Just WOW! (Levenson will sell Hawks)

[Wretch]

Danny Ferry's Dream Team:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fttt3fFTxk

DUDE I swear I was gonna post that earlier...lol  My thoughts exactly.

[Vol4ever]

Well I may be the only one, but I'm for getting rid of Ferry based on his job performance.

Edited September 8, 2014 by Vol4ever

[jy23]

Hopefully this all works out for our benefit in the end. But I call complete BS on the area not being safe

[frosgrim]

I agree with the Gearon Jr conspiracy. It is actually pretty obvious given what C-Viv is saying on multiple radio interviews throughout the day. He keeps saying one of the Atlanta owners called for the investigation. Viv also stated this owner could buy Levenson's shares immediately. The only one of the ATL guys that could do that and has a motivation is Gearon Jr.

I absolutely cannot stand GM JR. The guy wants to take back full control of the team and be the GM AGAIN. As if that worked the first time around (yes, I know he wasn't GM in name, but he was GM post BK). I hope the NBA really unpacks this entire affair and it bites Gearon JR in the ass. He's horrible at running an NBA franchise and will keep blaming the fans for his ineptitude and failures.

I fully believe Ferry will be out of his GM position soon. I have no doubts about that. We'll then end up with a figurehead guy. Maybe Stan Smith from marketing.

That all said, I do think what Ferry read is completely inappropriate and Levenson was playing to horrid stereotypes.

[WraithSentinel]

I just hope whoever come in just clean house of everyone. I don't want any connection to the previous regime around. These other owners need gtfo. Levenson and Ferry are obviously taking most of the blame. It doesn't excuse the rest of the clowns who make up the ownership that they need to go as well.

[DJlaysitup]

DUDE I swear I was gonna post that earlier...lol  My thoughts exactly.

 

I remember growing up in Southern Illinois (almost like Indiana when it came to basketball)...we were fixing to go to the State Championships (we thought) but our shooters were off on that critical night and the school we had beaten twice in the regular season beat us in the super-sectional.

 

That team (predominantly black and we were predominantly white) went all the way to the Illinois State finals and it was on TV.  I was watching the game with Mom and Dad and pulling for the team that was from our area and I noticed Mom was pulling for the Quincy Catholic Boys from around Chicago...I said something like "Mom...they are from upstate and you don't even like Catholics"

 

Mom (rest her soul) said something like "Well they got some white boys on their team".

 

It is what it is I suppose.

 

Truth is - if the Berlin Olympics had been on TV at the time - half of America would have been pulling for the German to beat Jesse Owens...just cause the German was white.

Edited September 8, 2014 by DJlaysitup

[Randy]

Until this, I always thought Gearon was the worst of the bunch, so I'd sure hate to see him get control.  I wonder if this is going to end up like the Belkin deal - Levinson argues the team is worth more than he would get from the other owners so he wants the whole team put up for sale - the others (Gearon) don't ageee - and we are in court for another five years.  I hope the NBA says the whole bunch have to go and open it for bidding. 

 

BTW - how can Levinson have a "controlling interest" if he's only 30%?

Edited September 8, 2014 by Randy

[lethalweapon3]

Kinda doesn't help that Deng and Ferry are alums. Go Blue Devils?

 

~lw3

[ATLHawks3]

Kinda doesn't help that Deng and Ferry are alums. Go Blue Devils?

 

~lw3

 

[Guest]

It's all right K, just blame it on your back injury. *wink, wink *

[PSSSHHHRRR87]

Does this thread deserve to be in the Hawksquawk Classics forum once it is said and done?  Me thinks so.

Edited September 8, 2014 by PSSSHHHRRR87

[HalfHawk]

I'm not sure if someone's posted this already, but here's Kareem's take on Levenson. 

[DJlaysitup]

Does this thread deserve to be in the Hawksquawk Classics forum once it is said and done?  Me thinks so.

 

Well I'll say one thing...with a potentially "charged" topic like this...nobody really went outside the lines that I read.

 

Dolfan has trained us well (or maybe we are just decent people in the first place)....or we all know that the NSA can read everything

[Sothron]

If you take your biases/sympathies away and if you're just honest about this...it's not so hard to connect the dots.  There's plenty of information to extrapolate a very good educated guess about what's going on in our front office.

 

Levenson's comments show you the vision that *THEY* have for the franchise.  It's business sure, but there's a preference for a certain audience and to pander to that audience.  Is it mostly a money thing?  Sure, but the assumption that black people don't have/spend money and that there aren't enough affluent African Americans to support this thing?  The fact that this is an open and comfortable conversation between owners kind of just spells it out.

 

If they are so concerned over race that they brainstorm over marketing minutia such as the ethnicity of the cheerleaders, kiss cam, music...doesn't it stand to reason that they want a TEAM that is as appealing to that crowd as well?

 

 

I know some of you don't want to think anything bad about Ferry, but...it's pretty clear what's going on.  They're looking to built a team a certain way and that means be particularly mindful of the actual team on the floor.

 

This is why Deng isn't "perfect."  Otherwise, from a basketball standards POV, how does he NOT fit the Ferry plan?  It  just doesn't make any sense.  Especially since he is still a young guy by Ferry's own admission.  There is absolutely no valid explanation for including a player's nationality in a scouting report and certainly not in Deng's case.

 

This is as much about talent as it is the appearance/marketability of a player in relationship to their appeal to the target audience.  That's it.  Look at what they're doing:

• Team basketball (IMO throwback basketball)
• International guys (But "African" is "not perfect" for their vision)
• Hard working guys (Including a quiet guy named Paul Millsap, by way of Utah, that they just erected a statue to)
• High character guys (I.E - no thugs)
• White cheerleaders
• Music that appeals to white people
• Less hip hop
• OPEN conversation about racial prefrence...

The vision is clear and it's not about winning so much as it is about winning and getting more white people in the arena.  Someone in the ownership doesn't agree with our direction/marketing strategy and pounced on the opportunity to create change.

 

What should really be upsetting people is the fact that our ownership is still VERY MUCH meddling in our team building.  I know you guys want to trust Ferry and believe in him so much...but this is exactly what I said it was.  

 

They ASG is still calling the shots.  They just have a GM that shares their vision.

I can't like this post enough.

This email and Ferry situation shed a very disturbing light on our franchise. It is patently clear what kind of demographic the A$G wants. And to be fair to them...if you remember in the email Bruce said that the NBA ITSELF told them the target audience was 35-55 white males for season ticket holders. Keep in mind Atlanta is I think 54% black in terms of population. It has been for MANY years the only major city in America with a majority black population.

If you have any sense as a business owner you know who to appeal to. Not 35-55 white males but 54% of the city that is black and the NBA being their most popular sport. I mean if we are going to look at this objectively and boil it down to race and population numbers why the living hell would you NOT want to bring in as many black fans as possible?

I'm not suggesting you don't target white people or other races. You want an inclusive franchise that brings in everyone. I mean maybe I'm an idealist here in Columbus, Ga but when I go to our local minor league hockey team here I see a lot of black fans as well as white fans. The team is marketed to everyone. Why the blue hell can't a NBA team do the same? In the ONE CITY IN THE DAMN COUNTRY where a minority is THE majority of the city's population??

There are several layers of failure here but the most jaw dropping to me is this belief that there are not enough black fans with disposable income to merit being marketed to versus this racist bull shit about Southern white that they are "too scared" by black people. So you have to play the "smart" money and market to scaredy cat white people and try to keep the scary black people away. Seriously?? ATLANTA does not have enough black folks with money to burn? ATLANTA?? The place considered by many black folks in this country as THEIR capital city?

GTFO with that nonsense. We don't just have some bumbling out of towner with racist beliefs about both black AND Southern white people but a FOOL who doesn't even recognize his own MARKET.

Please God let this be the face to palm moment to get some billionaire Atlanta owner to buy the Hawks and rid us of the A$G. And yes, I'll say it flat out: please God let it be a BLACK billionaire owner that buys this team and kicks these racist buffoons out of here.

[mrhonline]

maybe we are just decent people in the first place

 

Don't know about decent, but definitely some of the most loyal, unappreciated fans in the U.S. sports landscape. It's not easy being a Hawks' fan.

[Sothron]

Does this thread deserve to be in the Hawksquawk Classics forum once it is said and done?  Me thinks so.

This will hopefully be the thread that precedes the A$G being gone from our lives. Let's make it classic.

[Wretch]

Well I may be the only one, but I'm for getting rid of Ferry based on his job performance.

 

You're not the only one.  This team needs an infusion of talent and the franchise needs a face.  Our decision to move forward as a middle of the pack team...in the face of our draft, free agency, and trade options is terrible.  At best, it's a very risky decision with little promise.

 

Then again, I think these guys are more concerned about having "the right" product on the floor and making the playoffs with it.

 

 

I remember growing up in Southern Illinois (almost like Indiana when it came to basketball)...we were fixing to go to the State Championships (we thought) but our shooters were off on that critical night and the school we had beaten twice in the regular season beat us in the super-sectional.

 

That team (predominantly black and we were predominantly white) went all the way to the Illinois State finals and it was on TV.  I was watching the game with Mom and Dad and pulling for the team that was from our area and I noticed Mom was pulling for the Quincy Catholic Boys from around Chicago...I said something like "Mom...they are from upstate and you don't even like Catholics"

 

Mom (rest her soul) said something like "Well they got some white boys on their team".

 

It is what it is I suppose.

 

Truth is - if the Berlin Olympics had been on TV at the time - half of America would have been pulling for the German to beat Jesse Owens...just cause the German was white.

 

I really don't want to call it racist.  To be honest, all of us have thoughts and conversations that are not completely "PC."  I think there is a genuine interest in making our franchise culturally diverse, but the idea is based upon some terrible snap judgement.

 

 

Until this, I always thought Gearon was the worst of the bunch, so I'd sure hate to see him get control.  I wonder if this is going to end up like the Belkin deal - Levinson argues the team is worth more than he would get from the other owners so he wants the whole team put up for sale - the others (Gearon) don't ageee - and we are in court for another five years.  I hope the NBA says the whole bunch have to go and open it for bidding.

 

BTW - how can Levinson have a "controlling interest" if he's only 30%?

 

At this point, we really do need a wholesale cleaning of ownership and front office.  This regime is a total embarrassment and has been bumbling since they stumbled through the door.  My memory is foggy, but didn't they have a bunch of trouble buying the team in the first place?

[Wretch]

Does this thread deserve to be in the Hawksquawk Classics forum once it is said and done?  Me thinks so.

 

I am totally out of likes for today. lol  This might be THE definitive classic thread.  The subject alone is one of the biggest things to happen to the franchise.

[mrhonline]

 

Seriously?? ATLANTA does not have enough black folks with money to burn? ATLANTA?? The place considered by many black folks in this country as THEIR capital city?

 

That's definitely the most interesting part of the whole email, isn't it?

 

It seems like the kind of thing that should be quantifiable. Aren't there enough studies on disposable income and sports teams out there that an owner shouldn't be throwing out random guesses like the rest of us on Internet forums?

[Wretch]

I can't like this post enough.

This email and Ferry situation shed a very disturbing light on our franchise. It is patently clear what kind of demographic the A$G wants. And to be fair to them...if you remember in the email Bruce said that the NBA ITSELF told them the target audience was 35-55 white males for season ticket holders. Keep in mind Atlanta is I think 54% black in terms of population. It has been for MANY years the only major city in America with a majority black population.

If you have any sense as a business owner you know who to appeal to. Not 35-55 white males but 54% of the city that is black and the NBA being their most popular sport. I mean if we are going to look at this objectively and boil it down to race and population numbers why the living hell would you NOT want to bring in as many black fans as possible?

I'm not suggesting you don't target white people or other races. You want an inclusive franchise that brings in everyone. I mean maybe I'm an idealist here in Columbus, Ga but when I go to our local minor league hockey team here I see a lot of black fans as well as white fans. The team is marketed to everyone. Why the blue hell can't a NBA team do the same? In the ONE CITY IN THE DAMN COUNTRY where a minority is THE majority of the city's population??

There are several layers of failure here but the most jaw dropping to me is this belief that there are not enough black fans with disposable income to merit being marketed to versus this racist bull shit about Southern white that they are "too scared" by black people. So you have to play the "smart" money and market to scaredy cat white people and try to keep the scary black people away. Seriously?? ATLANTA does not have enough black folks with money to burn? ATLANTA?? The place considered by many black folks in this country as THEIR capital city?

GTFO with that nonsense. We don't just have some bumbling out of towner with racist beliefs about both black AND Southern white people but a FOOL who doesn't even recognize his own MARKET.

Please God let this be the face to palm moment to get some billionaire Atlanta owner to buy the Hawks and rid us of the A$G. And yes, I'll say it flat out: please God let it be a BLACK billionaire owner that buys this team and kicks these racist buffoons out of here.

 

I need more likes! lol

 

A blue collar, faceless team that can't get out of the 2nd round is beyond a tough sell...but in THIS market?  And you're going to focus your attention on the smaller target audience?  

 

These dudes are way out of touch with the game and the fans.  In every way possible.  And let's just be honest here...why would you NOT try to capitalize on the market?  What possible motivation do you have for swimming upstream here?

 

Please don't tell me it boils down to just, "We want a whiter arena."    Because then folks...it's less about business.  It's good old racism as much as I dislike the subject and try to avoid it.