I know there's been some speculation on whether the Maloofs are getting anything additional out of the Seattle deal (other than what we know about-- the huge sale price and the $30 million deposit). Despite them getting a better & bigger offer than anyone could've expected, their egos are such that I'm sure they asked for many things that were unreasonable. They probably wanted to have some sort of involvement so they weren't completely cut off from the NBA, considering that I'm sure selling was a difficult decision for them because they supposedly regretted selling of the Rockets years ago. I'm sure any kind of direct involvement with the team was out of the question for the Seattle group, but is it possible that certain accomodiations were made as a further enticement? A box suite for them, perhaps a contract for the franchise to do some sort of business with them in the future, free or reduced advertising for Maloof related ventures, an opportunity to buy some shares back after the relocation, etc. Not that the sale price they got wouldn't have been enough for any other owner who needed to sell, but we all know these guys tried to squeeze everything they could out of the deal. The question is, did they get anything else? I shudder to think that when the BOG turns down the sale that the Sacramento group will then have to deal with these guys again. Stern has made it clear that they won't decide who the team is sold to, but that doesn't mean they'll be completely out of the picture either. In order to help them go gently into that seedy Vegas night, there will need to be ***-kissing and probably some accomodations made that will seem ridiculous.