You don't expect Atlanta Hawks fans to be upset at the news that the team's midair collision of an ownership collective is about to be replaced by a successful businessman who has yet to relocate any Atlanta teams and has never been involved in litigation due to Joe Johnson. He's also soon to become the NBA's first Hispanic owner, which could form an instant connection with a diverse city like this one that has multiple bilingual players.
But what exactly do Atlanta's NBA fans think about the move to sell the team? Let's check in with some!
All three of Peachtree Hoops' scribes have weighed in, with founder Drew coming out of semi-retirement to call it a "Sunday miracle:"
Put on your finest penguin suit and cook up your grandest tomato pie, the Hawks have a new owner. That is right friends. One. Single. Majority owner. Lawyers across the country are mourning. But us? We celebrate.
SB Nation Atlanta's own Kris Willis cautions against assuming the best for the team's future, but finds at least one rock-solid positive note:
We ultimately won't know what changes Meruelo will bring to the franchise for sometime. The lockout still has to be sorted out before we will start to find out if Meruelo is any different than the Atlanta Spirit group that has operated the club since 2004. However, as Bradley clearly states, it is unlikely that Meruelo will end up suing himself.
And Jason Walker sees the sale's biggest potential upside -- the kind of owner Hawks fans have been dreaming of:
The city longed for a dynamic sole owner, much like Falcons have with Arthur Blank. The city needed a person in charge, somebody to associate with the Hawks, much like long time Bird Watchers had with Ted Turner.
Now, with the (hopefully) pending sale of the Hawks to Alex Meruelo, Hawks fans have what they have been looking for. And while he could be the next Mark Cuban or the next fill-in-the-blank-you-don't-want-him owner, but that's for later to unveil to us. Now is the time for hope, for excitement, for what will change.
More than one Hawks fan has summoned Mark Cuban's name in trying to capture what an actual human owner could mean for the franchise. On the subject of whether the team is in danger of moving due to Meruelo's California heritage, I think this comment best sums up why such a businessman is too smart to head down that road:
Hawks won't move. ATL is ripe for the picking. Remember this is the perfect demographics for an NBA town. With an owner that cares and exciting basketball, the sky is the limit.