<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Knight Breaks Silence On Hawks Ownership Feud 8th August, 2005 - 11:04 pm Atlanta Journal-Constitution - As the Atlanta Hawks ' feuding and far-flung owners convened here for a battle in court, general manager Billy Knight lashed out at part owner Steve Belkin. Breaking his silence on the issue, Knight said Monday that Belkin's opposition to a pending trade for Phoenix Suns guard Joe Johnson is "a ploy" to hold the team's payroll to "a bare minimum." Knight added: "If he is saying anything different from that, he is not telling the truth." </div> Source WOOOHOO! go BK!
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">THE OWNERSHIP Steve Belkin is the largest individual investor of Atlanta Spirit LLC, owners of the Hawks and Thrashers. Boston investor Steve Belkin -- 30% Atlanta investors Michael Gearon Jr. -- 17.43% Rutherford Seydel -- 8.33% Michael Gearon Sr. -- 2.24% x-Dominique Wilkins -- 1% Beau Turner -- 1% Washington investors Bruce Levenson -- 19.7% Ed Peskowitz -- 19.7% Todd Foreman -- 0.6% x - Pending NBA approval Note: Martin B. Seretean was part of the original Atlanta investor group; Beau Turner and Dominique Wilkins are not pictured. Photo illustration shows eight of the owners placing their hands on a large basketball. The basketball is divided into a pie chart: Belkin 30% Washington investors 40% Atlanta investors 30% BRANT SANDERLIN / Staff Pictured: Steve Belkin, Michael Gearon Jr., Rutherford Seydel, Bruce Levenson, Ed Peskowitz, Martin B. Seretean, Michael Gearon Sr., Todd Foreman</div> Maybe having 9 owners isn't such a bright idea. I'm actually surprised BK spoke out like this with a pending court trial. Usually they place a gag order on people involved in the trial. BK does have every right to be fuming though. He did his job negotiating and working out a deal, only to have it blocked and then Belkin taking it to the extreme by suing his 8 business partners. This could kill any chance of BK being able to orchestrate any other deals.
Wow. Dude better stay away from the Atl. I m glad BK broke the slience. A lot of us in Atl were in the dark and wondering why the heck anyone would not want JJ here.