AJC > Sports > Hawks > Blog > Archives > 2008 > May > 30
Friday, May 30, 2008
First impressions …
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ORLANDO - The cynic (Blog Z) in me would have loved to come here and dish dirt on the Hawks’ new general manager after finally meeting the man face-to-face Thursday afternoon.
But I got nothing for ya.
He seems like everything he’s been billed to be (smart, thoughtful, funny and an absolute straight shooter) by those who have known him for years.
He owned up to his past mistakes (drafts and otherwise) and made it clear that no GM with a brain ever thinks he’s perfect. He also made clear that his skin is 30-plus years in the league thick and that he won’t shy away from his critics. He’ll need that with so many still skeptical of the Hawks and their most recent dealings.
So far he’s been true to every single word he’s spoken to me. When I told him Wednesday that I was headed to Orlando to steal a bit of his time for a Sunday piece I’m working on, he said he’d make time for me. And he did.
Roughly 30 minutes after I left the rental car garage at the airport we were sitting down in his hotel room trading questions and answers.
I even drove him from the hotel over to the Wide World of Sports complex where the predraft camp is being conducted (that he was brave enough to get in a rental car with me in this wretched, tourist infested town shows his courage. And yeah, I got us lost for a spell but he steered me back the right way and we found the gym with no problem).
This cat’s “old school” in every sense of the word. But he’s got enough new school in him to understand how much things have changed since he’s been in the league. And his candor is going to be a refreshing change for many (there wasn’t a single question he balked at answering and not a single topic that seemed to make him uncomfortable. And I like that). He’s going to be a totally different guy to deal with for the media and public compared to his predecessor, whom he showed much respect in our dealings.
I made a point of stopping and chatting with every NBA front office guy I could Thursday and asked each of them the same question (or some variation of it), “Tell me what you know about Rick Sund?”
Not one of the responses was a negative left hook to the gut. There was universal respect from Sund’s colleagues, including one Eastern Conference GM that called Sund a “true pro in every sense of the word.”
Sund’s been around this block plenty of times before, so there should be few surprises for him as he steps into the gauntlet that is the Hawks’ endless summer.
He won’t have to be a magician next month since the Hawks don’t have a draft pick to fret over. But he does have to dust off his negotiating skills toolbox. Sund’s going to have to make his mark this summer by putting together the right packages to retain two of his team’s best players (Josh Smith and Josh Childress) and figure out what to do with Mike Woodson and his staff.
He knows as much and doesn’t seem the least bit daunted by the tasks at hand.
After speaking with Woodson and members of his staff here Thursday, it’s clear that they are cautiously optimistic about their collective futures now that the new boss is in place.
After speaking with Sund again this morning over breakfast, he seems even more eager to get to Atlanta and get started.
His first 30-60 days on the job should prove terribly interesting, what with all the decisions to be made. Even more intriguing, though, will be the inevitable additions and subtractions to the Hawks’ basketball operation (roster, front office, coaching staff, etc.) that are made during these next 30-60 days.
The possibilities are endless.
Services »
