Board of Govs Meeting Updates-DAY 2

[Peter_Gibbons]

The only differences are public perception, and that's my point. I do see the aspect of wanting to establish his name in Sacramento and the political realm of CA. I also see the possibility of this entire thing being a smokescreen for other personal agendas. The fact that I'm trying to present is that nothing substantial has surfaced, so all we have to go on are statements which have proven in the past to be as durable as the paper they are printed on.

You know I had the thought that Burkle can be just letting KJ and crew "borrow" his name to use in this in exchange for political favors.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

What's the cost though? The current owners are moving the team anyway. KJ is playing with house money at the moment.

I don't know, but everyone has a price. Some don't mind the fact that the city will most likely make big concessions to Burkle which saves the Kings but harms the city or state in other ways. It just depends who you ask. If you ask a Sacto Kings fan right now, they will most likely agree to give Burkle incentives at the public's expense in exchange for his help to save the Kings. If you ask a non Kings fan Sacto resident, he/she will probably say Burkle can go to hell.

 

[Showtime]

I love the responses to "he saved the penguins, he's our potential HERO!"

Guess what: the penguins admitted to threatening to move the team as a negotiating tactic to get the locals to pay up.

Great example of your hero.

 

[ArcoKings]

I meant it fuguratively. The man in my avatar pic could perform last minute heroics that usually go against us. Hence the "(Ron Burkle)". I'd love to be able to compare him to a Kings player, but that would typically bring completely wrong connotations when it comes to closing out the biggest game ever.

LOL. I know.

 

[Showtime]

I'm sure they were infuriated. So upset, they must have been, that they wished they had been able to buy tickets to the game to make sure that wouldn't happen. If only they had seats reserved for themselves somewhere court side, then Laker fans would never be seen at a Kings game.

But then again, there were more pressing things to do. Like be in NYC to get a good night's rest so that they could make a proposal the next day that would tear the heart out of Kings' fans. After all, it is impossible to travel from Sacramento to NYC in 12 hours. We know that because KJ, who was at the game himself, was unable to get to NYC to tell NBA owners about the 9 million dollars in sponsorships he'd had pledged to him in the last week or how Burkle was interested in keeping or getting a team in Sac. If only KJ had been able to get there in time.

Spare the melodrama. It's not their fault they were publicly stating a new arena was necessary, and the people put their heads in the sand for years. Now, they are tearing the hearts out of fans? This train was coming a mile away and everybody who wasn't in denial saw it.

Where was the "Here we stay" campaigns before? Oh that's right, nobody took their words seriously until they showed they were serious. Get real.

 

[The Hammer]

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.

Well, could it be that they really do want to stay in Sac if the city get's their **** together and get's an arena deal in place. Keep in mind that the Maloofs are not the one's forcing the issue of the move. It really is the lack of an arena. That's pretty clearly what they've said or indicated all along.

Viewed this way, in a wierd sort of way, the statement can be viewed as trying to motivate an arena deal to get done. I actually am one who still believes that if an arena gets built that is a viable business deal for the Kings... they would NOT move. I'm not one who believes they've been secretly plotting to move the Kings to soCal since 1983. That's just more typical sactown low self esteem.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

What exactly can Sacramento give Burkle that businesses aren't taking elsewhere?

Pay the piper or lose the team and be an otherwise irrelevant pitstop for 4mpg SUVs towing their boats from SF to Tahoe.

 

[mr. moustache]

This line of discussion came after the idea that the Maloofs would be forced to stay, and because of the burned bridges between the fans, also sell to Burkle. So...

...what if the city/county once again rejects the idea of public assistance in financing hundreds of millions for a new arena after the team has already been sold, and Burkle decides he doesn't want to finance a new arena entirely with private monies, and can add the NBA to another city, even join the Penguins up in PA?

I'm just saying, until something substantial is in the works, everything here is speculation and statements. Everything is up in the air, and could go in a very positive direction for sacramento, or go in a very negative one.

Then there's no future in Sacramento for the NBA. Outside some delusional fans; I don't think many of us think it's likely the Kings are in Sac next year. The water just got WAY murky and it appears the Maloofs are sitting with a crappy hand with very few chips on the table.

The only leverage they have is in selling the team and that's the last thing they want to do.

 

[JB_kings]

We have no other alternatives atm. It's either wave goodbye to the Kings and watch the Magoofs move the team or take a gamble on Burkle being a savior.

Showtime can wait for the next bus to come by... but it might be headed to Anaheim.

 

[Livinthedream]

I love the responses to "he saved the penguins, he's our potential HERO!"

Guess what: the penguins admitted to threatening to move the team as a negotiating tactic to get the locals to pay up.

Great example of your hero.

We get it. Everyone has a motive and agenda. Especially big business men. That can't be avoided. What's your motive though? You prefer to Kings to leave? Is it that you disagree with Burkle's political affiliation? I'm trying to figure it out here.

I think we're all happy that this whole process got delayed basically on the involvement of Burkle. Why shouldn't we be happy about that today? The NBA is on a fact finding mission and we'll all know soon enough. We're just enjoying the moment.

 

[Kings Faithful]

Spare the melodrama. It's not their fault they were publicly stating a new arena was necessary, and the people put their heads in the sand for years. Now, they are tearing the hearts out of fans? This train was coming a mile away and everybody who wasn't in denial saw it.

Where was the "Here we stay" campaigns before? Oh that's right, nobody took their words seriously until they showed they were serious. Get real.

If they would have told us "We are filing in 2011 if an arena deal isn't in place" you would have seen the Here We Stay campaigns long ago. Instead we heard "We are dedicated to Sacramento, and Sacramento only, we aren't even picking up the phone for other cities... lets get this done!!! WHOOPPEEE!!!!"

 

[mr. moustache]

You know I had the thought that Burkle can be just letting KJ and crew "borrow" his name to use in this in exchange for political favors.

Especially if it's centered around the idea that he'd buy the team if it was for sale. The talk is cheap because calling his bluff means putting the team up for sale.

Still.. Burkle's involvement is a nightmare to the Maloofs and Aneheim. He his bluff can get the team on the market, Sacramento and Seattle likely get into the mix along with Aneheim. A week ago it was Aneheim or bust; so I still think this is a very significant move; even if it is mostly lip service.

 

[Bricklayer]

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I love the responses to "he saved the penguins, he's our potential HERO!"

Guess what: the penguins admitted to threatening to move the team as a negotiating tactic to get the locals to pay up.

Great example of your hero.

The Penguins were in danger of folding and ceasing operations altogether. It was a long process that was far worse than anything in Sac up until the surprise announcement at the All Star break that a deal was pretty much altogether in place. And yet Sac still scrambled and did enough to force a hold.

WTF is your motivation here? You're just pretty much calling the guy a heel for the hell of it. Why not take him at face value?

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Nice one Brickie!

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

Also someone pointed out, if Stern is so dying to have Burkle in the league, why did he not accept Ellison's bid to buy the Hornets right away? Ellison is richer than 10 Burkles.

 

[Showtime]

We get it. Everyone has a motive and agenda. Especially big business men. That can't be avoided. What's your motive though? You prefer to Kings to leave? Is it that you disagree with Burkle's political affiliation? I'm trying to figure it out here.

My motive is not letting my emotions control my evaluation of the situation. I don't want the kings to leave, but I also don't want somebody taking advantage of the desperation of a city that could end up with a worse outcome than the Anaheim Royals.

I think we're all happy that this whole process got delayed basically on the involvement of Burkle. Why shouldn't we be happy about that today? The NBA is on a fact finding mission and we'll all know soon enough. We're just enjoying the moment.

Some people aren't enjoying the moment, but instead looking for fantasy scenarios about a billionaire picking up the entire bill for an arena while executing a coup d'etat with the kings to keep them in Sac.

 

[Showtime]

The Penguins were in danger of folding and ceasing operations altogether. It was a long process that was far worse than anything in Sac up until the surprise announcement at the All Star break that a deal was pretty much altogether in place. And yet Sac still scrambled and did enough to force a hold.

WTF is your motivation here? You're just pretty much calling the guy a heel for the hell of it. Why not take him at face value?

I'm saying that he and the Maloofs play the same game, but the Maloofs are vilified and Burkle is glorified. That is what I'm trying to point out to people here.

 

[rainmaker]

My motive is not letting my emotions control my evaluation of the situation. I don't want the kings to leave, but I also don't want somebody taking advantage of the desperation of a city that could end up with a worse outcome than the Anaheim Royals.



Some people aren't enjoying the moment, but instead looking for fantasy scenarios about a billionaire picking up the entire bill for an arena while executing a coup d'etat with the kings to keep them in Sac.

Point out one place on the entire internet where someone has said they expect Burkle to finance the entire arena.

 

[bozzwell]

I love the responses to "he saved the penguins, he's our potential HERO!"

Guess what: the penguins admitted to threatening to move the team as a negotiating tactic to get the locals to pay up.

Great example of your hero.

Ron Ron may or may not become a saviour of the Kings. That remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Maloofs are trying to bail out on the city and the only thing standing behind them and Anaheim is NBA BOG/owners. I don't really care how we got here. I love the Kings. I invested emotinally for 11 years. I spent 1000's of dollars on NBA league passes, jerseys, memorabilia etc. Never asked for anything in return from anyone, least of all Maloofs. I understand this is business, and I pay to have fun that is being a Sacramento Kings' fan for all this time. Part of the mistique for me is that they are small market, underdog team. If they ever win a ring, that would be like Cubs sweeping World Series for me (I also own Cubs season tickets). So the guys threatening to move the team to OC of all places are as far as possible from heros or anything else I'd like Kings owners to be associated with, that anyone, ANYONE who helps to prevent them from moving to OC is automatically a good-guy or at least an "ally".

That's what we're discussing here. I don't even know what people are talking about half of the time when they bring up Maloofs past transgressions. Do not care. Same goes for the city - I don't care what they didn't do in the past if they save the Kings tomorrow.

 

[Peter_Gibbons]

If they would have told us "We are filing in 2011 if an arena deal isn't in place" you would have seen the Here We Stay campaigns long ago. Instead we heard "We are dedicated to Sacramento, and Sacramento only, we aren't even picking up the phone for other cities... lets get this done!!! WHOOPPEEE!!!!"

But the point that a lot of us are presenting is that the Maloofs and the NBA have been saying for a LONG time that they absolutely need a new arena. Everyone just ignored that need/request because they thought they were just going to stay regardless. It was a widely known situation that was ignored for a long time. Now they've just had enough. So it is unfair to blame the Maloofs/Stern/NBA when they are not on Sac's (the city) side.

 

[jpsls]

I love the responses to "he saved the penguins, he's our potential HERO!"

Guess what: the penguins admitted to threatening to move the team as a negotiating tactic to get the locals to pay up.

Great example of your hero.

Isn't this what the Maloofs are doing?

 

[RookieOfTheDay]

Isn't this what the Maloofs are doing?

I think the Maloofs have gone well beyond threats.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I'm saying that he and the Maloofs play the same game, but the Maloofs are vilified and Burkle is glorified. That is what I'm trying to point out to people here.

What game are you talking about? The game of being rich? Burkle is being hailed as a savior because he has pronounced intentions on helping keep the Kings here. The Maloofs are being villified because they never gave Sacramento a deadline and negotiated in secret with Anaheim while telling Sacramento they loved us.

Neither are people I imagine myself having anything in common with or would want to hang out with on a personal level.

 

[ArcoKings]

People can dump on the Maloofs all they want and the boys no doubt realize they're not the most popular bachelors in Sac as this point. But I bet they don't give a hoot and why should they? They've been fighting for a new arena all out since 2002 - having taken majority control of Kings franchise in 1998. Before the Maloofs, previous owner Jim Thomas tried to get the blittering idoits at City Hall to come up with a new arena plan, and way back in 1992 original owner Greg Lukenbill (who built both Arco 1 and Arco 2 totally on his own) was talking about need for a new arena development plan since what he had built was only a temporary facility that would not be suitable for future expansion or rehab. All of these guys failed to get a new arena because they city of Sacramento dropped the ball - NOT THEM!

I agree 100%. If the arena would have been built none of this crap would be happening. The Kings would have already played in their new arena for a couple years. Even ICON said that it would be a long shot to get something done. People get upset that the Maloofs want to earn more money and then say nothing about the other NBA owners that are sitting raking in the bucks. Sure the Maloofs made some mistakes. All NBA owners have and will continue to make them. The NBA is all business. When ICON mentioned that it would be a long-shot for an arena deal to work the Maloofs probably said 'we heard of this enough.' Even with the good years the Maloofs were probably earning little money if any compared to other owners. They finally said enough. We need to make money. Get us a new arena.

 

[mr. moustache]

Yep. There's more than a few issues at play here.

1. What will happen RE: Kings in Sac? Answer: Nobody in their right mind has a clue

2. How did yesterday's presentations go? KJ just CRUSHED the Maloofs and Aneheim. Just absolutely crushed them.

Burkle's motivations are totally relevant to #1 above, but I think a lot of people are simply happy that #2 happened. #2 was a prerequisite to any scenario where Sacramento stays an NBA city. The overtime analogies are apt. The outcome is in question and either group can win if they make the right moves.

If you want the Kings to stay in Sac, you should be thankful for all of the developments in the last 36 hours.

 

[JB_kings]

My motive is not letting my emotions control my evaluation of the situation. I don't want the kings to leave, but I also don't want somebody taking advantage of the desperation of a city that could end up with a worse outcome than the Anaheim Royals.

Some people aren't enjoying the moment, but instead looking for fantasy scenarios about a billionaire picking up the entire bill for an arena while executing a coup d'etat with the kings to keep them in Sac.

We are not on the same page if you think that there is a worse option than the Anaheim Royals.

 

[Tetsujin]

We are not on the same page if you think that there is a worse option than the Anaheim Royals.

Well, hellfire could come raining down from the sky and incinerate the entire Central Valley for starters.

 

[Showtime]

If they would have told us "We are filing in 2011 if an arena deal isn't in place" you would have seen the Here We Stay campaigns long ago. Instead we heard "We are dedicated to Sacramento, and Sacramento only, we aren't even picking up the phone for other cities... lets get this done!!! WHOOPPEEE!!!!"

Every single time this issue came up, and this is across years of attempts, they were asked if the arena wasn't done would they move. And their response? They would always say "Our focus is on the positive and trying to get something done here first." Hindsight is 20/20, and some people claim that it might have been a poor decision not to play hardball and give a deadline then. And there is merit to that. However, there is also merit to the PR approach at the time which didn't have KJ in the drivers seat, and had the potential that if they did give an ultimatum publicly, that it would turn really bad really fast against them. We've already seen some people give the "good riddance" comments even with the most support we've ever seen now. Imagine this during a time when everybody is hurting more financially, and the city leaders are entirely against this. Playing hardball could have been the nail in the coffin. So there is merit to their statements about being committed to staying and focusing on the positive, because they were fighting an uphill battle against the city during that time.

I will say this: their avoidance of directly answering that question over the years is as clear of an indication of their motives as if they had directly answered that. And every single person who payed attention knew it. When they say "A new arena is necessary, and soon", it's painfully clear how dire the situation was. And my point stands: the people who needed to be given a deadline are the same people who were in denial and didn't want to accept the fact that this was coming.

 

[Showtime]

We are not on the same page if you think that there is a worse option than the Anaheim Royals.

No, we aren't. Because under the speculative topics brought up about Burkle wresting control of the team away from the Maloofs, we might see them be an entirely different team somewhere outside the state. And that, to me, is worse than rooting for the Royals as pacific division rivals of the lakers.