Old School Kasten...

[Diesel]

I was thinking about Old school Kasten....

He was a basketball Genius and for an interesting point, look at the Nique trade.

We traded John Drew who was one of my favorites at the time for Nique who was a good player at Ga with Vern Flemming (a bit of trivia for you young guns) who was holding out in Utah.

Utah really had no choice but to deal Nique because he had sat out a year. BUT we gave up a player who the year before had put up 21.5 ppg and was our Leading scorer and the year of had put up 18 and was our second scorer.

Hindsight says.... Ah, the trade was worth it. However, then giving up Drew seemed like foolishness.

Some believe that Drew was a mess in Utah.. Not quite. His first year with Utah he put up 21 ppg and opened up the door for Dantley to be a 30 ppg player. His second year there, he played a full season and still put up more ppg than Nique. However, the end was near.

I had met Drew after he left the Hawks. I think that "grip" had gotten a hold of him. I don't know if Kasten knew that drew was an addict or not however, I think drugs shorten what could have been a bright career. Drew, Rollins, Roundfield and Fast Eddie Johnson used to make the Hawks worth seeing especially when they put up 50 in 80 (I think). Until Fratello came along, that was our best year.

But there again, Old School Kasten took a chance with Fratello (who had been given a shot previously and really didn't win a game ( I think).

If Old School Kasten were running the team (really running it) today, could he put together a team like he did that featured....

Nique, Willis, Doc, McGhee (any of you old heads remember ex-Laker Mike McGhee and his short stint with the Hawks), Gus Williams...

I realize that the best team Kasten made was:

Nique, Theus, Moses, Levingston, Carr, Battle, Spud, Koncak, Willis, and Ferrell...

But you gotta like a team where old man Gus Williams is coming off the bench...

If Old School Kasten were running the Hawks... What would we do now?

[KB21]

I think the best team Kasten fielded was the team with Doc Rivers, Randy Wittman, Dominique, Kevin Willis, Tree Rollins, Antoine Carr, Cliff Levingston, John Battle, and Spud Webb.

The team with Theus and Malone seemed to have too many chemistry problems. Remember, that is the team that cost Fratello his job.

Fratello was an assistant in Atlanta under Hubie Brown. When Brown left to New York, Fratello went with him. Kevin Loughery took over the Hawks and was the coach during the time Dominique was acquired. Fratello was hired in 1983, I believe.

[Kaviar]

I used to cover the Hawks for a local radio station, back then. Believe me Kasten knew what he was doing, and I am not going to mention names. But, after every game each player that did the stuff would have his dealer waiting for them outside the locker room. It did not take a rocket scientist to see that something was up, when two people that don't fit together left the game together.

Drugs were so common among the players back then that many NBA people thought the League was in serious trouble. I remember taking two players from San Antoinio to the Hilton one night because they did not want to wait on the team bus. They did not really know me but started cutting lines as soon as they got in the car, without shame. They were great talents, but they were both out of the League the next year.

[SWISH9061]

This was by far the best Hawks team that Kasten put on the court. I remember these guys starting out 18-4 (don't know the year) with a with a big win over Magic and the Lakers. They were rolling until Spud got hurt - they were never the same after that....