Peachtree Hoops: The Atlanta Hawks Have A New Owner, So Now What?

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Its a very good question and one that we may not know the answer for sometime due to the NBA lockout. So in the meantime lets talk a bit about what we do know. SB Nation Atlanta's Phil Foley profiles Alex Meruelo giving a detailed account of some of his current investments. The one thing I take from Foley's story is that Meruelo is a hands on type of guy that has been successful. Lets hope that he is hungry and ready to make his mark in the NBA. 

Another topic that surfaced after the news leaked yesterday was what if Meruelo wanted to move the Hawks out of Atlanta? We have discussed this in the past and while it is theoretically possible, the price tag to do so makes it highly unlikely. SB Nation Atlanta editor Jason Kirk sums up the possibility showing that it would likely take in excess of $200 million dollars on top of the purchase price to move the Hawks out of Atlanta.  In short the Hawks aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

There is a 2 p.m. press conference scheduled for today (Monday Aug 8) to announce the sale. 

On a personal note, I echo Jason's sentiments and am excited for the sale if for no other reason than change is a good thing in this situation. This franchise has been the object of criticism and ridicule during the tenure of the Atlanta Spirit. Whether it was always fair or not is up for debate but the ASG didn't do itself any favors by suing itself. Some may not agree but this Hawks team is certainly better than the one that the ASG took over in 2004. My hope is that Mr. Meruelo can restore some faith and pride into the Hawks logo to the city of Atlanta. Those fans deserve it.

At this point we don't know what this really means? Does this mean that Rick Sund will soon be replaced or will he have all of the restraints removed from him? Of course he could also now have a new boss with his own ideas about what should be done with the franchise. Same questions apply for Larry Drew and what about the players? 

What I am sure of is this news rekindles some hope in Atlanta and most fans dream of an Arthur Blank scenario for the Hawks. In time all of those questions will be answered.  

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