Seeing the fans of Sacramento in front of the St. Regis hotel reminds me a lot of 2008 I stood in that exact same spot and gave this interview.
Their efforts and their loyalty bring back a lot of memories. I remember getting to know the national media for the first time in NY. I remember being completely over my head. Waiting for hours and hours making small talk with bigshots from ESPN.
Sacramento’s fans guys did a great job today and it makes me really proud to be an NBA fan and advocate. One city or the other will get screwed out of this but it’s not because either fan quit.
I want to apologize to Carmichael Dave for my harsh commentary of him recently. Dave and I disagree pretty strongly about the boundaries of appropriate public commentary but that should not lower my respect for his actions that culminated today. It is a monstrous commitment of time and energy and very few people realize how stressful it is to figure out how make a difference on this stage fearing that if you screw up really badly it could cost your entire city the team.
Nobody wrote a playbook for how to save a team and it is mentally exhausting trying to do the right thing when facing long odds and only volunteers to help. Dave has been doing the right thing for his city and team. He is sacrificing a lot and does not deserve the judgement of a guy like me. I need to forgive him when he slips up and goes a little too far with the commentary and hope that he forgives me for getting, frustrated and lashing out.
It's been a long couple of weeks for all of us.