Gearon Optimistic about hawks next season:AJC

[ncthompson11]

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-bl..._coowner_s.html

it looks like hes using the injuries excuse to keep knight and woodson in atlanta. however he did say this:

"On Mike Woodson, who apparently will be retained as coach despite being 108 games under .500: “I’ve told him this: If we have 30 wins next season, Woodson’s not going to be around.”

a good thing to hear if things dont go well next year.

[TexasPete]

Excuses, excuses, and more excuses. This is Exhibit A on why these owners are not up to the job of building a contender. Gearon is just an awful apologist that presides over a horrible GM who hasn't gotten ONE lottery pick right and botched most of his free agent signings. Plus, we have 3 backup PG's and a roster of forwards.

No, Chill, Marvin, and Shelden aren't Ed Gray or Bowdler...but those guys weren't high lottery picks either. What an absolute terrible comparison. I am so relieved the tickets I owned will be with some other sucker next year.

[CBAreject]

I was thinking the same thing. Bowdler went 18th or so. Ed Gray was 22nd or 23rd.

If we'd taken Ed Gray with the 2nd pick in the draft, I would've become a Bobcats fan.

[DrReality]

I agree we have the talent. And that we would have won more games, but Woody is still not the guy. He may get us a few more wins, but he is not the coach to instill a winning culture here and bring us a championship. Guess we'll struggle through another one.

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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"On Mike Woodson, who apparently will be retained as coach despite being 108 games under .500: “I’ve told him this: If we have 30 wins next season, Woodson’s not going to be around.”

a good thing to hear if things dont go well next year.

---

...Mike Woodson will be around. We are a rebuilding team coming off a HORRIBLE year. We can trip over ourselves and SHOULD win more games next year. Merely winning a few more games stops being the standard as a rebuilding team loses capitol and momentum. We should be at 37-38 wins by now at least. Imagine if we had Deng, Paul, and whomever we would have gotten with say a 10 pick last year). AT LEAST 40 wins.

This 30+ win "standard of lesser mediocrity" used to reflect a coach somehow worthy is just another sign of incompetence at the top (which extends at least to Woody).

W

[Sothron]

I can almost feel a 35 win season "validating" both Knight and Woodson to these inept owners. They have used up the "youngest team in the league" excuse, the "rebuilding" excuse and now the "injury" excuse. What's left now?

[TexasPete]

You come away shaking your head and thinking that these guys just don't get it. I have never seen excuses like this, there is just no responsibility for all of the gaffes that they have made...and will continue to make.

Let's just say the bar isn't set all that high. Is Belkin really that bad in comparison?

[Dejay]

To some of us blasting away at his interview. I'm retorting now...

[Dejay]

If Deng and Williams/Paul was on this squad, we're in the playoffs TODAY, not in 2009. You don't think Williams' 17/9 and Deng's 18/7 wouldn't have made the difference in at least a dozen games during the season, if not more? I dare say that Deng's, JJ's, and Smith's numbers would've been better with Deron, Felton, or Paul running the show instead of career backups like Clankston, Lue, Ivey, and Johnson. I'll even go on the limb and say that JJ would've been healthier because he wouldn't have had to carry the entire offense on his back with Deron/Paul and Deng on the squad. Hell, we'd still have at least $10 million more in cap space to use because Clankston's and Johnson's services wouldn't be necessary here. Picture that for a second; a 45-47 win team coming off a its first SE Division title with tons of $$$ to burn on a big man and more depth to bring it all together for a title run in a weak Eastern conference. That's where we SHOULD be right now, folks.

The incompetence of the front office and the negligence by its owners have caused us to miss out on more than most of us have come to grips of realizing .

GAME, SET, MATCH.

[AHF]

This article and Gearon's further responses depress me. I got whiplash from Gearon excusing a 30 win season this year on the one hand and saying we have the talent to contend for an NBA title next season. I hope he is right but I really, really doubt it.

Also, I did not like the "pedigree" defense of Woodson. Frankly, if I hire someone who graduated from Harvard with honors then I have hired a bright young mind. If I hire that person for a sales position and he can't sell anything then what is the point? I don't care if he was a former assistant under Larry Brown. There have been a lot of good coaches who have had bad assistant coaches (at least as far as transitioning to head coaches). If Gearon could just explain how Woodson's offense matches our personnel that would mean a lot more to me than hearing about what a bright young mind Woodson has when he is running a system so illsuited to this team and having lapses like forgetting about Josh Smith on the bench.

[TexasPete]

They ran him off the blog...he is too much of a wussy to come back and address real questions. I don't think these guys realize that they are pariahs in this town.

These guys suck monkey balls. Just horrendous management. The fans are all unified and the owners don't see it.

Were all doomed as Hawks fans.

[bumpyphish1]

Regarding BK's draft, from Gearon's blog...

Quote:

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Are we 4 for 4 with 4 homeruns? No, but i’d say we’re at least 2 for 4 with a stolen base and a ground ruled double.

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LMAO! Now that is some epic humor.

[Seano]

Quote:

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Finally, next season I expect the Hawks to be winners. There can and will be no tolerance for losing. I believe if we stay healthy and our young players continue to develop at their current rate that we will be the best team in basketball and contend for an NBA title next season. We have what it takes to win on the court with our players & our coaching staff

and in a little place called our heart.

Bear with us Hawks fans, the wait is almost over!

Michael Gearon Jr.

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Ahahahahaha. What a cheeseball.

And wow, is he clueless. Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the term. One of his main defenses throughout that blog is "Hey, I know BK and Woody aren't perfect...". Gee, ya think? What he doesn't seem to understand is that no one over the age of 12 is expecting perfection from these guys- we'd just like to see a little competence, but we can't even get that. And his defense of BK being the most brilliant basketball mind he's ever known, it's just like 'My god, man. WTF are you seeing?'. Either Gearon is just hopelessly foolish and blind, or he's choosing to be that way- sort of like the guy who doesn't see the two ton elephant sitting right in his room. 'Elephant, what elephant? Everything's cool.'. And his over the top defense of Woodson is just as a bad. If you want an example of what kind of difference good coaching can make for a sub-par, perennially underachieving and lousy team, all you have to do is take a look at the Golden State Warriors and what Nelly has done there. But Gearon just doesn't (or won't) see it, instead saying "Coach Woodson knows basketball and I believe he’s one of the brightest young basketball minds, not just in the NBA, but in the whole world.". Gawd almighty, man....what kind of response is there to that level of idiocy? And this is our owner speaking here.

I despise Belkin because he's such a snake, but you have to wonder- could he really be any worse than this?

[Packfill]

I highly doubt that is Gearon responding to the various posts at the AJC's site - at least I hope it is not him.

[TexasPete]

His initial blog was bad enough. I am now firmly rooting for Belkin. He can't be this bad. Seriously.

[TexasPete]

I like what the one guy said...How did owners this dumb get to be millionaires? Fair question.

[NJHAWK]

Ah, I think Marvin is slightly better than Gray or Bowdler. I think his future is a little brighter than their futures were also. Just about every quoted scout said in 4-5 years you will look at the players from that draft and you will clearly say Marvin Williams was the top player in it. I didnt realize 4-5 years went by so fast.

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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If Deng and Williams/Paul was on this squad, we're in the playoffs TODAY, not in 2009. You don't think Williams' 17/9 and Deng's 18/7 wouldn't have made the difference in at least a dozen games during the season, if not more? I dare say that Deng's, JJ's, and Smith's numbers would've been better with Deron, Felton, or Paul running the show instead of career backups like Clankston, Lue, Ivey, and Johnson. I'll even go on the limb and say that JJ would've been healthier because he wouldn't have had to carry the entire offense on his back with Deron/Paul and Deng on the squad. Hell, we'd still have at least $10 million more in cap space to use because Clankston's and Johnson's services wouldn't be necessary here. Picture that for a second; a 45-47 win team coming off a its first SE Division title with tons of $$$ to burn on a big man and more depth to bring it all together for a title run in a weak Eastern conference. That's where we SHOULD be right now, folks.

The incompetence of the front office and the negligence by its owners have caused us to miss out on more than most of us have come to grips of realizing

.

GAME, SET, MATCH.

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It's only game set match to those who are willing to get on the court with you. Too many people have excuses for our failings and would never subject themselves to such an arse whooping, rather prefereing to gloss over this team's MANY problems with hopes for a 45 wins season next year and already made up excuses should they not.

W

[Guest Walter]

Quote:

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Ah, I think Marvin is slightly better than Gray or Bowdler. I think his future is a little brighter than their futures were also.

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This might be the biggest back-handed compliment a player has ever received. You sure you like MW?

A #2 pick shouldn't EVER be compared to bad late teens or 20-something picks. Ever. Did I mention "ever". I meant "never". Got it. When they are, their REALLY bad.

W

[NJHAWK]

I was being sarcastic, hello! I guess by your theory Gilbert Arenus is a terrible player. lol