Hawks.com reports:

ATLANTA, GA (May 28, 2008) — The Atlanta Hawks today named Rick Sund as the team’s General Manager, according to Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon. Sund has more than 30 years of NBA experience, including stints with the Seattle Sonics, Detroit Pistons, Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks.

“Rick has an enormous amount of experience, and an outstanding reputation around the league,” Gearon said. “During this process, as we spoke with basketball people that we respect around the NBA, everyone had glowing things to say about Rick and his work. Our objective was to add an individual who would help us take the momentum we gained last season, and move to the next level. We feel we’ve done that, and we’re thrilled to add someone of Rick’s caliber to our franchise.”

“I’m very excited and impressed with what the Hawks have currently developed,” said Sund, from the Orlando NBA Pre-Draft Camp, “and I look forward to continuing that process. They captivated the attention of fans locally and nationally with their play during the playoffs, and I too, was impressed with the effort they displayed throughout that series (vs. Boston).

“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. I look forward to getting more familiar with the coaching staff and players as we look to build on the success this franchise has enjoyed this postseason.”

Formerly the General Manager of the Seattle Sonics from 2001-07, Sund and the Sonics were the inaugural champions of the Northwest Division in 2004-05, and the team reached the postseason twice during his tenure.

Prior to that, he served in several different roles with the Dallas Mavericks from 1979-94, finishing up as Vice President of Basketball Operations. At the start of his tenure, he helped the expansion Mavericks develop their inaugural season roster as the Director of Player Personnel. Selected by then-GM Norm Sonju, Sund – at the age of 28 – became the youngest person in league history to hold that position.

One of the NBA’s most-respected front office executives, Sund presided over a Mavericks team that won a franchise-record 55 games and took home the Midwest Division title in 1986-87. Dallas matched or improved their record in each of the franchise’s first eight seasons, reaching the playoffs on six occasions and making it to the Western Conference Finals in 1988.

In 1994, he spent one season as a consultant for the Sonics during Wally Walker’s first season as GM, managing the Sonics’ college scouting program and assisted Walker with personnel decisions.

Sund joined the Pistons as Vice President of Player Personnel in the summer of 1995, assuming the title of Executive VP and General Manager of Basketball Operations a year later. The Pistons, winners of 100 games in his first two seasons, participated in the playoffs four times during his Detroit years, where he spent six seasons (1995-2001). He assisted in developing the Pistons in the areas of roster and player development, trades, contract negotiations, player drafts, free-agent acquisitions and other team operations.

Sund began his career in Milwaukee, spending five years with the Bucks after graduating with a master’s degree in sports administration from Ohio University in 1974.

He was a two-sport athlete at Northwestern University, where he was twice named academic All-Big Ten on the basketball squad (he was a 6-4 guard for the Wildcats), while also seeing action as a tight end and wide receiver on the football team. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwestern.

Sund is currently in Orlando serving as one of the co-chairman of the NBA’s Pre-Draft camp. He is also serves on the board of the directors for the Special Olympics for the state of Washington, and the advisory board of the University of Oregon’s business school’s Warsaw Sports Marketing and Management Division.

Born on June 4, 1951, Richard Walker Sund is a native of Elgin, IL, and is a member of the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. He and his wife Lea are the parents of two children, daughter Hali and son Patrick.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

Marc Spears of ESPN.com reports:

The Atlanta Hawks, according to NBA front-office sources, have narrowed their search for a new general manager to a single contender.

Sources told ESPN.com on Friday that Cleveland Cavaliers assistant general manager Chris Grant — who worked under Pete Babcock and Billy Knight in the Hawks’ front office before moving to Cleveland — is the only candidate Atlanta is presently speaking with as it seeks to replace Knight.

Contract negotiations between Grant and the Hawks began this week, sources said, after San Antonio Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey withdrew his name from consideration Monday. It’s apparently up to Grant, at this point, whether he wants to make the leap from one of the most stable franchises in the Eastern Conference to a team that just halted the league’s longest playoff drought (eight seasons) and is known for feuding factions in its crowded ownership group.

The other main candidates Atlanta has considered, in addition to Grant and Lindsey, are Boston Celtics assistant GM Dave Wohl, Washington Wizards vice president of basketball administration Tommy Sheppard and Portland Trail Blazers personnel scout John Gabriel, formerly GM of the Orlando Magic.

Lindsey cited “family considerations and professional considerations” for pulling out. In his first full season with the Spurs after spending 11 seasons in Houston’s front office, Lindsey has been reluctant to entertain outside interest, previously resisting overtures from the Milwaukee Bucks late in the regular season before the Bucks hired longtime Detroit Pistons executive John Hammond as their new front-office chief.

Lindsey is widely considered future GM material after his long stint with the Rockets and his move to San Antonio as a top aide to Spurs personnel chief R.C. Buford. Various members of Buford’s staff, most notably Cleveland’s Danny Ferry and Seattle’s Sam Presti, have been sought to run other teams after the Spurs’ run of three championships in the past five years.

The fast-rising Sheppard, who works as a lead assistant to Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld, is also considered a likely future GM. Besides his talks with the Hawks, Sheppard was a finalist in Seattle for the job that went to Presti in 2007.

Posted By: Dustin Chapman

The Boston Celtics - best record in the league, best trio in the league, best defensive coach in the league

The Atlanta Hawks -  worst playoff team, not much experience, and whatever
Who would have thought the 8th seeded team would take the 1st seeded team to 7 games?

Well that’s what happened in the 1st round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. I don’t think ANYONE would have suspected that. I’m willing to bet more than 90 % of fans thought it would only goto 4 or 5 games. But WTF!? Why the hell in gods grapefruit vine did it happen? OMG SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN, I DONT UNDERSTAND.

HAVE NO FEAR, ME IS HERE!

But to be honest I can’t quite explain what happened either.. All I can say is, the Hawks are a young team, and like other young teams, get streaks going when they are playing at home with an excited crowd.  They have runner-up rookie of the year Al Horford, a solid double double machine in just his rookie year, they have Mike Bibby, who is not exactly an allstar player but still a solid player that can shoot the rock. Then they got JJ( Joe motherfuckin Johnson), who is an allstar player, a great clutch shooter, a decent ballhandler, average passer, below average rebounder, but a very solid player, and can make lots of big shots when his team needs it. Then they got the one and only JOSH FUCKIN SMITH!!!!! The 2005 Slam Dunk Champ is known for his WILD jumping ability that allows him to block more shots than a 7 footer. He can slash, he can block, he can rebound, and he has a knockout punch.

SO ARE YOU SCARED OF THE HAWKS NOW??

oh wait, the Celtics already won game 7 and moved on to the second round.

Well, let’s congratulate the Hawks on a very good effort and a near upset.

laterz

PLAYER OF THE GAME

TJ Ford - 25 points, 12 assists