CXLVIII - Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo had 'productive' meeting with Phoenix mayor

[Edenjung]

Seriously… word is Matt Ishiba… owner of the Phoenix Suns has entered the chat. Has met with Bettman within the past 24-48 hours.

I can’t place much serious in this though.

I doubt this to be real.
Impossible? No.
But should we hope for it? No way.

 

[sneakytitz]

Half the posters here stalk and read the discussion the team board so a lot of them know by now.

Seriously… word is Matt Ishiba… owner of the Phoenix Suns has entered the chat. Has met with Bettman within the past 24-48 hours.

I can’t place much serious in this though.

Fingers crossed for that.

They'd finally get a competent owner with actual money. Did they ever figure out the behind the net sections at one end of the arena or is there still gonna be that overhang? That is one of the most endearing things about the Coyotes to me - it was such a weird/funky situation but it was also kind of neat looking.

 

[Brodie]

Is there an actual report about Ishiba?

 

[sneakytitz]

One of the main things I remember, from the end of that whole saga, was the one writer for maybe ESPN(?) who got played by some con artist he kept calling the Balkan into raising y’all’s hopes… if I remember it right, he actually quit his job and gave up his media career over the guy

Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated.

 

[Brodie]

Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated.

Yes! And looking at where he’s worked, since that took place is a yikes from me dawg

 

[GKJ]

Is there an actual report about Ishiba?

No.

Doesn’t mean there can’t be. Wouldn’t be surprising if he was doing due diligence. But then Meruelo is all the way out.

 

[wpgallday1960]

Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated.

I thought it was a local Atlanta sports writer who promoted “the Balkan”. Had pictures of his shoes, apparently.
Here it is, also John Kincaid promoted the Balkan:

Potential Atlanta Thrashers Buyer 'The Balkan' Has Portion Of Twitter In A Frenzy

With the Atlanta Thrashers decidedly on the clock thanks to Glendale's Phoenix Coyotes vote, Georgia hockey fans, Winnipeg residents and Canadians of all sorts are tuned in to hear the latest on...

atlanta.sbnation.com

 

[Stumbledore]

Hearing the twist could happen.

(so glad Fugu brought this emoji out)

This is a vampire franchise. Even after you've killed it, it might be coming back.

 

[sneakytitz]

I thought it was a local Atlanta sports writer who promoted “the Balkan”. Had pictures of his shoes, apparently.
Here it is, also John Kincaid promoted the Balkan:

Potential Atlanta Thrashers Buyer 'The Balkan' Has Portion Of Twitter In A Frenzy

With the Atlanta Thrashers decidedly on the clock thanks to Glendale's Phoenix Coyotes vote, Georgia hockey fans, Winnipeg residents and Canadians of all sorts are tuned in to hear the latest on...

atlanta.sbnation.com

He was parroting a lot of what Clemons was saying/telling. Clemons was The Balkan's (J.B. Smith) "media contact". The irony was that The Balkan was supposed to give a presser the day the True North sale actually happened. If I remember correctly J.B. Smith had some ties in finance but he was fired and sued (I think) by the firm he kept touting he worked for and didn't actually have nearly enough money to buy an NHL team.

Such a bizarre last week to the Thrashers, I tell you.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Half the posters here stalk and read the discussion the team board so a lot of them know by now.

Seriously… word is Matt Ishiba… owner of the Phoenix Suns has entered the chat. Has met with Bettman within the past 24-48 hours.

I can’t place much serious in this though.

Whoever is saying this is an asshole and being a jerk.

If Ishiba was in, it'd be well-known by now. The NHL isn't going to bone Ryan Smith out of this.

Is there an actual report about Ishiba?

No. Someone is just being a dick and selling false hope.

 

[madhi19]

As far as leaks and reveals? Yes, but the Thrashers sales rumors and eventual sale happened in the span of one week. For months we were told that the owners were either seeking new investors for the team or finding a local buyer. From what I recall towards the end of the season, a lot of people around town thought Phoenix was going to be sold and we were safe for at least one more year. Then one Monday the local newspaper broke the news that the team owners were talking to True North and by Friday the deal was done and that news was out there by lunch time (I only remember that because I was checking various boards during my lunch break when it was finally informally announced).

If I remember right Winnipeg was used to extort the first $25 million out of Glendale that very week. Garry had both balls in the air at the same time and managed to keep it quiet long enough to squeeze Glendale when all he had was one landing spot. World class gifter move.

 

[sneakytitz]

If I remember right Winnipeg was used to extort the first $25 million out of Glendale that very week. Garry had both balls in the air at the same time and managed to keep it quiet long enough to squeeze Glendale when all he had was one landing spot. World class gifter move.

He did it two years in a row too! That was part of our confidence, or in my circle at least. "Well surely they're not going to do it again." Lo and behold, they did, and we were gone days later.

 

[GKJ]

Can believe Ishbia doing due diligence, but if he was serious, he didn’t become so in 58 hours

 

[TheLegend]

Is there an actual report about Ishiba?

None…. Last anyone talked to him his rep said if the Coyotes were for sale he would be open to listen.

May be that’s all this is. Could even be settings up for down the road.

 

[PredsHead]

Pure speculation on my part, but could Ishbia be trying to buyout Meruelo's chance at an expansion franchise? Would keep him from having to worry about another arena getting built in Phoenix and could give him a pretty big chip in bargaining with the city for a new arena down the line.

 

[Brodie]

Whoever is saying this is an asshole and being a jerk.

If Ishiba was in, it'd be well-known by now. The NHL isn't going to bone Ryan Smith out of this.



No. Someone is just being a dick and selling false hope.

Yeah, my read is that somebody misinterpreted what Morgan tweeted to mean that there IS a twist coming and then guessed that it could be Ishiba… but I think what Morgan was saying was that there *could* be a twist coming because of everything that’s happened before, not because specific information he has

 

[PCSPounder]

Considering what llama just posted elsewhere, Mr. Ishbia might think he’d benefit from a temporary deflection.

 

[TheLegend]

Can believe Ishbia doing due diligence, but if he was serious, he didn’t become so in 58 hours

League has spent a year plus getting to this point. Even I can’t see this pivoting 180 degrees in less than a week.

But I also believe the league is betting Meruelo won’t go through with taking the next five years building a ED in NE Phoenix.

He’s announced a new arena and upgrade to his Reno property several months ago and that hasn’t even started yet. And the arena was set to open 2025-26 for UNR basketball.

If I were to tin foil this , Meruelo will take that billion and put it into the Reno project. He might buy and develop the NE Phoenix property but not an arena. And even if he does the expansion could be set so high he can’t meet it.

So Ishiba meeting with Bettman might be just a cursory meeting for something after five years.

 

[Brodie]

He was parroting a lot of what Clemons was saying/telling. Clemons was The Balkan's (J.B. Smith) "media contact". The irony was that The Balkan was supposed to give a presser the day the True North sale actually happened. If I remember correctly J.B. Smith had some ties in finance but he was fired and sued (I think) by the firm he kept touting he worked for and didn't actually have nearly enough money to buy an NHL team.

Such a bizarre last week to the Thrashers, I tell you.

He was one of those dudes who always pops up around NHL franchise sales who has like $10 million to his name but wants to convince people he’s a much bigger high roller. Other sports don’t seem to have this problem but the NHL has been lousy with these guys for years.

 

[sneakytitz]

Pure speculation on my part, but could Ishbia be trying to buyout Meruelo's chance at an expansion franchise? Would keep him from having to worry about another arena getting built in Phoenix and could give him a pretty big chip in bargaining with the city for a new arena down the line.

If there were ever an Alex Meruelo business move, this is it. Selling the team and then selling his first rights of refusal. Shittin in tall cotton.

 

[Spydey629]

Yeah, my read is that somebody misinterpreted what Morgan tweeted to mean that there IS a twist coming and then guessed that it could be Ishiba… but I think what Morgan was saying was that there *could* be a twist coming because of everything that’s happened before, not because specific information he has

I read that tweet to mean he fully expects it, just because for how this saga has played out, why wouldn't there be a plot twist?

It'd be almost anti-climatic for this all to just... end.

 

[wpgallday1960]

He was parroting a lot of what Clemons was saying/telling. Clemons was The Balkan's (J.B. Smith) "media contact". The irony was that The Balkan was supposed to give a presser the day the True North sale actually happened. If I remember correctly J.B. Smith had some ties in finance but he was fired and sued (I think) by the firm he kept touting he worked for and didn't actually have nearly enough money to buy an NHL team.

Such a bizarre last week to the Thrashers, I tell you.

Haha, if you look in the old article I posted, the picture of the “Balkan” is actually Chipman.

 

[TheLegend]

He was one of those dudes who always pops up around NHL franchise sales who has like $10 million to his name but wants to convince people he’s a much bigger high roller. Other sports don’t seem to have this problem but the NHL has been lousy with these guys for years.

Sounds like another Darrin Pastor.

 

[sneakytitz]

Haha, if you look in the old article I posted, the picture of the “Balkan” is actually Chipman.

Hahaha, just a total mess.

 

[TheLegend]

Whoever is saying this is an asshole and being a jerk.

If Ishiba was in, it'd be well-known by now. The NHL isn't going to bone Ryan Smith out of this.

The person saying this has never been known to troll. I’m not totally convinced either and I just explained what I think it means above.