Get a new voice in here Ownership

[WraithSentinel]

Is Ownership ever going to man up for once and make a change? Our team is losing. Their confidence is shot beyond repairable right now. They look lost out there. To me it look as if they have given up already. This is the 3rd or 4th year of the rebuilding process. I WANT TO SEE A DAMN IMPROVEMENT ALREADY IN THE TEAM. OWNERSHIP GET A NEW COACH IN HERE.

I am sure Woodson is a good guy off the court. He is no longer the answer at HC. It is time to make a change. This no longer has to do with injuries. This is all about a HC that has lost his team. It is time for a change and a new voice.

[gutz]

I agree! Something has to frigging change here! We need a HC that won't let out team just fall apart out there. Get it together Hawks! Damn it and keep LO Wright off the court. Play Solomon!!

[Sothron]

Its not going to happen until the ownership situation is final or until Woodson's contract runs out and if the ownership fiasco is still in place expect another (cheap) assistant coach given the shot at being a NBA head coach.

[Diesel]

I agree.

I don't think our owners don't care. Last year, they were ready to fire Woody and BK stood up for Woody. This year, I just don't think they have the money to bring in another Coach while paying Woody off. By all rights, the next coach should be experienced. With that in mind, they shouldn't fire Woody just to "try" another assistant. I'm willing to wait it out after I see the full compliment of this team.

There are some great names that will be available this offseason:

Adleman.

Van Gundy

Fratello

Silas.

Gentry.

Brown.

Everybody knows that I would choose Westhead as a transitional coach...

But as a full time HC, I would look at Adleman or Gentry.

If Belkin gets the team, expect O'Brien or Chris Ford.

[DJlaysitup]

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Its not going to happen until the ownership situation is final or until Woodson's contract runs out and if the ownership fiasco is still in place expect another (cheap) assistant coach given the shot at being a NBA head coach.

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I agree Soth about Solomon versus Lo...but in truth (while Solomon would be a better investment for the future with those mins)...he isn't going to change much as far as the outcome of these games go this year.

[macdaddy]

You may be right but we don't really know that. In the games that Solomon has played he showed good offensive rebounding and put backs. He may add some energy that we're lacking. You saw what just having Chill back did for our team.

[DJlaysitup]

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...You saw what just having Chill back did for our team.

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Yes...we got slaughtered a little bit less.

[macdaddy]

Exactly. And if you add enough guys who help you get slaughtered less eventually you are competing.

If we are getting slaughtered then why not play Solo and Este and see what they can do.

[hawkman]

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I agree.

I don't think our owners don't care. Last year, they were ready to fire Woody and BK stood up for Woody. This year, I just don't think they have the money to bring in another Coach while paying Woody off. By all rights, the next coach should be experienced. With that in mind, they shouldn't fire Woody just to "try" another assistant. I'm willing to wait it out after I see the full compliment of this team.

There are some great names that will be available this offseason:

Adleman.

Van Gundy

Fratello

Silas.

Gentry.

Brown.

Everybody knows that I would choose Westhead as a transitional coach...

But as a full time HC, I would look at Adleman or Gentry.

If Belkin gets the team, expect O'Brien or Chris Ford.

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I understand that this whole ownership mess might affect our ability to change coaches. As I understand it, all owners have to sign off on any major decisions made concerning the team. But one thing that Belkin and the AS should be able to agree on is that this team needs an experienced coach. I don't understand why they would disagree on something that would actually improve the product that they are fighting over. Bring in an Adelman or Westphal right now while this team still has a chance. That change alone should at least be worth 15 games.

[Diesel]

The real issue is that no coach is going to sign here cheaply because of our owners... that's true...

But also, no good coach is going to risk being thrown out with the old regime if an ownership change is made.

That's why I say get a transitional guy like Westhead who has nothing to lose, everything to gain, and doesn't care about the ownership situation because he has something to prove... if you decide to change coaches.

I really don't know if it's even that neccessary when I consider how injured we are.

[DJlaysitup]

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Exactly. And if you add enough guys who help you get slaughtered less eventually you are competing.

If we are getting slaughtered then why not play Solo and Este and see what they can do.

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Agreed - and I don't mean to be a "negative Nellie" all the time. Last night's game just got on my last nerve. Seeing the big grins on the Cav's faces when we were down 24-10. Then seeing us get it back to 7 or 8 only to see them buckle down and punch it back up to 13. It was frustrating.

[Sothron]

IIRC Woodson's contract has one year left and I expect his contract not to be renewed. BK saves face by not technically "firing" his best buddy and the AS gives the fans a new (cheap) head coach as one of those "Hey we're really trying to win here" moves to a softening fanbase.

As Diesel noted and as I have said for months now no real head coach is going to want to coach the Hawks until the ownership situation is settled. I fully expect more cheap assistant coaches or some retread like Westphaul who has no chance anywhere else. He will inherit the same dysfunctional team that Woodson has now and I expect the results to be about the same.

[hawkman]

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The real issue is that no coach is going to sign here cheaply because of our owners... that's true...

But also, no good coach is going to risk being thrown out with the old regime if an ownership change is made.

That's why I say get a transitional guy like Westhead who has nothing to lose, everything to gain, and doesn't care about the ownership situation because he has something to prove... if you decide to change coaches.

I really don't know if it's even that neccessary when I consider how injured we are.

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Well hopefully someone in charge(David Stern you out there?) will do something to bring a resolution to this mess. I wouldn't be opposed if Stern just gave the guys back their money and found another owner. Whatever happened to that Mcdavid(?) guy? It's time to end this and start fresh. To be honest, I don't know if Belkin would fire the next coach, especially if Woody and BK are already out the door by then.

[Sothron]

McDavid had the same problem Belkin has: he has no capital to buy a major sports franchise. There's a fine line between "rich" and "wealthy" and rich only gets you Arena league or ECHL hockey teams. There's no shame in that but it takes wealthy people to be major owners in the four major sports teams.

[hawkman]

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McDavid had the same problem Belkin has: he has no capital to buy a major sports franchise. There's a fine line between "rich" and "wealthy" and rich only gets you Arena league or ECHL hockey teams. There's no shame in that but it takes wealthy people to be major owners in the four major sports teams.

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Wouldn't it have been nice if some former Hawks got together to form an ownership group? Better yet, what if the fans formed an ownership group like this soccer team I heard about overseas. I bet the GM would care more about the fans then . That would also end some of this lazy play. I guess that's just wishful thinking though.

[DJlaysitup]

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...Better yet, what if the fans formed an ownership group like this soccer team I heard about overseas. I bet the GM would care more about the fans then

. That would also end some of this lazy play. I guess that's just wishful thinking though.

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If I were a multi-millionaire I would...well...maybe not...I guess I would still post on HawkSquawk...from my private beach on Maui.

[Diesel]

I think Belk is Wealthy...

Part of the reason the Spirit asked him to come aboard and he put up 30% is that he has Wealth. I think his company alone is worth 300 million... But check this out:

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5. Steven B. Belkin

58, Weston; chair, Trans National Group

$300 million

Belkin invented affinity marketing—selling branded credit cards and travel packages to such groups as professional associations and alumni clubs. But money can’t buy everything. What Belkin really wants is to own a major-league sports team. After twice trying to buy the Celtics, he finally became principal owner of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers, only to be bought out by his partners in an ugly dustup. In January he asked a court to either award him the value of his 30 percent stake in the franchises—which he estimates to be worth $500 million—or force his former partners to sell them back to him. Just in case, he’s still in the market for another team.

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[AHF]

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I think Belk is Wealthy...

Part of the reason the Spirit asked him to come aboard and he put up 30% is that he has Wealth. I think his company alone is worth 300 million... But check this out:

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5. Steven B. Belkin

58, Weston; chair, Trans National Group

$300 million

Belkin invented affinity marketing—selling branded credit cards and travel packages to such groups as professional associations and alumni clubs. But money can’t buy everything. What Belkin really wants is to own a major-league sports team. After twice trying to buy the Celtics, he finally became principal owner of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers, only to be bought out by his partners in an ugly dustup. In January he asked a court to either award him the value of his 30 percent stake in the franchises—which he estimates to be worth $500 million—or force his former partners to sell them back to him. Just in case, he’s still in the market for another team.

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How the #*$& does he figure the Hawks and Thrashers are worth 1.67 billion dollars when they were sold a few years ago for less than 200 million?

[Diesel]

This is the root of the problem.

He wants 300 million, when he only put in 70 to start..

[AHF]

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This is the root of the problem.

He wants 300 million, when he only put in 70 to start..

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Sounds like his demand has jumped to 500 million. I wish they would have bougt this prick off like they were supposed to a year ago.