http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/125409.html
Ailene Voisin: Stern says Sac is still in his plans
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:29 am PST Sunday, February 18, 2007
David Stern's life is a little like a Vegas production. He operates 24/7, under bright lights and on a spectacular stage, which is why, you might figure, he might be receptive to overtures from Mayor Oscar Goodman, Wayne Newton and all those Elvis impersonators who have been tugging at his sleeves, whispering in his ear, promising the world in exchange for a franchise. For any franchise.
New Orleans. Memphis. Charlotte.
Sacramento.
But say this about Stern, the NBA power broker who drops the ball on occasion, yet still presides effectively when it matters most: He can resist temptation. Despite the high-roller treatment -- the type of wining, dining and wooing usually reserved for the most prolific gamblers -- there is no progress to report on the Vegas-wants-a-franchise front. No compromise on the gaming issue. No promise that the professional basketball landscape of southern Nevada will be expanding anytime soon, not even by the addition of a 31st team.
Stern said no, said it again and again and again. With a massive NBA audience watching -- and much of it clogging the streets here these past several days -- the league's longtime executive has taken every opportunity to affirm his commitment to the Kings. He has been so consistent, so resolute, in fact, as journalist after journalist has approached and inquired, that he changed the entire conversation.
He turned a dialogue into a monologue. He welcomed the world to Vegas, then plugged Sac. What happens here, he said, has nothing to do with the arena snags in Sacramento.
"The one thing we agree at the NBA, and the Maloof family agrees, (is) they want the NBA to be in Sacramento, and they want to own the team in Sacramento," Stern said forcefully during his annual news conference. "I don't know how to be more precise than that. That's what they (the Maloofs) confirmed Wednesday night at dinner. And, so the rest is, in my view, not grounded in fact. We're trying very hard to take a team that has succeeded wonderfully in Sacramento, continues to succeed, and find a way to continue a marriage in a building that is better than the one they are in, which isn't a building for the long haul. It's my charge to see whether there is a way to do that."
Toward that end, Stern, who said discussions with civic officials and business leaders in Northern California are ongoing, admittedly secured serious schmooze time here with the Maloofs ... just in case. Into an exhaustive schedule that has included appearances at a local elementary school, attendance at a sports/technology summit, a meeting with the league's rules and competition committee, nightly social commitments with lucrative sponsors and an evening escape with Elton John, he dined with the entire Maloof family and left the restaurant convinced his NBA/Sac marriage could be saved.
"David is cautiously optimistic," said a visibly upbeat Joe Maloof. "He knows we really want to get something done. I keep telling everyone who asks -- and I have done interviews with the New York Times and tons of other reporters -- we don't want to leave Sacramento. The fans have been incredible. It's a great place. Maybe now everyone will start to believe us."
That appears to be happening, in a subtle, if significantly sizable shift. The rumors of a Kings-to-Vegas move have quieted noticeably. The question most often posed to Stern earlier in the week -- are the Kings coming to town? -- has been replaced by the following inquiries: Is any team coming to town? What about struggling Memphis or Charlotte, or even Seattle, another organization confronting complex arena-related issues?
Stern isn't blinking. He isn't even bending. After distancing himself from Seattle's chronic problems during Saturday's media gathering, the one-time litigator sounded like a social activist when discussing the league's planned return to New Orleans. He spoke about accelerating the economic rebirth of the city, expressed dismay at the agonizingly slow pace of progress, expressed both his hopes and his fears. But he said a lot in these past few days, and once again, the league listens. Maybe it's time everyone else does, too.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
Ailene Voisin: Stern says Sac is still in his plans
By Ailene Voisin - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 12:29 am PST Sunday, February 18, 2007
David Stern's life is a little like a Vegas production. He operates 24/7, under bright lights and on a spectacular stage, which is why, you might figure, he might be receptive to overtures from Mayor Oscar Goodman, Wayne Newton and all those Elvis impersonators who have been tugging at his sleeves, whispering in his ear, promising the world in exchange for a franchise. For any franchise.
New Orleans. Memphis. Charlotte.
Sacramento.
But say this about Stern, the NBA power broker who drops the ball on occasion, yet still presides effectively when it matters most: He can resist temptation. Despite the high-roller treatment -- the type of wining, dining and wooing usually reserved for the most prolific gamblers -- there is no progress to report on the Vegas-wants-a-franchise front. No compromise on the gaming issue. No promise that the professional basketball landscape of southern Nevada will be expanding anytime soon, not even by the addition of a 31st team.
Stern said no, said it again and again and again. With a massive NBA audience watching -- and much of it clogging the streets here these past several days -- the league's longtime executive has taken every opportunity to affirm his commitment to the Kings. He has been so consistent, so resolute, in fact, as journalist after journalist has approached and inquired, that he changed the entire conversation.
He turned a dialogue into a monologue. He welcomed the world to Vegas, then plugged Sac. What happens here, he said, has nothing to do with the arena snags in Sacramento.
"The one thing we agree at the NBA, and the Maloof family agrees, (is) they want the NBA to be in Sacramento, and they want to own the team in Sacramento," Stern said forcefully during his annual news conference. "I don't know how to be more precise than that. That's what they (the Maloofs) confirmed Wednesday night at dinner. And, so the rest is, in my view, not grounded in fact. We're trying very hard to take a team that has succeeded wonderfully in Sacramento, continues to succeed, and find a way to continue a marriage in a building that is better than the one they are in, which isn't a building for the long haul. It's my charge to see whether there is a way to do that."
Toward that end, Stern, who said discussions with civic officials and business leaders in Northern California are ongoing, admittedly secured serious schmooze time here with the Maloofs ... just in case. Into an exhaustive schedule that has included appearances at a local elementary school, attendance at a sports/technology summit, a meeting with the league's rules and competition committee, nightly social commitments with lucrative sponsors and an evening escape with Elton John, he dined with the entire Maloof family and left the restaurant convinced his NBA/Sac marriage could be saved.
"David is cautiously optimistic," said a visibly upbeat Joe Maloof. "He knows we really want to get something done. I keep telling everyone who asks -- and I have done interviews with the New York Times and tons of other reporters -- we don't want to leave Sacramento. The fans have been incredible. It's a great place. Maybe now everyone will start to believe us."
That appears to be happening, in a subtle, if significantly sizable shift. The rumors of a Kings-to-Vegas move have quieted noticeably. The question most often posed to Stern earlier in the week -- are the Kings coming to town? -- has been replaced by the following inquiries: Is any team coming to town? What about struggling Memphis or Charlotte, or even Seattle, another organization confronting complex arena-related issues?
Stern isn't blinking. He isn't even bending. After distancing himself from Seattle's chronic problems during Saturday's media gathering, the one-time litigator sounded like a social activist when discussing the league's planned return to New Orleans. He spoke about accelerating the economic rebirth of the city, expressed dismay at the agonizingly slow pace of progress, expressed both his hopes and his fears. But he said a lot in these past few days, and once again, the league listens. Maybe it's time everyone else does, too.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
