| Ownership Embarrassing The Team Authored by Patrick J. Austin - August 4, 2005 - 2:26 pm
Joe Johnson isn’t an Atlanta Hawk. He should be, he wants to be, but for some odd reason ownership hasn’t signed off on the deal. I should say, more specifically, Steve Belkin hasn’t signed off.
If you didn’t know already, the Hawks are owned by a group of businessmen who call themselves the “Atlanta Spirit LLC”. There’s no majority owner (i.e. someone who owns 51% or more shares) but Belkin owns the largest share for an individual (30%). He’s an active member on the “ownership committee” which has the ultimate power when it comes to free agent signings, trades, etc.
Every member on the committee has agreed to acquiring Joe Johnson except for Belkin; and since a unanimous decision is necessary to complete the transaction, we’re stuck in limbo.
Why is Belkin against the move? Well, that’s the seventy million dollar question. No one is exactly sure. It’s been speculated he could be weary of giving JJ the balloon payment of nearly twenty million dollars in year one of the contract. Others say he isn’t fond of the trade with Phoenix (i.e. Diaw & two first rounders in exchange for Johnson).
I can understand, to a degree, Belkin’s reluctance about the trade and even the size of the contract, but these issues should have been resolved by now. At least discuss your trepidation with the other owners. The longer this drags out, the more embarrassing it becomes.
As a fan, it’s aggravating to watch all of this unfold. Though, I really feel bad for Billy Knight. Just imagine how much work he put into courting Johnson—selling him on the city, the team, all the negotiating, etc.—and to have it stalled by one of the owners has to be disheartening.
Furthermore, this damages BK’s ability to make future moves. Imagine if you’re the GM of another team and Knight agrees to make a trade. You now know he essentially has very little power. It’s sad because most owners allow the GM to do their job. Unfortunately, Knight isn’t so lucky. The “committee” is the real deciding factor.
This conflict is making us look like fools to other teams. This is what Phoenix President, Bryan Colangelo had to say about the current situation, “Atlanta is hopeful of resolving their internal issues by the weekend. They have their own hiccup. We're continuing to move forward with our business. That's all I can say.”
Ouch.
This squabble makes our franchise look like it’s in disarray. A team run by petulant children who can’t decide which flavor candy bar they want. It’s absolutely ridiculous.
This needs to be resolved now. Get the deal done and let’s move on. If it isn’t, the Spirit may find their loyal fan base dissipating faster than their credibility. |
