What this is really about?

[Wurider05]

This whole thing bothers me because it seems contrived. there seems to be different factions within the hawks organization. Now what Levenson said wasn't really that bad and I still don't see the big deal about what Ferry said.

 

There is something else going in here folks. Why does Gearon want Ferry gone so bad? Why is Levenson laying down so easily over that email.

[gsuteke]

Gearon is a POS it's not hard to see

[OldTimeHawk]

Ferry and Levinson took the executive washroom keys from him - now he has to use the public john with everyone else .

[ViperXX79]

Because everyone in charge is stupid?

[JTB]

It's simple really...

Gearon jr...who I can admit is a down to earth all out true blood Atlanta hawks fan but terrible owner dislikes Levenson and ferry and want them out.

Gearon is a true ass but he does love this city and team he just doesn't have the pockets big enough to acquire star players.

Ferrys situation is really a "I shouldn't have said this shit because I am old enough to KNOW how sensitive the race issue is and because I am old enough to KNOW this wheather I'm reading it or not I am smart enough to keep my mouth shut"

I have supported ferry since he's been here but he ain't getting away with this one! It's just too much and because of that he simply has to go!

People are sensitive and they don't forgive even if it's something he read they will say he shouldn't have read it and he shouldn't have.

We have so much going on in this country surrounding race especially with the recent mike brown shooting (I grew up there)....ferry really did this with bad timing and the nba is going to make yet another example out of higher management to protect the nba brand that consist of 90 percent African American males!

Id be shocked if ferry stays around much longer! Consider this spurs east creation over for the moment.

[OldTimeHawk]

It's simple really...

Gearon jr...who I can admit is a down to earth all out true blood Atlanta hawks fan but terrible owner dislikes Levenson and ferry and want them out.

Gearon is a true ass but he does love this city and team he just doesn't have the pockets big enough to acquire star players.

Ferrys situation is really a "I shouldn't have said this shit because I am old enough to KNOW how sensitive the race issue is and because I am old enough to KNOW this wheather I'm reading it or not I am smart enough to keep my mouth shut"

I have supported ferry since he's been here but he ain't getting away with this one! It's just too much and because of that he simply has to go!

People are sensitive and they don't forgive even if it's something he read they will say he shouldn't have read it and he shouldn't have.

We have so much going on in this country surrounding race especially with the recent mike brown shooting (I grew up there)....ferry really did this with bad timing and the nba is going to make yet another example out of higher management to protect the nba brand that consist of 90 percent African American males!

Id be shocked if ferry stays around much longer! Consider this spurs east creation over for the moment.

 Unless the NBA steps in with something other than they already have , Ferry will only be removed by a new owner.  Silver has already  given indication that hes satisfied with the Hawks internal investigation and the punishment. 

 

 The Mike Brown  incident is going to be a racial  explosion    regardless of the officers guilt or innocence  or what part it is ultimately proven Mike Brown did or didnt play .

[gsuteke]

You're right, people are sensitive. #retarded

[JETSET]

It's simple really...

Gearon jr...who I can admit is a down to earth all out true blood Atlanta hawks fan but terrible owner dislikes Levenson and ferry and want them out.

Gearon is a true ass but he does love this city and team he just doesn't have the pockets big enough to acquire star players.

Ferrys situation is really a "I shouldn't have said this shit because I am old enough to KNOW how sensitive the race issue is and because I am old enough to KNOW this wheather I'm reading it or not I am smart enough to keep my mouth shut"

I have supported ferry since he's been here but he ain't getting away with this one! It's just too much and because of that he simply has to go!

People are sensitive and they don't forgive even if it's something he read they will say he shouldn't have read it and he shouldn't have.

We have so much going on in this country surrounding race especially with the recent mike brown shooting (I grew up there)....ferry really did this with bad timing and the nba is going to make yet another example out of higher management to protect the nba brand that consist of 90 percent African American males!

Id be shocked if ferry stays around much longer! Consider this spurs east creation over for the moment.

I think you are way off base and Ferry is our GM at the end of the year.  Silver has already came out and backed Ferry.  The NBA's front office evidently has proof that the quote came from the scouting report as well.

[ViperXX79]

I think you are way off base and Ferry is our GM at the end of the year.  Silver has already came out and backed Ferry.  The NBA's front office evidently has proof that the quote came from the scouting report as well.

Did you read the Wojo article?  Everyone knows this started with a scouting report quote but Ferry apparently had his on interjections that went into a rant that reportedly went "on and on".

[JETSET]

Did you read the Wojo article?  Everyone knows this started with a scouting report quote but Ferry apparently had his on interjections that went into a rant that reportedly went "on and on".

You are wrong. Check the Stephen A. Smith First Take segment.  He says that the NBA has proof that he read off the scouting report.  I have seen it mentioned in other threads as well.

[ViperXX79]

You are wrong. Check the Stephen A. Smith First Take segment.  He says that the NBA has proof that he read off the scouting report.  I have seen it mentioned in other threads as well.

And Wojo has the transcript.  I personally think Wojo is a more credible source with all due respect to Stephen A. Smith.  He did read off the scouting report but then he kept going with his personal interjections.

[JETSET]

And Wojo has the transcript.  I personally think Wojo is a more credible source with all due respect to Stephen A. Smith.  He did read off the scouting report but then he kept going with his personal interjections.

Stephen A. wasn't the only place where I had heard that they the league office had proof of him reading it off the report.  I saw it somewhere this morning but cant remember where.  

Edited September 11, 2014 by JETSET

[ViperXX79]

Stephen A. wasn't the only place where I had heard that they the league office had proof of him reading it off the report.  I saw it somewhere this morning but cant remember where.  

Well he better get that out their because it's a transcript vs someone's word.

[skimaskway23]

Viperxx79, jist like gearon, doesnt like ferry. Just like gearon used this slip up to get everybody against ferry, viper is using this as a reason to lead the "fire ferry" brigade because of his dissatisfaction with ferry's work.

If ferry brought in melo, surely viper wouldnt want ferry gone.

Edited September 11, 2014 by skimaskway23

[DrReality]

Is Viper Diesel with a new name?

[Wretch]

This is a violent, racist, threat to civilized society:

 

 

This is a volatile, African American hating, racist scumbag:

 

This is a narrow minded, white supremacist, douche: 

 

 

This is a bigot that believes white people and black people should be separated:

 

This man has little in common with any of their beliefs/values:

 

I don't think there are many people who think otherwise.  Are we clear on that before I start the giant Wretch post?

 

Bruce Levenson is an out of touch idiot that believes poor, lazy, unenthusiastic, scary black people are responsible for attendance/sales woes.  He believes that by "whitening" Phillips arena, as opposed to say...fielding a true contender, he, his partners, and Danny Ferry can turn the franchise around.

 

While dude is obviously not a racist scumbag, as I've tried to illustrate above, I am gonna need for people to stop saying that his comments are acceptable, trivial, or otherwise, not a big deal.

 

Let's look in the horse's mouth...

My theory is that the black crowd scared away the whites and there are simply not enough affluent black fans to build a signficant season ticket base.

 

Translation: Black people are scary and they intimidate the white crowd....and there is lack of black fans with disposable income to market to.

 

 

I have been open with our executive team about these concerns. I have told them I want some white cheerleaders and while i don't care what the color of the artist is, i want the music to be music familiar to a 40 year old white guy if that's our season tixs demo.

 

 

Translation: I am adamantly opposed to us pandering to the black crowd with hip hop, gospel, black bars, and black cheerleaders.  We're scaring away the white folks with money and I've kicked up a shitstorm with the owners about it (obviously not the guys that are CC'd on this Email).

 

i have also balked when every fan picked out of crowd to shoot shots in some time out contest is black. I have even bitched that the kiss cam is too black.

 

 

Translation: For Pete's sake, we need to see white people in the intermission acts and less black people showing affection on the kiss cam.  Our white audience doesn't like that.

 

Gradually things have changed. My unscientific guess is that our crowd is 40 pct black now [...], and my further guess is that 40 pct still feels like 70 pet to some whites at our games.

 

 

Translation: I've bitched enough and things have gotten better (as in "whiter"), but the white people still think it's too black.

 

Why does it feel like 70 percent?  What does that mean?  It means, there should be a black people threshold at the games - one that is more comfortable for white people.  This is exactly what he's saying because ideally he thinks we should be like D.C.:

 

Even DC with its affluent black community never has more than 15 pct black audience.

 

And many of our black fans don't have the spendable income which explains why our f&b and merchandise sales are so low. 

 

 

 

Translation: (again) Black fans don't have money to buy concessions and merchandise.

 

 

Regardless of what time a game starts, we have the latest arriving crowd in the league. It often looks and sounds empty when the team takes the floor.

 

Translation: Black people are lazy/unmotivated.  Otherwise, they would arrive on time.
"But he said latest arriving crowd - that includes white people!"

He is complaining constantly in this letter that the crowd is too black.  He is talking about black people.

"You can't say he means that black people are lazy and unmotivated.  Just that they arrive late."

 

a lot of blacks dont seem to go as crazy cheering (another one of my theories) as whites, it is not great. Even when we have just returned from winnng four straight on the road, i am one of the few people in the arena standing and cheering when our team takes the floor. 

 

Translation: Black people are unmotivated/not passionate.  Admittedly, this is his theory.  The bonus here, and really showing his stupidity, is the fact that he thinks a team that constantly gets their asses handed to them in the playoffs for decades should have a rabid, foaming at the mouth, fanbase ready to celebrate a whopping four road wins.

 

"That doesn't mean he thinks black people are lazy."

Unmotivated, not passionate, late arriving...there is an underlying commonality among these descriptors.  Levenson is implying laziness.

 

...and what does quiet people really have to do with money?

 

It pisses me off that they will yell louder for a t-shirt then for our players.

 

Translation: Poor black fans don't care about the team.  They are looking for free shit.  Black people looking for a handout.  Typical.  
"That's not what he's saying."

That's exactly what he's saying.  Black people don't have money.  Black people are unmotivated...unless you offer them something for free.  How is that NOT what he's saying?  And how is it not a completely idiotic thing to imply?

 

This is not an evil, hateful, bigoted, separatist.  Levenson is an idiot with a lazy and uneducated opinion about black people.  He shared this with Danny Ferry....who had this to say about Levenson just after he got here:

 

Grantland:  What drew you to Atlanta? It’s never really been an NBA mecca, except maybe in the offseason.

Danny Ferry: I looked at it as a challenge. But once I spent time with ownership, with Bruce, specifically — a lot of time, a lot of deep questioning and thoughts back and forth — I got the sense that: One, he was committed to do this right. And he understands that things needed to change, on his behalf, and on ownership’s behalf, to help make that happen. There was a sense of humility from him: that we can do better than what we’ve done. And I felt like he was gonna empower someone to come in and do that. On top of that, I like the man: He seemed like a pretty good guy. Him being from the D.C. area, me being from the D.C. area. From a background standpoint everything was really positive.

Levenson is really passionate about what he feels is wrong with the franchise and Ferry is Levesonson's man.  None of this is in any way good for us.