Amid a lockout, the NBA has released its exhibition and regular-season schedules and its teams continue to push season tickets and issue media credentials.
Count Carl Edwards among those who believe all that isn’t just wishful thinking.
Edwards, of Lithonia, has purchased Hawks season tickets despite the lack of a labor agreement between the league and its players. He splurged for a pair of tickets in section 311 of Philips Arena even though he can’t be sure when, or if, games will be played.
Edwards shrugged off those concerns as secondary to his love for the Hawks and basketball.
“Just being a diehard fan of the Hawks,” Edwards said Monday at the Hawks’ fantasy camp at Philips Arena for season-ticket holders. “I’ve got the faith in the NBA. They will work it out by the start of the season.”
For fans less certain the games will go off as planned, the Hawks are offering incentives for season-ticket buyers in the form of credits or refunds — both with interest — for any exhibition or regular-season games that are canceled.
The first deadline for the program, which the Hawks call Loyalty Rewards, was Wednesday. Tracy White, the team’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the Hawks heard from 86 percent of their 2010 season-ticket holders, and 85 percent of those ticket-holders chose one of the two rewards options.
“It was an aggressive offer, so we were expecting a high acceptance rate,” White said. “Our intent when we put the offer together was to make it a no-brainer to select the loyalty option and make it as easy and beneficial as possible for our season-ticket holders.”
Full season tickets range from $440 to $4,312 for 41 regular-season and three exhibition home games. The first exhibition home game is scheduled for Oct. 10, but players have been locked out since July 1, and there has been little progress reported in labor talks.
Hawks season-ticket buyers who chose the account credit option by Wednesday will receive 20 percent interest on the principal amount at an annualized rate starting with the first missed home game. The credits can be used for the purchase of additional seats for the 2011-12 season or be applied toward 2012-13 season tickets.
Customers that choose the cash option will receive payments in the amount of 10 percent annualized interest on the principal amount for each game that is canceled. After Wednesday, the interest on the account credit option is reduced to 10 percent annualized, and the cash option drops to 5 percent annualized.
Jerome Joiner and his wife, Kymala, renewed their season tickets. The Marietta couple said they were at first anxious when it was announced that majority ownership in the Hawks was being sold to Los Angeles businessman Alex Meruelo, a deal that is pending approval of the NBA.
“At first we were kind of concerned about the rumors of the Hawks being sold,” Joiner said. “But the new owner put that to rest. He said he’s going to keep them in town, and I think he is looking to bring a championship to the city. We feel pretty comfortable.”
The Hawks won nine fewer games in 2010-11 than the previous season. But they made it to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the third consecutive season before losing a best-of-seven series to Chicago in six games.
The Hawks have seven players under guaranteed contracts for 2011-12, including all five full-time starters from last season and promising point guard Jeff Teague. The Hawks won’t have much salary-cap flexibility to re-sign sixth man Jamal Crawford, who is eligible to become a free agent, or fill other needs.
Because of the NBA’s prohibition on teams discussing league business, the Hawks have had to sell fans on the team without mentioning players or discussing improvements the team might make.
“Our sales staff has continued to stay focused on the fact we have had a very good and competitive basketball team the last three years,” White said. “People understand that the composition of the team is attractive now, and we will wait and see what moves are made when those things are allowed to happen again.”
