Atlanta Hawks: ‘Dynamic pricing’ for tickets in 2010-11
Last season the Hawks charged “marquee” prices at Philips Arena for games against the Celtics, Cavaliers and Lakers. They are expanding that concept in 2010-11 with “dynamic pricing,” a technology developed by Qcue that allows prices for individual game tickets to be adjusted in real time.
QCue says it’s technology “allows event promoters to respond to the real variables that drive fans to attend events, enabling every event to be priced independently and updated when market conditions changes.” So when you check the price for those Hawks tickets at Ticketmaster one day, the price for the same seat could be different the next day–or even later that same day.
The strategy allows for more flexibility than static prices set months in advance. For example, if the Heat comes to town and LeBron and D-Wade are both out with injuries (or sitting out that final home game), then the market for any remaining tickets could be expected to soften. Conversely, if a blockbuster trade at the deadline suddenly makes a middling team “marquee,” then prices could be expected to go up when that team visits.
The Hawks (and Thrashers), Rockets and Jazz have announced they will use the dynamic pricing next season. Tracy White, chief sales officer and senior VP of sales and marketing for Atlanta Spirit, said he’s still not certain how often the team will adjust prices since this is a new concept for sports teams.
“The best comparison is the airline industry,” he said. “They’ve been doing this for years. This is us taking that concept and applying it to sporting events.”
Theoretically, tickets for low-demand games could be had for less than face value but don’t expect to get rock-bottom prices. White said season-ticket holders are guaranteed to pay the lowest prices per game. Feedback from season-ticket holders played a part in the decision to try dynamic pricing.
“Some season-ticket holders choose to sell seats for some games,” White said. “They asked for a system that better reflected the value of each game.”
The Hawks have yet to set a a date for the start of sales for individual games; White said they hope to finalize a date next week.
– After declaring the Hawks painfully thin at point guard, Kelly Dwyer at Ball Don’t Lie gave more love to Atlanta’s shooting guards and small forwards. Jamal rates No. 12 on Dwyer’s list of 2 guards, J.J. is No. 4 and Marvin is No. 21 among small forwards (one slot ahead of Chills).
No real argument on Dwyer’s takes for the Hawks guys, though I think he shortchanges the threat Jamal presents with that crossover.
– Bret LaGree at Hoopinion was among the bloggers to propose deals for Melo to Nuggets blogger Jeremy. Both proposals were good enough to make Jeremy’s “win now” category but it seems some contracts are hard to move even in fake deals.
LaGree offered J.J. but Jeremy passes on the deal “with gusto” because of J.J.’s contract. LaGree also offers to send Smoove and Marvin for Melo but Jeremy turns that one down, too, because “ultimately the four years and over $30 million owed to Williams is a difficult pill to swallow.”
– Have a good weekend, blog people.
MC
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168 comments Add your comment
MsDee
August 21st, 2010
4:48 pm
Oh, include Pape Sy with the UNTOUCHABLE PERIOD!! LOL..it something about Pape Sy that I like and I havent even seen him play a single NBA game YET!! As soon as he join the team for good, I WILL be getting his JERSEY!! Go Pape SY!!
ant banks
August 21st, 2010
5:35 pm
i have read so many trade proposals that won’t happen. in the short, it is good convo, kinda like WHAT IF I WON THE LOTTERY. then reality sets in. i like our reality. we have 4 ARGUABLE allstars on our team: jj, horford, crawford, smooth. with perpetual ball movement, that larry drew will draw up, constant bench rotation due to heavy activity on the floor, the hawks should do just as good as last year.
i would hold ALL trade possibilities until the feb deadline. why break the bank now, in the beginning of the season?
GO HAWKS!!
Hawks Fan
August 21st, 2010
6:33 pm
Now the hawks ownership wants to talk about selling tickets and how the tickets will be priced, well I have one message for them considering their crappy offseason and unwillingness to spend some money buy your own damn tickets!!!
truthspitter
August 21st, 2010
6:41 pm
Michael Cunningham
August 21st, 2010
1:48 pm
@truthspitter: i’m just giving you mess, no big deal. but, seriously, what is it you want to know about Jamal? there’s been no new development on the extension talks. Sund is on vacation.
That explains the whole offseason Cunningham. Sund is on vacation. A true professional is always on call.
northcyde
August 21st, 2010
7:17 pm
LMAO @ drmaryb
I’m mad that I know what a U.S. Polo Association shirt is. I’ll do you one better though. Back in the 90s, there was a brand called “Beverly Hills Polo Club”. That was a cheap brand of clothing that you’d find in urban clothing.
But your point is well taken. And that’s the reason why I don’t have a problem with the dynamic pricing concept either. They just have to be careful how much they charge to see the marquee teams.
And for those fans that by them staying home when a big name team comes to town, is going to make the ASG lose some money, they better think again.
Selling out Philips when the big boys come to town isn’t the problem. It’s getting more people in the building when the “little boys” come to town, that’s the real issue.
And if the Hawks can get 16K on a Monday night when the Pacers come through, instead of 12K, then dynamic pricing will be a good thing.
Had the ASG brought in “the box office draw” ( i.e. – starts with an S, and ends with a Q ) here, we wouldn’t need any gimmicks to try to convince fans to buy tickets.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 21st, 2010
7:29 pm
All these “Marvin/Bibby/Zaza for players who are actually useful” trades are making my head hurt. Nobody is going to trade for any of them unless they dump a locker room cancer or an even more crippling contract on the Hawks. If you want to find players the Hawks can realistically acquire for them, start with Emeka Okafor and Gilbert Arenas and go from there (not that I want either of them).
Najeh Davenpoop
August 21st, 2010
7:30 pm
Mo Evans, on the other hand, DOES have trade value, because as average as he is at least his contract is expiring.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 21st, 2010
7:33 pm
That said, nobody on this team is untouchable. Al Horford is the closest the hawks have to an untouchable player, and that is more because he still gets paid rookie money. There is no Kobe or LeBron or Dwight Howard on this team.
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
8:36 pm
MC ,
Anything new on the Pape Sy situation?
Sund is on vacation…..heh heh. That’s great. I hope he enjoys himself. As far as I’m concerned, he’s been on vacation since Josh Powell and Jason Collins got signed…
Najeh Davenpoop
August 21st, 2010
8:37 pm
“he’s been on vacation since Josh Powell and Jason Collins got signed…”
You mean, since Joe Johnson got signed…
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
8:38 pm
northcyde ,
This ownership group is about gimmicks, not actual substance. And while fans have to make a decsion about supporting the team when they play at home, that’s what they’re supporting, one way or another. Gimmicks.
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
8:39 pm
Najeh ,
Point taken…
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
8:39 pm
That said, nobody on this team is untouchable. Al Horford is the closest the hawks have to an untouchable player, and that is more because he still gets paid rookie money. There is no Kobe or LeBron or Dwight Howard on this team.
True. We had our shot at big name, bit time players. We muffed it badly. Two years in a row…
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
8:41 pm
Because, you don’t get guys like that in a trade, unless the perfect circumtstances fall into place just right (Boston’s Big 3, Miami’s big 3). You also have to have an ownership and front office that are determined to do big things, not stand pat and be peripherally relevant.
Most teams do that via draft. We have epic fail on both fronts…
vava74
August 21st, 2010
9:00 pm
“We had our shot at big name, bit time players.”
Incorrect: we did not have the money nor the pull/draw to get anyone actually relevant.
Might as well just sign minimum wage guys than to overpay either washed up or below average players.
vava74
August 21st, 2010
9:04 pm
Ray,
Tell me who have we missed this Summer? Who was a big name, big time player which was an actual possibility?
Shaq? He did not want to sign with us for the middle-level. It was rumored that he wanted 7/8 million to sign with us which would make him a “mercenary signing” which is the opposite to what he made by signing with Boston, where he signed because he really wanted to sign with them and have a shot at the title (which he did not consider an actual possibility with the Hawks).
So, who else did we miss out???? Barnes??? Exactly the same story.
Grandad
August 21st, 2010
9:10 pm
Najeh
Most of my trades of late have included Jordo.
For the reasons you mentioned.
He’s a legitimate chip.
Big Ray
Sund needed a vacation after spending that week in Vegas
watching B-ball all week.
What would I do on vacation;
go to Vegas & watch B-ball all week,
among other things.
Grandad
August 21st, 2010
9:19 pm
vava74
There are moe ways to skin a cat than signing FA’s.
I know the question was for Ray but……sorry,
I didn’t mind my own business.
However, I agree, Sund is not proactive.
*The Jamal deal notwithstanding.
MsDee
August 21st, 2010
9:20 pm
@Najeh “That said, nobody on this team is untouchable. Al Horford is the closest the hawks have to an untouchable player, and that is more because he still gets paid rookie money. There is no Kobe or LeBron or Dwight Howard on this team.”
Call me ole fashion, but I dont want a COMPLETELY different team for Atlanta. If we traded JJ, JSmoove, Al Horford, Jamal, basically our core guys, then we would have a the LA Hawks, or the Miami HAwks, or Cleveland Hawks..get my driff. I think that is why Charles Barkley and others were upset with LeBron cause he left something that IDENTIFIED HIMSELF WITH CLEVELAND!! You dont get rid of a player who IDENTIFIES with a team, you take it yourself!!
U also say no one is like a Kobe, or LeBron, or D Howard..well why cant they be??? JJ needs to live and die in the gym like MJ did, like Kobe does, like LeBron & Wade does..that’s why they are as good as they are, nothing magical about it!! They live and die basketball!! JJ, Josh Smith, Marvin, and even Bibby only cares about the money and looking flashy. Al Horford is the ONLY player who cares about Basketball and improving on his position. Josh does too, but he REALLY needs to grow-up and work on his B-ball IQ.
So again, I say non of those guys should be on the trading block, they just need to work on their “weaknesses” ALL OFF SEASON LONG!!
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
9:40 pm
Vava ,
In your zest to challenge my line of thinking, you missed the very next post (at 8:41) which explained what I was saying. Here’s a hint. When I said “two years in a row”, I was referring to 2005 and 2006.
I didn’t say a word about this summer…
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
9:42 pm
Grandad ,
Yeah, that sounds like my idea of a vacation, too. I guess it’s work for him, though how it could be is beyond me.
I agree that the Jamal Crawford acquisition was a good one. But one wonders if he sought that deal, or if it fell in his lap. One is as likely as the other. I don’t have any complaints, though.
And don’t worry about minding your business. Vava (like most others on a blog) don’t know how to mind HIS either.
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
9:46 pm
Incorrect: we did not have the money nor the pull/draw to get anyone actually relevant.
Might as well just sign minimum wage guys than to overpay either washed up or below average players.
As Grandad said, more than one way to skin a cat. As for the part about signing minimum wage guys, you act as if the only other option was to sign overpaid and washed up types. Funny, I saw a number of other teams making decent moves without being stuck by those two limiting options, but what do I know? I don’t work in the basketball business, so I guess that means I know nothing (honestly). How about you?
Besides, I’m enjoying playing devil’s advocate to your summer optimism. After all, I know you’ll turn sour next spring, just like you did this last spring. Hee hee hee..
northcyde
August 21st, 2010
10:03 pm
vava . . you talk like Shaq turned dow an MLE offer from us. According to MC, we didn’t offer much more than a vet minimum contract to shaq the entire time. And he was saying that from the beginning.
If we’d legitimately offered Shaq a 2 year deal at the MLE ( 2 yrs – 11.5 mill ), and gave Shaq and his people a 7 – 10 day deadline to respond, I’d bet $500 that Shaq is a Hawk right now.
Even if he wanted 7 – 8 million, he probably “settles” for 5.75 mill to play in ATL, instead of “settling” to play for Boston for 1.3 million. Boston wasn’t his first choice. They had already signed Jermaine O’Neal for the MLE. They had no desire to get Shaq, until Rasheed retired.
The fact are that either the ASG never really wanted Shaq, but acted like they were active in getting him . . . . or they tried to get him at the cheapest price possible, and it blew up in their faces when Boston entered the picture.
If Shaq in 2 yrs wanted 16 million . . . and we offered 11.5 miillion . . . but nobody else offered more than 3 million . . . who in the world do you think he’s signing with?
Big Ray
August 21st, 2010
10:10 pm
Northcyde ,
Watch out, now. Vava will cite a Bill Simmons article to prove you wrong. And we all know Bill Simmons is the be-all, end-all in NBA basketball, no matter what the subject is.
;lol:
northcyde
August 21st, 2010
10:13 pm
There’s no way that Shaq’s ego would have let him come here making 3 times as less money than Zaza. Surely the ASG had to know this.
northcyde
August 21st, 2010
10:25 pm
LOL Big Ray . . . you mean the same Bill Simmons who writes ( or used to write ) for the Boston Globe? He’s the same guy that was blowing the trumpet to get Doc Rivers fired . . . . before K.G. and Ray Allen came aboard.
Simmons’ fluff piece holds no weight with me. If Boston and Atlanta are offering the same amount of money, of course you go to Boston. You even go to Boston if the Hawks are offering 2.5 a year.
But at almost 6 million, he’s not “settling” for 1.3 million. No way.
Instead of “dynamic pricing”, I wish this front office do some “dynamic thinking” every once in a while.
doc
August 21st, 2010
10:54 pm
shaq will be better and less expensive than sheed was for them last year. now that was a huge mistake and throw away of money. thankfullly we didnt fall for that rap.
amen to the enlightened northcyde. i have to say so little with him around preaching with clarity.
Grandad
August 21st, 2010
11:57 pm
Bill Simmons is an interesting and
humeorous writer.
One whom I enjoy reading very much.
On the other hand, one must understand
that everything, and I mean everything
he writes is skewed with favoritism
for his teams, Boston in particular.
However, he does share some of my ol’ timey
philosophies concerning the game I love.
Also, he did write a really, really good book.
Big Ray:
“And we all know Bill Simmons is the be-all, end-all in NBA basketball, no matter what the subject is”
and if you don’t believe it just ask him.
Grandad
August 22nd, 2010
12:04 am
*humorous…..^…..spelling above is:
funney, hillarieous, comicale, & ammuseing
joBjo
August 22nd, 2010
12:20 am
Sund has been rumored to be vacationing with Pres Obama.
truthspitter
August 22nd, 2010
12:48 am
joBjo: I’m sorry but your dry humor is a sign of ignorance and disrespect. President Obama and the officials that run our country just removed all combat troops from Iraq and you compare his contributions or put him in the same since or sentence as Sund. Removing those troops saved some lives. Sund doesn’t care about our lives, not even the happiness that would come in our lives with acquiring enough talent to actually win a championship, or he would do more, he and the ASG would go over the luxury tax or whatever it took if they cared about that bit of our happiness. So, don’t come in here with that Republican ignorance. Please keep politics off of this blog. It would be better if we all keep our political views to ourselves for the sake of this BASKETBALL blog. Thank you.
Reggie
August 22nd, 2010
1:30 am
lmao…dam joBjo, what a way 2 try to be funny and end up look like a horses a**!
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
4:48 am
MsDee, you read way too much into that post. I was only talking about trade value. The reason Kobe/LeBron/Howard and the handful of other players of their caliber are untouchable is because there is nobody in the league for whom their teams would realistically trade them. I’m not saying the Hawks should get rid of any of their core players, just that none of them is an unequivocal superstar who can’t be upgraded. Joe is nice, but you can’t tell me that if the Lakers traded Kobe for him the Hawks wouldn’t be better. Same for Josh as compared to, say, Kevin Durant, or Horford compared to Dwight Howard. On the other hand, there is really no scenario where the Lakers could trade Kobe or the Magic could trade Howard and those teams would get demonstrably better. That’s the difference between a quality player — of which the Hawks have several — and an untouchable player, of which the Hawks have none.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
4:56 am
“Funny, I saw a number of other teams making decent moves without being stuck by those two limiting options, but what do I know? I don’t work in the basketball business, so I guess that means I know nothing (honestly). How about you?”
Exactly. Plenty of quality players are getting paid less than twice what Jason Collins makes, and every second-rounder — any of whom the Hawks could have had, and at least one of whom will definitely make the All-Rookie team — makes much less. Matt Barnes and Dexter Pittman would have contributed far more to this team than Collins/Powell and they would have cost them less.
It’s not just that the DASG doesn’t spend; it’s that when they DO spend, they spend unwisely.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
4:58 am
“Please keep politics off of this blog. It would be better if we all keep our political views to ourselves for the sake of this BASKETBALL blog. Thank you.”
Also religion.
vava74
August 22nd, 2010
5:06 am
Ray,
First:
Please explain me where we can interpret from you 8.41 post that you were talking about the 2005 and 2006 off-seasons.
Second:
The fact that MC stated that there was no offer on the table does not mean that there weren’t any exploratory talks with Shaq’s people.
Shaq made public through the media that he was interested in the Spurs (for little money) and spurned the Hawks saying that he would only sign for more money.
Given that info, I think that the Hawks should not “beg” to sign him. That would have been humiliating IMO.
Third:
You can all bet your asses that Shaq would always prefer to sign with BOS rather than the Hawks even with such a different price tag.
Fourth:
I don’t care that you do not consider Simmons’ relevant. He thinks well and his article is, in my opinion, a pretty solid analysis on Shaq’s motivation this summer.
He has been signing contracts simply for money in years past, not getting in shape, not caring enough about the game, most coaches do loathe him and consider him a cancer and you all – who have absolutely no part in the business beyond being fans – think that you know better…
Also, again on that article: do you have any doubts that Kobe was indeed ecstatic about passing Shaq in # of titles and do you have any doubt that Shaq got pissed about it when he certainly was told about Kobe’s locker room commentaries?
SH!T! Do you know so little about human nature?
Finally: given the Hawks extremely poor rep and ATL’s fame as Losersville, USA don’t you think it is likely that Shaq, a guy who has shown that he cares so little for the game, would not look at the Hawks as a mere paycheck, completely distrusting our ball clubs’ chances?
If we manage to make any splash we will need to doing the Detroit way. We will not be able to do it by adding names who would not commit to leave their blood on the floor.
Shaq would not do it for us. He might for the Celts for a huge number of reasons, including history, fan pressure, peer pressure (KG, Pierce, Allen and even Rondo command respect from him – which is something that a “physical-prodigy-but-no-personality-and-no-brain” like Lebron couldn’t do and a quiet guy like JJ would not ever be able to do).
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:06 am
“U also say no one is like a Kobe, or LeBron, or D Howard..well why cant they be??? JJ needs to live and die in the gym like MJ did, like Kobe does, like LeBron & Wade does..that’s why they are as good as they are, nothing magical about it!! They live and die basketball”
Come on now… at some point, talent wins out over everything. Sure, every Hawks player could stand to work harder on his game, but MJ/Kobe/LeBron etc. are who they are because of talent as much as hard work — talent that no current Hawks player has or will ever have regardless of work ethic. I’m more or less the same height and weight as Allen Iverson, but I could spend the next year of my life in the gym and I still wouldn’t be one tenth the player he was. Joe is more or less the same dimensions as Kobe, and if he works harder he might be able to develop some of Kobe’s moves, but he will never have Kobe’s athleticism and explosiveness. Some things are just inborn talent and have nothing to do with work ethic.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:08 am
“Finally: given the Hawks extremely poor rep and ATL’s fame as Losersville, USA”
And Phoenix and Cleveland are Winnersville, USA?
vava74
August 22nd, 2010
5:12 am
Najeh,
Phoenix had Nash and Cleveland had Lebron.
And in both occasions Shaq landed there via trade with him earning a load of cash under an existing contract.
Where is the parallel?
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:15 am
“I don’t care that you do not consider Simmons’ relevant. He thinks well and his article is, in my opinion, a pretty solid analysis on Shaq’s motivation this summer.”
Nothing Simmons says about an athlete’s mindset is “analysis”. His article is convincing, but at the end of the day it is speculation, just like most of what he writes. Simmons is a columnist, not a beat writer or a reporter. He isn’t communicating with players and coaches on the daily and he doesn’t really have any further insight into Shaq’s mindset than you or me. He is just taking an educated guess based on what he knows about him. It’s perfectly reasonable to agree with his argument; all I’m saying is, don’t fool yourself into thinking that’s anything more than one man’s opinion. The only thing that separates Simmons’ articles from our blog comments is the big ESPN logo at the tip of his page.
vava74
August 22nd, 2010
5:18 am
Najeh,
Barnes was a “mini-shaq” during this summer.
He signed for little money because on the other side of the table were the Lakers.
Don’t even think for a minute that he would sign with us for the same money.
As for Pittman, I agree that at least on paper he has more potential than Collins, but again, I doubt that THIS YEAR he will be effective defensively as Collins could still be for 5/7 min per if he got in shape and was used with some consistency.
Just go and review his minutes against Howard in the playoffs: all fouls were whistled the opposite way they should have. He had excellent positioning and anticipation. He simply dd not get the calls.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:24 am
“Where is the parallel?”
I was only addressing your implication that the ATL’s rep as a sports town has something to do with where Shaq (or any other free agent for that matter) wants to play. This is an overly convenient and wrong argument put forth by way too many people to explain free agents not wanting to come here (not just in basketball). Any player will sign with a team provided he’s given enough cash and/or he’s convinced that team has a legit shot to win. ATL’s rep — which has more to do with strip clubs and less to do with championships anyway, as far as free agents are concerned — is irrelevant.
drmaryb ^•^
August 22nd, 2010
5:29 am
Reggie said:
“Please keep politics off of this blog. It would be better if we all keep our political views to ourselves for the sake of this BASKETBALL blog. Thank you.”
Najeh said:
“Also religion.”
drmaryb is saying:
Also sex.
drmaryb ^•^
August 22nd, 2010
5:32 am
* sorry Reggie:
truthspitter said that, ” ….. This is a BASKETBALL BLOG.”
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:33 am
” effective defensively as Collins could still be for 5/7 min per if he got in shape and was used with some consistency”
You are making the same mistake as Ken Strickland. I also could defend Howard effectively if I grew a foot and put on 100 pounds of solid muscle. Anything could happen; not everything is likely to happen. The chances that a guy who has averaged more fouls than rebounds per minute over the last three years is suddenly going to show up in shape and become a viable defensive force against the game’s premier center is, at the very least, much lower than the chance that Shaq with a mid level deal would have defended Howard effectively.
And if Collins was getting no calls in the playoffs this year, what makes you think he will get calls in the playoffs next year?
vava74
August 22nd, 2010
5:37 am
Najeh,
Shaq did not chose to play in PHO, he was traded there.
And in Cleveland (again via trade) he landed in a situation where he thought he would win a championship with minimum effort due to Lebron’s talent.
In relation to ATL’s rep, I beg to differ: it’s a notoriously bad pro sports town with the exception of the golden days of the Braves when – even then – only 1 title was “milked” out of an exceptional situation.
The Hawks are constantly diced by the media and Shaq would have felt “diminished” if he had signed for us for less than a comforting bundle of money.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:43 am
“Barnes was a “mini-shaq” during this summer.
He signed for little money because on the other side of the table were the Lakers.
Don’t even think for a minute that he would sign with us for the same money.”
Uh… no. First of all, Barnes opted out of his deal, which is generally an indication that a guy wants to get paid more. Barnes is getting paid less under his new deal than he did with Orlando. Secondly, he didn’t sign until the 23rd, long after the market had cooled down. If any team had gone up to him with a similar offer on the first day of free agency, they would have had a leg up on everyone else. The Lakers were able to get him at that price because the market for him wasn’t nearly as hot as he thought it would be, so he was forced to settle for less than he wanted. Sure, being able to play for the defending champs helps, but you think he wouldn’t rather be somewhere where he can challenge for a starting spot instead of being assured to be a bench player like he is in LA?
If the Hawks had given him the exact same offer and said he would have a chance to beat out Marvin for a starting spot, I can guarantee you he would have come here. If he goes to a team where he can start and play well, it inflates his value the next time he hits the market.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
5:56 am
“The Hawks are constantly diced by the media and Shaq would have felt “diminished” if he had signed for us for less than a comforting bundle of money.”
They get diced by the media because they have a joke of a front office that signs mediocre players to five year extensions, sells 2nd round picks to pay the electric bills, and signs centers who shoot under 40% to veteran minimum deals while being afraid to offer actual difference makers legit money. They get clowned because of their joke of an ownership group. Same with the Falcons until Arthur Blank came along; now the media talks about them like they are a Super Bowl sleeper. Same with the Braves until Ted Turner came along; now that franchise is by and large talked about as a model of long term success. Funny thing is, if the DASG had overpaid Shaq to come here, the national media buzz about the Hawks’ ownership would instantly becomembetter than it has ever been.
And Atlanta’s perception as a pro sports town is, at the very least, no worse than LA, a city that is indifferent to the nation’s most popular pro sport and whose fans take four innings to fill up a baseball stadium.
jeff
August 22nd, 2010
6:08 am
Sund on vacation? What has he done this off-season to warrant a vacation? It had appeared to me he has been on vacation all summer long.
As for tickets. I think most fans are fed up with this ownership group and their inability to follow through with their plans of adding FA’s as they have said they would do. I don’t think ticket prices will have any impact on filling seats, They want to fill seats, put a product on the floor.
It goes to show they know before the season starts seats are going to be hard to fill, since we are going to have basically the same team again this year.
Najeh Davenpoop
August 22nd, 2010
6:18 am
Back before northcyde came over to the dark side, he used to make similar arguments about how free agents don’t want to come to our fine city for whatever reason — usually some combination of sh-tty fans and lack of championships. I took the trouble to go through every NBA roster and show how many “core” players actually chose to be with their current team (in other words they either joined as free agents or via sign-and-trade). I’m not going to do it again since it is time consuming and boring, but if you take it upon yourself to look this up, you’ll find that the Hawks are no worse than any of the so-called marquee franchises at attracting free agents. (I should add that this was before the big offseason free agent bonanza, where the Heat proved themselves to be head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to free agent recruiting). Most of the league’s A-list players were either drafted or traded for by their current team. In the last 15 years, the Hawks have convinced two All-Star caliber players — Joe Johnson and Dikembe Mutombo — to come here; you’ll find that most teams haven’t convinced more than one player of this caliber to join them.
It’s also worth considering that there are a lot of athletes who live in Atlanta despite having no connection to the local sports teams or even necessarily the metro area (Terrell Owens is one example) which would lead one to logically conclude that any of our local teams would have no problem attracting free agents if they demonstrate their commitment to winning. Just in the past few years, Michael Turner, Dunta Robinson, Derek Lowe, and Billy Wagner signed here as free agents while John Abraham and Tony Gonzalez orchestrated trades to the ATL (Abraham by holding out and Gonzalez by requesting a trade).
Our city’s rep has nothing to do with this. Ultimately it comes down to the team projecting the image of a winner. The Braves and Falcons have figured out how to do this; the penny-pinching, in-fighting DASG still doesn’t have a clue.