Recalling the pervading attitude about Sund most of last summer, do you feel any more confident in him as we head into FAgency this summer?

[sturt]

My guess is "yes," but why... or, why not?

Edited June 30, 2009 by sturt

[Admin]

My guess is "yes," but why... or, why not?

For me absolutely and mainly because he's shown that he's a man of his word. He said that he'd take a year to evaluate the team and he did just that. He got Josh Smith on a terrific contract by being patient and he hasn't rushed to give Woody a new contract even after Woody surpassed internal expectations and he has already made a good trade and hopefully a great draft choice. So yeah he gets the benefit of the doubt for me.

[TheTruth]

^That's a very fair and good assessment.

Outside of that, I still am a little worried about his past history in the draft. But BK was a joke, and I look forward to what Sund can do. If he can bring in a decent backup big man, then I will really be on his side.

[capstone21]

He also made some good decisions last year with Flip and Mo. Both made great contributions for little money. He seems to recognize talent and chemistry which is important.

[Admin]

He also made some good decisions last year with Flip and Mo. Both made great contributions for little money. He seems to recognize talent and chemistry which is important.

Good points from both of you!

[drzachary]

My guess is "yes," but why... or, why not?

Yes, for the reasons given, and another one. I forget which article it was.. one talking about Jamal.. but he has a 'director of pro personnel' on the payroll whose job it is to scout other teams and figure out which players want out, would be interested in the Hawks, etc. It's how we got Jamal, and it's good outside-the-box thinking. (According to the article, that job role isn't one that's employed by a majority of teams.)

[sturt]

So all is forgiven w/ regard to Chilz? No more outrage from the outraged? (... sincerely, I don't recall WHO was outraged, just that there wasn't any shortage of them last July.)

[Admin]

So all is forgiven w/ regard to Chilz? No more outrage from the outraged? (... sincerely, I don't recall WHO was outraged, just that there wasn't any shortage of them last July.)

They'll be online tomorrow to complain ...

[AtLaS]

This summer, I'm pleased with what I've seen so far.

I still didn't like the Woodson resigning, but that may have been the owners decision. And, at least he kept him on a short contract.

I wasn't a fan of him letting Josh Smith be a sitting duck for 2 months after we had already lost Childress and then having to force our hand by signing with Memphis.

[KB21]

I've been impressed so far, but I also knew when Atlanta got him that he was a seasoned guy that has been around the block. I will be really impressed if he finds a way to keep Mike Bibby in the fold. I feel that Mike Bibby and Joe Johnson play very well off each other, and it is important for this team to continue moving forward to keep those two together. I like the Jamal Crawford move, but I think he needs to take on the Flip Murray role as the back up shooting guard that also plays minutes at point guard. It will allow them to bring Jeff Teague along slowly and not force him into action before he is ready.

One thing I want to see is how he fills out the rest of the team with role players. Role players are the one aspect this team is really lacking right now. Maurice Evans is a very good role player whose role is as a spot up shooter coming off the bench. What the Hawks need is an interior guy that will rebound and play defense off the bench, and I think they need another guy who can defend and shoot on the perimeter.

[NJHAWK]

No I dont. Good trade and nice draft pick but I felt alot more confident last summer and it was turned into a circus. WE NEED SIZE The Cavs just got bigger and they were already bullying us on the boards. Boston will get KG back, Orlando got Vince,all these teams are bigger than we are with ZazA and we may lose him. Bibby......... we were a rudderless Titanic without Bibby.

IM NOT TRYING TO BE NEGATIVE BUT THERE IS CAUSE FOR WORRY.

[xhawk]

No I dont. Good trade and nice draft pick but I felt alot more confident last summer and it was turned into a circus. WE NEED SIZE The Cavs just got bigger and they were already bullying us on the boards. Boston will get KG back, Orlando got Vince,all these teams are bigger than we are with ZazA and we may lose him. Bibby......... we were a rudderless Titanic without Bibby.

IM NOT TRYING TO BE NEGATIVE BUT THERE IS CAUSE FOR WORRY.

I disagree...we just have to be patient. I believe that Sund will not overpay for anyone, which sometimes causes things to move more slowly.

[exodus]

Last year Sund had no draft picks, no cap space and was up against the luxury tax so his hands were pretty well tied. I was glad he let Childress walk but i didn't like the way he handled Smith. I think he should have been negotiating with Smith directly and i would like to think he could have signed Smith to a similar contract without the trade kicker. Signing Mo and especially Flip were good moves obviously.

The Crawford trade will turn out very well i believe. As far as the draft goes the consensus seems to be the Hawks did well. I didn't know either of the players at all before the draft.

So far so good but this summer is when he can really make his mark on the team.

[Packfill]

My guess is "yes," but why... or, why not?

I still have reservations. There wasn't much he could do last year. The Crawford trade scares me a little, but if they resign Bibby or another starting caliber point guard then most of my fears with respect to that trade will be alleviated. I still think he made the wrong call retaining Woody.

[frosgrim]

I am more optimistic today than I have been in a while.

Several things strongly suggest Sund has a long-term plan that he's implementing:

1) Not giving Woodson an extension- that is huge. It means Sund has the freedom (in theory) to can Woody if the Hawks slip next season. Otherwise, Sund can go and get his man in 2010

2) The Crawford trade- that was slick. 2 unusable parts for a usable one.

3) Teague- like the draft choice. They went for the home run instead of the double

Now we have to sit back and see what other surprises he has for us. I guess what I like is that Sund has shown that he's willing to go out of the box and get creative with talent aquisition. The Childress situation last year was messed up, but Sund was blind-sided by Olympicos.

[AHF]

I think we will know a lot more after this summer.

My list:

Good:

* Taking Teague (despite my reservations about Teague & Crawford);

* Trading Speedy/Law for value;

* Good value for Flip/Mo signings.

Neutral:

* Resigning Josh Smith

Bad:

* No value for Chillz;

* Woodson still the coach and no move to bring in an offensive coordinator has been made

Rest of the summer objectives:

* Bring in PG who compliments Teague and Crawford;

* Bring in some beef to the frontcourt;

* Get value in Marvin either through resigning or through a S&T

I feel decent about Sund so far but the rest of the summer list is hugely important so I am still in wait and see mode right now because I feel the rubber is hitting the road this summer.

[Swatguy]

* Woodson still the coach and no move to bring in an offensive coordinator has been made

This is not the NFL. The GM is not going to assign a coordinator. Woody's staff is Woody's call.

[AHF]

This is not the NFL. The GM is not going to assign a coordinator. Woody's staff is Woody's call.

Woody's offense per Woody's call = fail

[coachx]

So all is forgiven w/ regard to Chilz? No more outrage from the outraged? (... sincerely, I don't recall WHO was outraged, just that there wasn't any shortage of them last July.)

Mo and Flip gave us more production, mor depth, and more flexibility then Chillz would have offered us alone. I approved of the decision at the time Chillz was let go and Mo, Flip, and Morris were brought and I still approve of it today.

I like and approve of all Sund's FA moves, draft picks, and trades so far.

I also like what Dr.Z already commented on. The guy who's job it is to scout other teams personel who could possible be good fits in trade or future free agency. Sund seems to surround himself with smart people who have an area of expertise. (He said he put alotof weight in what his scouts told him going into the draft). With BK you had the feeling it was more of a one man show.

Sund is batting 1.000 right now.

[Bahamut]

'director of pro personnel'

But we already have a "Vice President of Basketball" :lighter: (that was a heat-check)