The attacks on Chad Ford.

[Diesel]

Now, I'm not here to defend Ford, but it seems like everyday, we have attacks on him and his character and INtegrity. I just wanted to ask why?

He claims to be an insider and I applaud his efforts. I remember before he got on with ESPN, he got into that position with a website called Sportstalk.com. His inside information was simply him reading Newspapers from every franchise city and posting them on the web. After while, I'm sure he made some inside connections and once or twice, I think that he was used as a tool by some GMs. BUt how did he get such a bad rap on Hawksquawk?

On one occassion, I remember him saying that DD will be our PG and that JT will be traded? Could happen. I don't doubt that simply because I'm not sure of what Babcock plans to do.

ON another, I remember him saying that the organization has "giving up" on Dj. Could be. I doubt it but it could be. INterestingly enough, Mussleman liked DJ. In GS he has a good two but no defense. I wonder if Mussleman would consider trading for DJ and Armstrong for that matter. If we have given up on Dj, I can see us trading him to GS. DJ/Email for Welsch/Arenas? Then Fortson for Armstrong?

Just thoughts?

JT/DD/Arenas

Glover/Welsch?

Anywho, I don't know how much validation to give Chad. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. However, in either case.. One thing that Hawksquawk can do is invite Ford to Hawksquawk so that both sides can be told!

[chillzatl]

I mean before you got into your latest DD Vs. JT run, you knew exactly why. Because he, like several others, continued to suggest that we would have a very good team, IF, we could get a good point guard. You were here with all of us blasting all these columnists (ajc, espn, cnnsi) when they said those things. Chad Ford actually admitted to only seeing a few Hawks games last year and not paying much attention to them at all after the all-star break.

I don't feel that Chad Ford is a hack at all. I like reading his site and feel that a lot of times he has some good, insightful information on various teams. But when I watch every game this team plays and follow it as closely as I do, it annoys me when someone who has "media clout" prints things that are contrary to what I/we saw for an entire season. It annoys me even more when what they print seems to be nothing more than rehash that they read from someone else. Which in the case of the Hawks, that's what it was.

Everyone is entitled to their opionion and Chad Ford is not excluded from that group. You say a lot of things that I dont' agree with. But at least I know you follow the team closely and have good knowledge of the game. So while I don't agree with you all the time, I do respect what you say. Simply because what you say is at least grounded in careful observation, whether I agree with it or not. I can't help but lose some respect for someone who prints things that prove to me he doesn't follow the team and then comes out and admits that he doesn't pay much attention to the team anyway.

[Diesel]

Yes, Chad doesn't watch the Hawks. Still not defending him. However, I know that he got his start by reading Newspapers. Point being is that there is not a whole lot in print about the Hawks. I'm thankful for the work being done on RealGM, but I don't think that a lot of guys in the main media cares to read? Sad considering that's sorta how Chad got his start. when the Hawks start winning and turning heads, guys like Chad will pay more attention. Until then, it's up to us to make a fuss. Invite him to chat here. Maybe he will see the enthusiasm of the Hawks faithful and give us more credit than what he reads in the AJC.

[jaywalker72]

I launched my rebuttal of his Hawks fix column not because of his "theories" or "opinions" but his misrepresentation of what he states are facts.

http://hawks.realgm.com/showarticle.php?artid=205

I don't have a problem with his "opinion" of trading Jason Terry, but I did have a problem with his account of what happened last year.

His paragraph on Terry's play last year was wrong, and I noted four points in his paragraph where I felt that way.

He positions himself as an "inside" source, but misleads readers into believing such "fact", and then, names his vast array of unnamed sources to back it up.

If someone had a national forum, and then claimed unnamed sources had said that Diesel is in fact Jon Koncak, then I would think that the nation in general would believe him, regardless of the fact that we know that Diesel is really Dominique....

[chillzatl]

I think once we have a winning team people will notice. Though it's possible they won't. We had a winning team for many years under Lenny and nobody noticed then either. They found reasons to not pay attention.

I will certainly invite Chad Ford to chat here. Though I don't see him accepting our offer. He has his own site to do his chats on and I don't see him cutting into his revenue for the sake of the Hawks faithful.

[Nique21]

Diesel is Dominique, and all along I thought I was? mmm? I guess our mom will have to decide.

[Diesel]

Very good article. Like I have said before, I am leary of guys who consider themselves "INSIDERS". Reason being a lot of these guys who have "inside info" or consider themselves insiders are really tools for the GM, A. GM, Scout, VP, or whathave you. A lot of times these guys unknowningly test the waters for trades and get an straw poll on Public opion for the GM. For instance, I'm sure that NY organization did Leak the possible trade of JT/Nazr/Toni for Spree/Harrington. The tool was Vecsey. The reason was to put pressure on Minn or Milwaukee for a Spreewell trade. It backfired in that Milwaukee found that we would trade Kukoc and we found out that Big Dog is on the market.

However, the one person that I really am not leary of is "The Beat reporter". Great Job. The Beat reporter has to develop trust with the organization. IN that the organization realize that the beat reporter will here some things but they trust him or her not to tell it until after the fact. The organization then has an outlet to the world that in many cases will tell the story the way the organization wants the story told. You see this a lot with Denberg. He never leaks a story on what the Hawks is gonna do even though he probably knows. However, he will also tell a story the franchise's way. Like when Deke was traded or when Lenny quit. All the lovey dovey was gone.

[Sage11]

Chad Ford trashes our team on a national level and you dare question why the Hawks faithful respond????? This man posted what was the equivalent of bs on our team which he admits he hardly follows, and may never watch. I am in disbelief that you would even mention Chad in a positive light until he does his homework on the Hawks.

What is the real reason you posted this "question" about Chad Ford? Could it be that he seemingly shares your negative sentiment regarding Jason Terry??? Not to judge your motives but as they say in the country "something in that milk aint clean."

Can't blame a man for looking for any kind of support he can find when you find yourself out on a breaking limb.

[hds428]

Sage, I was gonna use this space to discredit mostly all sports reporting, cheifly ESPN (the E stands for Entertainment, and as the name implies, they tend to put Entertainment ahead of Sports). I was going to go on about beat writers wanting to be rockstars (ie Vescey) and 'journalists' who think they are bigger than the stories they write (ie John Thompson, the sportswriter, not the coach). I was going to make points about how just because a guy has connections with one team, it becomes assumed that as an 'insider', he has connections with every team, even though he does not, how individual egos, and the need to 'get it first' have overridden the need to 'get it right', and that Chad Ford, Sean Deveney, Len Pasquerelli, and Pete Vescey are all symptomatic of the aforementioned problems. But there's a bigger picture here that I think you've hung on the wall for all to see, and you summed it up pretty well in that last sentence.

[Diesel]

Again, I'm not defending Chad at ALL.

However, everyday, I come here and there's another attack on Ford. It's like we need to open a new board for Chad Ford attacks. I am familiar with where CHad got his start. I realise that he worked to get where he is right now. BUT instead of everyday ranting about Ford, I was saying Why not invite him here and have a Hawksquawk vs. Ford Discussion. I think that would be much more productive than...

"Oh I hate Ford" in every other post.