I am not putting the cart before the horse. I do believe that the league is strongly leaning towards keeping the Kings in Sacramento for one more season. I personally think that is fair enough, because if we can't get our stuff together in 11 months, after all of this we have experienced for the last two months, we quite frankly as a region do not deserve a major league team.
My GREAT BIG FAT concern here is can the Maloofs be trusted to do the right thing for all those that are vested here in Sacramento. I know Mayor Johnson can be trusted; he has shown to be "trust-worthy". I believe that the City Officials can be trusted, I do believe that they finally get it!!!. I believe that the businesses of Sacramento can be trusted, they have completely stepped up to the plate.
But can the Maloof family be trusted to negotiate an arena deal in good faith, knowing that Anaheim is still in their back pocket. In my heart of hearts, I can not answer that question.
In the past five years, the owners of the Sacramento Kings and their family brand has shown more ineptness than I feel they have shown goodwill. From 1998-2006, you saw the family at their best when things were well. But I have always been taught that true character is revealed in the midst of adversity. In the past five years of total adversity within the Kings organization and the nation’s economy, this is what I have PUBLICALLY witnessed:
1. Maloof Sports and Entertainment initially kept ticket prices in the top tier in the league through 2008. In 2009 after they gutted the product on the floor to a 17 win season, they finally changed their marketing and reduced ticket prices.
2. They walked away and whether it was purposely or not, sabatoged an arena deal after they could not get their way. Once the city did not meet their outrageous demands (low investment, high revenue) that included no restaurants built around the arena, the family stopped all negotiations.Whether it was league mandated or not, for five years, they placed their fate in the hands of the NBA, because they were frustrated.
3. MS and E folded the WNBA Monarchs in 2009, without any communication with their fan base or the mayor of Sacramento. Mayor KJ and the fans found out from a radio report and not from the Maloofs themselves.
4. Sept, 2010 - After saying that they were committed to the region, and committed to find a way to make this work, once the convergence plan was rejected, the Maloofs went behind the backs of the fans and began negoitations with the City of Anaheim and Henry Samuelli.
5. In Feb, 2011 at All Star Weekend, the mayor, the fans and the media found out about the Anaheim negotiations that had been going on since the Fall thru David Stern‘s All Star Press Conference. And if Ailene Voison did not ask the right questions at the presser, the fans may not have known until they filed for relocation on March 1. The Maloofs said absolutely nothing, and if I am not mistaken (and I could be wrong) Since the All Star Game, Joe and Gavin only attended one or two games.
6. At the very last game of the season, and possibly in the history of Sacramento, Joe and Gavin were not present; but their seats were mysteriously used by Laker fans. One Maloof did show up. Adrienne, who came in filming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
7. Word on the Street that on top of the 77 mil to Sac, the family took out a 75 mil line of credit from the league, 50 mil from the Ducks, on top of the relocation fee (30-50 mil) meaning that they were POTENTIALLY willing to go in debt 232 MILLION DOLLARS JUST TO MOVE TO ANAHEIM. And when the City of Sacramento began to question whether they were going to pay back the loan, they acted like The Sopranos and told the City to stay out of their business.
8. When Mayor KJ, went to NYC to plead Sacramento's case to the BOGs and brought our own Sugar Daddy in Ron Burkle, the Maloofs acted like a new pimp was movin in on his hoes. And on the corner of a NYC street, they publically told Burkle to back off and go back where he came from.
And I am sure, I have missed some other things, but this gives me real concern whether I can truly trust this family to negotiate a complex, multi-region, last shot do or die deal, with so much at stake for a region. The next several months is where the heavy lifting occurs. Will the Maloof family do their share of the lifting.
My GREAT BIG FAT concern here is can the Maloofs be trusted to do the right thing for all those that are vested here in Sacramento. I know Mayor Johnson can be trusted; he has shown to be "trust-worthy". I believe that the City Officials can be trusted, I do believe that they finally get it!!!. I believe that the businesses of Sacramento can be trusted, they have completely stepped up to the plate.
But can the Maloof family be trusted to negotiate an arena deal in good faith, knowing that Anaheim is still in their back pocket. In my heart of hearts, I can not answer that question.
In the past five years, the owners of the Sacramento Kings and their family brand has shown more ineptness than I feel they have shown goodwill. From 1998-2006, you saw the family at their best when things were well. But I have always been taught that true character is revealed in the midst of adversity. In the past five years of total adversity within the Kings organization and the nation’s economy, this is what I have PUBLICALLY witnessed:
1. Maloof Sports and Entertainment initially kept ticket prices in the top tier in the league through 2008. In 2009 after they gutted the product on the floor to a 17 win season, they finally changed their marketing and reduced ticket prices.
2. They walked away and whether it was purposely or not, sabatoged an arena deal after they could not get their way. Once the city did not meet their outrageous demands (low investment, high revenue) that included no restaurants built around the arena, the family stopped all negotiations.Whether it was league mandated or not, for five years, they placed their fate in the hands of the NBA, because they were frustrated.
3. MS and E folded the WNBA Monarchs in 2009, without any communication with their fan base or the mayor of Sacramento. Mayor KJ and the fans found out from a radio report and not from the Maloofs themselves.
4. Sept, 2010 - After saying that they were committed to the region, and committed to find a way to make this work, once the convergence plan was rejected, the Maloofs went behind the backs of the fans and began negoitations with the City of Anaheim and Henry Samuelli.
5. In Feb, 2011 at All Star Weekend, the mayor, the fans and the media found out about the Anaheim negotiations that had been going on since the Fall thru David Stern‘s All Star Press Conference. And if Ailene Voison did not ask the right questions at the presser, the fans may not have known until they filed for relocation on March 1. The Maloofs said absolutely nothing, and if I am not mistaken (and I could be wrong) Since the All Star Game, Joe and Gavin only attended one or two games.
6. At the very last game of the season, and possibly in the history of Sacramento, Joe and Gavin were not present; but their seats were mysteriously used by Laker fans. One Maloof did show up. Adrienne, who came in filming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
7. Word on the Street that on top of the 77 mil to Sac, the family took out a 75 mil line of credit from the league, 50 mil from the Ducks, on top of the relocation fee (30-50 mil) meaning that they were POTENTIALLY willing to go in debt 232 MILLION DOLLARS JUST TO MOVE TO ANAHEIM. And when the City of Sacramento began to question whether they were going to pay back the loan, they acted like The Sopranos and told the City to stay out of their business.
8. When Mayor KJ, went to NYC to plead Sacramento's case to the BOGs and brought our own Sugar Daddy in Ron Burkle, the Maloofs acted like a new pimp was movin in on his hoes. And on the corner of a NYC street, they publically told Burkle to back off and go back where he came from.
And I am sure, I have missed some other things, but this gives me real concern whether I can truly trust this family to negotiate a complex, multi-region, last shot do or die deal, with so much at stake for a region. The next several months is where the heavy lifting occurs. Will the Maloof family do their share of the lifting.