Is Belkin right???

[emeans]

I know this is not the popular opinion, but Belkins problem is that he thinks we are giving up too much for JJ.

Two 1st round picks, Boris Diaw and a trade exception plus a max contract is a lot for one player.

His contention is that the Hawks don't need to give that much up to Phoenix and in a sense I kind of agree with him.

I can see 1 1st round pick and Boris and a max contract, but 2 is asking a lot.

Actually I am not totally against his issues. The problem I am having is this shouldn't have been release to the press until a unanimous proposal by all owners and GMs were put on the table. The proposal should have been talked about before all of this mess. That is the problem I am having with this, but I can kind of understand were Belkin is coming from in terms of what we are giving up.

[TheDude]

he's still an idiot..this should have been resolved before hand. if he thinks they'll come down because he changed his mind, he's stupid..you do the deal agreed upon or you don't... i thought it was a bit too high also but we're going to have to do that to get people to play in this town..

[Plainview1981]

How are the Hawks going to get anybody without

overpaying? How? Future draft picks means 2 or

3 more 20 years olds. When does it stop? When

did you quit adding kids to the team? Is there a

center or PG in the draft in the next few years?

The lack of getting FA's needs to STOP. And stop

now. What other team has went the last 10 years

without getting a good FA? Which team?

[thescout10]

The draft picks are lottery protected and the chance to get an elite elite prospect is minimal.With the kind of club the hawks are building a protected no1 pick is not alot to be arguing about and besdies come trade deadline this year al will be peddled probably for another protected lottery pick to offset the loss.Belkin for such a rich man sure doesn't know anything about sports!

[Plainview1981]

Seems as though the people are AJC is starting to

agree with Belkin. One said this is a "typical

Hawks move" I'm like... The Hawks havent even got

a real FA in 10 years. Alot of the people in Atlanta

are morons when it comes to basketball. That's what

it seems anyway.

In some ways I think the franchise would be better off

to be moved even though it would be extremely hard to

root for them in another state. It might actualy be

what's best.

[mrhonline]

Quote:

---

Seems as though the people are AJC is starting to

agree with Belkin. One said this is a "typical

Hawks move" I'm like... The Hawks havent even got

a real FA in 10 years. Alot of the people in Atlanta

are morons when it comes to basketball. That's what

it seems anyway.

---

I think a lot of those "morons" are football fans who think that any first-round pick is immensely valuable. Of the three things the Hawks are giving up to the Suns, only one has any great value - their own pick.

And, if the team improves, even that pick could be devalued.

[TnDawg]

Well you could look at it this way:

- "a max contract " had to be given to attract a top FA

(the sign and trade came later)

-the trade exception- we are not trading one away, it was

created because of the difference in

JJ's and Diaws contract.

so in essence the two 1st rounders are the only holdup.

Given the amount of time that the Suns had to manuever, we lost some of our ability to make it hard on them not to match. Due to the delays involving the CBA, the world knew we wanted JJ. If we just walk away and decided to wait until next year to attract FAs, our team may not improve enough to attract the top guys. We cannot afford to let one go, especially one who really wants to come here.JJ is basically opening the door for us to add quality FAs a year sooner. My only disappointment with the two picks is if they are both for next year. Give them the Boston pick next year and ours a year later. Hopefully we can keep Al and pick up another first at the dead line.

[CBAreject]

I know TnDawg already addressed this, but it's my new pet peeve.

We are not trading a 'trade exception' to Phoenix. It is given to them by the NBA.

[Plainview1981]

After reading the stuff at AJC, I can see why sports

journalist see people Atlanta as fools when it comes

to sports. Take a look at the newer ramblings. This

is why Atlanta doesn't deserve a team. I can under

stand people that don't want to pay to see a team

that is losing, but most of these people clearly

understand little about what is going on at the

present time.

It's truly amazing and Atlanta doesn't deserve a

basketball team.

[twentythree]

I don't think so.

2006 Draft seems to have limited prospects. Our picks that given in JJ trade are lottery protected. So, If Lakers make playoffs this year, we will get our draft pick from Boston and give it to Phoenix. We still have another 1st rounder in 2006.

That means, we will give our 2nd first round pick to Phoenix when we make the playoffs.

I think, Belkin should be aware of this. Having a non-lottery pick in 2006 means nothing. Also you won't need your first rounder so much when you make playoffs with this young roster.

For Diaw, he is not a type of player that someone will cry after him, especially if you get Joe Johnson in return.

So Belkin, give an end to this bullsh!t and sign those papers!!!

[Diesel]

Whenever you hire somebody with expertise to do a job, you do not look over their shoulder continuously trying to grade their efforts while they are doing the job.

Belkin is nothing more than a fan with enough money to be an owner. That doesn't mean that he knows more about Basketball and how to build a team than BK.

What Belkin has done is take the reputation of this franchise and run it through the mud. What will other free agents think about the Hawks or BK?

What Belkin did is just things that you should not do as an owner.

[Watchman]

the other owners to become so frustrated that he will be able to buy them out, and then build the team in his own image. Surely he's got to realize that this crap is going to undermine our ability to attract FAs and generate respect for the franchise.

What a jerk.

[JTFan31]

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Damn your hot Dochawk. Obviously this deal was approved by everyone before it was layout on the table, when it came down to sign, he got cold feet. He should go with the trade now that he already agreed on it, or else who can tell what will become of him and the Hawks front office.

[pistol]

Has anyone verified that our pick is full lottery protected and not just top 3?

[Gray Mule]

Belkin is probably, at least in his own mind, right.

JJ cost too much.

That being said, paying too much for a very good player,

who fills a desperate need on the roster and one who

wants to come here, is the only way Hawks could get him.

Then, after having the deal all set up, Belkin chooses

that time to stall the deal and perhaps kill it. Thay

leaves the entire Hawks orginization with egg on their

face.

The deal had been there for quiet some time, apparently

approved by everyone but him. If he doesn't have the

money to pay his part, he needs to sell out his share

and let someone else do it.

Being in Boston and a big Celtic fan doesn't make all

this any easier to swallow either.

He may yet get the deal done. Hopefully. Yet, at what

cost to the orginization? Is he even thinking about this?

[Diesel]

24 yr old guy who could become a perinneal allstar!

[TheDude]

i totally agree Hots..i was reading that last night thinking of the fools there....EVEN IF YOU THOUGHT IT WAS A BAD DEAL THE MORAL OF THE STORY IS THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELT WITH !BEFORE! WE CAME TO AN AGREEMENT...we had a hard time getting free agents here already, let alone after this pr disaster.

some people think that if Joe Johnson is a bust, we'd be in cap hell and prevented from making other moves in the future, a la Alan Houston. what crap, we'd still be in good shape. and we all know he won't be a bust, he may not be as good as we hope and will be overpaid, but he won't be a bust...

and most importantly has hotlanta said, this is not the lakers we're talking about, WE WILL HAVE TO OVERPAY TO GET OFF THE GROUND...

[thesheedera]

My speculation on this whole ordeal is that Belkin knew the deal, and vocally pitched his case against it. No one agreed with him. He warned them he wouldn't sign off if they went through with it. They figured its 9+ (including mgmt.) against one, we'll show this guy not to mess with us. They allow the press to run with it, seems like a done deal, no way in the world Belkin tries to stop it once the public assumes its cool. I bet he made his threats, and they thought the threats were empty.

Belkin believes strongly that its not a good deal and/or he doesn't like being pushed around. He might be right, it is definitely a huge risk. When it became clear that Belkin would try to hold it up and renegotiate, the only way to combat him was to try to remove him from his position. The only way Belkin could stop that is to sue the other guys and hold everything up. Desperation moves leading to a stalemate. Meanwhile the most important offseason in the history of the club continues without us.

It AMAZES me that they couldn't work this out somehow. I really don't think Belkin is a moron who decided at the last minute to speak up. I think more likely he's an egomaniac (as are veryone else involved) that drew a line in the sand with his partners, and when the others went on without him, he followed up on his threats at the expense of the Hawks.

This is in no way in defense of his despicable actions, but it seems more realistic to me than the idea that he's an idiot that's just now deciding to make a move against the trade. As soon as it went from RFA to a S&T, I imagine this whole thing blew up real fast.

[emeans]

The problem with this entire situation is the order in which things happened. I don't have a problem with Belkin wanting to only give a 2nd rounder and Boris.

The problem is that the proposal should have been ironed out with BK and ownership well before it was presented to Phoenix, the NBA and the media. This is what is making us look like fools!!

[GST]

You have to think that there was in-house procedures for making decisions before this situation occurred. It's going to be interesting to see who broke the procedures. My money is on Belkin. I find it hard to believe that 8 out of 9 owners would agree to break their own rules, knowing that doing such would result in a civil war.