An ulterior motive in the JJ-Diaw deal?

[mrhonline]

Guys, I know this is a long read, but I think it's too important to skim over. From a frequent, intelligent poster on the AJC blog:

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Ken, I know you haven’t been here for the whole year we’ve been doing the blog, so I think you have missed some rather detailed conversations regarding the ownership issues and the JJ transaction. Belkin, as the team’s designated governor, had the sole discretion to veto the deal. His position, publicly, was not that we were overpaying JJ, but that the 2 picks and Diaw were unecessary, as logic dictated that Phoenix was unlikely to match the offer (a position that was based on Sarver’s intent to keep the franchise under the cap, which would have been extremely difficult paying their fourth option $70 million dollars, as well as Sarver’s now well-publicized ego, as a response to Johnson publicly telling Sarver and the franchise that he didn’t want their money and he didn’t want to play for their team). In the end, as much as they loved Joe’s game, and approach, it wasn’t prudent to match the offer, with Amare coming up for a max extension, and both Marion and Nash making over $10 million annually.

Enter Atlanta. I’ll say this again, since you probably haven’t heard the story, but I attended a “town hall” meeting with another blogger who is a season ticket holder. In my usual direct fashion, I engaged one of the owners in a blunt conversation about choices and the direction of the franchise. Some folks here know his name, but I’ll refrain from reiterating it out of an effort to not put him on the spot, as he can confirm this conversation. I told said owner that they got their shorts bluffed off on the JJ deal, because Phoenix wasn’t going to match.

In an admission that caught both of us by utter surprise, he agreed with my contention, and indicated that when the other owners realized it was a place that Belkin was going to make a big stand, they decided to use the cost we were paying as leverage to sever the partnership. He said it was too much to pay for JJ, but a price well worth booting Belkin. They knew Belkin would veto, which was his technical right as the teams’ governer (majority rules do not apply in this instance, as the governer has sole discretion to represent the teams’ interests in such matters) and they took the opportunity to stand together as a group

and ask Daddy Stern to address an irreparable rift in their partnership. It was a palace coup, which I never felt I had enough insight into to take sides. But that’s pretty much how it went down. Subsequently, the remaining Spirit somehow let themselves be undermined by a clause in their settlement agreement with Belkin, which saw them go from the “doers” to the “do-ee’s”, a situation which arguably says alot about their management accumen. I can tell you that I had been dying to speak my peace about Billy getting bluffed from the moment the deal transpired, but I was not prepared for an owner to readily agree with me. However, once he did, it made complete sense, from a power-play perspective.

At the time, I promised said owner that I would refrain from overviewing this conversation on our blog (as I had let him know that we were very active on the AJC’s Hawks’ blog). Over time, and with both the legal situation, and the continuing arguments from certain folks who won’t let go of the position that we HAD to give up 2 picks and Diaw to secure Johnson, I’ve become indifferent to honoring that request.

I am neither a journalist in need of maintaining a positive relationship, nor am I a season ticket holder (anymore, though I can’t imagine if I was it would be an issue), so I’ve got no real motivation to maintain my silence on the issue. I want to root for a winning franchise. I just don’t see a management/ownership team in place to really make this team great. And it frustrates me to no end. I am critical by nature, but I am not a pessimist. I have a long-developed opinion, based on a really good grasp of the game of basketball, and the NBA, that just says, “these guys can’t get it done”. But, I’ll root for them come September/October, and if they start slow again, I’ll look at the long-term potential of the franchise, and start hoping they flop the season completely, as keeping a top-3 pick in next years’ draft could yield the final “star talent” piece to having a winner here (Oden, Noah and Durant are the early season favorites to be the first three picks, all of whom will be superstars in the NBA. Period). Guess we’ll just have to see.

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[Eddielives]

If this is true, what a bunch of clowns. How could that have been the only route to get Belkin removed from the ownership. Sounds like they just used Belkin and his wealth to get the team and were looking for a way to get him out as soon as possible. Well, things didn't turn out the way they planned. What a bunch of goofs! Again, if this is even reliable info.

[TheDude]

well if they thought they were going to continue to have trouble spending money to turn the franchise around with Belkin there, then i can see why they would do it...it's pretty sly move, actually something we would more identify with Belkin...

i don't really care. i want the ownership to want to spend money, they seem like they want to spend money, i am happy.

now they just have to win this court battle.

the blogger though says he's critical by nature but not a pessimist...i doubt very seriously he's not a pessimist.

[GST]

My BS meter just broke the needle. It would be more likely for O.J. to admit to murder, than a Hawks owner to make a such an admission to a total stranger. This sounds like a failed tabloid reporter trying to pad his resume.

[KB21]

Exactly!

I see this as nothing more than another BS attempt by a fan to disparage this franchise. It is a well known fact that Phoenix would have matched the deal. They weren't going to lose Joe Johnson for nothing. I also think that what the Hawks gave up to get Joe Johnson was not too much. Two first round picks and a bit player is all they gave up to get one of the top 5 shooting guards in the entire league.

[Diesel]

Actually, it sounds more like somebody trying to convince the blog that Phoenix was not going to match. However, I remain unconvinced. From a very simple, practical point of view.. it's this simple.

Had Phoenix signed JJ to a 70 million dollar deal, they were not obligated to keep him for the whole contract. Hell, they could have traded him in Dec. for an ending deal, draft picks, whatever they wanted...

The extension paid to Amare does not kick in this year... So being over the cap isn't that much of a concerned. I feel it was no bluff, Phoenix was not going to just let one of their better players walk and get nothing for him... Even us now. With Al on the blocks as a UFA.. we're still trying to get something for him.. JJ was a RFA...

Whoever wrote that has made my BS meter go off too. Look at the inconsistencies in his story. I'm not obliged to keep this a secret... however I am obligated to keep his name a secret??

Yeah. I betcha the writer of that pieces was the Fabulous Mullah of Basketball... NO offense Dr. Z.

[GST]

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Had Phoenix signed JJ to a 70 million dollar deal, they were not obligated to keep him for the whole contract. Hell, they could have traded him in Dec. for an ending deal, draft picks, whatever they wanted...

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That's the way I see it. It is reasonable to assume that Phoenix planned on matching any offer, then if JJ became a team problem, they would just trade him. One way or another, they were going to get something for a departing JJ. It doesn't make sense to let a player as valuable as JJ just walk away for free if there's anything you can do to prevent it.

[mrhonline]

The person who gave the blogger this information is (allegedly) Bruve Levinson.

[Diesel]

Somebody ought to invite Levenson back to the squawk to clear the air.

[mrhonline]

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Somebody ought to invite Levenson back to the squawk to clear the air.

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Agreed.

I'm not trying to side with this blogger one way or the other, but he's an intelligent guy who posts frequently. It would be the equivalent of you or Chillz or Walter or KB saying they had heard this information.

Most of us would believe you.

You guys can read it for yourselves:

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-bl...n_jj_makin.html

[AHF]

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They knew Belkin would veto, which was his technical right as the teams’ governer (majority rules do not apply in this instance, as the governer has sole discretion to represent the teams’ interests in such matters)

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That is 100% wrong. The partnership agreement did not give Belkin sole discretion as to whether to veto trades approved by 2/3 of the ownership group. That is the reason, legally, that the JJ deal was able to go forward. It wasn't Stern's decision (although his affidavit didn't hurt), it was a Boston [belkin hometown cooking] judge that ruled he did not have that technical right as the governor of the Hawks.

I am not buying this blog either. The reasons others have stated, in my mind, strongly support the idea of Phoenix matching a straight max offer.

[Guest]

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That is 100% wrong. The partnership agreement did not give Belkin sole discretion as to whether to veto trades approved by 2/3 of the ownership group.

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He is talking about a technicality. A trade cannot be completed without the signature of the Gov. and since Belkin is the Gov. then he had the power to stop the trade by not signing off. Veto isn't the correct word, but that is basically what he did.

[AHF]

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That is 100% wrong. The partnership agreement did not give Belkin sole discretion as to whether to veto trades approved by 2/3 of the ownership group.

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He is talking about a technicality. A trade cannot be completed without the signature of the Gov. and since Belkin is the Gov. then he had the power to stop the trade by not signing off. Veto isn't the correct word, but that is basically what he did.

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The point is that he did NOT legally have the right to veto the trade. The governor doesn't have the right to override the ownership. That is the point of the legal ruling by the Court on that specific issue.

[Sothron]

I do not believe that story. I have talked to Levenson and other people inside the team personally, let alone talked with Jaywalker, and that flies in the face of everything I've heard. It is true that Belkin did not and does not want to spend any money on the team but I've never heard the other owners used the JJ deal as an excuse to cut him out.