City council vote and latest news, rumors, etc.

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I'm going to go with the Adelman angle. I have never trusted the Maloofs nor have I ever thought they were good owners, even during the glory years. My reasoning was simple. Just about every transaction made that led to the 8 year playoff run was made before they became owners. They didn't officially get voted in as owners until the lockout was lifted. However, many important moves were made before that...

Peja was drafted in 1996 but stayed in Greece to fulfill his contractual obligations.

White Chocolate was drafted in '98, just a week before the lockout started.

CWebb was obtained in a trade with Washington either a couple days before or after the draft but still before the lockout started.

Rick Adelman was hired during the lockout since non player transactions were allowed.

Those transactions set the stage for Vlade coming aboard as a free agent. OK, I'll give the Maloofs credit on Vlade but they had tons of cap space and had to spend it somewhere. And let's not forget that it was Petrie who felt Vlade would be a good match. The Maloofs probably didn't even know he existed.

Adelman oversaw 8 straight playoff participations. He gets fired and they haven't been to the playoffs since. Not only that but every single hire was lousy. Musselman, Reggie, Natt, Westphal and Smart were all on the Maloofs' watch and not surprisingly, none of them have taken the Kings to the playoffs.
They weren't majority owners till '99. Vlade's deal was still under Thomas.
 
They weren't majority owners till '99. Vlade's deal was still under Thomas.
Well, that's even more proof that they suck although the lockout was lifted in January of '99. They may not have been officially voted in but they were in charge of negotiations. I specifically remember them flying to Arkansas to talk with Corliss Williamson. They got him to sign for the minimum in order to free up space for Vlade.

I always felt that was fishy. Corliss turned down a $20 million deal from Orlando to stay with the Kings for the minimum. I'm surprised that the league didn't investigate a wink wink deal but I won't complain. Petrie eventually turned Corliss into Doug Christie.
 
Well, that's even more proof that they suck although the lockout was lifted in January of '99. They may not have been officially voted in but they were in charge of negotiations. I specifically remember them flying to Arkansas to talk with Corliss Williamson. They got him to sign for the minimum in order to free up space for Vlade.

I always felt that was fishy. Corliss turned down a $20 million deal from Orlando to stay with the Kings for the minimum. I'm surprised that the league didn't investigate a wink wink deal but I won't complain. Petrie eventually turned Corliss into Doug Christie.
No they were not. Petrie got the approval from Thomas to sign Vlade. They took over in September 99. I sat next to Gavin's GF on a flight from Sac to Dallas right after they got control.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
Is Seattle really that special?
Seattle is marginally to pretty special when they win (see MLS era Sounders, Griffey era Mariners, last seasons Seahawks). They are a friggin joke of a sports city when they underperform.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
I think the demise of the franchise can be pinpointed as having started with the firing of Adelman. Not Webber's knee. Not the Webber trade. Not the Artest trade. No other single catalyst like when Geoff sold his soul and fired Rick Adelman. If we could get him back, we'd be in the playoffs. Hell the Maloofs might still be making money with a successful NBA franchise if they had not demanded that the non-kissass Rick Adelman be fired so they could hire a pretty boy brown noser instead. I always loved Adelman and have always thought it was major stupid to let him go... and who knows, maybe the new ownership can figure out a way to bring him back - maybe even as President of Basketball Operations or something (maybe he was the real brains behind the franchise back then for all we know... and Geoff is just a scarecrow). It always drove me crazy to hear the soccer mom/dad radio caller know it all monday morning quarterbacks dissing Rick's rotations and strategies after a loss.
Anyway, I'm sad too. He is the perfect coach for the team. Always was.
How in god's name did Petrie sell his soul by firing Adelman? The Maloof's fired Adelman, not Petrie! All he did was deliver the message. If it had been up to Petrie, Adelman would never have been fired. The two were close friends, and Petrie was the one that hired him in the first place. When they fired Adelman in Portland, against Petrie's wishes, Petrie quit. Did you expect him to quit again and pull up roots in a show of loyality. Thats pure nonsense! Look, I'm a huge Adelman fan, and I wish he had never been fired, but the man wasn't god. Petrie had a stellar track record in Portland before coming to the Kings. The worse thing that ever happened to Petrie, was the Maloofs.
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
So the Maloofs were handed something successful on a silver platter and proceeded to turn it in a failure? I'm shocked!
Thats absolutely correct. Its when they started tinkering with everything that it went south. Adelman isn't a social type. He's not interested in rubbing elbows with VIP's in Las Vegas. He'd rather spend his off time playing golf at 12 Bridges. At least thats what it was called then. I ran into him out there many times playing golf with his son, and sometimes with one or two of the Kings players. Jon Barry was often playing with him. My point is, the Maloofs like very public people. People that are good talkers and like going to social events. That isn't Adelman, and to be honest, thats not Petrie either. I don't think they really liked Petrie, but they feared getting rid of him because of his track record. So they fired Adelman, and crippled Petrie. But they did hire some very good talkers!
 
How in god's name did Petrie sell his soul by firing Adelman? The Maloof's fired Adelman, not Petrie! All he did was deliver the message. If it had been up to Petrie, Adelman would never have been fired. The two were close friends, and Petrie was the one that hired him in the first place. When they fired Adelman in Portland, against Petrie's wishes, Petrie quit. Did you expect him to quit again and pull up roots in a show of loyality. Thats pure nonsense! Look, I'm a huge Adelman fan, and I wish he had never been fired, but the man wasn't god. Petrie had a stellar track record in Portland before coming to the Kings. The worse thing that ever happened to Petrie, was the Maloofs.
You and I have always disagreed about this and it is ok.

When Mussleman explained why Jason Hart didn't get more minutes... he said something like "the front office is making me do it". And I thought him less of a man for it. Because it is the Head Coach who makes the rotation and stands by it - and if he can't stand by it he quits.

Same for Geoff. It is the GM who decides the head coach and the personnel. He has to own it, or leave. So he owns it.

Lets say Geoff's hands were tied. OK, he was at a point in his career where he did not have to stand for that. And I think he would have had a better career and a happier life if he had said "sorry, I won't fire Rick - if he goes, I go". Then Geoff could have written his own ticket on any number of NBA teams.

But he said "I will surrender my authority and be an order taker for the Maloofs... in exchange for my multi-million dollar contract I will offer my soul".

I know .. I get it ... you don't agree. You can blame the Maloofs for the decisions of Petrie, and hold Petrie blameless for going along.

I don't hold him blameless... I think he chose the softer path... the moneyed path over the principled path (although I believe there would have been huge money - along with integrity - waiting for him at his next job).

Only argument in his defense might be 'my kids like these schools and don't want to move'. If that is why he sold his soul, then maybe he made the right trade in the big picture.

I don't get the Petrie love... it is cult like and weird. He is a wuss who sold his soul as far as I'm concerned... and he smugly stands in the tunnel while everyone blames the Maloofs for his bad scoreboard these last many years.

You say Petrie didn't fire Adelman "he just delivered the message". I say a real man in his position refuses to be relegated to "message carrier" status. We agree to disagree.
 
So if your boss asks you to do something you don't agree with, quit? Wow!
I'm not saying that at all. It depends on a lot of things including your role. But what you don't do is say "hey, it wasn't my decision"

We're talking about the General Manager of an NBA team, a former "executive of the year". I think he had the clout to take a stand there. He didn't, and the Kings have sucked ever since. People who don't put any of that on Geoff Petrie amaze me a little. So how many years has the "executive of the year" been nothing but a message taker for his psycho tyrant bosses? Is there ever a place where he ought to make a stand?

Yes... quitting is one of the things you can do if a psycho employer cuts your balls off.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
I undertand and was probably trying more to get a rise out of you than anything else. I just wanted to point out that there is no black and white. My understanding of the situation was that Mama Maloof wanted Adelman gone because he was asocial. He probably turned down a dinner inviitation or something as silly as that. Heck, even he and Geoff seldom if ever socialized with each other.

Also, from Adelman's side, remember that the Maloofs openly courted Phil Jackson while Adelman was under contract in the middle of a season. It seemed to me that the relationship between the Maloofs and Adelman was severed by both. Adelman and Petrie did not socialize with each other but I can envision Rick calling Geoff and debating what to do. Certainly the situation was untenable for Adelman.

If I were Rick, I would have quit. It's not like he couldn't find another job although his reputation wasn't as well established as now. Perhaps Rick and Geoff should have quit at the same time. Certainly the Maloofs deserved such an insurrection even back then.

They will be gone and hopefully the new owner, no matter what city, will have the brains not to step on his GM or coaches toes. It is disrespectful and undercuts the authority .......... OBVIOUSLY. Owners have the right to do what they wish but they need a little common sense and we know that was not a Maloof trait.

It's an interesting discussion but I don't think any of us really knows what happened.
 
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I'm not saying that at all. It depends on a lot of things including your role. But what you don't do is say "hey, it wasn't my decision"

We're talking about the General Manager of an NBA team, a former "executive of the year". I think he had the clout to take a stand there. He didn't, and the Kings have sucked ever since. People who don't put any of that on Geoff Petrie amaze me a little. So how many years has the "executive of the year" been nothing but a message taker for his psycho tyrant bosses? Is there ever a place where he ought to make a stand?

Yes... quitting is one of the things you can do if a psycho employer cuts your balls off.
Fans say that, but I've never been aware of Petrie shucking the blame. It is easy to say what others should do when our situations aren't remotely similar. He will most likely ride off into the sunset with a sullied reputation and I seriously doubt there will ever be a tell all book about what actually happened behind closed doors.
 
I guess I remember Adelman leaving a little different. Thought Adelman's contract was up and he decided he didn't want to have anything to do with the Maloofs any more. And the Maloofs were happy not to renew his contract. Not sure what Petrie could do in that situation.
 

Glenn

Hall of Famer
^^^^^

This may be correct which changes the discussion quite a bit. Why else would the Maloofs be openly courting Jackson?
 

rainmaker

Hall of Famer
So if your boss asks you to do something you don't agree with, quit? Wow!
Yes, at a certain point. It's one thing to cater to your boss the first or second time he makes you do something you don't agree with. But years later, after you've had ample time to move on and look for other opportunities if you're still doing things you personally don't approve of, then you should have quit. It's not like Petrie needs the money either. He's not struggling to put food on the table.

Say you work for a pharmaceutical company and don't agree with what is being put into some of the pharmaceuticals and don't agree with the way your company goes about testing the drugs(an actual real world concern). Sure it could be used as an excuse that you need a paycheck and you have to go along. But I'd say it's only an excuse while looking for other employment, the first 6 months or so. But years later is it still an excuse? I'd say no.

I think the problem with Petrie and saying he's just following orders is that he doesn't need to follow orders. He's made his money and he could most likely get employment as a GM elsewhere. If he doesn't agree with the Maloofs he could have picked up and left just as Adelman did. I have zero respect for Petrie at this point, as he's more than comfortable having his bosses make decisions for him as long as he gets his paycheck. He wants his free money, and he's had years to move on and look elsewhere. And he was the one who signed a new contract a couple years ago and knew exactly what he was getting into. Helping to ruin this franchise as long as he gets paid.
 
Yes, at a certain point. It's one thing to cater to your boss the first or second time he makes you do something you don't agree with. But years later, after you've had ample time to move on and look for other opportunities if you're still doing things you personally don't approve of, then you should have quit. It's not like Petrie needs the money either. He's not struggling to put food on the table.

Say you work for a pharmaceutical company and don't agree with what is being put into some of the pharmaceuticals and don't agree with the way your company goes about testing the drugs(an actual real world concern). Sure it could be used as an excuse that you need a paycheck and you have to go along. But I'd say it's only an excuse while looking for other employment, the first 6 months or so. But years later is it still an excuse? I'd say no.

I think the problem with Petrie and saying he's just following orders is that he doesn't need to follow orders. He's made his money and he could most likely get employment as a GM elsewhere. If he doesn't agree with the Maloofs he could have picked up and left just as Adelman did. I have zero respect for Petrie at this point, as he's more than comfortable having his bosses make decisions for him as long as he gets his paycheck. He wants his free money, and he's had years to move on and look elsewhere. And he was the one who signed a new contract a couple years ago and knew exactly what he was getting into. Helping to ruin this franchise as long as he gets paid.
Do we really know Petrie's financial situation? Or perhaps he inquired about other jobs and couldn't find any openings. He certainly shares a portion of the blame for the downfall of the Kings, but I won't bash a guy for keeping a high-level basketball position without knowing all the facts.
 
^^^^^

This may be correct which changes the discussion quite a bit. Why else would the Maloofs be openly courting Jackson?
Because they are Maloofs and do everything without thinking or assessing brfore hand!

I recall Adelman wanting to stay on but Maloofs not renewing his contract citing how they wanted a more defensive minded coach! Adelman, after his "goodbye" press conference on Grant's show made a point that in order to be a good defensive team you need good defensive players. I specifically remember him saying that if he had Ben Wallace or Tim Duncan we would be a much better defensive teams. Even went on to say that for two years in a row in the early 2000s the Kings were one of the best defensive teams in the league!

Maloofs definitely have blood on their hands on this one and the break up was anything but respectful! They then got wooed by Musselman's power point skills and the rest is history!

Hopefully Mastrov and Burkle are more basketball savvy than those clowns!
 
Because they are Maloofs and do everything without thinking or assessing brfore hand!

I recall Adelman wanting to stay on but Maloofs not renewing his contract citing how they wanted a more defensive minded coach! Adelman, after his "goodbye" press conference on Grant's show made a point that in order to be a good defensive team you need good defensive players. I specifically remember him saying that if he had Ben Wallace or Tim Duncan we would be a much better defensive teams. Even went on to say that for two years in a row in the early 2000s the Kings were one of the best defensive teams in the league!

Maloofs definitely have blood on their hands on this one and the break up was anything but respectful! They then got wooed by Musselman's power point skills and the rest is history!

Hopefully Mastrov and Burkle are more basketball savvy than those clowns!
Both guys are highly successful, well-respected business men who didn't depend on daddy to make their money. Plus, Burkle has already won a title as a pro-sports owner. I'm confident we'll be in GREAT hands with these guys and am looking forward to the changes they will make if all goes are way
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
I guess I remember Adelman leaving a little different. Thought Adelman's contract was up and he decided he didn't want to have anything to do with the Maloofs any more. And the Maloofs were happy not to renew his contract. Not sure what Petrie could do in that situation.
Adelman's contract was up. He was hoping for an extension and as much as said so after one of the Spurs-Kings games. The Maloofs wanted nothing more to do with him, his contract was not renewed or extended and I was actually the first to break the news that he was clearing out his desk...
 
Adelman's contract was up. He was hoping for an extension and as much as said so after one of the Spurs-Kings games. The Maloofs wanted nothing more to do with him, his contract was not renewed or extended and I was actually the first to break the news that he was clearing out his desk...
Ok. I was trying to recall from memory. I thought I remembered him on KHTK saying that people were assuming that he wanted to come back. Could have just been spin.
 

VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
Ok. I was trying to recall from memory. I thought I remembered him on KHTK saying that people were assuming that he wanted to come back. Could have just been spin.
I don't think you're wrong. I think there was a chronology of events that included both him expressing his excitement and desire to stay (as evidenced by him jumping up and down after Kevin Martin's stunning game-winning circus shot) and, after it was made clear that his contract would not be renewed, his disappointment and displeasure with the bozos (my word, not his as he has more class than I do) who owned the team.
 
I just want to interject here and post my general yippee skippee this is awesome post, which I never really did after the "announcement"...

This is amazing! It's going to happen! It's funny and kinda sad watching Seattle fans tying their own noose once again... Due to their arrogance and ignorance of the full situation, they're headed right for more heartbreak... but obviously are setting it up to be able to blame somebody. Seems mentally sick to me. But back to us...

Sac (my hometown, and haven't lived there for a while) is becoming a progressive, intelligent city, and will be economically vibrant and a leader in green technology, according to KJs vision. A leader with vision is itself the catalyst for change. I think Sac really is finally growing up. This really is "bigger than basketball". Although one of my favorite arena anthems from back in the old Arco days was when they played "We Built This City on Bas.ket.ballllll.... " (remake of We built this city on rock and roll) ... so maybe our NBA all star mayor actually is building this city on basketball... awesome!
 
3/2 This Day In History:

#FANS created this video to encourage our community to attend the big arena vote at Sacramento City Hall. Check out who appeared in our video and the song for it.

We made 120 shirts that said "5 Votes" on the front and "#FANS" on the back. We gave away all 120 shirts for the big arena vote and people were still asking us for those shirts. They're a part of Sacramento history now. Very proud moment in our community's history.

 
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3/2 This Day In History:

#FANS created this video to encourage our community to attend the big arena vote at Sacramento City Hall. Check out who appeared in our video and the song for it.

We made 120 shirts that said "5 Votes" on the front and "#FANS" on the back. We gave away all 120 shirts for the big arena vote and people were still asking us for those shirts. They're a part of Sacramento history now. Very proud moment in our community's history.
Hey Mike, can you explain the importance of the March 6th city council vote on the arena? Thanks. And thanks again for all your hard work, it's beginning to pay off. A city council seat should be yours in the near future.
 
Hey Mike, can you explain the importance of the March 6th city council vote on the arena? Thanks. And thanks again for all your hard work, it's beginning to pay off. A city council seat should be yours in the near future.
March 6, 2012, was huge at that time. Basically, the Sacramento City Council needed 5 votes to accept a financing plan to help build an arena. Thanks to a 7-2 vote by the council, they accepted a nonbinding "term sheet" in which city officials, the Sacramento Kings, arena operator AEG and the development firm were slated to build the arena.

If there were 4 yes votes or less the Kings would be in Anaheim or some other city that the Maloofs could have asked to relocate to.

I don't know how much of a difference we made, but we attended council meetings using facts to educate the council and anyone who attended the council meetings, watched it from home or read about it in the paper or online or whatever the media reported on.

We attended the following council meetings and other events (not including greeting the mayor at the airport all four times, Kings viewing party, etc.):

1. December 13, 2011 (debut as #FANS)

2. January 17, 2012

3. February 14, 2012

4. February 28, 2012 for Sacramento County Council

5. March 3, 2012 for Darrell Fong Town Hall

5. March 6, 2012

6. March 27, 2012

7. March 29, 2012 for Jay Schenirer Town Hall

8. April 3, 2012

9. April 10, 2012

10. April 17, 2012

11. May 8, 2012

12. November 13, 2012 (as Crown Downtown)

13. February 5, 2013

14. February 12, 2013

15. February 19, 2013

16. February 26, 2013

17. February 28 for State of the City

The only problem I had was this kind of reporting from the March 6th vote:

An overflow crowd began assembling at City Hall more than three hours before the meeting began. Led by hundreds of Kings fans dressed in white T-shirts -- and with Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof and team point guard Isaiah Thomas joining the crowd -- security officials said it was among the largest audiences ever for a City Council meeting.
We had a name and it was #FANS (Fund Arena Now Sacramento). Today we are now known as Crown Downtown but we still have white shirts.

What we do only works if people believe in it. I am just one person. But together it is strength in numbers kind of like an army of one.

I don't consider ourselves heroes or saving our team. All we can do is show our support, have our voice be heard, be the voice of the voiceless by representing the people who want to keep the Kings in Sacramento, build a downtown arena, have a reuse of Natomas, and other reasons that are #BiggerThanBasketball

If anyone deserves the credit it is Mayor Johnson because without him the Kings are gone. It is that simple.

I have no political ambition. I love my career in higher education. When this all said and done, I'll go back into my cave and be just a normal Kings fan again while attending some concerts, WWE, UFC, taking my kids (don't have any right now or as the military told me "none that you know of") to Disney on Ice, enjoying lunch or dinner by the arena just for the fun of it, etc.
 
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Glenn

Hall of Famer
I personally thought the reference to a big vote was the upcoming March 6 but maybe I missed something.

The activities of Mike and the rest simply confirmed how nuts the Sacramento fans are for basketball. KJ, Burkle, Mastrov and the busines community may be more important but in the end, the decision may be made on the faith that fans will continue to support the team with sell outs or close to sell outs over an extended period of time. It might even be that Burkle, Mastrov, and others saw the team as a good investment because of the crazed fans. There is no way of quantifying the effect but when you look at the crazy and visibly active Sacramento fans and compare them to what I suspect is a far more passive Seattle response, you may have swayed a vote or two. This is especially because it was sustained activity. The BoG is probably interested in if Sacramento is a good long term investment and this was partial proof.

For anyone from Seattle reading this, it is not a shot at the Seattle fans. You became knowledgable of what was going on only recently and had no chance to prove what Mike and the folks have proven over a very long period of time.
 
I personally thought the reference to a big vote was the upcoming March 6 but maybe I missed something.
Nope. That's why I posted it as "3/2 This Day In History:"

The title of the video says "#FANS - #5Votes for March 6, 2012"

The activities of Mike and the rest simply confirmed how nuts the Sacramento fans are for basketball.
Well, Mayor Johnson did say something about Kings fans not being normal, which is true. We're crazy about our Kings.

I wouldn't be surprised if the next vote comes on April 2, 2013 but we will soon find out.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
Marcos Breton: Arena subsidy could spur revival in downtown Sacramento

At least Marcos gets it:

Far more exciting than the fate of the Kings is the desire of billionaire Ron Burkle to build an arena at the Downtown Plaza and develop unused property around it for an entertainment district.

That could raise the value of boarded buildings on K Street that are near a Downtown Plaza marred by too many vacancies. It could also create energy spilling onto Capitol Mall, Old Sacramento, the downtown railyard and – if done right – across the river to West Sacramento.

Compare that with what we have now: panhandlers, the smell of pot, dilapidated buildings, a dying mall symbolizing a flagging retail tax base, and almost no energy in the very core of downtown Sacramento.
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/03/5231707/marcos-breton-arena-subsidy-could.html#storylink=cpy
 
"Compare that with what we have now: panhandlers, the smell of pot, dilapidated buildings, a dying mall symbolizing a flagging retail tax base, and almost no energy in the very core of downtown Sacramento."

Marcos the prohibitionist just had to add that even if it isn't true.

At any rate, I'm excited! this is really going to revitalize the downtown area. Just what Sacramento needs and much better than the Railyards. Not to mention, I'll finally be able to watch a King's game again..
 
"...the smell of pot" is rather tame compared to smell of urine down there, which has been par for the course for decades in that dump called downtown plaza mall.
 
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