New Hawks Ownership Search

[Jamaaliver]

with your permission uga_dawgs...creating this as a place to discuss updates in new Hawks leadership as the sale progresses.

As the story of Danny Ferry and Steve Levenson's inflammatory comments make national headlines, the search has already begun to find a new owner for the Hometown team. Koonin has been quoted as saying:

Hawks CEO Steve Koonin mentioned that the Hawks have no shortage of potential buyers.

“I had over seven phone calls directly today from multi-billionaires,” Koonin said. “It blew my mind some of the people who wrote me today.”

Concerns, predictions regarding new ownership?

Levenson owns the largest stake in the team, but not a MAJORITY share. We expecting more of the same? A full housecleaning?

Any concern the team might be prepped to relocate as soon as the lease with Philips allows?

Is Ferry a goner?

Is Bud likely to be replaced as well?

[Jamaaliver]

My immediate concern is whether Ferry can be retained. I desperately want us to maintain a semblance of stability within the front office. But admit it will be difficult for us to sell ourselves to Free Agents with Ferry as the pitch man.


My second concern is that this will ultimately be a huge cloud over the franchise this year. The few good players under contract will begin to force their way out of town. (Most notably Millsap and Horford.)

[tweet]https://twitter.com/Rachel__Nichols/status/508961108380508160[/tweet]

Is this season dead before it starts?

[dms269]

I changed the title a bit. I am fine with this, however keep it civilized. No name calling or baiting (mainly for other fans). If it gets out of hand then I will lock it (like the other bait thread).

[PandaKidd]

Ferry I don't see how he doesn't get fired. He neutered himself.

As for as new ownership, NBA has a vested interest in keeping Atlanta an NBA team IMO. Will be interesting.

When the Cali pizza billionaire bid an won 4-5 years ago no one thought we were moving

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[dms269]

Phillips also has something like a 75 million dollar buyout if they leave before the lease is up.

[azuresou1]

I think Levinson brought up some legitimate points in his e-mail about what drives revenues for NBA teams. He made some stereotypical/race-tinged comments (e.g. black fathers and kiss cam) but I don't think he was wrong in his analysis that the majority of season ticket holders are corporations and upper-middle class white people.

I also think Atlanta as a market can be a very successful demographic for the Hawks. It's a Top 10 market in the US, and we are a good team (despite what the naysayers will say, we've made the playoffs more successive times than any team other than the Spurs).

If I'm a billionaire buyer, I'm buying out the ownership and the Phillips contract and looking to set up a stadium in the suburbs. I don't think the Hawks will ever draw huge crowds at Phillips given the state of Atlanta traffic and public transportation. I'd rather go the Pistons route and have it a little outside the city. $75M isn't chump change but the real cost would be getting funding to build a new stadium.

I don't think Ferry is getting fired based on the statements that have been made by the team. They mentioned an in-house private punishment, and Ferry's mentioned that he appreciates the support of the organization.

[Jamaaliver]

I think Levinson brought up some legitimate points in his e-mail about what drives revenues for NBA teams.

I agree. The e-mail is poorly worded, but contains basic points, questions, demographic info that is pretty common in market research. The issue is Levenson's recent condemning of Sterling, the NBA's new zero tolerance policy. If this had come to light in 2012, Bruce gets a fine, the story doesn't leave GA. It's forgotten in a few months. But in light of the Sterling drama in LA, the team absolutely had to distance itself. I commend Levenson for at least making the right decision and walking away willingly without making things worse. (Assuming it was his call.)

I don't think Ferry is getting fired based on the statements that have been made by the team. They mentioned an in-house private punishment, and Ferry's mentioned that he appreciates the support of the organization.

The concern here is that new ownership generally comes in with their own leadership team in mind. Considering Ferry's tenure here hasn't bore much fruit in terms of wins, fan excitement, or talent acquisition (plus his role in this whole racially tinged fiasco) I can't see a new owner wanting to keep him in the same post.

This doesn't even touch on the fact that black players will have a difficult time answering to DF knowing what type of sentiments he has said when they aren't around.

SideNOTE: You guys mind if we keep the Levenson talk in the other thread OK started? I intended this one to focus more on what the effects of new ownership might mean for the franchise in terms of personnel, draft strategy, player movement, etc.

[MaceCase]

Phillips is a fairly new arena that won it's fair share of awards for innovation so I see no need to discard it for another arena in the area. Traffic may be an issue but then I've never seen Kobe, or Iverson, or Lebron, or the Knicks and Bulls play to an empty house so clearly people can get to Phillips when they want to. With Ferry I know he recognized that the team needs stars to market around but he was somewhat handicapped in that he could only pursue them through free agency. With the ASG still in place there was/is no way that they can monetarily withstand another rebuild so Ferry pursued a "competitive rebuild" instead by putting a playoff caliber team on the court while still being flexible enough to pursue free agents.

A new owner is likely to have the desire and the funds to have the team survive a Philly level rebuild by being able to trade off current players for picks, tank for own high pick while also having the cap space to pursue free agents or even pursue a Brooklyn level spendathon. Either strategy might work better trying to put a star on the court or spend on a contender than the treadmill that the ASG have only been able to afford.

There are just far too many strategies that need to be looked at and pursued well before relocation ever comes into the fold. A new majority owner may look to distance himself from Ferry but most hires these days are out of the Spurs organization anyway so I believe Bud's job is both safe and that he'd be comfortable and familiar coaching underneath whomever new could theoretically replace Ferry.

[azuresou1]

I don't live in Atlanta so I can't directly comment on the state of MARTA but my understanding is that it sucks and that getting into downtown in the evening is a non-starter unless you work there.

The Knicks on the other hand play at MSG which is literally built over Penn Station which is the busiest station in the entire US, and connected to NYC Metro as well as NJ Transit.

Personally I think ease of access and wealth of area dictates a lot when it comes to sporting events - just look at how much the Nets improved by moving from Izod and Prudential to Barclay's.

08-09 NJN - Izod - 621,062 (25th of 30)
09-10 NJN - Izod - 537,230 (30th of 30)
10-11 NJN - Prudential - 581,378 (28th of 30) - Deron Williams joins
11-12 NJN - Prudential - 460,719 (30th of 30)
12-13 BKN - Barclays - 704,702 (16th of 30)
13-14 BKN - Barclays - 707,331 (17th of 30)

Izod is in the middle of nowhere with basically no public transportation available. Prudential actually has great public transportation but is in the middle of Newark which is sketchy as hell. Barclay's is on the edge of Manhattan in a newly developing yuppie area flush with cash, and with 9 separate train lines running to it.

It's true that the Nets improved a lot the first year they were in Brooklyn (Deron/Joe/Lopez), but still that's a 50% increase in attendance. I think a lot of that is due to the location.

[td00]

For the Hawks to increase the fan base, you have to at least act like you want to win and/or contend. Are we seeing that today with a lineup that has one guy making more than 10M/year? Its not just about the salary amount, but seriously, would CHI be satisfied with Noah being the face of the franchise? No they wouldn't.

We are a complacent organization, with owners who really haven't fired anyone since they've been here other than Arthur Triche. Woody and LD just didn't get a new contract. BK, Sund both stepped back on their own accord.
The ownership group has been content with average results.

We simply play too nice here; the ASG have no business running a pro franchise. I hope for a local person who is ATL specific who will grow this franchise. We have the smallest arena of the 3 pro teams. Do the other 2 teams in town hover at the bottom in attendance? Falcons were 11th in 2013, Braves were 13th.
The Hawks don't know what they're doing obviously.
Since '06, the Hawks highest attendance was in '08-09. They've gone seriously down since then, losing an average of about 2400 fans on average/night. That's stings.

[hawkschop1]

This is a nightmare, right now. However if we can somehow get a baller new owner like a mark cuban then this could end up being a blessing.

I would love to see Usher or Ludacris buy a minority stake in the Hawks and do for us would Jay-Z did for the Nets. We need better PR.

[dms269]

I don't live in Atlanta so I can't directly comment on the state of MARTA but my understanding is that it sucks and that getting into downtown in the evening is a non-starter unless you work there.

The Knicks on the other hand play at MSG which is literally built over Penn Station which is the busiest station in the entire US, and connected to NYC Metro as well as NJ Transit.

Personally I think ease of access and wealth of area dictates a lot when it comes to sporting events - just look at how much the Nets improved by moving from Izod and Prudential to Barclay's.

08-09 NJN - Izod - 621,062 (25th of 30)
09-10 NJN - Izod - 537,230 (30th of 30)
10-11 NJN - Prudential - 581,378 (28th of 30) - Deron Williams joins
11-12 NJN - Prudential - 460,719 (30th of 30)
12-13 BKN - Barclays - 704,702 (16th of 30)
13-14 BKN - Barclays - 707,331 (17th of 30)

Izod is in the middle of nowhere with basically no public transportation available. Prudential actually has great public transportation but is in the middle of Newark which is sketchy as hell. Barclay's is on the edge of Manhattan in a newly developing yuppie area flush with cash, and with 9 separate train lines running to it.

It's true that the Nets improved a lot the first year they were in Brooklyn (Deron/Joe/Lopez), but still that's a 50% increase in attendance. I think a lot of that is due to the location.

MARTA does suck. The problem is MARTA can't expand into Gwinnett and Cobb because each time it comes up for a vote it gets shot down...quickly. Gwinnett doesn't want MARTA out here because of the perception that crime will follow MARTA.

I will admit it, I despise MARTA. There are always some type of crazy on the train. MARTA can't handle crowds. Ever tried going downtown or leaving the SEC championship at the dome? There is no confidence in MARTA from the metro area because they have had a bad experience with it and with MARTA's money issues, the northern burbs don't want to get dragged into it.

[ofm05]

I for one don't ever want to see Marta in Gwinnett!!!

I've always felt like if the Hawks moved to Gwinnett which is known for being big time basketball fans people would show up. But then again a lot of white people live in Gwinnett which again people would complain about how this is a white and black thing...

I for one love my Hawks and have been watching them since 99 which was the start of the awful era. I haven't been to a Hawks game in 4 yrs because I hate the traffic and hate MARTA. I grew up in ATL and took the Marta to school back in the day. I'm not afraid of anyone on Marta and yes I have seen my fair share of crazy people on it.

Only reason I don't go is because it's a good drive from Gwinnett to Phillips. I can care less if the crowd is 70% black or 70% white. I'm neither so to me its the same lol.

[MaceCase]

I don't live in Atlanta so I can't directly comment on the state of MARTA but my understanding is that it sucks and that getting into downtown in the evening is a non-starter unless you work there.

The Knicks on the other hand play at MSG which is literally built over Penn Station which is the busiest station in the entire US, and connected to NYC Metro as well as NJ Transit.

Personally I think ease of access and wealth of area dictates a lot when it comes to sporting events - just look at how much the Nets improved by moving from Izod and Prudential to Barclay's.

08-09 NJN - Izod - 621,062 (25th of 30)
09-10 NJN - Izod - 537,230 (30th of 30)
10-11 NJN - Prudential - 581,378 (28th of 30) - Deron Williams joins
11-12 NJN - Prudential - 460,719 (30th of 30)
12-13 BKN - Barclays - 704,702 (16th of 30)
13-14 BKN - Barclays - 707,331 (17th of 30)

Izod is in the middle of nowhere with basically no public transportation available. Prudential actually has great public transportation but is in the middle of Newark which is sketchy as hell. Barclay's is on the edge of Manhattan in a newly developing yuppie area flush with cash, and with 9 separate train lines running to it.

It's true that the Nets improved a lot the first year they were in Brooklyn (Deron/Joe/Lopez), but still that's a 50% increase in attendance. I think a lot of that is due to the location.

MARTA does suck. The problem is MARTA can't expand into Gwinnett and Cobb because each time it comes up for a vote it gets shot down...quickly. Gwinnett doesn't want MARTA out here because of the perception that crime will follow MARTA.

I will admit it, I despise MARTA. There are always some type of crazy on the train. MARTA can't handle crowds. Ever tried going downtown or leaving the SEC championship at the dome? There is no confidence in MARTA from the metro area because they have had a bad experience with it and with MARTA's money issues, the northern burbs don't want to get dragged into it.

Well his argument seems to be based more around transportation than location. Within New York all the major sports teams besides the Knicks/Rangers have their stadiums in historically **** areas of the city far enough from the metro center. I'm talking swamps and burned down project buildings bad. They are only now developing the areas around the Nets, Yankees, and Mets due to economics pricing both residents and businesses outside of Manhattan but those teams (excluding the newly arrived Nets that also now have this advantage) have always thrived for the simple fact that they are built over major public transportation hubs. The Yankees can be reached from the City, Upstate New York and Connecticut with ease and the Nets and Mets by residents of the City and Long Island not to mention proximity to 2 major airports.

As you've pointed out the Braves have complained about attendance yet they are moving to an area that has zero public transportation. They've only made it easier for their target demo, which is residents of Cobb county, to reach their games. Residents from metro Atlanta and Gwinnett still have to battle horrible traffic to get out there and back home with no MARTA option.

[Jamaaliver]

A few thoughts (and a very good read):

...[the] Spirit group bought the Hawks for $208 million in 2004, will have no shortage of bidders and will probably attract bids in excess of a $1 billion.

I'm really nervous that any group or persons that shell out $1 billion+ for this team, might NOT be patient with the franchise losing money. Or with the underwhelming sports crowds that have plagued ATL for the last couple of decades.

News of Levenson’s email emerging on this particular Sunday was not a random occurrence. Just the opposite, the timing appears designed to elicit the least amount of notice by NBA fans, sponsors and, perhaps most importantly, players...If the NBA wanted to diminish the attendant outrage of Levenson’s comments, Sunday, September 7 may have been the ideal day to reveal those comments.

The timing was pretty well designed. In the midst of NFL and college football. Months after Free Agency. Months before the regular season begins. This could have been much worse had it hit in July or in November. This should be blown over quite a bit by the start of the season.

Sterling attorney Bobby Samini tells Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times, "I know there are more [revelations about NBA owners] coming."

This might be the tip of the iceberg that Cuban warned us about.

[dms269]

I don't live in Atlanta so I can't directly comment on the state of MARTA but my understanding is that it sucks and that getting into downtown in the evening is a non-starter unless you work there.

The Knicks on the other hand play at MSG which is literally built over Penn Station which is the busiest station in the entire US, and connected to NYC Metro as well as NJ Transit.

Personally I think ease of access and wealth of area dictates a lot when it comes to sporting events - just look at how much the Nets improved by moving from Izod and Prudential to Barclay's.

08-09 NJN - Izod - 621,062 (25th of 30)
09-10 NJN - Izod - 537,230 (30th of 30)
10-11 NJN - Prudential - 581,378 (28th of 30) - Deron Williams joins
11-12 NJN - Prudential - 460,719 (30th of 30)
12-13 BKN - Barclays - 704,702 (16th of 30)
13-14 BKN - Barclays - 707,331 (17th of 30)

Izod is in the middle of nowhere with basically no public transportation available. Prudential actually has great public transportation but is in the middle of Newark which is sketchy as hell. Barclay's is on the edge of Manhattan in a newly developing yuppie area flush with cash, and with 9 separate train lines running to it.

It's true that the Nets improved a lot the first year they were in Brooklyn (Deron/Joe/Lopez), but still that's a 50% increase in attendance. I think a lot of that is due to the location.

MARTA does suck. The problem is MARTA can't expand into Gwinnett and Cobb because each time it comes up for a vote it gets shot down...quickly. Gwinnett doesn't want MARTA out here because of the perception that crime will follow MARTA.

I will admit it, I despise MARTA. There are always some type of crazy on the train. MARTA can't handle crowds. Ever tried going downtown or leaving the SEC championship at the dome? There is no confidence in MARTA from the metro area because they have had a bad experience with it and with MARTA's money issues, the northern burbs don't want to get dragged into it.

Well his argument seems to be based more around transportation than location. Within New York all the major sports teams besides the Knicks/Rangers have their stadiums in historically **** areas of the city far enough from the metro center. I'm talking swamps and burned down project buildings bad. They are only now developing the areas around the Nets, Yankees, and Mets due to economics pricing both residents and businesses outside of Manhattan but those teams (excluding the newly arrived Nets that also now have this advantage) have always thrived for the simple fact that they are built over major public transportation hubs. The Yankees can be reached from the City, Upstate New York and Connecticut with ease and the Nets and Mets by residents of the City and Long Island not to mention proximity to 2 major airports.

As you've pointed out the Braves have complained about attendance yet they are moving to an area that has zero public transportation. They've only made it easier for their target demo, which is residents of Cobb county, to reach their games. Residents from metro Atlanta and Gwinnett still have to battle horrible traffic to get out there and back home with no MARTA option.

The Braves are doing it because they can truly have their own stadium built their way, not a handme down from the olympic games. They can truly make it a destination place instead of just the stadium (a true interactive type of thing).

I think the Braves are fine with not having a ton of Gwinnett people there (some will still go) because of the G-Braves. The stadium in Cobb will not pull as much from downtown, that is true. However you are going to be in a baseball hotbed with Cobb county (east cobb especially) and can pull that Northern Atlanta demo into the stadium.

MARTA doesn't technically go to Tirner field now. You have to take it to underground, walk through underground, then take the shuttle to the stadium. Cobb can figure something like that out. Or maybe even some type of high speed rail that only operates during certain hours.

[Jamaaliver]

FWIW,

Cobb County does have its own public known transit system that runs all over the county and DOES have connecting express route with MARTA. It's been there for decades, and the connecting bus goes from the ARTS Center MARTA Train Station directly to the area where the new stadium is being built.

I actually used to ride this bus as a teenager to go to the Freaknik in the city back in the 1990s.

But, I don't want corporate ownership of the team. We've seen Braves struggle to remain relevant under an ownership that views them only as another asset. Not the approach I'd want new owners to take at all.

[PandaKidd]

Marta is great, although I live within walking distance of Philips so hahaha

If you are in gwinette or Woodstock /Kennesaw getting downtown on a Tuesday can suck.

When my wife and I decide on kids, east Cobb is our destination since they still have Marta access

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[Damu]

it;s funny how MARTA gets blamed for potential crime as if someone is going to commit a crime and then go wait on a 15 min train to come LOL

It's a hinderance to the city and has always been. MARTA started in the 70's before Atlanta's population growth so it just doesn't fit the population... Getting downtown can be tough coming from the northern burbs but in 2017 getting to Cobb for a BRaves game will be equally tough.....

As for Ferry I just really see it as a tough sell to any potential free agent to take him seriously because of what he repeated. That's the sad part is that he was repeating what someone else wrote but it shows a lapse in judgement and he might ultimately pay the price for that. he might need to pay the price. We need a clean break and fresh start.....

[Hawk Eye]

Marta is great, although I live within walking distance of Philips so hahaha

If you are in gwinette or Woodstock /Kennesaw getting downtown on a Tuesday can suck.

When my wife and I decide on kids, east Cobb is our destination since they still have Marta access

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This. Every time I come to downtown ATL from kennesaw it becomes a hugeee hassle transportation/traffic wise.