The Lin-Novak Bird rights hearing has been heard and a decision will come soon.

This started as a Fanshot but quickly got muddled with updates, so let's just start over. The arbitration hearing regarding the Bird rights of Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak (among others) is over. Here's what Al Iannazzone twat after the fact:

The Lin-Novak hearing is over, a source said. A decision is expected soon, as david stern said yesterday. Not expecting it today.

So, maybe tomorrow or something. I have no idea how this stuff works, but I can't see why it would take much longer than a day.

On the other hand, Steve Novak suggested that a decision would take two weeks, and he was actually there. His appearance at the hearing was apparently a surprise one, and word has it he even gave a testimony. He must really want to stay in New York!!!!

We'll just have to wait and see how long this actually takes. Two weeks seems way too long, especially with respect to the draft on the 26th and the start of free agency on July 1. It'd behoove the Knicks to have their finances figured out well before those endeavors.

Again, all the experts out there made it sound like the league wasn't going to be denied in this one, but crazier things have happened, ya know?. The union did have a pretty good case to make, and perhaps a rousing plea by Novak swayed the arbitrator in our favor. (Is the person deciding this called an "arbitrator"? Is it a judge? Powdered wig? Is it even a single person, or like a jury or something? I have no idea.)

Come on now, arbitrator/judge/jury. Jeremy and Steve deserve their birds.

Update: It is Steve Novak's birthday today. As you were.

Update: Novak DIDN'T give a testimony, so...yeah.