Then all small market teams are fucked...spurs or Milwaukee are next.Originally Posted by nuraman00
Then all small market teams are fucked...spurs or Milwaukee are next.
They're not for sale though, and most others do a better job than the Kings at getting a star.
Seattle fans already have a track record though....and the Kings beat them consistently
The TV market is not substantially better
what you have is a group that is poised to lose money (scads of money) and are okay with that
Kind of sad to see so many not really care about Sacramento. There are the select few hardcore media members that love the game that clearly are upset by it, but most are like "who cares".
Which media members don't care?
Seattle is getting a future championship team lol. Fuck em. I hope maloofs go broke.
Pretty much anybody you pick, lol.
Who were the ones upset by it?
In 1985 Stern kept Ewing away from Sacramento.
In 2013 will Stern keep the Kings away from Sacramento?
He kept Ewing from a lot of teams, as from 1985 - 1989, all non lottery teams had an equal chance.
Also, Mitch Richmond > Ewing.
Ewing was slow, and not as efficient as other great bigs.
The figures are right. The loan amount is pretty relative. If the sale goes local, the Maloof's responsibility is wiped clean. If its sold to Seattle they are on the hook....and if they don't pay it all off right away then they'll owe more long term. Knowing them they will die before paying it all back.
The main sales pitch has to be that they can match the 65% chunk the Maloofs are getting, and will be a legit arena within 3 years or so. If the local group wants to buy into the previous arena plan...I think the NBA would be quite supportive. They did spend lots of time and money on researching that proposal and didn't like to waste AEG's time as they have a valuable partnership. Any arena plan involving AEG would be a plus. Having equal money is a plus. The most important thing in the proposal is for absolute specifics. There can't be "we think this" "we might be able to this". They have to prove they'll have the finances, and that there are no open ended questions or legitimate concerns that would prohibit the building of the arena.
Also keep in mind. In 1994 the Minnesota Timberwolves were denied relocation to New Orleans and denied the sale of the team to Top Rank. This was due to questionable finances. So it would not be the first time a move/sale was denied even though the circumstances are different. Sacramento is a proven market with willing buyers and a city willing to do what it takes to move. If Stern sincerely wants to allow the Kings to match an offer, then I believe the board of governors will follow suit. Stern is essentially jesus and though retiring the governing board/owners never oppose his wishes as they know a swarm of locust will come before them if they do.
Thanks, I didn't know that. That's the kind of history I had wanted to know, if it had happened.
I still just get the feeling that "listening" and "allowing" Mayor Johnson to present a counter offer, is like kids asking parents if they can get a dog (when the answer has always been no). "We'll talk about it tomorrow" sounds like "you can make your pitch, but the sale is still doing through".
Here's more info on the 1994 deal:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minneso...to_New_Orleans
Did the sale actually make it to the NBA's office, like this Kings one did?
Also, as you mentioned, the deal was rejected due to questionable finances. There aren't questions about the Hansen group, right?
Actually...don't the Maloofs have to repay Sacramento the $77M before the sale can take place? I remember when they wanted to move to Anahiem that was a major knife in their back which is why they were requesting the adopting city to give the Kings the money to pay it off
Yes the deal went through to allow the purchase of the team if I remember correctly. When the wheels spun though and it got to the board of governors for approval...his financial planning was too loose and he didn't properly identify certain people giving him loans. The NBA thus denied the move, which caused the sale to be denied as well despite everything being a done deal. Not long after, Top Rank filed for involuntary bankruptcy.
Hmm.
Then we have to hope the Hansen financing plan falls through, AND the local group has a good one.
I just feel like if both financing plans are solid, tie goes to Seattle. I think that's how the Board of Governors would vote.
Would they vote on which plan is better? Or would they first have to reject the Seattle plan, before considering Mayor Johnson's plan?
The hope lies with what Stern himself says. Its not...ok I'll listen to you guys sure. (though he did say he is willing to listen to any mayor). He has also publicly stated that it would be fair for Sacramento to get first chance to match any deal, and he told AEG to reopen discussions with Sacramento. You don't do that if you just want to humor the city. AEG is wasting time and money which is not what the NBA would do to a partner. With Seattle he just told them to shut their mouth and take it up the ass.
The NBA also has a very important image to try to uphold. You have to justify the lose of thousands of jobs in an area that has been through a lot but still has gone and beyond the call of duty and proving they will match an offer and build a state of the art sporting complex. Stern also denied dozens of offers for the Hornets in order to keep the team in New Orleans. Plus Stern is trying to champion fairness to small markets, which needless to say this is not.
It has to be Sacramento over Seattle. I doubt anything will collapse Seattle wise. Sacramento's job has to prove that the NBA is better off for having the team in Sacramento and prove that they can match the Seattle offer which the Maloofs never gave the city an opportunity to do. There is a bit of favoritism for the home market. Typically when a team is moved its because the market collapsed or there just wasn't an interest at the home level to justify keeping the team. The board protects their pockets...but keeping in favor of the Stern lord factors into that. What Stern wants Stern gets. They never go against the interests at the top level. So if he is sincere about wanting the Kings to stay...they will. A lot is in Kevin Johnson's hands to be a damned good salesman. DAMN GOOD
He did? I don't remember his quotes/actions.
You're right, he did try very hard to find a local buyer for New Orleans. They were owned by the league for over a year.
I wonder what took so long to find Benson though. Why wasn't Benson interested years ago?
Same with the Hansen group, where were they in 2008?
Just a side note, I am not as anti-Stern as others have been. But on this, I just didn't trust him. Or it seemed like he was just doing it for appearances. But you're also bringing up good examples with the Minnesota failed sale in 1994, and how he did find local buyers for the Hornets last year. Things I didn't think about, earlier in this thread.
I also didn't know he told AEG to reopen negotiations. You're right, if he's actually encouraging it (rather than the negotiations coming from their end), he is more serious. He wouldn't want them to waste time and money by his directive.
Stern told Seattle groups several times to not fight the move or say anything bad about the situation. Said if they tried fighting it they would not be considered for a future team. I'll need to dig out some quotes later, but in a calm way he kind of put them in their place and presented a situation where they'd be screwed if they tried to contest the sale.
I don't trust Stern either. He is shady as hell. The thing is...he is a damned good businessman and he knows how to get what he wants. I see him as a Czar that people don't ever want to challenge because of the control he has. That's why I do have a glimmer of hope that if he really wants the team to stay the board will rule in favor of Sacramento. The way he is encouraging the city and giving true hope and asking AEG to assist the process tells me that yeah he is legit about this. Also if the Kings use AEG in their plans....as I said before that is a huge boost to their negotiation as its working directly with a close partner with the NBA. That leaves things up to KJ to bring a bang up plan to bring all this together. I'm pissed at the situation, and it makes it hard to root for the team while they play like crap but I sincerely believe this team will stay. Just hate that the process is still about 6 weeks away. I'd love for KJ to be able to do it before the board meetings as it would throw a wrench in the wheel before things start turning. Makes it all the easier to reject the initial sale.
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