MIAMI -- Whit Hudson's plan to purchase control of the Miami Heat is on the verge of collapse, the victim of internal fighting among the team's partners and a contract dispute with majority owner Ted Arison.
The NBA has set a Tuesday deadline for Hudson and the Heat's owners to settle their differences, Hudson said yesterday. Among them: deciding who pays singer and limited partner Julio Iglesias $2.4 million, and a pending lawsuit by another limited partner.
If no progress is made, NBA owners probably won't vote on the sale until the season ends in June because "when the team is playing they want a stable ownership," Hudson attorney Stephen K. Roddenberry said.
Hudson apparently doesn't think he has enough time. "Consequently, I do not believe the NBA will approve this transaction," he said.