| Here Comes The Sund Authored by Patrick J. Austin - May 31, 2008 - 10:29 pm
Talk about a decision out of left field. No one had Rick Sund on their list to be the Atlanta Hawks new GM. Of course, the Hawks top choices – Geoff Petrie and Dennis Lindsey – politely took their names out of the running. Given the front office talent that was left, the Hawks opted for an experienced executive.
Sund’s resume is quite extensive. He’s spent 30+ years working in NBA front offices including his most recent stint in Seattle along with stops in Milwaukee, Dallas and Detroit. He was the Sonics GM from 2001 to 2007. The team made the playoffs only twice during his tenure.
That’s the biggest criticism of hiring a guy like Sund. Sure, he has a boatload of experience, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into the best hire. Sund’s track record as a GM is a mixed bag.
He orchestrated a brilliant trade in 2003 with the Bucks landing Ray Allen in exchange for the aging Gary Payton. In 2002, he dealt the bloated Vin Baker – both literally and financially - to Boston in exchange for the expiring contract of Kenny Anderson. Another savvy move was dealing away Vladimir Radmanovic for Chris Wilcox, who’s turned into a solid power forward and remains with the team. However, Sund’s solid trade track record is sullied by his poor draft selections. During his tenure, he drafted the likes of Robert Swift, Luke Ridnour, Nick Collison, Saer Sene. He passed over players such as Josh Howard, David West, Travis Outlaw, and many more.
But his most inexcusable draft selection has to be taking Peter Fehse in the second round of the 2002 draft…without ever scouting him. That’s right; no one from the Sonics ever scouted Fehse. They talked to Mike D’Antoni, who was coaching Benetton Treviso at the time, and selected Fehse based on D’Antoni’s recommendation. I know some people will say Fehse was merely a second round pick and I shouldn’t make a big deal out of it. Keep in mind, Darius Songalia, Luis Scola and Rasual Butler all went AFTER Fehse. So, second round picks are important and Sund’s lackadaisical attitude toward drafting is worrisome.
The real concern I have toward Sund’s hiring is that he’s simply a yes-man to the true man-in-charge: Michael Gearon, Jr. I can’t comprehend why a guy like Dennis Lindsey would turn down the opportunity to be the GM of a team in order to remain second-in-command with the Spurs. Every young executive dreams of being in the top spot. There had to be a reason. Many speculate it’s due to Gearon, and the rest of the owners, insistence that Mike Woodson stay on as head coach. We’ll find out soon whether this is true. If Woodson receives a contract extension, don’t expect much from Sund in terms of impact on the Hawks.
Despite his potential inability to truly influence the decisions made for the future of the team, Sund is at least saying the right things.
“We have a great nucleus of players, and while we have some work ahead of us, there’s tremendous potential and continued growth with the guys on this roster,” he said.
Very true. Given the fact that we have no draft picks this year, Sund will be saved from scathing draft reviews for at least a season. But he needs to stick to his montra about maintaining the nucleus. Re-sign Smoove and Chill ASAP. After that, only minor tweaks are necessary. The Hawks are on the right track and it appears the owners have hired someone who, at the very least, won’t come in and screw things up.
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