Starting to get some answers about JJ "snag"...

[Lascar78]

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This is a HUGE Rip... HUGE.

I don't know if we can possibly move pass this Rift...

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How could you possibly know that? You are talking out your @ss as per usual. This could be a big deal, or it could be nothing. It could be that the deal is all in place but he's out of town for a day or two and he'll sign it later this week. Or they're debating whether we can get JJ without giving up as much (1 draft pick+ Boris).

Who knows?

Certainly not Diesel.

[swolehawk2]

My concern if it is just he is not available to sign some papers ....you don't have stories in the media about it....you either get him to sign whenever then announce the trade...or you give a statement saying once such & such has time to review and sign, the deal will be concluded....Everything I have read implies that he has questioned the deal and has to be convinced.

This is really not minor....if you look at the state of this franchise we really can't afford any type of circus act...it is already hard enough for this org to get respect in the league as is.

[Inside_Man]

Blekin owns a bigger piece than anyone else.

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Belkin, has not signed off on completing it, two people familiar with the situation said.

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'signed off' doesn't mean the same as 'signed' - the latter means he hasn't signed the paperwork, the former means he hasn't agreed to it.

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The team's other owners and management are in favor of the deal.

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The implication is clear that Belkin is NOT in favor of it.

Belkin owns a bigger piece than anyone else, and the original stories on the ownership was that he would call the shots for hoops, the Wash DC guys called the shots on Hockey and the local guys called the shots on Phillips Arena

[sturt]

It's hard to imagine that this trade has been sitting out there for as many days as it has and that Belkin wouldn't have already said something to BK.

Either there is a communication problem, or there is a money problem, but neither one is good.

Having said that, I do find it a little hard to digest that we're sending ANYTHING to Phoenix given the context... it is even in print that they had made the decision to NOT MATCH b/c of JJ's decision that he didn't want to play there anymore.

Maybe Belkin is choking on those quotes and thinking "...and so, why are we giving up a former 1st round pick plus two future 1sts?"

Sure, you can send them a spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down, but not an entire sugar bowl.

But having said all that, if it's a communication problem, Belkin should have gotten things straight long before this... he's embarrassing his GM if that's the case, and that's just not wise.

[Diesel]

What I do know is this...

The deal is not done..

The longer this takes, the more time phoenix has to seek out another group that's interested in JJ.

It's not talking out of my ass, just ask McDavid about stalls?

[Diesel]

It can't be more plain. One of our owners (the majority owner) is not in favor of the deal...

[tmac13]

A man of Belkins stature is available anytime anywhere..He could sign a fax, send an email confirming his intentions, or make a call to the commisioners office..Belkin is not a BK fan..Remember, at the end of the season supposedly 2 out of the the 3 primary owners wanted to stay the course, one wanted BK and Woodson out..I would assume that one was Belkin..This is something that could become a problem unless they all get on the same page.

[swolehawk2]

We can only hope that JJ truly wants to play here and only here...if so they can only trade him to us or match our signed offer sheet.

[Diesel]

The Hawks need to find a buyer for Belkin's share. He has an out in his contract next year.

Like I have said before, of all the owners, he seems to be the one who looks at the Hawks as an investment and not as a team that can win games. I believe he may want us to be cheap for one more season so that he can get a maximum off his investment.

Where is Jermaine Dupri to buy Belkin out when you need him...

[skaughtybee]

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if this deal didn't go through because of ownership.....as long time Hawks fans?

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I'd be tempted to return my season tickets. I wouldn't do it - but I *should* do it.

I didn't get the best vibes from Belkin on draft night.

That being said - i think this deal gets done.

[Diesel]

This is something that already is a problem....

The main problem is that Belkin is the governor... That means that really BK has NO POWER.. The other owners have NO POWER... Belkin is holding ALL POWER.... Most teams make a President or VPOBO or GM their governor.. Well, we have a owner governor and from reading the article, I don't think Belkin is in favor of the deal... so we might not get JJ...

[Final_quest]

I'm still not convinced that Belkin is intentionally trying to snuff this deal. We are not even 24 hours into the signing period. I agree that it is not a good sign, but a deal going this far and getting pulled by the majority owner just seems unlikely.

If Belkin was against this move, how did he let it get out into the media for several days without snuffing it? Surely if he had no intention of letting it go through he would have nipped it in the bud earlier in the process.

We'll see. I'm not going to jump to any conclusions before 24 hours have gone by. Not all of the deals that we have seen reported have been formalized yet. If this continues to drag or we hear something more, then I will be concerned.

[Diesel]

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The team's other owners and management are in favor of the deal.

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This statement right here says it all. I think what happened is that Belkin is not in favor of the deal. BK may have went a little farther than Belkin wanted to go in negotiations and Belkin just won't sign...

Let me ask you...

What Corprate Mogul ever goes anywhere where he can't be contacted in a 24 hour period...

Belkin is not off at the Gold Rush with his cell phone off. I think he's being a bit childish and the end product is that we might not sign JJ...

[Final_quest]

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This is something that already is a problem....

The main problem is that Belkin is the governor... That means that really BK has NO POWER.. The other owners have NO POWER... Belkin is holding ALL POWER.... Most teams make a President or VPOBO or GM their governor.. Well, we have a owner governor and from reading the article, I don't think Belkin is in favor of the deal... so we might not get JJ...

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I don't know if this is 100% correct. Somebody has to be governor, but that doesn't mean they have all the power and the others have no power. If a GM is the governor, I don't think they can make whatever move they want regardless of the ownership or other executive's approval. If Belkin is the only guy against the move, I believe that he might be forced to sign off on it despite his wishes.

Think about what's already been said. Belkin wanted BK and Woodson gone. If he had all the power wouldn't they be gone regardless of the what the other owners wanted? His power is limited, but it just so happens he is the one that has to put his name on the paper.

[MrAloha]

... it will be a long time (years) before a major free agent like Johnson will even consider the Hawks. If the trade doesn't go through, the Hawks management will be considered a mess (if it isn't already) as long as it stays like it is.

More 13 win seasons ... More relying on the ping pong balls bouncing the Hawks way.

[thesheedera]

Diesel, I think your concern is warranted, and your suggestion that this is a major problem is very very possible. I just don't think we know enough to assume that its correct. Belkin and Knight might be in the middle of a power struggle over the terms of the deal, the directiopn of the team, the amount of money and/or the loss of the picks. Or it could be ego. It could be terrible.

But until more detail is reported, there's just a good a chance that Belkin has an issue with some formalities in the contracts that he wants to clear up before signing off. It might be some minor details that he's concerned with, and wants to address, and he's trying to slow down the process so its done right. The other owners might be frothing over making a big story happen, and are too giddy to slow down. All of this is completely hypothetical, but possible.

This is the biggest deal of the new ownership's history, there's a lot riding on it (in many ways the future of the franchise and this ownership group) and there's a lot of risk involved. This is a PR problem, without a doubt, at the very least. But if the deal gets done, and this stall strengthens or secures the Hawks' position in the deal, then it will be worth the minor embarrassment of a day or two stall.

If it comes out that there's a power struggle in the ownership or between ownership and Knight, and the deal goes through anyway, its not great for the future of the organization, but at least we get Joe, and hopefully they'll buy him out or settle their differences.

If it comes out that there's a power struggle, and we don't land JJ, then this is a monumental disaster in the history of the franchise, and could begin several more years of serious frustration for us fans.

I'm holding on to hope for best case scenario until we learn more, but naturally as a Hawks fan, I'm preparing for the worst, and sort of expecting the middle scenario.

[Watchman]

If Belkin didn't want this deal, he should have stopped it long ago. If we suddenly stop this deal in its tracks, once its gotten to this stage, we can count on a continued lack of interest by free agents in the future.

This was poor timing for this to come up.

I am thoroughly disgusted.

[Diesel]

Usually, the governor (as in any republic) holds all the power when it comes to voting and acquiring...

The thing about most GMs and VPOBO's is that they know that if they go against the wishes of the ownership, they can be fired...

Well, what happens when you have absolute power??

Belkin has absolute power. He's the majority owner and he holds our spot as the governor... He doesn't have to listen to anybody about anything... There's no form of checks and balances that I know of that can overturn Belkin's power trip.

The best BK can do is reason with Belkin...