A few weeks ago Atlanta Journal-Constitution columnist Mark Bradley wondered, "What if McDavid owned Hawks, Thrashers?" And my "McDavid," of course, he means local car salesman David McDavid, who, in 2003, was poised to buy the Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers, as well as Philips Arena, from Turner Broadcasting System -- till, at the last second, TBS went with a local conglomerate that included Ted Turner's son and son-in-law. At the time Bradley was in favor of the switcheroo, as McDavid and partner Ross Perot Jr. had been terrible caretakers of the Dallas Mavericks, which they took control of in 1996; now, he's a little more fer it than agin it.
The reason for the look back in anger? Yesterday in an Atlanta courtroom, a jury began hearing McDavid's case against Time Warner-owned TBS. McDavid's seeking $500 million from the company, claiming it reneged on its promise to sell to him and only to him. McDavid says he has letters and e-mails proving he was guaranteed ownership; TBS's lawyers claim no contract was ever finalized. --Robert Wilonsky
