This idea of Hansen buying the Kings without the ability to move them seems to be gaining some odd momentum - albeit primarily from the Pacific Northwest. I think Sonics fans are now wishing for Hansen to do to Sacramento what Clay Bennett did to Seattle. Fascinating from a psychological perspective, utterly ridiculous from a logical perspective.
Ignoring first of all that the situations are different because Sacramento HAS a new arena plan which Seattle didn't at the time of Bennett's theft AND that talk has been that Hansen's deal with the Maloofs was contingent on moving the team there's simply no indication that the league would want that outcome.
Stern and the BOG want this situation resolved. Not temporarily but for the long haul. The Maloofs have been a circus over the last two seasons and their dalliances with Anaheim, Virginia Beach and now Seattle lend an air of instability to not just their franchise but the league as a whole. Why on EARTH would they want to continue the spectacle? Here are some key pieces of info that ALL suggest this can't and won't happen.
1. The current ownership group owns the land the arena would be built on
2. The city council voted to move forward with the ownership group KJ helped bring together, NOT with Hansen or anyone else
3. The commitment of Burkle and the rest of the group to redeveloping downtown hinges on the Kings and a new arena. At the mere thought of Hansen engaging in this charade they'd pull out, killing the whole deal.
4. Monetizing the parking only works if investors are convinced that a new arena for the Kings is being built. No one would believe that with Hansen at the helm and thus (AGAIN) the arena is a non-starter
5. The endgame move to Seattle in a few years would simply start this soap opera up again, which the league absolutely does not want
If the NBA wanted the team in Seattle it would have simply approved the relocation. But to follow up a unanimous vote against it with allowing Hansen to buy the team, continue the drama and pain for Sacramento fans and THEN allow it to move is just simply something that anyone thinking rationally would dismiss out of hand.
But these are the flailings of passionate Sonics fans who feel rejected by the NBA a second time and of a rich, hedge fund manager and uber wealthy software CEO who can't believe someone said no to them. It will be frustrating but we just have to play out the string now.
I do feel bad for most true Sonics fans (my family up there definitely included) and can understand where they are at emotionally. Sonics fans are like a man whose wife blindsided him with a divorce. He finally regroups and falls in love with someone else but she happens to be married and won't leave her husband. And just as in the analogy, the right thing to do is understand the situation and walk away to try again rather than do everything in your power to ruin someone else's marriage.
And because of that my sympathies only go so far for some of the fans I've seen commenting on the Seattle side. Speaking of which - no comments from Spencer Hawes lately?
Ignoring first of all that the situations are different because Sacramento HAS a new arena plan which Seattle didn't at the time of Bennett's theft AND that talk has been that Hansen's deal with the Maloofs was contingent on moving the team there's simply no indication that the league would want that outcome.
Stern and the BOG want this situation resolved. Not temporarily but for the long haul. The Maloofs have been a circus over the last two seasons and their dalliances with Anaheim, Virginia Beach and now Seattle lend an air of instability to not just their franchise but the league as a whole. Why on EARTH would they want to continue the spectacle? Here are some key pieces of info that ALL suggest this can't and won't happen.
1. The current ownership group owns the land the arena would be built on
2. The city council voted to move forward with the ownership group KJ helped bring together, NOT with Hansen or anyone else
3. The commitment of Burkle and the rest of the group to redeveloping downtown hinges on the Kings and a new arena. At the mere thought of Hansen engaging in this charade they'd pull out, killing the whole deal.
4. Monetizing the parking only works if investors are convinced that a new arena for the Kings is being built. No one would believe that with Hansen at the helm and thus (AGAIN) the arena is a non-starter
5. The endgame move to Seattle in a few years would simply start this soap opera up again, which the league absolutely does not want
If the NBA wanted the team in Seattle it would have simply approved the relocation. But to follow up a unanimous vote against it with allowing Hansen to buy the team, continue the drama and pain for Sacramento fans and THEN allow it to move is just simply something that anyone thinking rationally would dismiss out of hand.
But these are the flailings of passionate Sonics fans who feel rejected by the NBA a second time and of a rich, hedge fund manager and uber wealthy software CEO who can't believe someone said no to them. It will be frustrating but we just have to play out the string now.
I do feel bad for most true Sonics fans (my family up there definitely included) and can understand where they are at emotionally. Sonics fans are like a man whose wife blindsided him with a divorce. He finally regroups and falls in love with someone else but she happens to be married and won't leave her husband. And just as in the analogy, the right thing to do is understand the situation and walk away to try again rather than do everything in your power to ruin someone else's marriage.
And because of that my sympathies only go so far for some of the fans I've seen commenting on the Seattle side. Speaking of which - no comments from Spencer Hawes lately?