sacbee
Ailene Voisin: Ask Stern: Kings, fans deserve a new arena
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Wednesday, November 17, 2004
David Stern knows a winner when he sees one. He can count the number of empty seats (zero) inside Arco Arena, feel the pulse of the community and the ownership, study proposals for a new arena and reach the obvious conclusion.
The Kings belong right here.
The NBA commissioner, who visited Sacramento for the purpose of (a) assessing the viability of a privately funded arena proposal headed by developer Angelo Tsakopoulos and Sheriff Lou Blanas, (b) offering his findings to the Kings' owners, who are pressing for a state-of-the-art place to call home, and (c) recommending a course of action, made the wise move.
OAS_AD('Button20');He insinuated himself into the heart of the negotiations, nudged the parties back to the table and not-so-gently pushed them out the door, in essence, fast-forwarding a process that was - take your pick - dead, dormant, disastrous.
"I was very encouraged," Stern said late Tuesday afternoon. "I think this plan has a good likelihood of success."
Left unsaid was this: Stern despises forum-shopping and franchise relocations. He long has believed that one city's gain is the entire league's loss, largely because it alienates fans and hints at economic instability. During his 25 years as an NBA executive, the New York native has endorsed only three moves - the Kings from Kansas City to Sacramento (1985), the Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis (2001) and the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans (2002) - but only after being swayed by poor attendance and an all-encompassing community malaise.
Stern also sued (unsuccessfully) Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling in 1984 to block the shift from San Diego to Los Angeles and subsequently pressured the former Minnesota Timberwolves owners into selling the franchise instead of racing to New Orleans.
But in the NBA, these Kings and their fans are in a league of their own. They love unconditionally. They are to be applauded and appreciated, not abandoned because of clashing egos and the ill-advised actions of inept negotiators.
In a preseason poll of general managers, for instance, 71 percent listed Arco as providing the best homecourt advantage. And it's not merely the cozy atmosphere and recent success that causes the noise to bounce off walls as if a boombox were situated in every aisle, but rather, it's the people. It's the fans.
What better place to be? The saturated market (Anaheim) in Southern California? A small market (Kansas City) that already struggles to support its other pro franchises? A city that never sleeps and plays craps while its college teams struggle (Las Vegas)? St. Louis? Baltimore? The Peninsula? Who wouldn't fight to stay?
No, Stern has it right. He is applying the muscle in all the right places. For all of the mistakes and missteps that have characterized discussions between the Maloofs' representatives and the city's civic leaders, this is a jewel of a franchise, to be polished, to be nurtured, and prepped for the move into a new home.
"We always wanted to get this done," said Joe Maloof, who has promised to become more engaged with the process. "Let's put the past behind us. Now we move on and do it better this time."
Arena building is both an art and an ordeal; these things tend to be more painful than giving birth.
Built on the cheap and lacking the modern amenities (luxury suites, club seats, etc.) necessary for owners to compete economically in the entertainment forum, Arco is cracked and creaking, the foundation too unsteady to withstand massive renovation. It also has visibly exhausted its physical utility.
Opposing players complain about the lack of hot water in the showers. The small concourses limit the number of concession stands and prompt long lines and large crowds. League media officials wince whenever the Kings reach the playoffs; an insufficient number of seats are available to satisfy requests from the national and international press.
Sacramento, of course, isn't the only NBA city afflicted by the aging arena syndrome. With the exception of New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena (1981), every facility built before Arco (1988) has undergone major renovations and, in some instances, nothing short of a complete gutting. Of the four other buildings constructed in 1988, discussions for new arenas are under way in Milwaukee and Orlando, while the expansion Bobcats move into a new downtown Charlotte structure next season. Only the Detroit Pistons' Palace of Auburn Hills has aged gracefully.
But back to Sac. Back to the beginning. Although an early skeptic about this region's ability to support a franchise, Stern was won over by Gregg Lukenbill's enthusiasm, by the 25-year economic and growth projections, and more recently, by the sellout streak that continues unabated.
He has a history here. He struck gold here. He also matched the Maloofs with the market in 1997, directed the family away from other franchises and toward the Kings, a team foundering at the time under Jim Thomas' ownership.
So consider Stern's intervention a sort of marriage counseling. The couple now has an opportunity to survive. The fans now have a last best-chance to get what is so richly deserved. More of the Kings.
