Are the Maloofs really the good guys/victims in all of this?

[R1LOVER]

This is true but not as true as it used to be. The gambling revenue is supposed to be a million or more per day so food and attractions profits are just a drop in the bucket but sometime in the past 10-15 years the casinos stopped using them as loss leaders to get people into their casinos and actually expected them to profit. It really has changed the complexion of Vegas and not for the better imho.

Yes I'm sure some are changing their tune, but recently as two months ago my wife and I ate all you can eat, seafood, prime rib, fish, lobster, shrimp etc.... darn that was a great meal. We spent about 2 hours just chilling and enjoying the moment waiting for a show. I think the whole meal was about 50 bucks for both of us. I can easily say we ate at least 200.00 worth of food that afternoon. lol

p.s. we didn't gamble a dime other then a quick 20 I put in a machine on the way out as I felt like I ripped them off... lol

 

[Superman]

No they deserve about 50-60% of the blame atleast. I mean they are bailing on Sac when Sac finally has a mayor and city council who wants to get this done, and a group like Taylor/ICON with some experience. And they wont even talk to ICON/Taylor? Give me a break.

How is this true?

 

[Superman]

On the original subject I think there is blame to be spread all around. Regardless, the Maloofs are setting themselves up to look like villains by the timing of this move while the Taylor/ICON project is still in motion and also with the destination that they have apparently chosen for their team. At this point they seem to have made it clear that the only reason they will stay is because Anaheim didn't give them what they wanted which also means that if Sacramento does keep them there may be an extended period of hurt feelings and distrust.

That's the way KJ wants it to look, so he can point the finger at Anaheim if they leave.

 

[Hoovtrain]

I am not privy to the Maloofs finances, but everything I have read and heard is that they have been hemorrhaging money with the Kings. So IMO, it would not seem practical for them to have to create some sort of exit strategy over a few years, all the while losing millions, just to avoid being the bad guys. It seems to me they could have just picked up and left whenever they wanted. That being said, there is more than enough blame to go around in this, and unfortunately we the fans will be the big losers (and of course those who would lose their jobs as a result of a move would clearly lose the most) if and when they leave.

 

[sidney]

I blame the maloofs for being bad business men. They ran through their inheritance and are now in a huge financial bind. They need the kings as an income source. They HAVE TO LEAVE sacramento for that reason alone. If Larry Ellison or Mark Cuban were the kings owners they wouldnt need them to survive. They woyld have a better chance of surviving here in sac. So yeah, i blame the maloofs.

There is some truth to this, but ironically if Larry Ellison or Mark Cuban were owners and had to deal with the Sacramento leadership for the past 10 years on this you have to wonder if their superior business skills wouldn't have led them to make ultimatums and leave Sac sooner. Cuban would have blown a gasket dealing with Fargo.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

That's the way KJ wants it to look, so he can point the finger at Anaheim if they leave.

That is how it looks. I'm not some KJ acolyte. They could afford to spend one more season in Sac without taking this public the way they have. Hell they'd spend 2-3 in Arco/PBP if the Arena was a go right now and this wasn't on the table.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

I will never think of Joe and Gavin in any other light than a good one...they have been very good to the Sacramento region and will leave a legacy nonetheless long after they depart. The people that call them 'the greedy Magoofs' need to REALLY look at what they're saying. The Maloofs have NEVER done Sacramento dirty in any way, and have gone along with pretty much EVERY dog and pony show arena proposals that have been conspired in the past decade. All in all, the only thing I blame them for(and the city...but our esteemed Mayor Fargo was not for growth)but the only thing I blame them for is not taking advantage of a good thing when they had it. They should have capitalized on the 2001-2002 success of the team and been pushing for an arena then, instead of 3-5 years later when the team was on the decline, and the 'general' public that are just casual fans. I think the general majority of them would have voted for an arena initiative back then. The Kings and the Maloofs OWNED this town.

 

[Superman]

That is how it looks. I'm not some KJ acolyte. They could afford to spend one more season in Sac without taking this public the way they have. Hell they'd spend 2-3 in Arco/PBP if the Arena was a go right now and this wasn't on the table.

The NBA took it public, not the Maloofs. They said all options are on the table months ago, and it didn't create this hysteria. It wasn't until Stern's comments over All Star Weekend that it hit the fan. And if they had a deal in place, then yes, three years as is would work. It's the fact that in three years, there's still no arena, the way things look right now.

As for KJ's comments, I'm just saying that he's been the one pushing that thought. I don't know if it's legitimate. The Maloofs have said all along that they prefer to stay, but at the end of the day, they would like to have an arena deal done. They're waiting for Taylor's group to present something that has a reasonable chance of getting approved. They could have filed already.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

To be clear I think the name calling and even some of the bashing of their business sense is completely uncalled for, I just don't like the way they have handled this recent turn of events. I have defended them plenty in the past because up until a week or two ago I did not believe they were honestly going to go through with it like this. I guess I am naive. And maybe I am just plain nuts to believe in some obviously non-existant honor code that if you leave you don't leave for the hated regional rival marketplace, you go far away like Seattle to OKC. If you've seen the Facebook movie you know how the one Winklevoss says that going straight to the courts would be non-Harvard like... I sympathized with him even though it was obvious he was a moron for thinking like that. That's just how I'm wired. So if it goes down like this, I won't hate them or call them names or any of that but I certainly won't patronize their businesses either.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

As for KJ's comments, I'm just saying that he's been the one pushing that thought. I don't know if it's legitimate. The Maloofs have said all along that they prefer to stay, but at the end of the day, they would like to have an arena deal done. They're waiting for Taylor's group to present something that has a reasonable chance of getting approved. They could have filed already.

Our difference of opinion seems to be that I no longer believe they want to stay at this point, I think they are angling Anaheim right now. Because when things like superior corporate sponsorship and tv deals start being bandied about, those are things Sacramento could never match even with an arena made of platinum and gold.

 

[Circa_1985_Fan]

To be clear I think the name calling and even some of the bashing of their business sense is completely uncalled for, I just don't like the way they have handled this recent turn of events. I have defended them plenty in the past because up until a week or two ago I did not believe they were honestly going to go through with it like this. I guess I am naive. And maybe I am just plain nuts to believe in some obviously non-existant honor code that if you leave you don't leave for the hated regional rival marketplace, you go far away like Seattle to OKC. If you've seen the Facebook movie you know how the one Winklevoss says that going straight to the courts would be non-Harvard like... I sympathized with him even though it was obvious he was a moron for thinking like that. That's just how I'm wired. So if it goes down like this, I won't hate them or call them names or any of that but I certainly won't patronize their businesses either.

That makes 2 of us...

 

[Showtime]

I'm about as hard-core of a Kings fan as you will ever meet. I used to listen to every game on the radio as a kid when there was only about 25 games a year on tv. I remember the days of Lasalle Thompson, Derek Smith, Travis Mays, L-Train, Pressley, Ricky Berry, etc...

So it's a REALLY emotional time for me to see that the team that I have loved for the past 26 years is practically GONE.... I have a 7 year old son who has gotten addicted to the Kings the past couple of years and is infatuated with Tyreke Evans. I'm soooo sad that he won't be able to grow up with the Kings...

I had to tell him the other day that they were probably going to move and he kept asking why? I told him that they needed a newer, bigger arena. And his response was that they could make this one bigger? He has been pretty heartbroken....

So back to my original reason for writing this note. I see that alot of Kings fans are saying that they don't blame the Maloofs one bit for moving. On the outside, that seems like a logical feeling. I felt the same, I mean they've wanted an Arena for 10 years, and the city hasn't been able to provide one.

But digging a little deeper, I think that the Maloofs are doing exactly what they intended to do for several years:

1. What have they done in the last 5 years to even show that they are committed to helping build a new arena? The closest we came to this was the Q and R vote in 2006, when the day before (or a couple of days before) the vote, Joe Maloof came out and basically said that they weren't fully behind the measure. I mean it was going to be a brand new arena in downtown for them, but since they weren't going to be able to control the parking revenues from ALL of the events there, they sabotaged what little chance it did have of passing.

2. They have made it seem like they were willing to contribute towards building a new Arena. They even threw out the $300 million figure as their contribution. When in reality all it amounted to was a lease payment of $10 million a year for 30 years as a lease payment of sorts. In return they wanted to control EVERYTHNG at the arena, even though the City was going to foot the entire bill for everything.

3. Since 2006, they have done absolutely nothing on the Arena front. Instead, they sat back and let the NBA come in and do there work for them. What major facility around the country has been built without active lobbying and support from the team itself?

4. They have continously cut salary for several years now. Every year it was like wait till the Summer of 2010, and then the Summer came and went with nothing happening. The salary cuts have resulted in a horrible product. And the following formula is true:

Horrible Product + Bad Economy = LOW Attendance

And the low attendance gives them a perfect reason to move without looking like the bad guys. Now they're the poor little millionaire victims that are "forced" to move. Every one keeps saying how they're losing money in Sacramento, when in fact they have made a profit on the Kings the past few years. This has been documented in the media and they have even stated it.

Also, no Pro Sports owner buys a team to necessarily turn a profit every year. They make their money in the equity that the team builds over time. If they sold the team today, they would have made a huge profit compared to how much they bought the team for.

The City is definitely not without blame here, they have not done their share. Heather Fargo was totally inept and out of her league on this issue......

But KJ has put together a team that needs a little bit of time to come up with a plan, and they asked for the Maloofs to hand over some documents to assist. KJ announced yesterday that the Maloofs weren't comfortable presenting the "financial documents" requested. Why is that???? Is there something to hide? Are they making more money then they let on??? Do they NOT want an arena here?

1. Why do you think we should be privy to every single effort? We have no idea how many discussions and projects have failed behind the scenes, both before and after Q&R.

2. There are examples of publicly owned buildings that are managed by business groups. For example, the Honda Center in Anaheim is owned by the city, but the owner of the ducks also owns Anaheim Arena Management group which operates the arena. I don't think the Maloofs were out of line asking for what they did, considering it benefits all parties involved.

3. They paid millions out of their own pocket to bring in NBA muscle to get behind a project. From their standpoint, they couldn't get anything done on their own for years, so perhaps they thought another set of eyes coming in and getting behind the idea would help. It didn't. I don't think it's any surprise that Stern threw up his hands after dealing with Sacramento.

4. Cutting salary and not handing out bad MLE contracts is part of the rebuilding phase that every team goes through. Nobody but the Knicks has one of the highest payrolls in the league while going to the lottery. You are right, the timing sucked, but I think this can be traced back to Webber's knee, not any master plan of moving by the Maloofs.

Also, it's their team. They don't have to manufacture low attendance to move. They can move any time they want, and they will get bad press if ARCO was full or empty. They are going to get bad press if they move today. I don't buy the argument they were trying for the perfect storm to move. If a building was up and they were locked in a lease, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. I could understand that viewpoint if the entire community was for a new arena effort. But we've seen apathy and resistance at just about every level from this community. The media, the government (with the exception of KJ), the majority of people who aren't kings fans, etc have not been 100% behind this. So, I don't think you can accuse the Maloofs for submarining efforts as if they were the reason nothing was done when the community was never really behind the idea in the first place.

 

[JB_kings]

I believe we will see some public calling out of this move in the near future. Not from Sacramento, but from media around the country. This is the first move where a city known for it's support of the team is being left high and dry to run to a bigger market. Seattle had similar support, but the OKC ownership takeover was the nail in the coffin. It wasn't so much greed. This move will be viewed as pure greed and will be held up as example of a broken pro sports system. And it looks even worse because they are not being spurned away from city that isn't trying. The are running off while the city is trying. The critcism will be coming from way beyond the city limits.

 

[Superman]

Our difference of opinion seems to be that I no longer believe they want to stay at this point, I think they are angling Anaheim right now. Because when things like superior corporate sponsorship and tv deals start being bandied about, those are things Sacramento could never match even with an arena made of platinum and gold.

I think that, if an arena deal got put together in the next few weeks that was viable, they'd stay, regardless of any deal in Anaheim. For one, they have roots there. On top of that, it's a $100 million relocation fee they don't have to pay. And they can own the Sacramento market.

It may be that they no longer believe a viable deal can be put together, for which I don't really blame them, considering how long it's been.

 

[VF21]

There's more than enough blame to go around but, at the end of the day, it is the Maloofs who will decide whether or not to pull the plug. Do I hold them solely responsible? Hell, no. They have done a lot of good over the years for the team, for the community, etc. Do I think this has all been a grand conspiracy? Um, no. People who think the Maloofs have been plotting this all along are, IMHO, delusional. They have tried repeatedly to get things done. They just haven't been successful for a variety of reasons.

Personally, I question their business acumen and have done so repeatedly over the years. Some of the decisions they made just didn't make much sense. This isn't a bolt of out the blue. This crapstorm has been building for a very long time, with elements like the economy and the lack of a new facility just adding to the mix.

Right now, though, it isn't about pointing fingers of blame. For me, it's about doing whatever I can to give the Maloofs reason to doubt the decision to remove the Kings from Sacramento. That means finding a way to attend more home games. It means reaching out to friends in Sacramento and urging them to do the same. The way I see it, it will be pretty hard for the league to approve a move to Anaheim if the Sacramento fans make a loud and proud statement.

There will be plenty of time to assess blame and point fingers IF they end up moving. Right now, I strongly urge everyone to think of things to do to show them why they shouldn't move instead of insulting them and giving them additional reasons to believe they aren't wanted.

But maybe that's just my opinion.

 

[Superman]

I believe we will see some public calling out of this move in the near future. Not from Sacramento, but from media around the country. This is the first move where a city known for it's support of the team is being left high and dry to run to a bigger market. Seattle had similar support, but the OKC ownership takeover was the nail in the coffin. It wasn't so much greed. This move will be viewed as pure greed and will be held up as example of a broken pro sports system. And it looks even worse because they are not being spurned away from city that isn't trying. The are running off while the city is trying. The critcism will be coming from way beyond the city limits.

I think your post misses the mark.

A) The Kings have some of the worst attendance figures in the NBA for three or four years now.
B) Of all the things you could accuse the Maloofs of, I don't think greed is one of them, as it pertains to a move.
C) The city has been against building a new arena for years. Just look at the Q&R vote.
D) The OKC situation wasn't a takeover; Schultz sold the team to an OKC based businessman, knowing that the NBA wanted to put a team in OKC.

 

[Capt. Factorial]

I think that, if an arena deal got put together in the next few weeks that was viable, they'd stay, regardless of any deal in Anaheim. For one, they have roots there. On top of that, it's a $100 million relocation fee they don't have to pay. And they can own the Sacramento market.

It may be that they no longer believe a viable deal can be put together, for which I don't really blame them, considering how long it's been.

I do hope that is their mindset - to stay if an arena plan can be put together. But Taylor/ICON were quite insistent that 90 days was a tight schedule, not a loose one. I can't imagine anything falling together in a few weeks. The filing deadline was moved to...April 18th, I think? That's still probably 2-3 weeks before Taylor/ICON are scheduled to be done. Hopefully if the Maloofs do file, they will still have the option (if they so desire, which I hope they do) to back out and stay in Sac if Taylor/ICON present something viable. I'm typing this with my fingers crossed (and, boy is that hard!)

 

[Superman]

I do hope that is their mindset - to stay if an arena plan can be put together. But Taylor/ICON were quite insistent that 90 days was a tight schedule, not a loose one. I can't imagine anything falling together in a few weeks. The filing deadline was moved to...April 18th, I think? That's still probably 2-3 weeks before Taylor/ICON are scheduled to be done. Hopefully if the Maloofs do file, they will still have the option (if they so desire, which I hope they do) to back out and stay in Sac if Taylor/ICON present something viable. I'm typing this with my fingers crossed (and, boy is that hard!)

They have six weeks from right now. I don't really buy the idea that they won't have enough time to put together a plan, if it's possible to put one together at all.

 

[Sluggah]

I've never liked the Maloofs, so...easy no from me. When their empire crumbles, can they point their finger at us?

 

[VF21]

I think your post misses the mark.

A) The Kings have some of the worst attendance figures in the NBA for three or four years now.
B) Of all the things you could accuse the Maloofs of, I don't think greed is one of them, as it pertains to a move.
C) The city has been against building a new arena for years. Just look at the Q&R vote.
D) The OKC situation wasn't a takeover; Schultz sold the team to an OKC based businessman, knowing that the NBA wanted to put a team in OKC.

The attendance figures are argumentative, since the ticket prices were still artifically high and most people refused to pay that much for an inferior product, something the Maloofs finally recognized and dealt with when they pretty much totally restructured their marketing and sales division.

As far as the Q&R vote goes, those initiatives were poorly written, ill-conceived and, for the record, I would have voted against them if I had lived in Sacramento.

Just sayin'...

 

[R1LOVER]

Source http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance

2001 - sold out 100%
2002 - sold out 100%
2003 - sold out 100%
2004 - sold out 100%
2005 - sold out 100%
2006 - sold out 100%
2007 - sold out 100%

2008 - 81.7%
2009 - 72.6%
2010 - 76.4%

So other then the last three years, the fans have been doing their part and lined up with the cash!

Average that out and compare with the rest of the nba and the math puts them towards the top.... the bad part is there are only 17k seats, which set's them back as the top dogs are around 20k on average.

 

[Superman]

Source http://espn.go.com/nba/attendance

2001 - sold out 100%
2002 - sold out 100%
2003 - sold out 100%
2004 - sold out 100%
2005 - sold out 100%
2006 - sold out 100%
2007 - sold out 100%

2008 - 81.7%
2009 - 72.6%
2010 - 76.4%

So other then the last three years, the fans have been doing their part and lined up with the cash!

Average that out and compare with the rest of the nba and the math puts them towards the top.... the bad part is there are only 17k seats, which set's them back as the top dogs are around 20k on average.

I said three or four years. That's three, plus this season, which makes it four. And percentage is what matters, not gross attendance.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

As far as the Q&R vote goes, those initiatives were poorly written, ill-conceived and, for the record, I would have voted against them if I had lived in Sacramento.

My sentiments too.

 

[JB_kings]

I think your post misses the mark.

A) The Kings have some of the worst attendance figures in the NBA for three or four years now.
B) Of all the things you could accuse the Maloofs of, I don't think greed is one of them, as it pertains to a move.
C) The city has been against building a new arena for years. Just look at the Q&R vote.
D) The OKC situation wasn't a takeover; Schultz sold the team to an OKC based businessman, knowing that the NBA wanted to put a team in OKC.

And I can counter all your replies.

This city is known for it's support. 2 of the top 5 sellouts streaks are owned by this town's fans. One of those was established during umpteen years of lottery bound teams before Webber, Divac, Peja and Bibby. You have to move for recent years when things hit poor times. So your point is incorrect when you view frnachise history. You don't get to cut out only what fits your agenda.

Not greedy? How do you not see picking up and moving from small market to the great expanse of OC as not movin on up Jefferson's style? You can't have it both ways and say they are moving to greener pastures and then paint it as not greedy.

The city has a bad record of getting things done. But it has tried to get it done without public assistance in the mix. This was a taxpayer non-no. It's only been in the last few months that the city has agreed finally that public assistance might be possible. And it's no joke, ICON-Taylor had way more chance to get this approved than any attempt before it. Unlike Seatttle who said they were emphatic about not doing a facility, this time the council said lets consider this.

And the situation is Seattle was different was my point. It doesn't matter who did what because the point was the OKC group bought a team that could be moved and a city that wasn't trying to keep them. Here we are talking about ownership that is running out while the city was trying to put together a legitimate deal. And in my opinion, the Maloofs turned their back on this attempt. Pretty much proven by events I think.

 

[BayAreaKingsFan]

They have six weeks from right now. I don't really buy the idea that they won't have enough time to put together a plan, if it's possible to put one together at all.

Really???? You don't "buy the idea" that they can come up with a plan to finance a huge $500 million project in 6 weeks? Especially when your beloved Maloofs refuse to hand over the financials that the Icon/Taylor group is asking for?

They could've easily waited till next year to do this if they really wanted to stay. KJ has been doing all that he can since he's been elected, and it's not his fault the Fargo was inept. Why not give KJ a year to see if he can make it work?

And you complain about our lack of attendance, why don't you compare the % of attendance with other teams that have been among the bottom 5 in the league for the past 3 years? And to add to that, why don't you compare the % of games that your beloved Maloofs have attended the past 3 years versus the previous 7? Seems like they didn't like coming to watch a crappy team as much as the fans.....

I think it's a sign of maturity of our fanbase that we wouldn't just go sellout regardless of the crappy, "cheap" product the ownership group put on the floor.

 

[R1LOVER]

I said three or four years. That's three, plus this season, which makes it four. And percentage is what matters, not gross attendance.

The reality is the economy has had the largest impact on attendance, even with a poor team the attendance drop off was due to people not having the cash to go, and the constant raising of ticket prices. People finally said enough is enough... and then the bottom fell out of the economy. Sacramento is a great fan base for their team! There is no arguing that point.

 

[Superman]

Really???? You don't "buy the idea" that they can come up with a plan to finance a huge $500 million project in 6 weeks? Especially when your beloved Maloofs refuse to hand over the financials that the Icon/Taylor group is asking for?

Taylor/ICON has been working on this for three weeks now, and everything that they need. The information has been handed over. It wasn't handed over when you and Kevin Johnson wanted it, but it was handed over. This keeps coming up. It's done. So is it totally unreasonable to think that maybe they could do in nine weeks what they were planning to do in 12 weeks? Or maybe come reasonably close, and present a proposal that makes sense to the city council, the mayor, and Kings management, and maybe forestall a move? Everyone is saying "they need the full 90 days!" Let's stop being so rigid. If they're on to something, then they can make a strong case for it with three weeks less than what they were expecting to have.

And I don't have beloved Maloofs. I just don't think their the spawn of Satan.

They could've easily waited till next year to do this if they really wanted to stay. KJ has been doing all that he can since he's been elected, and it's not his fault the Fargo was inept. Why not give KJ a year to see if he can make it work?

KJ has been in office for over two years. Give him a year???

And you complain about our lack of attendance, why don't you compare the % of attendance with other teams that have been among the bottom 5 in the league for the past 3 years? And to add to that, why don't you compare the % of games that your beloved Maloofs have attended the past 3 years versus the previous 7? Seems like they didn't like coming to watch a crappy team as much as the fans.....

I think it's a sign of maturity of our fanbase that we wouldn't just go sellout regardless of the crappy product the ownership group put on the floor.

I'm not complaining about the lack of attendance. I realize there were legitimate reasons for the low numbers. Most of those reasons can be traced back to the Maloofs. However, there's this perpetuated belief that there's nothing but support for the Kings staying in Sacramento, when that's not really the case. First of all, there's a contingent of Sacramento residents who have been opposed to anything related to building an arena, regardless of whether the Kings stay or not. And then there's the fact -- and this matters, regardless of the reasons for it -- that attendance has been low for four years now. Two sellouts all season long.

And again, you're hung up on this idea that I'm pimping for the Maloofs. I'm just addressing the questions you raised. If you didn't want any dissent, you should have said so, and then I wouldn't have responded.

But you claim that Joe Maloof killed Q&R, when there are two die hard Kings fans and Sac-area natives in this thread who wouldn't have voted for Q&R, not because the Maloofs didn't like it, but because it was poorly conceived. Was it really Joe Maloof's off-hand comment that killed Q&R? You took issue with a $10 million/year lease, when that's above and beyond what a normal NBA lease is. That's just a couple of examples of comments you made that I didn't think were fair or accurate. Excuse me for pointing them out. I didn't realize that would make me a Maloof apologist.

 

[R1LOVER]

All news reports are still stating they do not have the paperwork needed from the maloof's..... you are saying they do now?

If so this is news....

 

[Superman]

The reality is the economy has had the largest impact on attendance, even with a poor team the attendance drop off was due to people not having the cash to go, and the constant raising of ticket prices. People finally said enough is enough... and then the bottom fell out of the economy. Sacramento is a great fan base for their team! There is no arguing that point.

I'm not arguing that Sacramento isn't a great fan base. It's just when people say "there's been great support," when really, for four years now, there hasn't been.

 

[bajaden]

Something that has been stewing in my mind since all this started last month was the horrible timing the Maloofs seem to have for us Kings fans. We have stuck by this team since the "rebuilding" started in 2005. Now the summer right before it all comes together with tons of cap space, valuable trade pieces, and serious young talent, there just going to up and leave like the god damn building is falling down. I don't give a **** if Arco is old. The place isnt falling to the ground. We will be in the playoff hunt next season and that place will sellout like it always has. The buzz will be back in Sacramento and with guys like Kevin Johnson and David Taylor, we WILL get an arena deal done! The Maloofs are being not only selfish pieces of ****, but horrible business men in the progress. Everyone in the right mind see it that way, why are the Maloofs so damn stubborn all of the sudden?!

I'm trying really hard to wrap my mind around your perception of the Maloofs. And I can't. Because the facts just don't support it. From the moment the Maloofs took over ownership of the Kings, people started accusing them of being carpetbaggers. From day one they were accused of buying the team with the intention of moving it to Las Vegas, or some other destination that was closer to their base of operation. They denied it from the beginning. And they've been denying it every year for the last 12 years. All they've asked for is a new arena. Other than that, until now, they've done nothing to make anyone beleive that they wanted to move the team.

You say that their timing is bad. In what way? Would next year be better? Or would it have been better 2 or 3 years ago? I mean, is there a good time for them to leave? This arena problem has been there for 10 years, and nothing has been done. Some of that is the fault of the Maloofs, and some is the fault of the city. No one is perfect in this equation. But Regardless of guilt, there's still no arena. There's still no approved arena deal. And there's no guarantee that the pending one will come to fruition. Hope and patience only travel so far. To suggest that they should just put up with the old arena until the cows come home isn't going to work. And they won't do it.

Folks are accusing them of being bad businessmen. And at the same time getting angry at them for wanting a better product to sell to the public. The arena as well as the team is part of the product. Your asking them to accept the worse of both worlds. Operating in a small market, and doing so with an inferior arena. While they're out there competing with big market teams with new or newer arena's. I honestly don't think they bought the team to get rich off of. But it does have to make a profit. And it has to be able to make a profit when the payroll is maxed out, and not at its current level.

You can be angry at them if you want to. I think its misplaced, and certainly won't change anything. In basic terms, the Maloofs have a product. The Kings! It will cost money to have that product here. If no one is willing to pay the price for that product, then they'll sell it to someone else. At the moment, the price is a new arena. You can call them selfish, arrogant, or whatever you want. Bottom line, its their product, and thats the price. Its really that simple. The guy at the corner grocery store uses the same principles. You want a bottle of milk, you pay for it. The Maloofs aren't a charity institution. They have donated 30 million dollars to the sacramento community over the last 12 years though. Bah Humbug, that doesn't count for anything. They're still selfish bastards.