| Operation Billy Knight Complete Authored by Zettler Clay IV - September 7, 2006 - 2:05 am
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His name is Jerry Colangelo.
The man who unintentionally may have sparked another Hawks playoff run, circa mid-1990’s. The man who came out of last years’ off-season looking like Jimmy Conway after that multi-million dollar heist in Goodfellas. He was set to capitalize off of the “genius” that the Hawks’ braintrust had exuded since the infamous Dominique Wilkins for Danny Manning trade. Two first round picks and Boris Diaw for a fourth option. It was highway robbery. The fans knew it, and the rest of the league was picking themselves off the floor…from laughing.
He hails from France.
He was a point-forward who was drafted as a young Scottie Pippen (that’s what he was known as in France). It was a very solid pick indeed, a 21st pick for a 21-year old who could do a bit of everything. But the problem was, was that his talent did not fit this team. With a squad of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jason Terry, Theo Ratliff, and Glenn Robinson, he didn’t need to shoot. At least, that was what he thought, so he played like it. Hawks management could not understand why he would be so deferent.
Nevertheless, he was given 25.3 minutes a game his rookie season. He logged in even less his sophomore season. Between his 18.2 minutes a game and his passivity on the hardwood, he was a malcontent. A bust. BK’s first draft pick gone wrong. So when he approached Hawks management with a trade request after the 2004-2005 season, it was the equivalent to Brett Favre asking to be traded from the Atlanta Falcons after the 1991-1992 season: Two unproven high picks who basically played (and acted) their way out of town. Now, only if the Hawks could find some sucker to fall for this trade…
Little Rock, Arkansas is the place where he calls home.
He surprised quite a few when he wanted out of a town that clearly catered to his abilities. 17.1 points a game on 48% from 23 feet out ensured that he could ball. He was a restricted free agent, which meant that his team, Phoenix, could match any offer that another team made him. The Hawks wanted him, and there was no way in hell that anybody thought that he would want them back.
A losing culture has a tendency to blind you from miracles. Joe Johnson saw something in a franchise that it probably didn’t see in itself. He saw a way to make his mark. And he saw a way to get paid. Phoenix was informed that JJ didn’t want to play for them anymore, so Phoenix had to get something for him. No sense (cents) in letting him walk away for nothing.
Thus, the Hawks found themselves a sucker.
Josh, Josh, and Marvin.
These three players were acquired in consecutive years. Same height. About the same wingspan. Highly homogenous skill sets. One of these players blocked 10 shots in one game as a rookie. One pulled down 15 rebounds in one game his rookie year. Another was under scrutiny all year for being drafted by the wrong team. These are three different players. All three made 2nd team All-Rookie. All three were awarded extensions on their contracts. Their names are not as important as to what they mean for the future of this franchise. All three of these players will get the bulk of the minutes next season. All three of these players are the reason for the vitriol that BK receives. Three players that will inevitably have to break up. But BK has a different plan.
BK has developed a special relationship with his players. That’s why you will rarely hear a player say anything bad about him. In talking to Lorenzen Wright at his signing, I asked him if he has full confidence in BK’s ability and the reason for his comeback. The first words from his mouth: “I have a real good relationship with Billy. He is real easy to play for. All he asks is that you play hard and he puts his players in an environment where it’s easiest to focus on just playing basketball. I remember when I was with Memphis and we played Atlanta. I would talk to their trainers and tell them that ‘Yall are going to win, because Billy knows what he is doing.’ He is basically the reason why Memphis are where they are.”
When I approached BK, I asked him about the status of Josh Childress and Josh Smith this summer. He smiles and the first thing out of his mouth, “They are doing well. Woking hard and ready to step up for the upcoming season. In fact, we are going on a trip tomorrow.”
This doesn’t sound like the man who the media has painted as an arrogant, stubborn General Manager. Or did it look like the man who was in the photo of the year last summer, looking like an elementary student who could not make the field trip because of his behavior. This was the look of a confident man, a man ready to tell the world to eat crow, because of the off-season additions he has made.
Need a solid point guard? Check.
Need interior help? Double-check.
Need better defense. The loss of Al Harrington and the insertion of Josh Smith (whose 208 blocks was good for 2nd in the NBA last year) guarantee that much.
A first round pick in a deep draft in 2007? Done like dishes.
Before we parted ways, he spoke to me: “I believe we are done for our off-season moves. I’m very comfortable with this team.”
The incisions are done. He has plugged in the pieces. The construction tools have all been bought. Time to build now. And he still has money for a big free agent signing next year. Talk about the envy of most GM’s in the league…
He came from Arizona.
The best shooter on the team. He probably has the most to prove this season. The forgotten man, who missed the last 18 games of the year last year. The guy who played just as well as Marvin this summer. The man whose attitude embodies what the team holistically feels. By the end of the season, when you are asked the question, “Who has a better bench than Salim, J-Chill, Lue, Shelden, and Lorenzen?” you could very well be stumped. You could have an easier time figuring out the square of Pi before you can name another triumvirate better than JJ, Marvin, and Josh Smith. Or a better free agent signing than Speedy. The opposite can work too, but for the first time since the 20th century, the odds have been shifted into Atlanta’s favor.
This team now has the one thing that every other championship team has: A team built by one man.
Pat Riley, Joe Dumars, Greg Popovich, Jerry West, and Jerry Krause. All have put together their championship teams, solely. With nobody left from the team that he inherited in 2003, one man is responsible for the employment of 12 players in Atlanta. Young players. A few potentially explosive players.
So the surgery is now complete. It’s time for these players, to make the one man who stuck his neck out for them, a genius. For the 2006-2007 season, a bit of reciprocity is in order. |
