In brief, I will never absolve city hall for it's role in this fiasco. Especially Fargo and members of the Sacramento City Council. I hold them at least (if not more) accountable in all this as the Maloofs.
And I will also always appreciate the Maloofs buying the team and showing real passion and energy during the best years this club had in Sacramento as well as their work in the community.
That said, I am officially and thoroughly done with them. I could overlook bad decisions (the gold lame alternate jerseys, the "6" statue, the hiring of Theus and especially the firing of Adelman) because I thought they were just well meaning bumblers who couldn't get out of their own way and were relatively clueless about what appeals to fans and how to run a team.
But what I've seen this last year is (regardless of real or perceived money troubles) a bumbling that could potentially cost me a basketball team that was mine LONG before it was theirs. Who doesn't realize that pressure is always needed to get things like an arena done? If they wanted one in Sacramento the way to do it wasn't to throw up their hands in frustration and then secretly start talks with Anaheim. The way to do it was to very publicly state in early 2010 that if a firm plan for an arena wasn't in place by this year's deadline they'd file for relocation.
Give an ultimatum and a firm deadline. At best it gets all the wheels (which are just now shaking off rust) turning a year earlier and gets them a new facility in Sacramento. At worst (assuming they actually DID want to stay in Sacramento) it lets them do what they are doing now publicly with no blood on their hands since they gave the city a chance. That's just negotiaton 101.
And things only got worse. I think the tipping point was Joe (I think it was Joe and not Gavin) making a pair of comments when KJ started really fighting for the Kings and bringing up the $77 million loan repayment. First he says he said that Johnson should stay out of their business. Really? As if stripping a city of it's beloved team doesn't make it the mayor's business to try and stop them?
And even more frustrating was him going on to say that he and his brothers were trying to do the "classy thing" by not talking about it. Classy? CLASSY? Keeping fans in the dark and refusing to discuss the fact that they were putting all their efforts into taking away the team while Sacramentans continued to shell out money to see THEIR team was classy? No, it was slimy, pure and simple.
But today's comment was it for me. If the Kings leave Sacramento will never get another team? What on earth gives them the gall to say something like that.
I desperately want the Kings to stay in Sacramento. In a perfect world the Maloofs would be forced to sell and a new arena would be built that could revitalize downtown Sacramento. But in reality I think the options are that the Kings become the Anaheim Royals and Sacramento possibly gets another team in a few years or the Kings stay in Sacramento with the Maloofs as owners.
I'd rather have the latter because it means I get to keep rooting for the team I grew up with but I will feel a twinge every time I buy tickets that I am supporting the Maloofs.