At least we know BK does not make rash decisions

[Sothron]

The AS appealed the decision that gave Belkin that option. I do not know when the next court date is set for. But the media and people I talked with have all agreed it could potentially take two to three years to get it completely sorted out.

[AHF]

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The AS appealed the decision that gave Belkin that option. I do not know when the next court date is set for. But the media and people I talked with have all agreed it could potentially take two to three years to get it completely sorted out.

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I will post something on this from the Atlanta legal "newspaper" sometime in the next few days that has some more information on this.

[Diesel]

Very messy indeed.

I think that it will roll out over the next 3 yrs. It may be the best option to do what has been said long ago... Let Stern take the team back over and put it back up for bid. There must be a clause in the paperwork that allows the league to take over a struggling franchise. If this franchise is not willing to spend money on the team... then maybe it's time for the league to step in and assert it's power.

[Blunt91]

I am not going to wait 2 to 3years on these clowns to get their act together. The owners better have this straighten out by the end of this coming season. I won't be supporting this team if they continue with these court battles over the next 3years and no true fan shouldn't either. We have been supporting this team through the bad times for the past 8 years. The fans deserve better, the Players deserve better and Mike Woodsen deserves better. Woody is the main one getting screwed in this deal because the management can't or won't go out and get players that he needs to effectively coach this team.

[Sothron]

I blame mostly Belkin and some of it goes on the AS. They simply got legally outfoxed by Belkin and now both the Hawks and Thrashers are suffering as a result.

[DJlaysitup]

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...If this franchise is not willing to spend money on the team... then maybe it's time for the league to step in and assert it's power.

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Agreed D...however, all the combined gaggle of owners have to do is spend to the league minimum and they're in the clear in that regard. If it takes three years to iron out the ownership struggle they can just stay a bit over the minimum during those three years while they fight it out amongst themselves.

Actually, that would be the smartest thing for the different camps to do since (see $3m they are asking from Indy), it doesn't look like either camp has a lot of money or the desire to spend.

We may be stuck with disorganized cheapos for awhile and our voices mean very little in the deal. Hopfully this situation will get ironed out before we end up losing JS/JC/MW because of it.

[Johnnybravo4]

I don't know what everyone is in a hurry for. Training camp isn't for another month, and since we aren't getting back any players, the speed of the deal doesn't affect us whatsoever. It just makes for slow media days. Let's move on to something else.

[frosgrim]

Thanks for the inside information. It actually looks to me that the Thrashers are doing more, but maybe that is because the team is further along in the building process AND/OR, the AS group knows that Belkin will sell that piece as soon as he gets it?

[Sothron]

The Thrashers (of which I am a passionate fan as well) already had their payroll set before the Belkin situation broke out. Keeping Ilya and bringing in Hossa were absolute needs to keep the franchise viable. Unlike the Hawks where spending to the cap is not a necessity and with the Belkin situation simply not going to happen until it is resolved.

[DJlaysitup]

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The Thrashers (of which I am a passionate fan as well) already had their payroll set before the Belkin situation broke out...

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Good point. I think when folks use the JJ max. deal to argue that the Hawks are not now being run on the cheap, it's a little unfair since the JJ fracture was the beginning of the divorce proceedings (not to say there weren't family problems before that). Since the JJ trade fiasco, I do think the Hawks have pretty much been run on the cheap, and will continue to be until the legal wranglings are over.