Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

Its getting late so ill start the thread tommorow since its midnite here on the east coast. Goodnight.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

I got up the new one so here it is in the second link in the description below.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

I finally got my computer working again and am looking to revive this series. If your interested please let me know.

[trekfan]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

Count me as interested.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

So, looking back at the last posts, I need to finish up the offseason. I have the draft done and if you need to see what happened just go back to the Draft recap post.

[Nox_Caelum]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

Defintely man, been waiting on you to start this back up for a while.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story

As the draft came and went, I felt extremely confident with the moves we made and how the roster was coming together. The Press conference to introduce the new rooks was tomorrow, or, since its 3 a.m., this afternoon. But for now, I got to look back on what I did. I was just lying in bed as I just got home from the 'War Room' where me, Bruce, LeAnna, Mark, Coach Vaughn and our three lead scouts, James Flory, Gary Patterson, and Shaun Manning, made the moves and picks we did.

LeAnna turned over to me, "You can't sleep, is everything OK?"

"Yeah, better than OK, actually. Im just really excited for our new players."

"We all are. You made some good moves." she said.

"We, LeAnna, it was all of us. You, me, Mark, Bruce, the scouts, Jacque, everyone."

She chuckled, "You're too modest, give yourself the credit, you did good."

"Thanks."

"We got Nerlens, Tim Hardaway, Isaiah, and..."

"GR3, Glenn Robinson III"

"OK."

"We only got Nerlens with the eighth pick because of the Lou Williams trade."

"Which was your idea, Tony."

"I guess it was."

"Now get some sleep, your gonna need to be well-rested for the press conference tomorrow."

"Technically its today, but good night."

"Good night Tony."

At the press conference....

"Mr. Winter? Many consider the trade of Lou Williams to be an outstanding move for the organization, would you like to take us through the thought process on the deal with Utah?" A reporter asked.

"Well at the time of the deal we felt that it was necessary to move on from Lou as we felt that he wasn't a fit next to Jeff or in Coach Vaughn's new offense, so when they offered us the 8th pick for him, I felt it was the right move to make, and we took the offer. We had been fielding offers for him all day, and once we found the Jazz and they made a deal that made sense, we made the trade." I said.

The media guy that was running the press conference then said, "Next question."

"Mr. Winter, back to that number 8 pick, how do you feel about Nerlens Noel as a member of your team, while many thought he was the best player in the draft, there is an injury concern due to that torn ACL, how do you feel he will do with the trainers on board with the Hawks and how long before he is ready to go?"

"Well we had taken his torn ACL into account and had our medical staff take a look at him and while he is not cleared to play summer league ball he is doing very well with our training staff and should make a full recovery by the regular season opener in November. Though we won't rush him back if he isnt ready day one."

"Next."

"I have a question for you about the future of Al Horford with the team now that Noel is in town. What are your plans for him?"

"We plan to play him at the four for the foreseeable future."

"Nex--" the media guy was cut off by the reporter.

"I've got a follow-up question, if you don't mind. If He is going to play the four spot, then how will he and Noel mesh since there are both low post players and what of your 21st overall pick Isaiah Austin the four-man from Baylor?"

"Well I feel like Al can meld well with Nerlens and they can form a nice duo down low, as well as making it tough to score in the paint against us and giving us a physical front court that should be able to play well against many Eastern conference front courts that are typically smaller. As for Isaiah, we feel he needs time to develop his post game and his body, getting stronger and more physical mostly, before he could be relied upon in the starting lineup right now so he will have an oppurtunity to perform from the bench as a key role player."

"Next." The Media guy said, a little perturbed.

"I have a question sir," a boy, about 16 years old I would bet, spoke.

"OK, kid, whats up?" I said to the kid half-jokingly.

"Well, my name is Jason and I've lived in Atlanta my whole life and I love basketball. I'm 16 years old and going into my Junior year of high school. I came here a huge Atlanta Hawks fan and wanting to begin my reporting career. for my first article on a website I just started, called, HawksNest.com, I covered the draft from the Hawks' perspective, and was hoping you could give me some time to do an interview with me after the press conference. My question is with Lou Williams gone, you have over 20 million dollars in cap space to play with and now that the draft is over what are you looking into as your options in free agency?"

"Well, Jason, I will certainly give you that interview, and right now we are looking at many different options in free agency to improve the team but I will not reveal any specific information at this time." I was dumbfounded to see this kid so ready to begin his career at such a young age.

"Alright, we have time for one more question before we bring the players in for photos and questions."

"Mr. Winter, one player we haven't mentioned in all this is Carlos Boozer, who will likely be the odd one out with the drafting of front court members Isaiah Austin and Nerlens Noel, what are your plans for him moving forward as he has a rather large contract for a bench player and he is eligible for the amnesty clause?"

"Well, right now we are weighing our options with our plans moving forward as it pertains to Carlos. I cannot give out anymore information at this time."

"Thank you for your time Mr. Winter, Now introducing your Atlanta Hawks draft choices, the 8th overall pick, center Nerlens Noel. The tenth overall pick, shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr.. The 21st overall pick, power forward Isaiah Austin. and the 40th pick, Glenn Robinson III."

They stood there with me, all at least 3 inches taller and towering over me, as they held up their new Hawks jerseys and posed for the picture. I was then pulled aside by that kid Jason again, while the rookies began to speak with media, which was something I wanted to hear but I'd see it on Sportscenter later so I went with the kid for my interview.

"Well, Jason, what do you want to know for your new sports website? But before we start, change the name to BirdsNest.com so you can cover the Falcons as well, it has more variety that way and would be more marketable that way."

"Thank you sir."

"You can call me Tony."

"OK. Well, Tony, my first question is..."
************************************************** **************

Leaving on a cliffhanger here. You will see a lot more of Jason moving forward and there will be many post from his site here as well. I hope you enjoyed the first post of the revival of this series.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

AtlantaSportsNet.Com

Take Flight: The Official Hawks Daily News Blog

Hawks Rookie Intro Press Conference Recap

By Michael Aviani

Yesterday Afternoon I managed to get a spot in the Introduction Press Conference for our Hawks Draft picks. Our draft went great in my opinion. We got a Franchise-Caliber center in Nerlens Noel, a great complement to him with four man Isaiah Austin who has excellent shooting touch, an outstanding scorer who happens to be the son of NBA great Tim Hardaway, Tim Hardaway Jr., and a defensive minded wing to spell Jimmy Butler named Glenn Robinson III. GM Tony Winter made some excellent plays in the draft including getting rid of Lou Williams who was not a good fit in our new scheme under Head Coach Jacque Vaughn, formerly of the Orlando Magic and disciple of Spurs' Legendary Head Coach Gregg Poppovich.

At the press conference, however, he did what many General Managers and Coaches do, he talked a lot and said nothing. What I mean by that is he answered all the questions, but he didnt really tell us anything about the organization, which is fine, I understand the importance of closure, but you could at least hint at what your plans are for the Hawks. He said things like this at the interview:

"...we are looking at many different options in free agency to improve the team but I will not reveal any specific information at this time."

Well that tells us a lot. Oh well, I was much more interested in the players anyway. Nerlens Noel had an interesting response when he was inevitably asked about his torn ACL injury.

"Well, I like the trainers here, I met them during pre-draft interviews and I feel like I am really coming along and I should be ready for the regular season, that's my goal, and I hope to be 100% by then."

He sounded very well-spoken and I was quite impressed. One player that I think will be a big-time player other than Noel is Hardaway Jr., he already has an NBA ready offensive game, and is a long, athletic 2 guard who has tremendous defensive potential. I fully expect him to be our 6th man this year and could be a starter in a few years after his defense develops. The Hawks should be in the running to get a veteran starter at the two like Tony Allen. There have also been rumors that they are interested in Andre Iguodala.

The guy that stole the show, or, I should say, the kid that stole the show, was a sixteen year-old budding young reporter who hasn't even gotten to his junior year of high school. He showed up to the press conference and introduced himself as Jason, and he has a website called HawksNest.com, which has later been changed to BirdsNest.com, so he can cover the falcons as well. I looked up the site and discovered this kid's full name is Jason Erickson, and he was the highlight of the event by having the audacity to ask for a private interview with Tony Winter in front of all these other reporters who would pay a fortune to get an interview with Winter (yes, I am talking about myself, yes I am a little jealous, sue me), and does so in the middle of the press conference. The funny thing is, all Winter did was laugh a little and he agreed to it.

I would say that Hawks' fans need to be ready for an interesting free agency period with all the cap room we have. We should definitely be making a splash for a star player, and we reportedly are making highly concerted efforts to retain our budding star point guard, Jeff Teague.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story

June 28th, 2013

"Ok. Well, Tony, my first question is when you traded for the number 8 pick did you know that a talent like Nerlens Noel would fall to you or did you trade up for another prospect and then decided that since Noel fell to jump at the opportunity?"

"Well, actually, we made the trade after the 7th overall pick was announced, so we new Noel was on the board at 8, we had been looking into selections in the top 8 as a trade up so we could get a top flight wing player to pair with Jimmy Butler, or to get Noel. When they Jazz came calling we had to take the deal as it did us a lot of good, getting rid of a high salary player who isn't a fit with the organization, while moving up in the draft for a blue-chip prospect."

He jotted some notes down, and had an iPhone 5 recording our interview.

"Next question, How do you plan on handling the backload of big men you have on the team with Isaiah Austin, Nerlens Noel, Al Horford, and Carlos Boozer?"

"Well, we feel the depth we have in the front court is a good thing, if the question your asking is who will start then the answer is the ones who perform best in practice, the starting power forward job will be Al Horford's to lose, and the starting center position is Nerlens Noel's to lose, but it is an open competition."

"What will happen then, to the players that don't win the job?"

"They will be key role players in our rotation, for as long as they are with the team."

"Does that mean you don't intend on keeping all of them?"

"It all depends on how the offseason goes, I can't say anymore."

"OK, then who are your targets in free agency?"

"We are looking into many players who can improve our team, we have a lot of cap room and are looking to make improvements on our team, especially defensively."

"How do you intend to improve defensively?"

"Well the hiring of Coach Vaughn will help as he has a great defensive system, and the drafting of defensive-minded players like Nerlens and Glenn will help quite a bit. There are also some other players on the free agent market that we could look into."

"Like who?"

Wow, he is persistent... no, relentless is a better word, I thought. "Well there is a premiere perimeter defender on the free agent market who would be a major boost to our team, and he is not just limited to defense, he is a tremendous athlete who can do a little bit of everything, and I would like to see what we can do."

He jotted a lot down and i saw a few player names in the notebook that he though fit those parameters."

"Back to your draft picks, it is widely considered that while Isaiah Austin is a great talent, he is not NBA ready, and is a bit of a project. This was a high-risk, high-reward pick in some people's minds, what do you think of him?"

"I liked Isaiah in workouts and was very impressed with his length and shooting touch. He does need to fill out that long frame and get bigger and more physical, but thats what we have him working on this offseason. We feel he could be a quality starter down the road, and he is a perfect complement to Nerlens."

He continued to jot down notes, and turned off the iPhone recording, when he finished, I politely said good bye, but when I turned to leave he asked, "Wait, can I ask you something, not for the interview though?"

"Look, kid, I like your attitude and your drive but I don't have time and your not gonna get any secrets out of me so..."

"That wasnt' what I was going to ask."


"Then make it quick."

"I have a proposition for you"

"Oh really now?"

"Yeah, Mr. Winter, I would like to get a tour of the facilities of the Hawks, and 3 court-side tickets to the regular season opener or season tickets front row, a 20,000-dollar investment to get my reporting business off the ground, and a press pass for all of the events that are hawks related, and in return, I offer you an opportunity to, one, help a kid get his career going, and to, have a set of eyes and ears around the NBA that can find out what other teams are planning."

"And how can you, a teen from Atlanta, Georgia, know whats going on in, say, Miami, or LA, or even Charlotte just a few short hours away by car. Do you even have a car?"

"No, but i might get one for my 17th birthday on October 9th. And its not just me, I've done some networking, and have associates in Miami, Orlando, Charlotte, LA, Oakland, Chicago, all over New England, and in all other cities with NBA teams."

"And are they all 16 too?"

"Actually, yes."

"So you expect me to trust a group of teens scattered around the country to provide me with information?"

"Yes. Trust me we are all dedicated and we want to get news across from the NBA."

"How do I know you won't tell another team my plans?"

"Well, there's the trust factor, and the fact that all 30 or so of us are Hawks fans, and we'll be working for you through me, at no Charge."

"Hmm..."

Poll Time
Should Tony give the kid what he wants for a small chance the kid will pull through for him?

Yes: the Kid isn't asking too much and/or you think the kid can give you a real edge

No: The kid is asking to much and/or you think the kid won't pull through and it will be a wasted investment.

*******************************
Just wondering if any of you now who Jason is loosely based on?

[trekfan]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

I have no idea who Jason is based on.

And I vote no. This sounds sketchy to the max for Tony. Information trading like this could get him and the team in serious trouble, especially because these kids are teens. I don't trust them.

The story possibilities are good either way, but no is my vote.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

I have no idea who Jason is based on.

And I vote no. This sounds sketchy to the max for Tony. Information trading like this could get him and the team in serious trouble, especially because these kids are teens. I don't trust them.

The story possibilities are good either way, but no is my vote.

He is based on that kid that got famous in LA by covering the dwight saga, ny the name of Arye Abraham, look him up.

I have good plots for both of them. And don't just go for what is best for tony, but what is best for the story. By the way I'm a teen, so if thats directed at teens in general... JK i know what you mean if I was in that situation I'd be very skeptical. I just feel like, for one, he is helping a kid out, good for PR, for two, 20K is pocket change to an NBA team, and they give out season tickets left and right. And if you dont give him a press pass, he'll find another way to get one, he's a resourceful kid. On the other hand, if they get caught being fed information about other teams that could be considered cheating kinda like Spygate with the Pats, except this time they're the only one doing it, whereas in Spygate, everyone was doing it, the Pats just over did it and got caught. And there could be some real consequences. I didn't know how to pick so i figured let the readers decide?

Edit: Its sketchy to the max haha. Its like Chris Bosh... So Suspect

[Nox_Caelum]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

*******************************
Just wondering if any of you now who Jason is loosely based on?

Reminds me of the kid in LA that was getting all the FA news.(EDIT: Just saw you already said )

Poll Time
Should Tony give the kid what he wants for a small chance the kid will pull through for him?

Yes: the Kid isn't asking too much and/or you think the kid can give you a real edge

No: The kid is asking to much and/or you think the kid won't pull through and it will be a wasted investment.

Yes, I like the idea.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

For those Interested in voting on the proposition, Im posting the next one later tonite so you would need to post in the next 4-5 hours or so.

[BraedenG33]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

I'm posting at 10 Eastern so you have 30 more minutes to vote. If no more votes are cast I'm going with no.

[trekfan]

Re: Cold As Ice: The Tony Winter Story, an NBA 2k13 Dynasty

*casts another vote for no, just to be sure*

I swear, I'm a different person