"Riches are for spending." – Francis Bacon, Essays

At approximately two o’clock PM Pacific Standard Time, the world learned what had been decided an hour or so earlier: the seven members of the National Basketball Association’s Relocation Committee had voted unanimously to recommend that the full Board of Governors reject the Maloof family’s request to move the Sacramento Kings franchise to the city of Seattle. The infamous Committee Chair Clay Bennett of Oklahoma City, Chairman Peter Holt of San Antonio, Micky Arison of Miami, Ted Leonsis of Washington, Greg Miller of Utah, Herb Simon of Indiana and former Chairman Glen Taylor of Minnesota all voted in favor of a Sacramento group led by Vivek Ranadive and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. On the losing end of the recommendation vote was a Seattle-based group lead by Chris Hansen, Steve Ballmer and the Nordstrom brothers as well as the signed Purchase and Sale Agreement the Hansen group had with the Maloof family to buy the Kings and move them to Sacramento.

The recommendation is the first, and so far only, official opinion handed down by the NBA in this saga, which began in mid-January when Hansen announced a sale had been finalized and was headed to the Board of Governors for approval. The full Board of Governors will convene to vote first on the question of relocation of the Kings franchise to Seattle, then the approval or rejection of the Purchase and Sale Agreement between the Maloofs and Hansen; the vote will occur around May 13th but must be no earlier than seven business days after yesterday’s recommendation.

Those are, well, the only clear facts as we move forward. Major Johnson, as well as others in his group, have proclaimed victory but have admitted the next steps for them are unclear. Hansen issued a statement last night through his Sonics Arena website where he mentioned his group would "remain fully committed to seeing this transaction through…we plan to unequivocally state our case for both relocation and our plan to move forward with the transaction to the league and owners…in Mid-May."

To the surprise of many around the league and in Sacramento, Hansen finished his message with the following: "I just wanted to reassure all of you that we have numerous options at our disposal and have absolutely no plans to give up."

The Twittersphere has rumbled and grumbled that litigation from the Hansen group is now a strong possibility. I know there are many Sonics faithful out there clamoring for Hansen to wring out treble damages from the empty suits of the NBA until they’re dry. I myself wouldn’t mind seeing emails from one David Stern, where he may consider himself a "man possessed" to keep the Kings in Sacramento, find their way into the public record of a federal courtroom.

Litigation is absolutely covered under the umbrella of "numerous options," but I don’t believe Hansen will go down that route. There is the possibility that litigation is a divisive all-or-nothing proposition that could permanently black-ball Hansen and the city of Seattle from present or future inclusion into the NBA fraternity. There is also the distinct possibility Hansen can’t sue the NBA or anyone involved the moment his signature on the PSA was notarized. I believe Hansen won’t sue the bastards not because he can’t, but rather he knows a better way.

In observing the movements of Hansen throughout the arena MOU approval process and this now seemingly-farcical Kings purchase saga, I see Hansen as someone who works to build strong coalitions, understand the importance of relationships, negotiate constantly and compromise when necessary and hold himself and his group to higher standards.

In short, when I see Hansen at work, I see a true leader at work. I see someone who can find the best way toward achieving their goal, not just the brashest way.

That brings us to the all-important dollar. The Benjamins. The cheddar. The straight cash, homie.

If the full Board of Governors follows the recommendation and rejects both the relocation to Seattle and the sale to Hansen (both of which seem highly likely at this stage in the saga), then Hansen’s best option is to lobby for expansion. Expansion has been universally and unilaterally derided by Stern and the owners through variations of the statement: "Expansion is not an option at this time." It may soon become incumbent upon Hansen to make the time for expansion now.

Hansen believes that a basketball franchise in Seattle (even as one as fractured as the Sacramento Kings) is worth $550 million dollars. That would be just about half a billion dollars. Whether or not he would be correct in such a valuation, the fact that he believes such a valuation to be correct is all that matters. Should Hansen wake up on Thursday May 16th, 2013 and not be the owner of the Sacramento Kings, I believe he should begin the process of actually amassing $550 million in cash. He should then present that half a billion dollars to both David Stern and the owners as an expansion fee, then dare them to walk away from it. The only way the icing on this potential cake would be sweeter would be if Hansen backed up a dump truck full of $550 million dollars in cash in front of the NBA headquarters on Fifth Avenue in New York on live TV while daring them to walk away. The cameras would pan to the face of Commissioner Stern, looking out the windows on the heaping piles of cash below.

If the NBA and David Stern were to flat-out refuse half a billion dollars to expand into a strong and (at least for now) willing Seattle market, Hansen would unmask the Commissioner for what he may truly be: a spoiled, egotistical hack bent on projecting his desires over the interests of the league through his autocratic power. Hansen may also unveil the owners for what they may also truly be: spoiled children who wish to shut out any others otherwise qualified from playing with their toys. The added bonus: Hansen could do all this without attorneys’ fees or long court proceedings.

Hansen has time and time again put his money where his mouth is in his quest to bring the SuperSonics back to Seattle. If expansion becomes his only option, Hansen may have to put his money where his mouth is one, hopefully final, time.