At least BK is happy....

[TnDawg]

Here is an article from the AJC about how well BK believes we are doing:

Hawks’ Knight doesn’t care what you think

By Mark Bradley | Thursday, May 11, 2006, 06:24 PM

You, being shallow and impatient, are going to read this and scoff. And Billy Knight, being cool in a way you’ll never be, is going to laugh at your skepticism. See, Knight doesn’t think you know enough to second-guess him.

“I hear people on sports shows,” he says, “and I think that person has as much business talking about basketball as I do running the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

You’d think a general manager whose team just doubled its win total and still finished with a better record than only two other NBA teams might be a tad less sure of himself. Sorry. Knight doesn’t do circumspection. He doesn’t care what you think of him or his Hawks. He thinks he’s doing a terrific job. And you? You’re simply too myopic to see it.

“You have to give players time to mature. It’s the microwave age, but the world does not work instantly. If I could say one thing, it’s this: Everyone needs to relax.”

As relaxation therapy, try listening to the GM without throwing the paper at the wall in disgust. Here’s Knight’s take on Mike Woodson, the coach he hired two summers ago: “He’s better than I thought he was… . I go to all the practices and all the games, and I know more about it than anybody else knows. That might sound like an egotistical statement, but I think I know more than anybody else.”

On Chris Paul, the newly minted rookie of the year bypassed by the Hawks in the draft: “Chris Paul is a good player. He deserves to be rookie of the year - I voted for him. But we’re very happy with Marvin Williams. We think he’s going to be a heck of a player.”

On Boris Diaw, whom Knight drafted in 2003 and traded to Phoenix last summer, whereupon he developed into the NBA’s most improved player: “Boris Diaw is in a good situation… . Boris is a very versatile player. He’s able to play [power forward] for them; whether or not he’d have been able to play it for us is a different story.”

Here’s Knight on the upcoming draft, in which the watching world expects the Hawks to draft a point guard: “Guys are running around saying, ‘Point guard, point guard.’ But what if I don’t agree with that? … I find [such talk] a little humorous and entertaining.”

For the record, Knight won’t rule out drafting yet another swingman. “I always take talent… . I like good basketball players, and there are a lot of 6-foot-8 players in the draft. And 6-8 is the ideal size.” Might the day arrive when the Hawks draft for a specific need? “There could come a time like that, but I’m not at that time.”

Knight claims his goal is to be “the most laid-back guy in the world,” and he’s on track. Who else could be this sanguine while presiding over a team that has gone 39-125 over two seasons and hasn’t, in three drafts under Knight, picked a player who received even one third-place vote for rookie of the year?

“I’m happy with where we are today,” he says. “We have a long way to go.” Does he expect the Hawks to make the playoffs next season? “I don’t say that. I say we should make improvement.”

Does he believe his constituency supports such a measured approach? “Based on what I hear when I move about town, when I go to the movies or the grocery or when I take my daughter to the mall or when I’m getting gas, I think people can see we’re making improvement… . We’re in the second year of our process.”

But what if down-the-road results don’t support such serenity? What if his supportive ownership gets as antsy as Sudden Steve Belkin? What it time runs out? “If it does, it does. I know this business. I’ve been around the world and made it back. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

And you out there? What if you’re not willing to endorse such a glacial pace? What if you have issues with every player Knight has drafted? Then you, being borderline hysterical, need to let matters play out.

“I never judge a guy after one year,” Knight says. “It’s too early to tell. You’ll see the difference in three years, as opposed to standing on your mountain on passing judgment.”

You out there - take a deep breath. You’ll have your chance to vent. The NBA draft is only 47 days away.

[jezmund]

Sure BK isn't perfect but he sure does get a lot of unnecessary criticism and I can completely understand his dry sarcastic tone. Let's let this thing unfold. He is not willing to fast-forward the process just to win now and satisfy fans. He has players in mind that he wants and is waiting for. This has to be one of the most anticipated feelings I've ever had about a draft. Last year I was 100% sure we wouldn't deal the pick and I was pretty confident the pick would either be Marvin or Bogut. This year it wouldn't surprise me if we traded the pick or just traded down.

[tmac13]

He should never, never, never, never, never be allowed to talk to the media....He comes across as a complete azz...

[tmac13]

" He is not willing to fast-forward the process just to win now and satisfy fans. "

So we keep drafting 6'8" guys and stack them up on the bench? If winning is not his priority he needs to be fired immediately..

[WraithSentinel]

I always thought he hated talking to the media to begin with. I am surprise he did this interview. All it did was make him look worser then he already was. Come draft night and the Hawks win the lottery. ESPN is going to be in for a real shock. Everyone around the NBA will know what we do. That BK is the most arrogant-unsuccessful GM in the league.

[Plainview1981]

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Here is an article from the AJC about how well BK believes we are doing:

Hawks’ Knight doesn’t care what you think

By Mark Bradley | Thursday, May 11, 2006, 06:24 PM

You, being shallow and impatient, are going to read this and scoff. And Billy Knight, being cool in a way you’ll never be, is going to laugh at your skepticism. See, Knight doesn’t think you know enough to second-guess him.

“I hear people on sports shows,” he says, “and I think that person has as much business talking about basketball as I do running the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.”

You’d think a general manager whose team just doubled its win total and still finished with a better record than only two other NBA teams might be a tad less sure of himself. Sorry. Knight doesn’t do circumspection. He doesn’t care what you think of him or his Hawks. He thinks he’s doing a terrific job. And you? You’re simply too myopic to see it.

“You have to give players time to mature. It’s the microwave age, but the world does not work instantly. If I could say one thing, it’s this: Everyone needs to relax.”

As relaxation therapy, try listening to the GM without throwing the paper at the wall in disgust. Here’s Knight’s take on Mike Woodson, the coach he hired two summers ago: “He’s better than I thought he was… . I go to all the practices and all the games, and I know more about it than anybody else knows. That might sound like an egotistical statement, but I think I know more than anybody else.”

On Chris Paul, the newly minted rookie of the year bypassed by the Hawks in the draft: “Chris Paul is a good player. He deserves to be rookie of the year - I voted for him. But we’re very happy with Marvin Williams. We think he’s going to be a heck of a player.”

On Boris Diaw, whom Knight drafted in 2003 and traded to Phoenix last summer, whereupon he developed into the NBA’s most improved player: “Boris Diaw is in a good situation… . Boris is a very versatile player. He’s able to play [power forward] for them; whether or not he’d have been able to play it for us is a different story.”

Here’s Knight on the upcoming draft, in which the watching world expects the Hawks to draft a point guard: “Guys are running around saying, ‘Point guard, point guard.’ But what if I don’t agree with that? … I find [such talk] a little humorous and entertaining.”

For the record, Knight won’t rule out drafting yet another swingman. “I always take talent… . I like good basketball players, and there are a lot of 6-foot-8 players in the draft. And 6-8 is the ideal size.” Might the day arrive when the Hawks draft for a specific need? “There could come a time like that, but I’m not at that time.”

Knight claims his goal is to be “the most laid-back guy in the world,” and he’s on track. Who else could be this sanguine while presiding over a team that has gone 39-125 over two seasons and hasn’t, in three drafts under Knight, picked a player who received even one third-place vote for rookie of the year?

“I’m happy with where we are today,” he says. “We have a long way to go.” Does he expect the Hawks to make the playoffs next season? “I don’t say that. I say we should make improvement.”

Does he believe his constituency supports such a measured approach? “Based on what I hear when I move about town, when I go to the movies or the grocery or when I take my daughter to the mall or when I’m getting gas, I think people can see we’re making improvement… . We’re in the second year of our process.”

But what if down-the-road results don’t support such serenity? What if his supportive ownership gets as antsy as Sudden Steve Belkin? What it time runs out? “If it does, it does. I know this business. I’ve been around the world and made it back. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

And you out there? What if you’re not willing to endorse such a glacial pace? What if you have issues with every player Knight has drafted? Then you, being borderline hysterical, need to let matters play out.

“I never judge a guy after one year,” Knight says. “It’s too early to tell. You’ll see the difference in three years, as opposed to standing on your mountain on passing judgment.”

You out there - take a deep breath. You’ll have your chance to vent. The NBA draft is only 47 days away.

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I'd love to ask this SOB if he's so great, why hasn't he ever built something that actually won?

[jezmund]

I have faith in him partially because he is 10x what Babcock was, 2nd, I think he does have a good eye for talent and, 3rd, he has, YET, to weigh us down with any albatross contracts that almost every other team in the NBA has. Another thing, we don't know the whole story. Who knows what's going on behind closed doors. For all we know, BK might be somewhat restrained b/c of the ownership situation. Not saying that is the case, just saying it's a possibility. Yes, to be honest, I'm a little disappointed that we haven't been able to fill 2 important, glaring holes. The only opportunity I know of to do that was to pick Paul/DWilliams/Felton before Marvin. Other than that, what did he do so wrong? Boris would have never succeeded here. You can't argue to me that Iggy or Deng are that much more superior to Childress. Josh Smith would have been a top 5-6 pick in that draft (Howard, Okafor, Livingston, Gordon and MAYBE Harris) if they did it over again and BK got him at #17. That was the steal of the draft. Yes, his obsession with LONG, ATHLETIC players might be a little extreme but you can't say these players don't have the talent to become whatever they want to be (within reason of course). Now I'm good with BK up until now, NOW I need to see some holes filled. Unless there is a can't miss superstar at a wing position and he plans to move some of our current wings to make room, I want to see some serious PG/C improvement. I think he deserves this summer at least to prove what he is capable of.... agree?

[DrReality]

He's a PR nightmare. If I were one of the owners . . . . . makes me want to holler and throw up both my hands.

[chillzatl]

I like BK in a philosophical way. I respect anyone who understands the value of not freaking out, overreacting and getting stressed out. In that respect we are much alike. It allows one to maintain perspective and not be distracted by the chaos around them.

I dislike the way he thinks he's the smartest guy in the room. Well, let me rephrase that. Everyone should think they are the best at what they do. I have that attitude about anything that I know I'm good at, especially my career. But when you aren't willing to acknowledge the possibility that other people might have had a better idea than you did, you show that you can't be the best at what you do. He proves this in his responses about the past and his vision towards the future. To be honest, as a Hawks fan, it's terrifying.

[AHF]

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He's a PR nightmare.

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That is so true. In a business where PR really matters, BK is an absolute disaster. I still support him and I think he is just god aweful at public relations. If you don't like him this kind of stuff has to really chop your hide. Obviously, Bradley falls into the latter category of people.

[Johnnybravo4]

What is Billy Knight supposed to do...Get involved in Hawksquawk tradeboard dicussions to improve his likability rating?

Diesel: I think that we should get trade Marvin Williams and our first round pick for Chris Wilcox

BK: Yeah man that would be cool, we could then we could keep Al and pay him 20 million per year. Hey Las, what do you think about getting Speedy Claxton in FA.

Lascar: BK you are such an idiot. There is no such thing as free agency. I went to the owners meeting in NY last night and they voted to abolish the concept of Free agency. It is thought that that would keep dynasties in NYC and LA. I talked about this subject thirty years ago... web page

Johnnybravo: I think we should trade Lue/Al and a first round draft pick for Steve Francis...then we could have this lineup

Francis

JJ

Smoove

Marvin

Zaza

We could win it all Billy KNight...do it now!

[Lascar78]

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For the record, Knight won’t rule out drafting yet another swingman. “I always take talent… . I like good basketball players, and there are a lot of 6-foot-8 players in the draft. And 6-8 is the ideal size.” Might the day arrive when the Hawks draft for a specific need? “There could come a time like that, but I’m not at that time.”

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This part is scary if he's serious. And I think ownership disagrees. But we'll see. I still feel pretty sure that we'll get a big.

[Lascar78]

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Now I'm good with BK up until now, NOW I need to see some holes filled. Unless there is a can't miss superstar at a wing position and he plans to move some of our current wings to make room, I want to see some serious PG/C improvement. I think he deserves this summer at least to prove what he is capable of.... agree?

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That's exactly how I feel. So far he's done a pretty good job, this is the summer to prove that he can pull it all together and fill gaps. I still expect areas of weakness, but we should have no glaring holes next year.

[AHF]

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What is Billy Knight supposed to do...Get involved in Hawksquawk tradeboard dicussions to improve his likability rating?

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Umm..no. However, there are a ton of GMs that do well in the PR department or at least don't do damage to their own teams. Look at Rich McCay for the Falcons for example. Part of the PR game is finding the right way to say what you want to say and BK is a disaster in that regard. Telling your fan base that you know more than them and don't care about their opinions is just bad business practice. You find a way to say the same thing without insulting your customers like saying:

"I am fully committed to making this franchise an elite team in the NBA and intend to give everything I have to offer to make that a reality for the tremendous fans in Atlanta. I love the enthusiasm and committment of our core fans and look forward to bringing in more and more of the great people of Atlanta to see what I think is a very exciting product in this young and emerging Hawks team."

instead of:

"I hear people on sports shows and I think that person has as much business talking about basketball as I do running the Nuclear Regulatory Commission...

That might sound like an egotistical statement, but I think I know more than anybody else.”

[AHF]

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For the record, Knight won’t rule out drafting yet another swingman. “I always take talent… . I like good basketball players, and there are a lot of 6-foot-8 players in the draft. And 6-8 is the ideal size.” Might the day arrive when the Hawks draft for a specific need? “There could come a time like that, but I’m not at that time.”

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This part is scary if he's serious. And I think ownership disagrees. But we'll see. I still feel pretty sure that we'll get a big.

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Agreed. He is gone if we end up with Gay or another "ideally sized" 6'8'' guy who can comfortably play the SF position. He is at the point where this team has needs to be filled and has an abundance of talent at the 2-3 positions.

[Vol4ever]

let's see, when the Hawks have no butts in the stands and the team keeps losing, let's see how smart he thinks he is when his azz gets fired!

[jezmund]

I'll admit, that is kind of scary but I don't feel there is an obvious 6'8-type superstar in the draft this year. The ONLY way I could see us taking a guy in that range is if Al isn't coming back and we are planning on dealing one of Smith or Williams.

[Johnnybravo4]

I think Billy's philosophy is sort of like phoenix's. Get the best talent that you could get and then worry about where you play them later. Therefore if he thinks that Gay is the best talent, he will get gay. We think we need point guards and centers...he thinks that we have point guards already (Lue, Salim, Ivey JJ) and that we only need bigs to back up Zaza.

I really wouldn't disagree with that assertion. I would like us to get elite backup centers and PFs..it think we need those more than we need a point guard. But if we get a point guard, I don't want it to be a rookie. I would rather run with Lue and Salim than bring in a Marcus Banks or Rondo. It is unexceptable however to go into the season with our frontline being backed up by only D. Smith, Esteban and The Senator.

So if we were to draft Gay I wouldn't turn in my season tickets. But if we drafted Gay and then failed to bring in an elite big man such as Nene then I would be making a call to the ticket office.

[AHF]

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I think Billy's philosophy is sort of like phoenix's. Get the best talent that you could get and then worry about where you play them later. Therefore if he thinks that Gay is the best talent, he will get gay. We think we need point guards and centers...he thinks that we have point guards already (Lue, Salim, Ivey JJ) and that we only need bigs to back up Zaza.

I really wouldn't disagree with that assertion. I would like us to get elite backup centers and PFs..it think we need those more than we need a point guard. But if we get a point guard, I don't want it to be a rookie. I would rather run with Lue and Salim than bring in a Marcus Banks or Rondo. It is unexceptable however to go into the season with our frontline being backed up by only D. Smith, Esteban and The Senator.

So if we were to draft Gay I wouldn't turn in my season tickets. But if we drafted Gay and then failed to bring in an elite big man such as Nene then I would be making a call to the ticket office.

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I agree that the frontcourt interior D and size must be addressed as the top priority this offseason. At SF, though, I think you can count Chills as a backup over D. Smith. Smith is a third stringer on this team. PF and C need help.

If we got Gay, though, I would be pissed watching the following players compete for minutes at SG/SF:

JJ, J.Smith (some minutes), Marvin, Chills, D. Smith, Salim & Gay.

Even if you take out Josh Smith, you still have plenty of depth between JJ, Marvin, Chills, Salim and D. Smith.

[Diesel]

Babcock used to stop by and chat in HSquawk...