Query from Bee reporter

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Mary Lynne Vellinga

Prospect
I'm doing a story today responding to the comments David Stern made about the possibility of an NBA team coming to Vegas. Does the fact that the Maloofs are hosting the All-Star game make any of you concerned that this is a prelude to moving the Kings there?
You can write me at MLVellinga@Sacbee.com or call me at 321-1094.
Thanks,
Mary Lynne Vellinga
 
I'll sticky this through the end of the day.

best of luck.





edit: actually changed my mind -- stickying it kind of got it lost up above the posting tips. So will just try to keep it bumped until after the game.
 
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I just sent her my response. I hope people will do the same. Of course, I also put in a couple of comments about how I feel regarding the Bee's coverage of the team and the organization in general.

;)
 
cary_anderson said:
Anyone have a link to David Stern's comments? It would be nice to have that as a frame of reference.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Stern just reiterated, in more emphatic form than in the past, that the ban on an NBA team in Vegas is up to the team owners, who can vote to keep, change, or do away with the ban as they see fit.

I found a related story to be rather reassuring, though: a group of investors want to buy the Grizz and move them there, which would eliminate any possibility of the Kings going there.

http://www.vegaspopular.com/2007/02...vegas-league-and-city-in-last-minute-negotia/

---
An NBA Team in Las Vegas? League and City in Last-Minute Negotiations

Posted Feb 13th 2007 10:57AM by Robin Leach

greg-anthony-oscar-goodman.jpg

Last minute negotiations are ongoing in a dramatic 48-hour countdown that might make Vegas history with official news of a NBA team getting approval for a move to our desert kingdom.

NBA Commissioner David Stern arrived in Vegas last night and has plans today to meet with Mayor Oscar Goodman. One of the items on that agenda is the strong possibility of the Memphis Grizzlies being sold to a Vegas investor group.

The pieces of the puzzle are slowly being put together. This morning at 9AM, the board of directors of our Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will meet here and announce that the FIBA Basketball Championship will also be held in Vegas before year end. The NBA All-Star dance team will actually attend the board of directors meeting, signaling the excitement of basketball for Vegas.

In addition, the 2006 final visitor count to our resort-casino hotel city will be announced and I am told the numbers break all previous records!

By late tomorrow morning, Mayor Goodman should know that his hard work the past year in seeking a NBA team will have finally been met with success. Numerous NBA executives who arrived here yesterday have been sworn to secrecy about the possible announcement. You can expect the monumental news confirmed in 48 hours, with all the details being announced prior to or during Sunday's All-Star Game.

This is the 56th annual All-Star event, but the first ever held in a city that doesn't have a basketball franchise team. I'm reliably told that Gregg Anthony, a former UNLV Running Rebel is already lining up former NBA players and other investors for the new Vegas team.
 
Well, ain't that an interesting development. That could really make it a win-win proposition for the Maloofs, whose Palms would still cater - of course - to the visiting NBA players.

And it would, once and for all, put an end to these never-ending rumors about the Maloofs wanting to move the Kings out of a very successful location for Sin City.

GO VEGAS GRIZZLIES!!!!!

:D
 
Would that be kinda like the Baltimore Colts moving to Indianapolis or do the Grizzlies have no fans in Memphis so nobody would care?
 
VF21 said:
I just sent her my response. I hope people will do the same. Of course, I also put in a couple of comments about how I feel regarding the Bee's coverage of the team and the organization in general.

;)
Click to expand...

Good. I'm sure you and I at least agree that the Bee's coverage is awful.
 
Mary Lynne Vellinga said:
I'm doing a story today responding to the comments David Stern made about the possibility of an NBA team coming to Vegas. Does the fact that the Maloofs are hosting the All-Star game make any of you concerned that this is a prelude to moving the Kings there?
You can write me at MLVellinga@Sacbee.com or call me at 321-1094.
Thanks,
Mary Lynne Vellinga
Click to expand...

Hi, I responded in another thread. Yes, this does bother me a lot.

I'll try to drop you an email.

Thanks for asking.
 
BMiller52 said:
Would that be kinda like the Baltimore Colts moving to Indianapolis or do the Grizzlies have no fans in Memphis so nobody would care?
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The team has only been there a few years (after 1 relocation) so I don't think it compares to any of the controversial team moves. And always remember, we have someone else's team too.
 
There won't be an end to the speculation until this city solves it's arena problem. I've always felt all along that a compromise on Stern's Vegas policy was possible. Something along the lines of removing regular season game betting on the LV NBA team. And then negotiate on the post season and overall regular season record betting lines. In the big scheme of things, I would bet this would be an easier negotiation than say, arena financing?

An NBA team moving to Vegas could have some impact on the Kings in some way. The Maloofs have made no secret about thier affection for Vegas. They could be involved if they were to sell the Kings and be the majority owner for the Grizzlies. And who would buy the Kings? Billionaire Henry Samueli that owns the company that runs the Honda Center and owns the Anaheim Ducks.
 
According to one Kings Broadcaster, David Stern was going to have some very positive news in regards to the arena situation here in Sacramento. I believe that broadcaster was Jim Kozimor (I could be wrong), and he said that about 5 or 6 days ago. I am thinking that this weekend, we may here something.
 
Mary Lynne Vellinga said:
I'm doing a story today responding to the comments David Stern made about the possibility of an NBA team coming to Vegas. Does the fact that the Maloofs are hosting the All-Star game make any of you concerned that this is a prelude to moving the Kings there?
You can write me at MLVellinga@Sacbee.com or call me at 321-1094.
Thanks,
Mary Lynne Vellinga
Click to expand...

No.

If nothing can get worked out on an arena here, then the Kings will probably leave. Whether they go to Vegas or somewhere else, if that comes to pass, means little to me. With David Stern involved in the arena problem here and his (and Maloof Sports and Entertainment's) repeated assurances that they want to keep the Kings here, I do not think the two are related.
 
Purple Reign said:
According to one Kings Broadcaster, David Stern was going to have some very positive news in regards to the arena situation here in Sacramento. I believe that broadcaster was Jim Kozimor (I could be wrong), and he said that about 5 or 6 days ago. I am thinking that this weekend, we may here something.
Click to expand...
Hmmmm....this is the first I have heard of this news.
 
Warhawk said:
No.

If nothing can get worked out on an arena here, then the Kings will probably leave. Whether they go to Vegas or somewhere else, if that comes to pass, means little to me. With David Stern involved in the arena problem here and his (and Maloof Sports and Entertainment's) repeated assurances that they want to keep the Kings here, I do not think the two are related.
Click to expand...

Reminder:

If you want to make sure MaryLynne sees your reply, send her an email. I did and got a nice response.
 
Oh one more thing, I don't think Vegas will make a good NBA city anyway. Sure there is more corporate dollars to be milked, but I don't expect it to be an attendance draw. The city loves events like the all star game, boxing matches and special draw events. However it has a poor history of support for franchises. Even the once powerful draw of Tark's Runnin Rebels are no longer attended heavily. The last few Kings-Lakers preseason games were played in front of 12-14,000 people. Vegas goes to work at night because that's when the visitors come out to play.
 
JB_kings said:
Oh one more thing, I don't think Vegas will make a good NBA city anyway. Sure there is more corporate dollars to be milked, but I don't expect it to be an attendance draw. The city loves events like the all star game, boxing matches and special draw events. However it has a poor history of support for franchises. Even the once powerful draw of Tark's Runnin Rebels are no longer attended heavily. The last few Kings-Lakers preseason games were played in front of 12-14,000 people. Vegas goes to work at night because that's when the visitors come out to play.
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I always hear this but I don't buy it. Vegas is huge now and its growing exponentially. How many people go to preseason games in other venues? They have no major league sports representation currently so the first team that moves there is going to have a monopoly on sports fans. Surely there are enough of those to fill the cheap seats.

Then you get to luxury seats and suites. This is where the real money comes in for modern sports franchises. And Vegas is IDEAL in this regard - because on top of "regular" businesses and people who populate these seats in every other arena in the country every single casino will have tons of seats and at least one suite for the sole purpose of comps to their guests.

The best part of the whole thing is that you could probably run the franchise on a shoestring budget like Sterling did in LA for years - the primary attraction would be the road teams, especially when you figure so many in attendance are from other cities on the casino comps. May not translate into a good team or even something that the NBA would want at all but it would surely make a killing for the owners.
 
Comping stuff away from the casinos is bad for business. Casinos comp their big spenders to KEEP them in their establishments, not to provide them with entertainment away from the gambling...
 
Kings owners comment on Las Vegas speculation

By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer

Published 1:43 pm PST Tuesday, February 13, 2007


NBA Commissioner David Stern's suggestion this week that a baskeball team might be allowed to locate in Las Vegas doesn't mean the Sacramento Kings will be packing up and heading to Nevada, the team's owners said Tuesday.
"We have a great thing going in Sacramento," Joe Maloof said in a cell phone interview. "We've been there eight years. We've built a lot of friendships, and we want to get it done in Sacramento."
The Maloofs own the hip Palms casino in Las Vegas, and are hosting much of the All-Star Game extravaganza coming to that city later this week. Joe Maloof said he thinks Las Vegas would be a good fit for an NBA expansion team. If an expansion team were to start in Las Vegas, he said, the 30 current NBA team owners would get to divvy up an expansion fee that Maloof predicted could be upwards of $500 million.

Stern has long said he opposes locating a team in Las Vegas while the casino industry takes bets on NBA games. But on Monday, he was quoted as saying that he would not stand in the way if league owners voted to move a team to Las Vegas without a ban on betting.

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/122777.html
 
VF21 said:
Comping stuff away from the casinos is bad for business. Casinos comp their big spenders to KEEP them in their establishments, not to provide them with entertainment away from the gambling...
Click to expand...
That really only applies to low and mid-money table gamers who I agree will not be getting tickets. Most of these players are lucky to get a buffet and a room nowadays. The big money table players and sports book are a different story. They have to build loyalty and they know that the person can't gamble 24/7. Depending on how the player is doing the casino may even want them to leave for a while - "You're down 50k, why don't you take the night off and check out the game." Sometimes the whales bring others with them who aren't gambling - they need something to do while the whale is playing. The comps would also be issued as an incentive to get them to Vegas in the first place - "We know your favorite team will be in town, you gotta see them on this crucial road stretch with a suite full of other fans."
 
The_Kevin said:
If L.V. is booming, and they have the need for pro sports then why did the Las Vegas 51's only average 4,645 in attendance as opposed to the Rivercats average attendance of 10,496? (This was in 2005.)
Click to expand...
Because most people couldn't give a crap about minor league baseball? Especially in a miserable desert climate with a billion and one air-conditioned indoor entertainment options available. Sacramento is an entirely different ballgame - a sports crazed town with few local options. The Rivercats are the A's top farm team and the A's are a highly popular team in the area.
 
The UNLV Running Rebels get about 10,000 a game. That's barely more than half the capacity of their arena.

Yes Sacramento is a different ball game than Vegas, and that is exactly why they won't fill up a new arena 45+ nights a year for the NBA. The majority of Sacramento is done working by 5-6 pm. At 5-6 pm a good chunk of the Vegas residents are headed to work. The tourists are there to gamble and when they need a break, the shows are in the casinos. They build every casino to keep you in there once you show up. I doubt they could average 12,000 a game all year long.
 
JB_kings said:
The UNLV Running Rebels get about 10,000 a game. That's barely more than half the capacity of their arena.
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Again this is apples to oranges. UNLV had a run in the late 80s/early 90s but they haven't been a prime time program in ages. They are not in a major conference. Most people do not attend college games for schools they didn't go to. There isn't a large out of town market for mid-major college games. Pro ball is a completely different story.

Yes Sacramento is a different ball game than Vegas, and that is exactly why they won't fill up a new arena 45+ nights a year for the NBA. The majority of Sacramento is done working by 5-6 pm. At 5-6 pm a good chunk of the Vegas residents are headed to work. The tourists are there to gamble and when they need a break, the shows are in the casinos. They build every casino to keep you in there once you show up. I doubt they could average 12,000 a game all year long.
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Those residents are mainly bartenders/cocktailers/food servers and shift managers along with the show people. My whole family is involved in hotels and restaurants so I have nothing but love for those people but sadly that isn't the NBA target market anymore. Ticket prices are set with the white collar crowd in mind and one of the largest growing sectors in Vegas is IT and computing. The majority of those people work 9-5 jobs. Since there isn't a major league pro sport in Vegas yet its hard to say how it would work out with the casinos. I believe it would open up entirely new markets. Going to a game is nothing like going to a show since its never the same thing twice.

I'm not advocating the Maloofs move the Kings to Vegas. That would make me sick. But the notion that Vegas can't support a pro team remains to be seen. I think the NFL is the ideal situation for Vegas but it will never happen before another sport moves in, Basketball is the ideal #2. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree until it eventually happens since there's just no way to prove it one way or the other. I do think its an inevitability within the next 10-15 years.
 
pdxKingsFan said:
Again this is apples to oranges. UNLV had a run in the late 80s/early 90s but they haven't been a prime time program in ages. They are not in a major conference. Most people do not attend college games for schools they didn't go to. There isn't a large out of town market for mid-major college games. Pro ball is a completely different story.


Those residents are mainly bartenders/cocktailers/food servers and shift managers along with the show people. My whole family is involved in hotels and restaurants so I have nothing but love for those people but sadly that isn't the NBA target market anymore. Ticket prices are set with the white collar crowd in mind and one of the largest growing sectors in Vegas is IT and computing. The majority of those people work 9-5 jobs. Since there isn't a major league pro sport in Vegas yet its hard to say how it would work out with the casinos. I believe it would open up entirely new markets. Going to a game is nothing like going to a show since its never the same thing twice.

I'm not advocating the Maloofs move the Kings to Vegas. That would make me sick. But the notion that Vegas can't support a pro team remains to be seen. I think the NFL is the ideal situation for Vegas but it will never happen before another sport moves in, Basketball is the ideal #2. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree until it eventually happens since there's just no way to prove it one way or the other. I do think its an inevitability within the next 10-15 years.
Click to expand...

You might want to read the two articles I posted from the Bee about Las Vegas.
 
We have one side of our family in Las Vegas for 52 years--they do not think their city (not including the mayor) really wants a NBA team and would not support it enough to be successful.

That being said, we went to the All Star game last August in Las Vegas before they went on to China and the the World championship. The tickets were $75 (all were sold to UNLV tickets holders, local leaders, etc.) and then $50 and down to everyone else. We had good seats for $50, but the Thomas and Mack Center was not full. Come on--some of the best players in the NBA and the world and they couldn't fill the place. It was disappointing to us. Annie.
 
Vegas could easily succeed as a sports town, but they'd have to be smart and cater to the people that are actually a huge part of the casino industry: the locals. An arena far from the Strip and removed from casino life, but convenient to get to for local area residents, could be huge.

Maybe I'm way off base, but in my opinion, there's nothing to do in Vegas aside from what the casinos provide, so I'm sure the locals would absolutely love a professional sports team to provide some alternate entertainment.
 
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