What Do we really know about Belkin????

[Wurider05]

I mean how much do we really know about the guy before we knock him. We don't know if the rumors of him wanting to run the team on the cheap. That was what one of the other owners said. I can say this about Belkin he single handedly out smarted what 8 other owners and is now in a position to completely control the teams. He must be respected for that. He didn't come into being rich by accident and maybe he just thought that the Joe Johnson deal wasn't a good business deal and that maybe we were getting fleeced by Phoenix. I would rather have one owner that 8 or 9. I say we give Belkin a fair chance because it is not like we are championship material right now anyway. I have had the chance to think about this and realize that there is no way but up.

[tmac13]

I sort of agree..I would much prefer a single owner that this mess..All we know about Belkin is what the other owners said..He obviously doesn't like BK, but whats to like so far?..I doubt he would be nearly as bad as many people think.

[Diesel]

I was thinking about that today...

however, his actions seems to be to run the team on the cheap.

People say he would be Cuban like. However Cuban is not afraid to spend money when needed... Moreover, Cuban is not afraid to trust basketball minds.. which is why his team is in the finals. Lastly Cuban is definitely fan friendly.

I think Belk would be a mutated Jerry Jones...

A guy who wants to micromanage everything.

On the cheap.

[1524]

Hey, if Belkin keeps the core we have I'll be cool with him.

[Guest]

Yea I agree, there isn't much that is known about Belkin except that he opposed the JJ deal. I don't ever remember reading that Belkin said he didn't want to pay JJ that amount of money, I believe he said he didn't want to give up that much (meaning a combination of Diaw, picks, and money). I could be wrong, but I don't think there is much truth to the "running the team on the cheap" tag that is always tied to Belkin.

[tmac13]

I haven't heard anyone say he would be Cuban-like..I just don't know that he would be Donald Sterling..Just remember every negative that we have heard about him has come from the other owners..I read he didn't oppose the JJ pricetag, but didn't like the size of the trade package..IE Diaw and 2 1sts..He was probably right...Thats basically all we know..The other owners threw out the cheapskake stuff after that.

[drzachary]

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I haven't heard anyone say he would be Cuban-like..I just don't know that he would be Donald Sterling..Just remember every negative that we have heard about him has come from the other owners..I read he didn't oppose the JJ pricetag, but didn't like the size of the trade package..IE Diaw and 2 1sts..He was probably right...Thats basically all we know..The other owners threw out the cheapskake stuff after that.

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I think the idea behind his alleged opposition of trading the 2 picks was that he thought Phoenix would match the offer w/out them. Which is what he wanted: Atlanta not signing Joe Johnson (while Belkin still appeared to be trying.)

[Dejay]

Naw, I've seen and met Mark Cuban and Belkin couldn't be him in his best wet dream. Say what you want about Cube, he was there in the sales office when he first bought the Mavericks and did everything for his players, front office, and others to ensure that they had all of the resources necessary to get to where they need to be basketball and business-wise. He also doesn't micromanage and usurp the front office's ability to get/retain players as well as cater to the wants and needs of his fanbase. He's right there in the midst of the action; you think Belkin wants anything to do with us down here?

I see Belkin as being a graduate of the David Glass/Donald Sterling school of running a franchise; on the cheap while collecting tons of $$$ from the league's TV and merchandising deals. I also see him as an absentee landlord who will only show his face if the profit margins aren't being met or if 'insert GM here' has an idea for bringing in a free agent who wants more than the league minimum.

The Hawks may have overpaid for JJ but how bad would it have been last year if Belkin had his way to begin with?

Ivey/Grundy

Childress/Stoudamire

Smith/Williams

Harrington/Bautista

Edwards/Drobs

That, my friends, is a 6-10 win team staring you in the face with Harrington leaving on the first plane smoking once the season ends. You could say the same for the Joshes and Marvin once their rookie deals ends. You think Belkin would've released the $$$ to keep Lue or bring in Zaza? I have a hard time believing that he would've thought of bringing Baustista in from overseas but I couldn't think of an NBDL post player so I went with him. As for Diaw, well, he was implying a move back to France anyway if the Hawks didn't move him so that would've cemented that.

What free agent would DARE sent their clients to a situation like that? No free agent worth their salt would even bother making the visit all while Belkin whines about the lack of fan support for a team that had consecutive 69+ loss seasons from his French villa.

So nope, I don't see any of Cuban's positive ownerships traits in Belkin at all.

[Guest]

Wow DeJay, why don't you take the speculation that Belkin was unwilling to pay JJ a MAX contract and apply that to every situation??? Oh I see you already did that.

[Wurider05]

How do you know that for sure?? We have based our opinions of Belkin based on what the other owners said. BK has got to be shaking in his boots right now.

[KB21]

I highly doubt Billy Knight is shaking in his boots. Billy knows that he will be able to get another job very easily, because despite what a few idiot fans on this board thinks, Billy Knight is very well respected in the NBA for his ability to evaluate talent.

[AHF]

Three things not mentioned on this thread so far:

(1) He was willing to screw his partners by trying to take control of the team against their contract by asserting his power as NBA governor;

(2) he was willing to drag this franchise through the mud to do his power plays; and

(3) in addition the JJ situation it was reported in the press that Belkin also opposed putting $$ into the Thrashers who were on the fringe of taking a huge leap into the playoffs this year.

The best thing that you can say about Belkin is that he took the other owners to school on the buyout situation. He did that in a legal and incredibly underhanded way - within the rules of the contract they signed and clearly against the spirit of the contract. He chose his own appraiser and objected to the report from his own appraiser before he had time to even read it. Then he sued the other owners to tie them up until the deadline passed for him to be bought out and moved to purchase the teams at cost.

That is smart and machevelian but who is going to want to business with someone like this? Who can trust someone like this?

Certainly not his next GM. He didn't trust his GM to make basketball decisions. He didn't show any interest publically in investing money - the opposite of Cuban who made it clear he would spend whatever it took to run a first class team and attract the best talent. What about this is attractive?

Add the fact that he has shown 0 interest in the Hawks and has all his ties to the Boston community. Cuban was immediately invested as a fan as much as an owner in the Mavericks. Ted Turner was a staple at Braves games. Arthur Blank and Jerry Jones were obvious fans and a presence at team games. Has anyone seen him at a Hawks game in Atlanta? At a Thrashers game?

I know enough about him to know I don't want him as the owner of the Hawks and will be thrilled when he sells the team. I just pray we don't have to endure the Donald Sterling years before that happens.

[Guest]

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I highly doubt Billy Knight is shaking in his boots. Billy knows that he will be able to get another job very easily, because despite what a few idiot fans on this board thinks, Billy Knight is very well respected in the NBA for his ability to evaluate talent.

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He isn't going to get another GM job, it'll be as a scouting director or something like that. Anyone that thinks he is a good GM is an idiot.

[GST]

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Certainly not his next GM. He didn't trust his GM to make basketball decisions. He didn't show any interest publically in investing money - the opposite of Cuban who made it clear he would spend whatever it took to run a first class team and attract the best talent. What about this is attractive?

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...which brings up one thing we definitely know about him. He won't let a GM do his job without interference. If Belkin takes over, the Hawks won't be getting a proven GM.

[KB21]

Hence, ML Carr will be the GM in title. That is, if all this does happen.

[Yeti]

If you want to see an interview with Belkin by the Harvard Business School take a look at: http://www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurs/stevebelkin.html

No basketball but you get to hear a bit about how he thinks.

[Seano]

There's no doubt but that he's a shrewd mofo. Well either that, or his former partners are such a bumbling bunch of nincompoops that it seems almost incomprehensible that they could be extremely successful businessmen. But at any rate, Belkin appears to have outflanked them completely.

Now, if he could only run a basketball team half as shrewdly as he ran this latest escapade, we'd be all set. But, I'm not gonna hold my breath on that one.

[Spiral]

New York or Golden State could use him to clean house. If nothing else, he's proven he could do that very effectively.

[Popeye]

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If you want to see an interview with Belkin by the Harvard Business School take a look at:

http://www.hbs.edu/entrepreneurs/stevebelkin.html

No basketball but you get to hear a bit about how he thinks.

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smart guy

[ATLBob]

Yeah, about the only positive that I can find is that Belkin appears addicted to success. Perhaps, if he does become the owner, he'll feel compelled to make the Hawks a winner solely because he won't want to be associated with a losing organization.

Then again, this also means that he's going to exhaust every posibility in this legal process. Damn.