Searching for Rick Sund's Next Draft Disaster

When I read that the Hawks had inexplicably hired Rick Sund, my first thought was to go to a fan blog to see the profane invective that would surely be flying. But I couldn't find a Hawks blog that had been updated to mention it.

The Hawks obviously don't have very dedicated fans--probably because they are frequently subjected to moves like the hiring of Rick Sund.

I'm pretty sure this is all you need to know about Rick Sund's tenure with the Sonics: Before Sund's hiring as GM in June of 2001, the Sonics hadn't had a losing season in 14 years. Since Rick Sund's hiring as GM, they've had five. So, yeah.

One of the myriad disasters of the Sund era was his infatuation with projectable centers. And when you look at the Hawks roster--without a true center, Sund hired weeks before the draft--this is a very scary scenario.

Mind you, the Hawks don't have a draft pick yet, but I'm sure Sund will find a way to get one. And when he does...looking at NBADraft.net, here are the players who appear to be the most likely Sund targets. My criteria for this is that they are tall and that I've never heard of them:

JeVale McGee, 7-0, 237, Soph., Nevada... Says NBADraft.net: "Long athletic bigman who is absolutely bursting with potential." Wow--that sounds like a Sund slam-dunk. Unfortunately, McGee has actually shown some ability to do actual basketball things like score and rebound, he averaged 14.1/7.3 at Nevada last year. Sund prefers players who can't do anything at all, like Johan Petro, who'd averaged 2.1 ppg in France.

Semih Erden, 7-0, 249, Turkey... Says NBADraft.net: "Arguably Turkey’s top current prospect." Wow--you can't get higher praise than that. He averaged only 6.7 ppg in Euroleague, Sund's going to like that. But look at this: "Runs the floor well, and is well suited for an up tempo game." I think not. Your Sund center mostly plods down the court and waits to get in position for a blocked shot.

John Riek, 7-2, 240, Sudan... Says NBADraft.net: "Has great height and length. Riek stands 7-foot-2 and has an incredible wingspan." Oh yeah, that sounds like the stuff. "Has terrible hands and often fumbles rebounds and drops passes. Really, really struggles to dribble the ball" Oh, baby, Sund's heart is going to thump when he reads that. "Riek is clearly not ready to contribute at the NBA level, let alone the NCAA." WE HAVE A WINN-AH!!!

Joe Johnson, say hello to your new teammate...