play those players and those players to play through mistakes. And I think we felt that we weren’t in a position to properly judge Woody until the end of last year, when we started adding veterans. Each year he’s been here our record has improved, five years in a row now. And we’re right where we had hoped to be, which was a team that was on the rise.

Q. Does it strike you at all that the only remaining pieces from that initial 13-69 season are Woody and his staff (mostly) and Josh Smith?

A. We knew we would be building through the draft. And the only player that’s not on our roster at this point that we hoped would be there is Josh Childress. But with respect to the other players, we knew it would be a rebuilding process, and that we would add players through the draft and then add core players to that. If you look at the team, whether it’s Al [Horford], Marvin [Williams], Josh Smith or Joe [Johnson] who we picked up in a trade, those core young guys we’ve built around with guys like [Mike] Bibby, a great veteran and winner, Flip Murray, Mo Evans and Zaza Pachulia.

Q. Did this team this year exceed your own expectations by becoming one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference?

A. Each year we’ve tried to get better and tried to improve so we could put ourselves in a position to be one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. And I think we’re on our way to becoming a premier team in the East. From that standpoint, we are pleased. In the beginning of the season, Woody set a lofty goal that a lot of people felt was unrealistic, and that was not only to get into the playoffs but also to get a top four seed. And we achieved that goal. But that’s one step in this process. Now the next step, more importantly, is the postseason… .

Q. So when did you know that things had really changed for this franchise?

A. My son’s friends are always wearing Hawks jerseys now, and three years ago they were not. And that to me is the barometer. It started off when we bought the team, it was [Dirk] Nowitzki jerseys or Kobe [bryant] jerseys. Now it’s Joe’s, Josh’s and Al’s jerseys that they are wearing.

Q. The Boston series last year was the first time this franchise was seen on the national stage in nearly a decade. People were stunned at the crowds they saw during that series. Has the fan response been what you expected since then?

A. Clearly. I’ve been going to Hawks games for 33 years. And I think what we saw last year is how important a role fans play in getting a team energized and raising their level of play. The fans played a huge part in helping lift our team, particularly emotionally. Being from Atlanta, there’s a great sense of pride you have when people show up and support your team, and I think this year you’ve seen more fan support.

Q. In the five years it’s taken this franchise to climb out of obscurity other teams have risen and fallen. How do you keep from being one of those teams that falls?

A. The first thing is stability. You have to show your players and organization that you don’t have a revolving door. And you have to set high expectations for your team, and you continually add pieces.

Q. What will serve as your guide going forward?

A. If you look at highly successful franchises —- take the Braves, for example, where they won 14 division championships —- there’s been a consistency there where they didn’t necessarily have a revolving door, whether it was the GM, coach or the players… . With great teams there’s a sense of stability.

[AHF]

I read this as an unofficial announcement that Woody will be back regardless next year.

[buckeye242424]

Q&A / MICHAEL GEARON JR., Hawks owner: ‘Right where we had hoped to be’

By Sekou Smith

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Friday, April 17, 2009

Home court advantage in the playoffs. A 47-35 finish to the regular season. Things couldn’t get much better for Hawks part owner and NBA Governor Michael Gearon Jr. On the eve of the team’s second straight playoff berth, amid the best season in more than a decade, Gearon spoke with Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith.

Q. You stuck with your coach, Mike Woodson, when other franchises would have made a change. What made you so sure you had the right guy for this job?

A. When we hired Woody we knew we were going to rebuild the roster, which we did. We got rid of all the players that were on the roster the year we bought the team, and we went with youth. The challenge with that is you have to give a coach an opportunity to play those players and those players to play through mistakes. And I think we felt that we weren’t in a position to properly judge Woody until the end of last year, when we started adding veterans. Each year he’s been here our record has improved, five years in a row now. And we’re right where we had hoped to be, which was a team that was on the rise.

Q. Does it strike you at all that the only remaining pieces from that initial 13-69 season are Woody and his staff (mostly) and Josh Smith?

A. We knew we would be building through the draft. And the only player that’s not on our roster at this point that we hoped would be there is Josh Childress. But with respect to the other players, we knew it would be a rebuilding process, and that we would add players through the draft and then add core players to that. If you look at the team, whether it’s Al [Horford], Marvin [Williams], Josh Smith or Joe [Johnson] who we picked up in a trade, those core young guys we’ve built around with guys like [Mike] Bibby, a great veteran and winner, Flip Murray, Mo Evans and Zaza Pachulia.

Q. Did this team this year exceed your own expectations by becoming one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference?

A. Each year we’ve tried to get better and tried to improve so we could put ourselves in a position to be one of the premier teams in the Eastern Conference. And I think we’re on our way to becoming a premier team in the East. From that standpoint, we are pleased. In the beginning of the season, Woody set a lofty goal that a lot of people felt was unrealistic, and that was not only to get into the playoffs but also to get a top four seed. And we achieved that goal. But that’s one step in this process. Now the next step, more importantly, is the postseason… .

Q. So when did you know that things had really changed for this franchise?

A. My son’s friends are always wearing Hawks jerseys now, and three years ago they were not. And that to me is the barometer. It started off when we bought the team, it was [Dirk] Nowitzki jerseys or Kobe [bryant] jerseys. Now it’s Joe’s, Josh’s and Al’s jerseys that they are wearing.

Q. The Boston series last year was the first time this franchise was seen on the national stage in nearly a decade. People were stunned at the crowds they saw during that series. Has the fan response been what you expected since then?

A. Clearly. I’ve been going to Hawks games for 33 years. And I think what we saw last year is how important a role fans play in getting a team energized and raising their level of play. The fans played a huge part in helping lift our team, particularly emotionally. Being from Atlanta, there’s a great sense of pride you have when people show up and support your team, and I think this year you’ve seen more fan support.

Q. In the five years it’s taken this franchise to climb out of obscurity other teams have risen and fallen. How do you keep from being one of those teams that falls?

A. The first thing is stability. You have to show your players and organization that you don’t have a revolving door. And you have to set high expectations for your team, and you continually add pieces.

Q. What will serve as your guide going forward?

A. If you look at highly successful franchises —- take the Braves, for example, where they won 14 division championships —- there’s been a consistency there where they didn’t necessarily have a revolving door, whether it was the GM, coach or the players… . With great teams there’s a sense of stability.

Seems like Sund and Gearon Jr. may not be on the same page. From Sund's comments the other day, he's more or less saying if we bow out in the first round, it's not a total loss. Gearon, on the other hand, is impressed with the regular season, but see's the playoff success or lack of, as the barometer of success. It will be interesting to see if the Hawks have a poor showing vs. Miami if Gearon will support Woody as the coach of next year's Hawks team. I think thing Sund is on the Woody bandwagon....

[frosgrim]

I read this as an unofficial announcement that Woody will be back regardless next year.

I agree. But Gearon has always supported Woodson. I wonder what the other owners think?

The stability part is also interesting. I wonder if Gearon doesn't support a big trade in the offseason?

For me, the Hawks need to move someone to even out the roster. Right now they are missing that IT person (post player or PG) to elevate the team to the next level.

[hawkman]

I agree with the whole stability thing. Consistency gave this team something to build on each season rather than starting over everytime we didn't have a break out year. I'm not the biggest Woodson fan, but the team has improved every year since he's been here and I can't argue with the numbers. He still has this team's ear and that's all that seems to matter right now. My only regret is that we didn't keep Childress as he's been an integral part of this team since rebuilding. It would've been nice to see the guy have a part in the Hawks success this season. At any rate, as flawed as the ASG is, they really seem to care about the Hawks franchise and that goes a long way. I'm glad things are starting to pan out.

[Dsinner]

Anyone else find it funny that one of our owners thinks "stability" is the most important aspect of a franchise. Clearly we are the least stable NBA franchise as far as owners are concerned.

[bumpyphish1]

Anyone else find it funny that one of our owners thinks "stability" is the most important aspect of a franchise. Clearly we are the least stable NBA franchise as far as owners are concerned.

yeah man, the irony in that comment is THICK