Sekou's new blog - a depressing read

[conleyorbust]

The entire Joe Johnson at point guard was a hybrid idea from former Hawks general manager Billy Knight and coach Mike Woodson. Since Johnson had played that spot at Arkansas (he wasn’t listed as a point guard but I was covering the SEC back then and he was absolutely the Hogs’ point guard, the same LeBron is the Cavs’ point guard these days), the Hawks’ brass at the time felt he could play a similar role here.

What I can say with certainty is that neither Knight nor Woodson was sold on those point guards. That’s why they passed on them. And that’s how the Hawks went from the potential of one of those guys to spending cash for Speedy Claxton (after a failed bid for Sam Cassell’s services in the summer of 2006).

The Hawks had a trade on the table during training camp before last season where they could have moved Josh Childress to Toronto for their backup point guard at the time, some guy named Jose Calderon.

Knight was ready to pull the trigger but the Hawks balked at the last minute (why has never been made clear but one of my best spies has always maintained that Knight was prohibited from making the deal by his bosses for reasons my spy refuses to divulge to this day).

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared ... ajc/hawks/

If all this is true, and I don't have much reason to doubt it, its a big mark against Woody for those who thought he wanted Paul. Against management for vetoing the Jose deal. Against BK for the same stuff as usual, although a point in his favor for being willing to trade Josh for Jose.

[evildallas]

Well, it backs my declaration that they needed to hire a consultant to evaluate PGs because they obviously couldn't do it.

The Calderon thing really bugs me because it's another indicator of a problem with ownership. It reaffirms that BK was already kneecapped from the 2006 off-season and how it played out. However, rather than replace him at that time (last summer) and start moving ahead, ownership was happy to let him finish out as a lame duck. It also shows that a lack of foresight in the ownership group. It was obvious that we needed a PG and it was also clear to a lot of us that ultimately the drafting of so many forwards would let to losing some due to money issues. It happened sooner than I thought with Childress going to Greece, but I had maintained that if he was resigned that Marvin would be a goner unless he played so well they couldn't let him go. Calderon would have given us everything Bibby did, cheaper and for a whole season. Just another one of those lost opportunities that dog the franchise.

[JoshB914]

So what we've been saying all around is correct.

1) BK was a horrendous GM who was AWFUL at evaluating talent. Those pre-draft quotes from him on CP3 and Deron made me want to cry.

2) Even as bad as BK was, the biggest problem starts at the top, and that's ASG.

3) Joe Johnson wasn't brought in just to be the PG.

It's funny how we've heard Levenson, Gearon and the rest of the clowns act like the fans and media have the wrong perceptions. But recent events of this summer have brought to light that they are the indeed the problem, as they have created a culture where no one is free to do their job without the rich guys looking over their shoulder.

[D21]

Right, but as long as they make money with this team, they will continue to think they are "...winner for their entire life".

[killbuckner]

I call BS on BK being vetoed on trading Childress straight up for Calderon. I can't beleive that anyone thinks thats what happened if he hasn't come out and done an interview saying so. He would be shouting it from the rooftops now if that is actually what happened. I am not going to put any stock in anonymous sources when BK has no reason not to say exactly what happened.

[D21]

Maybe he don't want to be looked as a guy who use medias to justify something or put pressure, maybe he prefer telling that privately to the next guy wanting to offer him a job, if this guy exists

[conleyorbust]

I call BS on BK being vetoed on trading Childress straight up for Calderon. I can't beleive that anyone thinks thats what happened if he hasn't come out and done an interview saying so. He would be shouting it from the rooftops now if that is actually what happened. I am not going to put any stock in anonymous sources when BK has no reason not to say exactly what happened.

How often does that happen? I think its a VERY common thing for owners to pull strings and make decsions and you never, or at least very rarely, hear anything about it.

[killbuckner]

When a GM gets fired and the GM is being blamed then why wouldn't the GM say what really happened? BK has no reason at all to protect the ASG at this point. He does have reason to inform the public that he is not a horrid GM. He is pretty much unemployable as a GM at this point just because fans would crucify any team that hired him.

[conleyorbust]

When a GM gets fired and the GM is being blamed then why wouldn't the GM say what really happened?

Look at the Bucks situation. Larry Harris had to pass everything by ownership's lawyers, he was canned but he didn't come out shouting about that.

[killbuckner]

why on earth would you put any stock in an anonymous source that wouldn't even give a real reason in a blog by Sekou Smith?

[conleyorbust]

why on earth would you put any stock in an anonymous source that wouldn't even give a real reason in a blog by Sekou Smith?

What is your reason for not believing it other than the fact that you think BK would have come out and ensured that he never got another job again by publicly bad-mouthing his employers?

[killbuckner]

First of all I don't for a second believe that the Raptors would have ever done Calderon for Childress straight up which makes the whole story exceptionally sketchy to me. And second if that trade did get vetoed then I think BK has every reason in the world to tell someone about it.

I don't see how being considered one of the worst GM's in sports is somehow considered better for his job prospects than badmouthing the worst ownership in all of sports... He has every reason to tell the truth if it makes him look better.

If he was still getting paid by the ASG or had just been reassigned to scouting or something then he would have reason to keep quiet. But now his reputation is already as bad as it can get- if he wants another chance to be a GM he should be telling his side of the story if it makes him look better.

[conleyorbust]

First of all I don't for a second believe that the Raptors would have ever done Calderon for Childress straight up which makes the whole story exceptionally sketchy to me. And second if that trade did get vetoed then I think BK has every reason in the world to tell someone about it.

I don't see how being considered one of the worst GM's in sports is somehow considered better for his job prospects than badmouthing the worst ownership in all of sports... He has every reason to tell the truth if it makes him look better.

If he was still getting paid by the ASG or had just been reassigned to scouting or something then he would have reason to keep quiet. But now his reputation is already as bad as it can get- if he wants another chance to be a GM he should be telling his side of the story if it makes him look better.

Look, I will READILY admit I'm wrong if you can give me some precedents of GMs of BKs caliber coming out and badmouthing ownership, in public, after voluntarily leaving their post. I'd also like to know where they go their next jobs.

[killbuckner]

GM's of BK's caliber? Well.. We will wait to see the Isiah reports that come out... thats the only GM of BK's caliber that immediately comes to mind. THis isn't some sort of unfair slam- those are the 2 guys in the conversation for who the worst GM in basketball over the past few years are. They are at this point considered inept and pretty much not in consideration to ever be a GM again. When someone like Chris Wallace makes a trade that got criticized he wasn't afraid to make it known that it was because of the ownership at the time.

I think that trades like this getting vetoed because of ownership are very rare and when it does happen then the story does come out- and not through shady anonymous sources that won't even tell the whole story. (trades where massive amounts of salary are involved are different beasts) The media LOVES to report whenever they can that ownership got involved to block a trade.

[conleyorbust]

GM's of BK's caliber? Well.. We will wait to see the Isiah reports that come out... thats the only GM of BK's caliber that immediately comes to mind. THis isn't some sort of unfair slam- those are the 2 guys in the conversation for who the worst GM in basketball over the past few years are. They are at this point considered inept and pretty much not in consideration to ever be a GM again. When someone like Chris Wallace makes a trade that got criticized he wasn't afraid to make it known that it was because of the ownership at the time.

I think that trades like this getting vetoed because of ownership are very rare and when it does happen then the story does come out- and not through shady anonymous sources that won't even tell the whole story. (trades where massive amounts of salary are involved are different beasts) The media LOVES to report whenever they can that ownership got involved to block a trade.

So there aren't any precedents of former GMs (and when I say BKs caliber, I don't even mean terrible, I mean someone who isn't beyond reproach) coming out and blaming their former employers and then getting hired later? If BK wants another job, he is better off keeping his mouth shut in the media. He is going to be a relatively affordable GM for a team that, like ATL, isn't attracting good GMs. The ownership groups are more worried about him lambasting them than they are about whatever decisions he makes. Thats why you can't give me any examples.

[killbuckner]

When an owner gets involved and tells the GM what they want to happen its blasted across the wire. No one blames Phoenix for the bad trades they have made- we know they have been driven by ownership. No one blames Chris Wallace for the Gasol trade, we know it was ownership. We know Kohl had a hand in the moves that were made in Milwaukee. We know that Sterling has driven many of the moves in LA. I have no idea where you get the idea that it is uncommon for GM's to talk about it when the owners force them into bad moves.

[conleyorbust]

When an owner gets involved and tells the GM what they want to happen its blasted across the wire. No one blames Phoenix for the bad trades they have made- we know they have been driven by ownership. No one blames Chris Wallace for the Gasol trade, we know it was ownership. We know Kohl had a hand in the moves that were made in Milwaukee. We know that Sterling has driven many of the moves in LA. I have no idea where you get the idea that it is uncommon for GM's to talk about it when the owners force them into bad moves.

... I'm pretty sure the consensus on ATL ownership is that they are both cheap and terrible... They got blamed for the Amare thing and that probably was a non-starter anyway. The nat'l media has no sources in ATL, obviously, or we wouldn't be hearing stories about how Josh Smith refused to come back if Mike Woodson was here.

You think of any GMs that blasted ownership after leaving yet?

[killbuckner]

Maybe the difference is that you seem to think this was a amicable parting where I see it as BK being forced out against his will. I see him being rather bitter that Woodson was kept and he wasn't. I mean he had no problem letting it be known that he tried to fire woodson and was blocked- why would he have a problem getting word out there that he tried to trade childress for calderon and got vetoed?

[conleyorbust]

Maybe the difference is that you seem to think this was a amicable parting where I see it as BK being forced out against his will. I see him being rather bitter that Woodson was kept and he wasn't. I mean he had no problem letting it be known that he tried to fire woodson and was blocked- why would he have a problem getting word out there that he tried to trade childress for calderon and got vetoed?

Did he let that out? I don't recall him making a statement. I recall that coming from one of Sekou's "spies".

Here's how I look at it. Hundred Millionaires/Billionaires that buy sports teams are extremely comptetive, above all they probably want to win. Right after that though, they want to be respect by the public and groveled to by their employees and anyone they do business. I mean, these are people that don't know what its like not to be the boss, not to be the most important guy in the room. You have to be careful how you act if you don't have job security, if you can't be a winner, be a good soldier. Some guys are going to get by because they bring wins and that is the most valuable thing. Some guys are going to get by because they are true legends of the game. Everyone else is going to get by because they are going to be good employees.

On top of that, the fact that ASG didn't fire him was a favor to him. They are always in need of good pub, they very easily could have let this fall on his neck but they didn't, they came out and said "we wanted him back". He isn't going to turn around and bad mouth them to the press.

[HoopsGuru25]

I mean he had no problem letting it be known that he tried to fire woodson and was blocked- why would he have a problem getting word out there that he tried to trade childress for calderon and got vetoed?

This makes no sense. How can you take what Sekou told us from his sources before as evidence to show that his sources are incorrect now?