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[NWbyNW]

Can a mod at least correct the title so it is spelt correctly? "Rumer?" How about "rumor."

Sacramento has no other major teams, and what we are led to believe is that if they lose it, it would be a real downer. The mayor is working real had to keep the Kings in Sac, but the "Madoofs," seem to be oblivious to is all. They just need money, and need to sell the team. Sac's mayor says he has local investors willing to help keep the team there.

[Chimérique]

Since y'all lost a team see this piece from a Sacramento writer.

Ailene Voisin: The Maloof brothers can be the good guys again
By AILENE VOISIN
The Sacramento Bee
Published: Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013 - 12:00 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - There is a gracious exit strategy here, a way for the Maloofs to pay off their debts, walk away with their heads held high and move toward their next venture infused by positive karma and a powerful sense of accomplishment.

They can secure a legacy.

They can ensure a new beginning.

They can be the good guys again.

Sell the Kings to a local group intent on keeping the franchise in Sacramento and the bad blood and strained relations are stashed at the bottom of the NBA footnotes, overtaken by the win-win outcome for both parties.

That's it, that's all.

This decades-long arena dance doesn't have to end with a fatal misstep, a small market and an amazingly loyal fan base burned by a group (Chris Hansen/Steve Ballmer) and a region (Seattle) already flush with professional sports.

Sacramento has the Kings, and only the Kings. There is no NFL team to embrace, no Major League Baseball club to adopt, no big-time college sports programs to rally the community and establish a rivalry the likes of, say, Stanford and Cal. Or University of Washington.

Take away the Kings?

Take away the one team in town?

The Maloofs don't want to do this. They really don't want to do this.

"I've always liked Joe and Gavin," said Dave Weiglein, the longtime local sports talk show host, "but if they ever had any real love and affection for this community, then they'll take the local bid and allow the city to move on to the next level."

The Kings-to-Seattle situation remains as fluid and unpredictable as the Maloofs. Four weeks ago, Joe and Gavin were obsessed with the team's slumping record. In more recent days, Seattle and Sacramento keep exchanging the lead in their tussle over the franchise, an apparent rout (early reports claiming the Maloofs already had backed up the truck) evolving into a legitimate game of dollars and cents, of egos and wills and, yes, of reputation.

David Stern didn't invest a huge chunk of his time and energy trying to resolve the arena conundrum only to watch the Kings whisked off to Seattle without being given an opportunity to fight back. Fair is fair.

Back in the day, so were the Maloofs. When they cried foul after Game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference finals, they were backed by thousands of fans screaming for answers and demanding a replay. They were right. They were screwed. They had a community that appreciated their presence and applauded their feisty, furious retorts to Phil Jackson.
For a large part of their ownership, when the cash was flowing, the Las Vegas casino was jumping and the Kings were winning on and off the court � the list of wannabe season-ticket holders inched toward 3,000 a decade ago, remember? � Joe and Gavin took names, signed autographs, made appearances, spent money.

They rescued the team from former owner Jim Thomas, the Los Angeles-based developer who needed that $77 million loan from the city just to stay in business, just to keep the team in Sacramento. With Geoff Petrie initiating one brilliant transaction after another, and the owners freely signing the checks for Vlade Divac, Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Mike Bibby, Brad Miller and Bobby Jackson, among others, the Kings became international celebrities, Sacramento became a destination city, and the team came within a few questionable calls of a trip to the NBA Finals.

Nineteen seasons of sellouts in 27 years. Eight consecutive trips to the playoffs. Cowbells and purple madness and passion that endured even in the worst and most uncertain of times, amid repeated displays of bad business decisions, bad basketball decisions, bad breaks (Webber and that knee), bad rumors.

Sports is cyclical, and, often, so is ownership. Suddenly the Buss family can't win with the Lakers. Suddenly Clippers owner Donald Sterling � easily the worst owner in professional sports for decades � can't lose. James Dolan can't buy a championship with the Knicks. Frank McCourt couldn't save his marriage and almost destroyed the Dodgers.

The Maloofs? They lost their way.

What hurts most is this: When they could have addressed the community, detailed their troubled financial situation and sought assistance from local investors, they again threatened relocation and, in a late, breaking change of direction, became receptive to selling the franchise.

To wounding a Sacramento economy. To crippling a community image. To devastating youngsters who remember the good times and still can't get enough of DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette.

Unfortunate developments happen. We get that. Economies collapse, the housing bubble bursts, the job market tightens. But the Maloofs have a choice, and they still have a chance.

As Mayor Kevin Johnson noted Tuesday, amid reports about potential ownership groups and of AEG's renewed interest in any arena project, the Maloofs "can participate in some way." Or they can sell outright to local investors and cement the Kings' future in Sacramento, the city they once embraced and where they still own homes.

They can fix this.

They can be the good guys again.

Read more here: Ailene Voisin: The Maloof brothers can be the good guys again - Wire Lifestyle - The Sacramento Bee

[Chimérique]

January 17, 2013

NBA Commissioner Stern: Still no Seattle-Kings deal
There's still no deal in Seattle to move the Sacramento Kings to the Pacific Northwest, NBA Commissioner David Stern told reporters this morning.

Speaking in London, where the New York Knicks will play the Detroit Pistons today, Stern said "there's been lots of speculation" regarding the possible sale of the Kings to hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen in Seattle.

"The one thing we do know is no purchase and sale agreement has been submitted to (the league)," Stern said.
Stern added: "We are more or less in a series of communications. But right now, we don't know anything in terms of actionable items."

Stern said he welcomed Mayor Kevin Johnson's request to address the league's Board of Governors in the face of a possible Seattle deal, saying "Sacramento has been particularly supportive" of the NBA.

Johnson is assembling a counter-offer to Hansen and plans to deliver that pitch to the league. That pitch will likely include a deep-pocketed owner committed to keeping the team in Sacramento and helping to build a new downtown arena.

Read more here: City Beat: NBA Commissioner Stern: Still no Seattle-Kings deal

[datbird]

Originally Posted by NWbyNW

Can a mod at least correct the title so it is spelt correctly? "Rumer?" How about "rumor."

Sacramento has no other major teams, and what we are led to believe is that if they lose it, it would be a real downer. The mayor is working real had to keep the Kings in Sac, but the "Madoofs," seem to be oblivious to is all. They just need money, and need to sell the team. Sac's mayor says he has local investors willing to help keep the team there.

I concur! Once again my apologies for that all, very annoying!

[pw72]

I think this call comes down to the best offer. However, I don't believe the Maloofs care about keeping the Kings in Sacramento. This will all play out before March 1st. While Sacramento may be able to offer a nice amount, the arena situation is less clear. This is where Seattle may have an advantage, as their new arena has already been approved.

[Chimérique]

SEATTLE -- A new lawsuit could be another big hurdle to stop the Sonics from returning to Seattle.

"We're alleging that the basketball arena deal is really "bailout ball," said attorney Cleveland Stockmeyer.

Stockmeyer filed the lawsuit on Friday, alleging the city of Seattle's $200 million loan to Chris Hansen does not comply with I-91, a measure to protect taxpayers on land deals.

Stockmeyer's suit says the city has no true guarantee to see a return on the investment.

"This is a bailout in advance," he said. "It's an ongoing subsidy and it's a lack of fair value."

Stockmeyer hopes to depose Hansen during discovery.

The City Attorney's office is not commenting about pending litigation, but did say they are settling a separate lawsuit with the Longshore union. That suit centered around the ongoing Environmental Impact Study.

Hansen's representatives did not respond for comment.

The suit comes at a vulnerable time for Hansen and the Sonics. Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Tim Burgess confirmed Tuesday that city staff has been briefed on Hansen's deal to buy the Sacramento Kings.

That city's mayor, Kevin Johnson, was granted the opportunity to cobble together investors to buy the ailing team and keep them in California's capital. It's unclear how that hearing may affect Hansen's deal. So far no specifics have been announced.

KOMO NEWS

[datbird]

So looks like this is official. Looks as tho in theory it could be disrupted still, but appears to be 99% locked in:

Chris Hansen reaches deal for Kings, will apply for relocation to Seattle | Seattle PI Sports Blog - seattlepi.com

[pw72]

Originally Posted by datbird

So looks like this is official. Looks as tho in theory it could be disrupted still, but appears to be 99% locked in:

Chris Hansen reaches deal for Kings, will apply for relocation to Seattle | Seattle PI Sports Blog - seattlepi.com

Yes, 99% is a good number. There is still an outside chance that Sacramento could come up with a higher offer included with a secure new arena plan. However, they would have to act fast, real fast, then they would have to prove that Sacramento has a better long-term outcome than Seattle would. That won't be easy. But let's not count our chickens before they are hatched.

One interesting connection I found today: Bill Russell, (also in the news for being misidentified at the inauguration today as Morgan Freeman), coached Seattle in the 70's, and Sacramento in the 80's, for just one year). He is probably one of the few connections between the Kings and the old Sonics. As far as I know, Russell still lives on Mercer Island, just outside of Seattle. Also former Washington Husky Isiah Thomas, currently with the Kings could be returning to his high school and college home.

[ctr88]

The Jimmer is coming to Seattle!