On the way home from work...

[flava]

chillaz: thanks, that was the definite post on this issue. as many have alluded to - this is all out war. if we come out with JJ, we'll be a better team for having resolved this bigger issue - that of the general direction the "majority" of the owners want to go it.

also, seems to me this is a pretty clear cut issue - belkin is not reporesenting the majority of the owners and will lose the case. the question is, will we lose JJ before then???

flava

[jerrywest]

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this could very well be the thing that gets him out of here completely. Because legally, you'd think that since they have a contract taht says if 2 of 3 principles agree, then the deal is done. Belkin tried to supercede that by not signing off on it. He broke the contract. I think in court he would lose with little arguement.

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And the other owners would deliberately screw up the JJ deal and then sue Belkin for messing it up against team interest and personal political gain. Throw in some Belkin's old mob connection in it. And there is your real life movie. National media is coming...

[tmac13]

I would match the offer and trade JJ at the 1st available opportunity..First Atlanta takes a player you want to keep, then a renegade owner attempts to reneg on the deal and get him even cheaper?..I would say "Screw you, we will match and trade him later".

[chillzatl]

stand on. IT clearly says at the bottom that there are two grounds taht he can be voted out as governor on and it seems pretty clear to me that he DID violate those. Because he went against the wishes of the other partners. This is nothing more than a stall action. They will go to court on tuesday and this hsould be resolved quickly.

Granted it's IS DEFINITELY an embarassment now. But better to get this out of the way quickly than later on down the road.

[jerrywest]

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If I were Joe Johnson right now I'd be at the point of just saying the hell with it and resigning with Phoenix. This is just ridiculous, and it's pretty insulting to him to leave him waiting around like that. Just an absolutely bullshit way for a franchise to operate....

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If I were JJ I would buy some cigars and enjoy this now because Belkin would be out and everyone of the new owners would love me starting the domino that helped them control the team. I could do nothing wrong after this. Also the national media attention would give me a better shoe deal.

I am on top of the world and wait a second I got to hide. The paparazzis are coming...

[Guest]

I'd like Belkin gone too, but . . .

He did not cast his vote (against the majority's wishes) at a NBA Board of Governors meeting. And, he is not legally binding the consortium. He is keeping them from binding themselves.

He probably has a case. I hope he simply relents and sells (probably for a premium, just cuz they'll want him gone).

[spid3167]

From his statements it appears Belkin has been a covert enemy to Atlanta Spirit all along. His reasoning and actions do nothing but hurt the Hawks. Either this guy gets a payoff from sabotaging ASLLC or he's completely insane. He's definately screwing the pooch.

[flava]

[jerrywest]

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If I were Joe Johnson right now I'd be at the point of just saying the hell with it and resigning with Phoenix. This is just ridiculous, and it's pretty insulting to him to leave him waiting around like that. Just an absolutely bullshit way for a franchise to operate....

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If I were JJ I would buy some cigars and enjoy this now because Belkin would be out and everyone of the new owners would love me starting the domino that helped them control the team. I could do nothing wrong after this. Also the national media attention would give me a better shoe deal.

I am on top of the world and wait a second I got to hide. The paparazzis are coming...

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Then again, Belkin probably orchestrated the timing to maximize $ while leaving the group.

[spid3167]

The ASLLC has got to get in full irradication mode. You obvioulsy have a broken arrow in wingnut Belkin. They should have beat him to the punch in court, no excuses. This guy is a cancer and has got to be cut out. You don't casually respond when someone's threatening your home.

[thesheedera]

Ouch, so this is what the bottom of the barrel feels like?

First of all, to everyone I criticized early on about making too big a deal out of this, I apologize. Either you knew more than I did, your instincts were spot on, or I was guilty of thinking we might be developing into a competent franchise. I thought 13 wins was the worst it could get. I was very mistaken.

But part of me laughs at myself for not expecting this. With the Hawks, you're supposed to expect the worst, its just that this kind of thing is beyond my imagination.

Diesel, I don't agree with you on some things, but you are absolutely correct, this easily makes the list of most embarassing moments, and I think there's a strong case for it being at the top. And its because of where the franchise is right now. Months and months of begging the fans to buy into the new plan and the fresh start. The fans showing some interest despite the worst season imaginable. The promise of solid young talent waiting to be nurtured. 13 freaking wins, and the kids still seem to be playing their hardest. I drank the kool aid, thought that new ownership was having growing pains, but they we're focused on the right path. Now it seems like they're a bunch of spoiled rich kids arguing over their expensive toys. BRATS.

And right when it seems like they're taking their chances on a big play, not only is the deal in limbo at the 11th hour, but our owners are suing eachother over the dispute? The JJ deal pales in comparison to what's happening within the leadership of the team. You don't sue over a disagreement on the terms of a trade for a player that everyone wants. You might fight and argue, but it stays in house, and someone wins. Belkin said he wants JJ, just not at this price. He might be right, but it should never escalate to this level. The JJ deal just brought the real issue to a head, and now it bursting.

The timing of this couldn't be worse. Had we had a successful season and this happen, it would be a hiccup, we'd purge the problem owner, and move on. But we're at the bottom of the barrel, and just trying to get some traction to move our way up, and this hits us in the stomach and puts us behind where we were, lower than what I thought was possible.

I'm disgusted. I think the franchise will be better off if Belkin's tossed to the wayside, but this will have LONG lasting impressions.

The Hawks DO NOT get the benefit of the doubt, and honestly don't deserve it. We don't have history on our side to make this look like no big deal. We already are the laughing stock of the league. Fans, players and other teams will most likely assume the very worst of whatever they hear about this, and I don't blame them.

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Dominique Wilkins, former Hawks star and current team vice president, did comment: "This is real damaging. This can't work if everybody is pulling in different directions."

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He's still the soul of the franchise to me, and the dude has got to be hurtin bad right now.

[thesheedera]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2124766

national news??? very national

[flava]

[TheDude]

[TheDude]

I mean did he actually think that if we pulled out of the deal, that Phoenix would compromise and ask for less in return? Anyone who has watched the game for more than two seasons could tell you that wouldn't happen. Either you do the deal agreed upon or if not, the other team pulls out. Heck even if we threw the max at JJ, Phoenix would now match out of spite. Idiot business sense this guy has.

And secondly, he's been trying to get in ownership of a team for awhile now right? Does he really think he has a chance in hell to be one somewhere else after this little fiasco?

How is a guy that has earned that much money, be that much of a dipchit?

[thescout10]

I agree! Its all about power,just lets us know this guy would not be here long anyway before we knew he wasn't right.I hate people who are part of sports franchises only buying the team to become richer to heck with the fans.This guy should go invest his money somewhere else not sports franchises.We need owners who love the game!Maybe that is why he could never buy another sports franchise before except I think the Thrashers which there wasn't a lot of competition for.

[Diesel]

Belkin is talking out of both sides of his ass. He says he really wants JJ here as a Hawk. That's BS.... IF he did, we'd make the deal and find a way to make up for it.

But thinking you can get JJ for a price cheaper than what the Suns offered is STUPID!

The Suns hold ALL POWER in this deal. JJ doesn't even have the power to determine his future.

How STUPID is Belkin?

[Plainview1981]

Fans on AJC think the Suns will not match. Dumb@sses.

Yeah, dude is lying and trying to paint himself as

a good guy.