It is easy to understand why, despite four straight berths to the NBA playoffs, fans of the Atlanta Hawks would be disappointed with Friday's news that Los Angeles businessman Alex Meruelo has withdrawn his bid to buy the team under concerns about his financial backing. Kris Willis of SB Nation's Peachtree Hoops explains the sentiment from the perspective of a Hawks fan who had been so hopeful when Meruelo agreed to buy the team.
Hawks’ Fans Resigned To Status Quo Without Alex Meruelo
Today’s announcement brings much disappointment to many Atlanta Hawks fans who were looking forward to Alex Meruelo taking over as majority owner of the club. Essentially, this means more of the status quo for the team as it is doubtful that the Atlanta Spirit will move to acquire assets or dump players. They will most likely want to maintain the product as is as they evaluate what the next collective bargaining agreement looks like. In other words, there will likely be few changes and more of the same from the Hawks, who have made a habit of putting stock in the team’s core pieces.
It has been pointed out many times that the Hawks aren’t a bad club. But they aren’t championship-caliber either. That’s a difficult spot to be categorized in the NBA. Hawks fans were looking for an enthusiastic owner that would go about reshaping the franchise in his vision. That very well could have been the Atlanta Spirit Group, but infighting and questionable personnel decisions have undermined that effort from the start.
For more on the future of the Hawks, visit Peachtree Hoops and SB Nation ATL.
See More:
