Staying or going? Latest rumors, thoughts, etc.
- Thread starter VF21
- Start date
- Status
It just bothers me because it blends his two roles. He's collecting his paycheck from MSE while he's broadcasting the game and yet he's responding to tweets from his radio show, which is not part of his duties for MSE. I might be picking at nits but I wouldn't want my employee working on his other job while he was at my shop so to speak.
The last couple days, Grant has actually said a few things that were critical of the Maloofs (with respect to the fact that they never contacted Sacramento to let us know they were for sale). He has never done this before, and I figured it was because he knows that, either way, he will not be working for them much longer...
I don't see multiple buyers interested in keeping the team in Sacramento as "canceling each other out". Why would that be the case? I just see it as, possibly, 2 or 3 legitimate and competitive offers for the team. If all the offers are competitive or equal to the Seattle group, the NBA BOG's just decides which one of the local groups / offers they like best.
There is supposed to be an announcement tomorrow from KJ. KJ met with a group today in Sacramento. If Sacramento gets one shot at this, we want it to be our best shot and to be well-organized.
I believe the Maloofs have been looking for a deal, but if they've been looking for a buyer, I have no problem believing they didn't want Sacramento or KJ to know. I'm pretty sure they weren't happy when news about the Seattle offer were leaked. I bet they were hoping to keep it secret until a formal deal was signed.
As to David Aldridge, I find that many reporters, sportscasters and writers are not deeply knowledgeable about every team or city. They know some about a lot, not a lot about some. I've read/hear many incorrect information about the Sacramento situation over the years. Heck, some sportscasters have mispronounced our player's names or what position they play. The biggest error I've seen all over the media is that somehow Sacramento failed to get an arena deal done. A flagrant and really unforgivable misrepresentation of what happened here.
When a city has done every single thing the league asked it to do, I think it would be a huge error on the part of the NBA to take that city's team away. Remember, it was Seattle who refused to have anything to do with financing an arena at the time and no one stepped up to try and match or beat Clay Bennett's offer for the Sonics. Some locals offered to buy the Sonics, but not until the Bennett deal was done.
Seattle bears some of the responsibility for losing the Sonics, although a still felt really bad for the fans, who had no control. Sacramento has done everything possible. So, if we've done everything, while Seattle didn't, then taking our team from us is a worse mistake then Seattle losing its team, as far as I'm concerned.
Finally, everyone assumes KJ and Sacramento have been doing nothing for months. That just isn't true. KJ has been lining things up for a possible sale, the Maloofs just blind-sided him (and us) by not giving a local buyer any indication that they were willing to consider selling.
I can believe the Maloofs don't want to sell to a local buyer. If they want to keep a minority share, so they can still sit courtside and get other owner perks and delude themselves that really means something, they don't want the team to stay hear. They know those courtside seats in Sacramento would be too hot to sit on.
I believe the Maloofs have been looking for a deal, but if they've been looking for a buyer, I have no problem believing they didn't want Sacramento or KJ to know. I'm pretty sure they weren't happy when news about the Seattle offer were leaked. I bet they were hoping to keep it secret until a formal deal was signed.
As to David Aldridge, I find that many reporters, sportscasters and writers are not deeply knowledgeable about every team or city. They know some about a lot, not a lot about some. I've read/hear many incorrect information about the Sacramento situation over the years. Heck, some sportscasters have mispronounced our player's names or what position they play. The biggest error I've seen all over the media is that somehow Sacramento failed to get an arena deal done. A flagrant and really unforgivable misrepresentation of what happened here.
When a city has done every single thing the league asked it to do, I think it would be a huge error on the part of the NBA to take that city's team away. Remember, it was Seattle who refused to have anything to do with financing an arena at the time and no one stepped up to try and match or beat Clay Bennett's offer for the Sonics. Some locals offered to buy the Sonics, but not until the Bennett deal was done.
Seattle bears some of the responsibility for losing the Sonics, although a still felt really bad for the fans, who had no control. Sacramento has done everything possible. So, if we've done everything, while Seattle didn't, then taking our team from us is a worse mistake then Seattle losing its team, as far as I'm concerned.
Finally, everyone assumes KJ and Sacramento have been doing nothing for months. That just isn't true. KJ has been lining things up for a possible sale, the Maloofs just blind-sided him (and us) by not giving a local buyer any indication that they were willing to consider selling.
I can believe the Maloofs don't want to sell to a local buyer. If they want to keep a minority share, so they can still sit courtside and get other owner perks and delude themselves that really means something, they don't want the team to stay hear. They know those courtside seats in Sacramento would be too hot to sit on.
Every deal the Maloofs have been involved in with relation to moving/selling this team has been leaked. From Anaheim, to VA Beach, to this. I think the Maloofs are the ones leaking this and have been the whole time. If not, the only other possibility is the BOG or Stern himself unless the other parties leaked it every time which just hurt their cause anyway so not likely. If it's Stern or Bennett or whoever, good for them, serves the Maloofs right.
Didn't the Maloofs come out and say if they ever sold the team they'd give Sacramento the first shot? Ha! Caught the liars again!
The Maloofs? Do something strategic intentionally??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That said, I do think the Virginia Beach deal, as we now know it, was nothing more than a good old, Geoff Petrie-style smokescreen. Probably dreamed up by the king of honesty himself, George Maloof. With an assist from Eric "No comment but I hate you anyways" Rose.
I'm not trying to be disingenuous I'm still not clear on how Sacramento "gets a shot"
If the Maloofs decide to sell to Hansen, and the BOG approve it.... it's done. Right?
If the BOG reject the sale to Seattle the Maloofs don't have to sell or even entertain a bid from a sacramento buyer. Right?
So the the scenario we're all hoping for is that the BOG reject the Seattle sale (if thats the outcome) and that the maloofs are now so desperate to sell they are forced (personally) to consider a sac bid.
I still see a lot of people on twitter using the word "force" (as in the NBA) and i still don't see any evidence that thats an option.
If the Maloofs decide to sell to Hansen, and the BOG approve it.... it's done. Right?
If the BOG reject the sale to Seattle the Maloofs don't have to sell or even entertain a bid from a sacramento buyer. Right?
So the the scenario we're all hoping for is that the BOG reject the Seattle sale (if thats the outcome) and that the maloofs are now so desperate to sell they are forced (personally) to consider a sac bid.
I still see a lot of people on twitter using the word "force" (as in the NBA) and i still don't see any evidence that thats an option.
The way I see it, if Sac comes up with a comparable offer, and an arena plan, then I think it would be very very tough for the NBA to approve us losing our team. We have been a dedicated, proven market for almost 30 years, one of the most successful in the league, and we have done nothing to deserve us losing our team. David Stern has worked HARD to keep us here. If we have a good offer and an arena in place, and the NBA approves a move anyway, I think it would become by far the worst PR disaster they have ever faced. And that would do far more damage to Stern's legacy than the positive benefit from getting Seattle a team.
At least that is my hope...
At least that is my hope...
Last edited:
The Maloofs wouldn't be selling to ANYONE unless they were out of options. And if the NBA were to reject Seattle, of all places, wiht a billionaire backer, then the Maloofs would know full well they could never sell to ANYONE outside of Sacto/who didn't want to keep them there.
There is no Maloof in NBA scenario after March. They are finished.
There is no Maloof in NBA scenario after March. They are finished.
Think of any agreement with Seattle as an opening salvo by MSE. They have a buyer, a price established that they as an owner would be looking for, and an agreement on sales terms.
From the NBA's side, they will review the deal to make sure that the proposed buyers are "legit" and acceptable as an ownership group. The NBA also makes sure that the team would have a place to play. In this case, they have an old arena to use for a couple years until (hopefully) a new one would be built. Don't forget, there are still a lawsuit, etc., possibly holding up the new facility up there.
So, for all intents and purposes, we can agree that the ownership group and facility will be acceptable for a team in Seattle.
However, the NBA BOG and relocation committee also looks at the current ownership group's actions and impacts of moving the team both financially and to the NBA as a whole. In other words, you have a team which has been in Sacramento for almost 30 years with two of the longest sellout streaks in NBA history, owners that have been openly berated by Stern, and slapped down in their last attempt to move the team. In fact, the City showed that they wanted to keep the team and helped pony up over $10 million in revenue to the lousy ownership group. The City then approved an arena financing deal negotiated by Stern and the NBA itself, which was intially agreed to by MSE then shot down in a ball of fire within a month, to the great disappointment of the NBA and Stern.
If a local ownership group can raise the funds to keep the team here and agree to the already-approved arena plan, the BOG and relocation committee would have a hard time ripping the team away from Sac to place it in Seattle, where they are essentially no closer to a new arena than we are. They have rejected sales of teams before for ownership or relocation reasons.
From the NBA's side, they will review the deal to make sure that the proposed buyers are "legit" and acceptable as an ownership group. The NBA also makes sure that the team would have a place to play. In this case, they have an old arena to use for a couple years until (hopefully) a new one would be built. Don't forget, there are still a lawsuit, etc., possibly holding up the new facility up there.
So, for all intents and purposes, we can agree that the ownership group and facility will be acceptable for a team in Seattle.
However, the NBA BOG and relocation committee also looks at the current ownership group's actions and impacts of moving the team both financially and to the NBA as a whole. In other words, you have a team which has been in Sacramento for almost 30 years with two of the longest sellout streaks in NBA history, owners that have been openly berated by Stern, and slapped down in their last attempt to move the team. In fact, the City showed that they wanted to keep the team and helped pony up over $10 million in revenue to the lousy ownership group. The City then approved an arena financing deal negotiated by Stern and the NBA itself, which was intially agreed to by MSE then shot down in a ball of fire within a month, to the great disappointment of the NBA and Stern.
If a local ownership group can raise the funds to keep the team here and agree to the already-approved arena plan, the BOG and relocation committee would have a hard time ripping the team away from Sac to place it in Seattle, where they are essentially no closer to a new arena than we are. They have rejected sales of teams before for ownership or relocation reasons.
Kevin Johnson rocks. If the worst comes to pass and all of this is for naught I will still have the utmost respect for the man and what he tried to do and the fighting spirit he's shown.
And this is a shrewd move that could pay off huge. The Maloofs could end up with a win-win if they get to sell most of their interest in the Kings (as George undoubtedly wants) but retain a stake and some say in the team (which Gavin and Joe seem to want). This would take them from the villains who torpedoed the team before tearing out the collective heart of the Sacramento fanbase to instead being part of the solution - a revitalized team and a beautiful new downtown arena.
Would I prefer that at this point that they have nothing to do with the Sacramento Kings? Sure, especially George, but honestly Gavin and Joe as minority owners of the Sacramento Kings is a hell of a lot better than Hansen and Ballmer as the owners of the "new" Seattle Supersonics.
And this is a shrewd move that could pay off huge. The Maloofs could end up with a win-win if they get to sell most of their interest in the Kings (as George undoubtedly wants) but retain a stake and some say in the team (which Gavin and Joe seem to want). This would take them from the villains who torpedoed the team before tearing out the collective heart of the Sacramento fanbase to instead being part of the solution - a revitalized team and a beautiful new downtown arena.
Would I prefer that at this point that they have nothing to do with the Sacramento Kings? Sure, especially George, but honestly Gavin and Joe as minority owners of the Sacramento Kings is a hell of a lot better than Hansen and Ballmer as the owners of the "new" Seattle Supersonics.
- Status