Grant's interview with Jeff Miller of OC Register

Mike0476

Mike0476

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Brief summary of what Jeff Miller of OC Register said:


Honda Center needs lock room improvements for NBA teams (not a big deal)


Bigger issue is practice facility


Only hurdle with city council is tax payers are against funding and already voiced their displeasure. Should not be enough of a roadblock. Owners (such as Maloofs) are very motivated to moving to Anaheim.


How will money be generated? More of a bond issue. It will not be a major hurdle or stumbling block.


Pulse of OC talk about this? It's being talked quite a bit about. It's not the most passionate market. People will sit back and wait to see if it actually happens. It's not wide spread fever.


Why would city vote to wait until April 12? He doesn't understand it either. He guesses this is normal with grind at a halt sometimes. Has not seen an explanation why. This is more of how these things operate.


Many are against this (Lakers, 3 teams too close together) or skeptical about the possible move. He thinks it will work though.


On Ducks playoffs and attendance: Small group of die-hard fans and then bandwagon fans if they make playoffs will attend. Thinks they could sell out playoffs but depends on match ups too (like vs Detroit yes, Vancouver no). The excitement has not carried on from their Stanley Cup championship. It's going to take winning and win pretty quickly to establish loyalty from NBA or NFL team in OC.


Mark Whicker of OC Register at 6pm.
 
Mike0476 said:
Brief summary of what Jeff Miller of OC Register said:


Honda Center needs lock room improvements for NBA teams (not a big deal)


Bigger issue is practice facility


Only hurdle with city council is tax payers are against funding and already voiced their displeasure. Should not be enough of a roadblock. Owners (such as Maloofs) are very motivated to moving to Anaheim.


How will money be generated? More of a bond issue. It will not be a major hurdle or stumbling block.


Pulse of OC talk about this? It's being talked quite a bit about. It's not the most passionate market. People will sit back and wait to see if it actually happens. It's not wide spread fever.


Why would city vote to wait until April 12? He doesn't understand it either. He guesses this is normal with grind at a halt sometimes. Has not seen an explanation why. This is more of how these things operate.


Many are against this (Lakers, 3 teams too close together) or skeptical about the possible move. He thinks it will work though.


On Ducks playoffs and attendance: Small group of die-hard fans and then bandwagon fans if they make playoffs will attend. Thinks they could sell out playoffs but depends on match ups too (like vs Detroit yes, Vancouver no). The excitement has not carried on from their Stanley Cup championship. It's going to take winning and win pretty quickly to establish loyalty from NBA or NFL team in OC.


Mark Whicker of OC Register at 6pm.
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think the interview was a definition of fair weather fans.

basically said it will work if this happens and this happens and this happens.
 
Mike0476 said:
Brief summary of what Jeff Miller of OC Register said:


Honda Center needs lock room improvements for NBA teams (not a big deal)


Bigger issue is practice facility


Only hurdle with city council is tax payers are against funding and already voiced their displeasure. Should not be enough of a roadblock. Owners (such as Maloofs) are very motivated to moving to Anaheim.


How will money be generated? More of a bond issue. It will not be a major hurdle or stumbling block.


Pulse of OC talk about this? It's being talked quite a bit about. It's not the most passionate market. People will sit back and wait to see if it actually happens. It's not wide spread fever.


Why would city vote to wait until April 12? He doesn't understand it either. He guesses this is normal with grind at a halt sometimes. Has not seen an explanation why. This is more of how these things operate.


Many are against this (Lakers, 3 teams too close together) or skeptical about the possible move. He thinks it will work though.


On Ducks playoffs and attendance: Small group of die-hard fans and then bandwagon fans if they make playoffs will attend. Thinks they could sell out playoffs but depends on match ups too (like vs Detroit yes, Vancouver no). The excitement has not carried on from their Stanley Cup championship. It's going to take winning and win pretty quickly to establish loyalty from NBA or NFL team in OC.


Mark Whicker of OC Register at 6pm.
Click to expand...

The reason is this is southern Cali, its a sunny hot beach town. Hockey fans or even people that knows anything about hockey is rare. If someone in this area was interested about hockey, where would he/she even play?
 
Mark Whicker of OC Register said:

He didn't think basketball would work in OKC but it has. LA and OC are two different markets. There's an obsession with the Lakers. Doesn't know how there will be 17,000 Kings fans just like that with everything going on in So Cal.

Doesn't know if a 3rd team would work. A team with no baggage would be a better fit for this market. There will be some excitement at the beginning but will wear off quickly if they don't win.

All the momentum is on Anaheim's side (Henry Samueli, Maloof's registering different team names, etc.).

Hard to predict fans and fan base.

Why has it taken so long for Anaheim to get a basketball team? Sonics were supposed to be there. Clippers too but doesn't think Donald Sterling knows how to drive in LA (joke). We'd be fighting Lakers and Clippers for awareness. Knows Maloofs don't want to move to KC where there is a new arena and no competition but if San Diego had an arena it would be a slam dunk.

First four years with expansion team in Ducks, they sold out the arena. A lot of wait and see attitude in OC. No one came to see Angels play until they made playoffs. You have to win. Too much tradition and winning in OC. Has been a resident of OC for 24 years so he has a good pulse on what's going on there.

Feels people will buy tickets to watch Lakers (extra home games), Boston, etc. But if Utah comes in and both teams are out of playoffs he doubts many will go. But OC wants their own identity.

On Lakers deal with Time Warner: Changes landscape a lot because they will need a new product to fill air time.

He's open minded about the move.
 
I didn't get that about the locker room. Does it simply mean to make the locker room nicer but they will share it with the Ducks? I don't find that easy to swallow. The Maloofs are sure desparate to get out of here. It almost seems more than a business deal because you can't make money with fair weather fans.
 
I read a comment on an article from an OC person who said he'd be able to see Kobe play without having to drive to Staples. Good grief! :rolleyes:
 
Im starting to think that even if we had approved a new arena the maloofs would have found a reason to leave this market. Its not about a new arena. Its about the potential cash flow, and there is none here in sac. The demise of the palms and the sale of their dads distributorship sealed sacramentos fate.
 
kennadog said:
I read a comment on an article from an OC person who said he'd be able to see Kobe play without having to drive to Staples. Good grief! :rolleyes:
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Of course, Kobe Bryant and his family call home a multi-million dollar estate in Newport Beach area of OC. Out his big mansion front door he's very close to Honda Center, right up Costa Mesa Hwy to I-5 north a bit. Definitely much shorter ride on the ground or even the helicopter taxi he often takes over to Staples.
 
fansinceday1 said:
This, x1,000.
This would be just a little bit easier to tollerate if we werent losing the kings to SoCal. Its like the maloofs are thinking, If you cant beat them, join them.
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That doesn't really factor in as much for me as it seems to other folks. Going to L.A. is definitely an extra slap in the face but it's not like I'd feel any better if they were going to Seattle or Kansas City or something. I might be able to accept a San Jose move a bit easier, but i'm not even certain about that.
 
fansinceday1 said:
Im starting to think that even if we had approved a new arena the maloofs would have found a reason to leave this market. Its not about a new arena. Its about the potential cash flow, and there is none here in sac. The demise of the palms and the sale of their dads distributorship sealed sacramentos fate.
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But I doubt the NBA let the Kings move if an arena deal was in place. That's the only negative thing that Stern has said about the Sacramento market...
 
Yeah it's tough to see a passionate fan base be tossed aside for an apathetic one. I've been saying this from the beginning, the Maloofs have vastly overrated their reception down there. This is an ownership group that loves the limelight and attention. If you think they made mistakes before trying to make headline splashes, this will be 10 times worse. Imagine having to actually plan a move and actually depend on doubling the number of wins and making the playoffs in order to attract fans. It's not just icing, it's mandatory to survive.
 
The Maloofs don't want to move, they don't want to give up their Sacramento fanbase as enthusiastic as it's been for one largely distracted and apathetic. They are being FORCED to move with no arena deal in place and seemingly no hope of ever getting one. The NCAA has now banned its sports teams from participating in activities in falling apart Power Balance Pavillion and it's only a matter of time before NBA will declare the ancient arena no longer suitable for its games.

Once blame game of "who lost the Kings" starts, it must be fair and facts are Maloofs have been pushing hard for a new arena for a decade, paid milllons of dollars to explore all conceivable options in this silly cow dung pasture town and are now at complete wits end. Have they made some mistakes during the long process to get something done, sure have, but most of the blame for this blundering giant fiasco belongs somewhere else.
 
PurpleHaze said:
The Maloofs don't want to move, they don't want to give up their Sacramento fanbase as enthusiastic as it's been for one largely distracted and apathetic. They are being FORCED to move with no arena deal in place and seemingly no hope of ever getting one. The NCAA has now banned its sports teams from participating in activities in falling apart Power Balance Pavillion and it's only a matter of time before NBA will declare the ancient arena no longer suitable for its games.

Once blame game of "who lost the Kings" starts, it must be fair and facts are Maloofs have been pushing hard for a new arena for a decade, paid milllons of dollars to explore all conceivable options in this silly cow dung pasture town and are now at complete wits end. Have they made some mistakes during the long process to get something done, sure have, but most of the blame for this blundering giant fiasco belongs somewhere else.
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If that were the case, they wouldn't walk out in the middle of the mayor, ICON, and the city council desperately trying to get something done. They'd at least give them this one last shot. One more season here isn't going to matter in the long run.
 
RookieOfTheDay said:
If that were the case, they wouldn't walk out in the middle of the mayor, ICON, and the city council desperately trying to get something done. They'd at least give them this one last shot. One more season here isn't going to matter in the long run.
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How many more shots in a decade of one more shots needs to be given?
 
Spike said:
How many more shots in a decade of one more shots needs to be given?
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Just one please.

In all honesty this one feels like the first time it ever seemed possible even though it was still a long shot. Q&R and the CalExpo were doomed to certain failure and yet drug out for a year or longer at time. And aside from those proposals could the council or anyone ever agree on anything? If the Taylor-ICON group wasn't at the table for this one and it was one of the three other developers that had been selected even then I wouldn't complain as loud. But bringing in an actual international group with tons of experience raised a lot of hopes for some of us and I really do think the Maloofs owed it to the fans to hear this one out. Yes it is a business and it is their right to move it wherever they see fit. But a Coca-Cola made by a company HQ'd in Los Angeles would taste just the same as the ones made by the company HQ'd in Atlanta. This is a business where the connection to the community matters every bit as much as the quality of the product itself. And to move to a rival region that appears apathetic of the prospect of the team playing third fiddle is just a big F-You to Sacramento fans and I will never forgive the Maloofs if this goes down this way.

That said, no single entity is at fault and I'll concede the city bears the brunt of it.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Just one please.

In all honesty this one feels like the first time it ever seemed possible even though it was still a long shot. Q&R and the CalExpo were doomed to certain failure and yet drug out for a year or longer at time. And aside from those proposals could the council or anyone ever agree on anything? If the Taylor-ICON group wasn't at the table for this one and it was one of the three other developers that had been selected even then I wouldn't complain as loud. But bringing in an actual international group with tons of experience raised a lot of hopes for some of us and I really do think the Maloofs owed it to the fans to hear this one out. Yes it is a business and it is their right to move it wherever they see fit. But a Coca-Cola made by a company HQ'd in Los Angeles would taste just the same as the ones made by the company HQ'd in Atlanta. This is a business where the connection to the community matters every bit as much as the quality of the product itself. And to move to a rival region that appears apathetic of the prospect of the team playing third fiddle is just a big F-You to Sacramento fans and I will never forgive the Maloofs if this goes down this way.

That said, no single entity is at fault and I'll concede the city bears the brunt of it.
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This is pretty much my exact sentiment.
 
fansinceday1 said:
Im starting to think that even if we had approved a new arena the maloofs would have found a reason to leave this market. Its not about a new arena. Its about the potential cash flow, and there is none here in sac. The demise of the palms and the sale of their dads distributorship sealed sacramentos fate.
Click to expand...


Yup.

People here still blame the city, but the Maloofs lost their Maloof money. The city could not afford to bail them out so they are going to a place that will.
 
swisshh said:
Yup.

People here still blame the city, but the Maloofs lost their Maloof money. The city could not afford to bail them out so they are going to a place that will.
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And what was the city's excuse for the last 14 years. The prior Kings owner started asking for help with a new arena.

Before the Maloofs became majority owners and long before the economy bombed. As a natter of fact, the economy was hot for quite a few years, while the city twiddled its thumbs.
 
The city didn't twiddle its thumbs. There was a goddamned vote even. This act like the city has to answer to a ownership's bark is silly. Nothing ended up happening, but that doesn't mean work wasn't being done to try to get a new arena. It wasn't like it was a topic that was never discussed. as it was always a topic of discussion. It never got much further than discussion because neither side could agree on terms. Hell, there was an outstanding loan that needed to be paid off standing as an unresolved issue. Of course the previous owners weren't going to get an arena built for them.
 
swisshh said:
The city didn't twiddle its thumbs. There was a goddamned vote even. This act like the city has to answer to a ownership's bark is silly. Nothing ended up happening, but that doesn't mean work wasn't being done to try to get a new arena. It wasn't like it was a topic that was never discussed. as it was always a topic of discussion. It never got much further than discussion because neither side could agree on terms. Hell, there was an outstanding loan that needed to be paid off standing as an unresolved issue. Of course the previous owners weren't going to get an arena built for them.
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Using your note as an example, I believe the city couldn't get anything done because they saw and so did a lot of people as doing anything WITH he Kings was "answering to an ownership's bark." That's an inflammatory comment considering the deal involved was common in this country across multiple professional sports and it was benefical to the city and the Kings.

All this so as not to "answer to an ownershoip's bark." Well, at least the city is not full of wimps and won't be pushed around. In the end I'm not sure anyone has benefitted.
 
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Glenn said:
Using your note as an example, I believe the city couldn't get anything done because they saw and so did a lot of people as doing anything WITH he Kings was "answering to an ownership's bark." That's an inflammatory comment considering the deal involved was common in this country across multiple professional sports and it was benefical to the city and the Kings.

All this so as not to "answer to an ownershoip's bark." Well, at least the city is not full of wimps and won't be pushed around. In the end I'm not sure anyone has benefitted.
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Yeah this type of thing happened in a lot of the smaller markets. It wasn't just Sacramento that had their team ask for help. As recent as last year the Pacers got some public help.
 
Glenn said:
Using your note as an example, I believe the city couldn't get anything done because they saw and so did a lot of people as doing anything WITH he Kings was "answering to an ownership's bark." That's an inflammatory comment considering the deal involved was common in this country across multiple professional sports and it was benefical to the city and the Kings.

All this so as not to "answer to an ownershoip's bark." Well, at least the city is not full of wimps and won't be pushed around. In the end I'm not sure anyone has benefitted.
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Yep, we sure showed them! Make them build it! They aren't going to play in any publically financed area!

Oh, wait..... :rolleyes:
 
Just wanted to make a small point. I think that Omri Casspi can make a significant impact when it pertains to attendance down in Anaheim. Not sure what the Jewish population is up in Sacramento but down here there's a huge population of Jewish people. I've talked to lots of Israeli people that are customers of mine and many say Casspi needs to play in a big market. I'm sure Anaheim will suffice.
 
Glenn said:
Using your note as an example, I believe the city couldn't get anything done because they saw and so did a lot of people as doing anything WITH he Kings was "answering to an ownership's bark." That's an inflammatory comment considering the deal involved was common in this country across multiple professional sports and it was benefical to the city and the Kings.

All this so as not to "answer to an ownershoip's bark." Well, at least the city is not full of wimps and won't be pushed around. In the end I'm not sure anyone has benefitted.
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It's not "doing anything with the Kings", but doing what the team asks at any cost that is the sentiment I get from certain people.
 
swisshh said:
It's not "doing anything with the Kings", but doing what the team asks at any cost that is the sentiment I get from certain people.
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Not from me. I don't think most people are that outrageous. That would be a mischaractorization. I think people who do NOT have this extreme attitude are lumped with these few people you know who have that attitude.
 
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