When we think of 1996, our fondest memory is one of elation when the Sonics won a seven game punching match with the scrappy, annoying, and very good Utah Jazz to advance to the Finals.
With good reason.
How much did we hate John Stockton and Karl Malone? How dirty did the Jazz play? How many times did the home crowd in Seattle finish its count to ten before Malone’s free throw attempts were hoisted? How good did it feel to earn a shot at the Bulls?
It just doesn’t get any better than that. Unless, of course, you are old enough to remember Gus Williams throwing the ball high in the air.
Our worst memory of that year, even worse than losing the last game in Chicago, was when the Bulls embarrassed us on our home court to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series. It may not have been the last game, but it was the decisive one.
As much as those series dominate our 1996 thoughts, there was an earlier one that was just as important. It was in the first round.
To understand why, you must recall the previous two first round series the Sonics had played.
Hearken back to 1994. We had the most talented and dominant team in the NBA. Michael Jordan had retired. This was our best shot at the NBA Title since 1979. We were the top seed and the biggest opponent in our way was the Houston Rockets, against whom we had a history of recent success and with whom we matched up very well.
One problem. Our first opponent was the one team with which we didn’t match up well. The eighth seeded Denver Nuggets.
After our guys raced out to a 2-0 series lead, we watched with dread in the next three games as our offense was frustrated by Dikembe Mutombo and our defense was frustrated by their insanely hot outside shooting in very key moments.
The Nuggets also exposed a fatal flaw in our team, which was a lack of cohesion. That chemical imbalance led to a blowup between Gary Payton and Ricky Pierce and a meltdown that lost us the series.
The sight of a victorious Mutombo laying on his back holding the ball in the air is permanently etched in my memory. It was a choke job for the ages that left me seriously depressed for a month.
The Sonics followed this up with a similar failure in 1995 against Nick Van Exel and the inferior Lakers. We were forced to watch another Jordanless opportunity circle the porcelain and left to wonder if the team would ever make it out of a first round series again.
Which brings us back to that round in 1996 when the Sonics were again the top seed in the Western Conference and our opponent was again the eighth seed.
I remember the “here we go again” knot in my stomach when that upstart team came to Seattle and earned a 1-1 split with a chance to win the series on its home court. I remember thinking it was over. I remember being really angry at our guys for putting themselves in this position for the third straight year.
But there was a major difference. This team did have cohesion. This team didn’t have a fatal flaw. It was as determined as it was talented. It was simply better than the opposition in every way.
It went on the road with ice in its veins and won two games to take the series.
The opponent in that series? Mitch Richmond and the Sacramento Kings.
So here we are in 2013 and the opponent is Sacramento once again with Richmond playing a leadership role.
Remember how nervous you have been before every Kevin Johnson press conference? Remember that “here we go again” feeling you got when his “whales” were finally announced and it was reported that their offer was just slightly below that of the Seattle group? Remember how frustrated you have been every time David Stern has seemed more sympathetic to Sacramento than to us?
We have good reason to feel that way. We’ve been burned before. In the grand scheme of things, 2008 makes 1994 look like 1979. We have reason to be suspicious of Stern and to be concerned about the tenacity of the upstart Sacramento group.
But reports, which have been confirmed by Stern, of Mastrov dramatically low-balling his bid should remind us of one important thing. Our team (Hansen, Ballmer) is simply better than their team (Mastrov, Burkle). It is wealthier. It is more organized. It is more determined. Our guys have ice in their veins.
One man’s unofficial opinion? It’s not over yet, but I believe 2013 will prove to be another fond memory for us.
I think this was also the series when, at one of those games in Sacramento, GP went after a loose ball towards the scorers table. His foot got caught in the gap of those scrolling billboards and he messed up his ankle and he had to be helped off the court.
You know how in most classy cities when a visiting player gets hurt the crowd becomes human instead of fans? They are concerned for the hurt player and clap when he is ok, etc. Well, not in Sacramento that night. No, the Sacramento fans applauded the injury. They were giddy he was hurt. Sure it gave their team a better chance of winning but it was classless.
I remember there being huge fear in Seattle that GP might not make the next game, let alone finish the series. It only added to the legend when he came out the next game and acted like nothing had happened. I remember people saying he was superhuman, etc.
Anyway, just after GP went down (next game?) Richmond too went down with a bad ankle. He didn’t return for the series and the Supes easily finished it up.
At the time I just felt like it was a big F-U to the fans. They cheered our guy going down and then their season ended for the same reason. Loved it.
Anyone else remember all that? Was it 1996 for sure? Any video to back me up? :)
When I think of 1996..I think of us being 1 out of 10 opponents to defeat the Bulls that year. And my birthyear lol
http://q13fox.com/2013/03/10/commentary-david-puppeteer-stern-pulling-more-strings/#axzz2NCxJcmsO
Yes, the Bulls lost 12 games for the whole season and 3 of those were to the Sonics.
I remember there being some all-time wins in a season record on the line in Game 4 or 5 in Seattle. If the Bulls won they would have the most wins or highest percentage ever in one season and if they lost they would not get that record. Something like that. It was much hyped. Anyway, my seats were just a few sections from the NBC booth and my angle was such that I could watch Costas and Vecsey (and the trophy) during the game. The give-away that night was a green/gold giant foam finger. When it became clear that the Sonics were going to win that game I took out a sharpie and largely wrote on the back “History Denied”. I kept waving it at the NBC booth and Vecsey finally saw it and game me a thumbs up to acknowledge.
KJ/Sac Kings reloc to Sea ? No — Nervous is not the word I would use. As a Seattle sports Fan ? Concern? - Always, of course.
I remember sitting at a warm sunny Mariners game last summer and telling my seat mates: See that area just South of here ? That’s the site of our new Arena. This Hansen Train is Big - - really Big. If there is any forward thinking logical sense in this City - this will be approved & happen. ” Seriously, I still remember it.
Now it’s early March and we’re getting ready to watch the Sonics @ the Key this Fall. WOW !!
A Seattle Hard Luck Fan ? Absolutely. Yes, I still look over my shoulder for the boogie man to snatch the Sonics away again.
Then I breathe deep, think reasonably and logically. With thoughtful, patient, and methodicaly icy veins - - - - The Hansen Group have delivered their Gift.
See ya @ Dick’s and the Key this Fall. Bring the tissues for the Home Opener - It’s gonna be one H**L of a Night !!
I think a lot of people are going to be nervous this final month. The plan is there and hopefully all contingencies have been planned for accordingly. Never say never to anything until the team has moved. Im as confident as I can possibly be, IMO. 23 more days guys til April 3rd when we will probably have a good inkling of what kind of fight there may be on April 18th-19th
Is anyone else freaked out by the fact that half the SacBee guys use #SacKings as their hashtag on Twitter? It makes me wonder who the Maloofs are sacking now. :-)
No.
That’s what I love, about a month give or take a week (whether it’s 4/3 or 4/18) and it’s over. I’d give myself an 75% confidence level right now, and in about a month we’ll know what happens.
If it’s a yes, I don’t imagine having to worry about any teams moving for quite some time and we likely become a sports mecca with an NHL team in tow.
If no, I’m done with the NBA for the rest of my life. That’s not some empty threat, I just can’t imagine leaving with this situation with not even an EWORDEWORDEWORD and ever hoping to enjoy the NBA again. I’m 22 years old, if this gets rejected all my future kids will know is how David Stern is Satan. If yes, all my kids will know is that Seattle has all you could ever ask for when it comes to being a sports fan.
I was 10 when this all went down, beyond elated when they went to the finals, and was downtown with my parents that night for an unrelated reason when every other car was blasting their horn, my best memory was that my favorite player (Kemp) took an absurd step and dominated Malone. it was like Blake Griffin grew 2 inches learned how to play PF. Shawn Kemp unfortunatley peaked there but he was extremely extremely dope.
Mitch is talking kings right now but I can’t listen. Doubt there is anything really new
Not so far.
I’m not going to be one of them, for some reason I feel extremely comfortable about the whole thing. I feel it has been a done deal, and haven’t ridden the roller coaster whenever something positive comes out of Sactown. I’ve moved onto draft and free agency talk, and now focusing on the Coyotes arena situation in Glendale.
It’s been such a roller coaster since late 2011, just crazy elation and happiness to just go back to “oh man, the SuperSonics are never coming back.” Just like 2006 to 2008 and I hope this has a happier ending for us, knowing exactly what Sacramento fans are going through too.
It actually makes it easier for me to process the emotional stuff objectively by just sort of letting the April 3 date be incredibly important to the resolution of this. As long as Hansen, et al continue their careful and professional planning and presentation, then they’ve done everything they can do and if the sale and relocation doesn’t get approved then I’m just clueless on what the NBA and Stern require to be a part of the league again.
The ’94 playoff loss wasn’t so much due to lack of cohesion as it was due to the Nuggets being neatly matched to exploit Seattle’s not-zone zone defense. Very few teams in the league had (or have for that matter) the 3-ball shooters to properly punish the constant switching and rotating that Coach Karl loved to employ, and as it happened Denver was one of those teams. Defensively, they had Dikembe, who did a good job of keeping Seattle’s slashers from getting deep inside.
Robert Pack of all people just plain killed the Supes in that series. Even at that, if the team had shot better than an abysmal 65% from the line in Game 5, they would have wrapped up that series, scared but still alive.
I’m not concerned.
When KJ says that the offer is strong and competitive even though Stern says it’s not then IMO this is all posturing by KJ to save face for his political career and it’s a way for Mastrov to get in the door for the next team that opens up even though he’s been far short in his bid to buy the Warriors and Kings.
For Burkle this is all about money for him. He wants to build an arena on his land for as little money as he can put in, own all the land surrounding the arena so he can lease them out and reap the benefits of the higher costs of leasing those building while receiving all the revenue from the arena.
Ahhhh, these were my high school years. You would find me on courts from Fairmount Park in West Seattle to Rainier Valley Community Center. My friends and I were always playing ball some where is South and West Seattle and all we ever talked about was the Sonics. That Nuggets loss in 1994 was so painful to watch. I hated Robert Pack. He just kinda came out of nowhere. There was issues in that series between Kendal Gill and George Karl if I remember right? I also remember Gill just slamming the ball on Matumbo in one of those games.
As for being nervous…I stopped being nervous once the city council approved the cities involvement in the arena. I always knew it would be the Kings that would move and so did everyone else outside of Seattle and Sacramento. And there was nothing going to stop that momentum of Hansen/Ballmer. I think it is unfair to Kings fans that their media is painting a picture of hope, when they really should be focusing on reporting the facts. One thing about our negative media here in Seattle is, it sparks people to get involved. The Seattle Times reporting has moved more Pro-Sonics/Arena folks to take action and be heard than the Sac Bees rainbows and butterflies reporting. The Sac Bee and StR has done a great job at convincing Kings fans that nothing is wrong and the team is staying there forever. Thus, extinguishing any real true grass roots movement by Kings fans. Yes, I know they have some movement, but lets be honest, it pales in comparison to what has been done here in Seattle. So really, I think the Sacramento media has pretty much killed the Kings fans fight with glittery reporting of hope and unicorns. And it is has created for some obnoxious Kings fans too.
#20
AHHHH 1994 NO NO NO NO. Youre bringing flashbacks from my childhood. Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Dikembe Mutumbo (HAHAHA NOT IN MY HOUSE)……Ok Im good….Not healthy to wake up and think about Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Dikembe Mutumbo and their role in the 94 series. I just have Calabro’s voice etched in my skull saying Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf……NO Now Im having Robert Pack flashbacks. 96 Sonics, 96 Sonics, 96 Sonics OKAY now Im better.
Sorry guys the 94 series brings back some bad memories…..UGH
Believe me. I feel your pain. Wouldn’t you just love another chance to be heart broken like that again though?
Yes as long as it is on the court. No off the court heartbreak like in a month from now (crossing fingers, eyes closed ready to EXPLODE).
Precisely.
Mitch says he thinks the Sac bid was $250 million or less for the Maloofs’ portion of the Kings, according to what he was hearing.
That doesn’t make any sense. So 110$ for 57% of the franchise?
John Elway pregame cheerleading in a Nuggets jersey. Nightmare.
Exactly the same here. If Sterns antics with leading Sacramento allows them to match the price, I am done with the NBA forever. I am only just coming back to the sport because of Hansen, but if the Kings transfer is denied I am just going to walk away while waving my fingers in the air at the NBA.
BA: did Mitch really say 250 million less? That is insane! I wish he tweeted it so we have something in print lol
Mitch said they were offering $250 million for the 65% (or less than that). So that would be a valuation of something like $400 million or a little less for the team.
That cannot be right. That is not enough to pay the debts they will owe. I can see that if it was the total of $525M because they seem to think that the $525M includes debts and relocation fees which would be very unreasonable.
$250m OR less for the majority stake.
I can’t image that the minority owners would like that price. Maybe they are just bidding on Mastrov’s portion. What about Heinrich’s portion that was sold as well? That figure if true . . . well, the Sacramento fans don’t deserve that garbage.
I read this as $250 million OR LESS purchase price for THE MALOOFS 65% PORTION which Hansen has bid $341 for. That would be $90-100M less for just that portion which would result in a 100% franchise value of $384M compared to $525M or a $136M less franchise value.
If true I just don’t see that happening. No way, no how.
That was just the last part that I caught about the supposed bid. I think he is talking more about it soon, so I will try to listen.
Is that just Mastrovs $250 million, or does that include the 25 $1 million dollar promises is what I’m wondering?
This is what I was trying to say.
I don’t think that the $1 million people really are anything. I think that is just for PR purposes personally. I really think they would only try for the 7% and then sell that off right away should they get it. But that is just my take.
If I was s Kings fan, that would really, really irritate me. That isn’t even close enough for the BOG to go their way.
So, Mastrov is only bidding on Maloof/Heinrich portion?? That means that the minorities interest just dropped.
That’s how I read it too.
134m in value difference what in the world are they thinking.
That makes much more sense. 136 million less in regards to total price valuation of the Kings.
Yeah that is not going to happen.
25% or so difference in valuation, no way owners are okay with that.
Sacramento is buying Mastrov’s comments that this is all a part of the process and that they will submit a stronger bid.
Then you have other Sac commentators saying that this was a good thing because they have no clue what Hansen/Ballmer’s bid is and this was Sterns way of helping them figure out what the Hansen/Ballmer bid is.
What I would be concerned about if I was Sacramento is the fact that KJ still says that Mastrov submitted a competitive bid even though Stern said it wasn’t.
PR Ploy people…PR.
Paying $341 for 65% of the Kings is not financially feasible for the potential ownership group in Sacramento. There’s no way for them to recoup.
If I was a Sacramantonian, I’d be mad too. KJ has officially pulled a Chris Weber and called a 4th timeout. FOUL!
Unfortunately for Sac - this bid was 2 months in the making - and now they have 3 weeks to come up with another $100MM. What surprises me is how they think that money will just magically appear - that now they have their “roadmap” and Mastrov/Burkle can just snap their fingers and come up with that much cash.
Their crash when this house of cards comes falling down is going to be ugly.
Have you guys read Ziller’s article about Stern’s presser? man, Kings fans are so god damned delusional. I remember when the Sonics were leaving, I was cautious about the lawsuits. I even knew that even if the city won, it’d still be a mission to get Bennett to sell the team. Schultz’s suit gave me some hope, but i knew all along it was a PR stunt. These fans aren’t even cautiously optimistic, they just think they are going to win and have no doubts.
If we found out the bid was seven dollars, Sac fans would be talking about how helpful it was of Stern to let them know that they needed to go higher, as it gives them a lot of information they didn’t have before (that Hansen’s bid is higher than seven dollars).
Everything will be good news to Sacramento until the hammer falls.
And Mastrov looks like a joke, right now. I mean….all that fanfare and hoopla and he sends an insultingly low offer only to be called out publicly by the NBA? Not a great first impression for this guy trying to get into a pretty exclusive club.
I wish I could call out by name those of us who go onto Sactown Royalty and make fools of themselves. Please stop.
Is SB Nation similar to bleacher report? I really didn’t even know much about it until this whole debacle started.
In the way that the articles are written by anyone who signs up? No. They have actual bloggers and then the comments section is filled with the ramblings of the average joe. Kind of like here, it’s just that SB Nation is a network of blogs.
Nah. SB Nation you actually get hired on. Bleacher Report anyone can do it.
Thanks, I wasn’t quite sure because sometimes people post with their screen name rather than actual name.
In other news, looks like the Seahawks are the favorite to trade for Percy Harvin. I like it assuming he doesn’t go all mental or have his random injuries.
btw, I can’t believe Michigan gave away the Big 10 title like that last night. I don’t get why they didn’t line up for the free throws in the last minute of the game. If they had hit them it wouldn’t have mattered, but the fact that they just gave Indiana the rebound ended up biting them in the rear.
Glazer says Harvin is a Seahawk pending a physical.
Payback for the poison pill? Percy Harvin is a stud. We would be awesome with him. Any idea of what we are offering?
Draft picks.
@Kam_Chancellor
Welcome to the squad bruh @Percy_Harvin
Hmm….could this be the opposite of 2008???? Mariners look like they actually are righting the ship, Seahawks have a legit shot at the Super Bowl, Huskies football might actually turn the corner this year, and the return of the Sonics????
Looks like a first round pick for sure going out to Minn
So, off topic here now that you guys got me thinking of the past.
I remember this one pick-up game we had over at the Rainier Community Center. Being the little white-guy on the court that day, I get stuck matching up with the scrub off the other team. Now this dude was a walk on and none of us knew him. Dude came in wearing some Chucks, Dickies and had his blue rag hanging out of his back left pocket. He was heavy set and probably had about 100 lbs on me. Anyways, I was a little intimidated by this guy purely from the fact that, right before the game started, he pulls a tube of toothpaste out of his backpack and starts squirting it in his mouth. He doesn’t rinse it out, he just spits in a trash can. Naturally, everyone is sitting there with the “WTF” look on their faces. This freakin’ toothpaste starts drying up all around this dudes mouth and he doesn’t wash it off either. He proceeds onto the court like this. So I’m like, “I got this overweight and possible drunk cat!” First score of the game was by this dude. He pulls up about 16 feet from the basket on me and hits it. I get the inbound and he is all over me. A couple moves, I’m down the court, but this guy is still on me. We move the ball around and I finally get some space and nail a three on the dude we dubbed “Aqua Fresh”. This over weight chunk gets the next inbound and with his Dickies hanging off his arse, I’m playing catch-up as his running a 40 in like 3.3 seconds on me. The whole game, I’m up and down the court with Aqua Fresh trading 3′s and just trying to keep pace with him. When the game was done, the dude grabs his bag, walks off the court and says nothing. I don’t even remember who won the game, all I remember is being more tired than I had ever been after a game. I’m prett sure Aqua Fresh was on speed or something…LOL.
Sorry for the off topic story.
Wow. That’s a huge trade. Seahawks.net is opening very slowly right now.
Correction: seahawks.net not opening at all right now. too many connections.
KJR mention a first a 7th and a 2014 mid round pick for harvin and their 2nd round pick.
@JayGlazer
Seattle sends this years first round pick and a 7th rounder as well as a mid-round pick next year for Harvin. Win-win for both teams
What Mitch said was that their offer was roughly $100 million short of the Hansen offer for the 65% of the team, Hansen’s $341 million dollar offer was higher by (near) $100 million. Mitch’s open question was, what is the value to the league to keep the team where it is?
If the offer was so short that Stern could not take it to the league then there must be some number that is enough, Mitch just know what that is.
IMO the lower offer was just way too low.
So, the offer was in the $241 to $265 range, according to Mitch.
Good question Mitch, and why didn’t Sac provide an offer worth using.
I don’t think that’s too bad of deal honestly, usually I don’t like the thought of giving up a first round pick but this seems like a solid trade. I’m hoping whoever Hansen gets in the front office pulls off moves like this for the Sonics.
Accept the Maloofs already gave away most of the first round picks for the next five years….
Ugh, except
We can’t judge what we could get at #25 if that draft player is better than Harvin.
Yeah I meant more down the line once the front office cleared up the Maloofs/Petrie’s mess, so that’s like what in 5 years of there about ? ;)
True but you could make that same statement involving any trade for draft picks.
The Kings only have one 1st rounder that is owed to another team (to Cleveland). It’s protected for the next few years. The Kings have given up their 2nd round pics for the next 4 or 5 drafts though.
Indeed. Look at from another perspective 1st round for harven 7th and a 2014 mid round for vikings 2nd round. So question is what we are getting with that second 2nd rounder could make a difference if this was a good move or not.
Fair point, I’m still saying this looks like a good trade though.
Thanks for the clarification John_S :)
We need to move Cousins next year for some kind of draft picks to get the Sonics building to the future IMO.
Regarding sacramento fans on SacTown royalty… Yeah talk about some sad and delusional thinking. All bad news is good and everything KJ says is truth. Gonna need some grief counselors come April.
BarelyAble: Ugh, except
How lucky would you be if you were able to draft an elite young player like Percy Harvin with your late first round pick, though?
I mean, at some point, I think draft picks just get overvalued by fans. We tend to forget what we hope they turn into, and odds are, it wouldn’t turn into a player like Percy Harvin.
Yea as i said during the NFL draft last year on another message board Any player no matter what pick they are taken can still potentially be a bust. No one truly knows how good a college talent player will be in the NFL until we see said player play in actual NFL matches.
Especially when you consider that Schneider has nailed the mid round picks. Makes it a lot easier to give up the 1st for a top talent.
There may be some overvaluing to draft picks, but to flip the coin a little we also gave up a first rounder for Deon Branch. Basically, it can be hit or miss so take things at on a case by case basis. Which I think is smart. To be honest, a first round pick is not really much different than a second round pick anymore (at least when you are getting to the back end of the draft). I certainly think this is better than the stupid Alex Smith trade the Chiefs made.
I will probably be getting ahead of myself here, but I think Schneider will go down as the best executive in Seattle history mainly for the pieces he has found in the late rounds. That is why him giving up a first rounder is really not that big of deal when you get a talent like Harvin.
On Branch - If you told me that a 5’9 WR who runs a 4.6 and has a hard time separating would have trouble going to a West Coast Offense which is predicated on getting separation on the slant rants and breaking tackles I would have a hard time believing that lol….My goodness how bad was Ruskell!
Ron Simms not running for Mayor…looks like Steinbruek is gonna bump up in the polls ;)
We just don’t need to add 7 pieces this year. If some guy they are absolutely in love with falls to the late first round then it is really easy in the NFL to package a 2nd, 4th, and some future pick to move up and grab the guy you really want. If you have that guy and someone you feel is a dominant receiver then from there the rest of the draft is a luxury.
LOL…he’ll certainly have the Skullet vote.
Regarding Harvin…..rejoing Sidney Rice and his old O-coordinator will be awesome. Last time these guys were all together with a stud QB (Favre) awesome things happened!
They are definitely giving up alot for Harvin. But the dude is a stud. A real game changer/gamebreaker type player. Receiving core of Tate, Rice, and Harvin is really really nice. Then Baldwin as a fourth guy. I love this move.
Weaker draft this year and Schneider seems to find his best players in the later rounds. Harvin is a beast!
Agree 100%. The NFL draft is the definition of a crapshoot. I mean look at our draft history over the past 10-11 years. Arguable 4-6 of those picks have worked out OK. Getting a proven stud for a first rounder is a huge win.
Bruce Irvin
James Carpenter
Earl Thomas
Russell Okung
Aaron Curry
Lawrence Jackson
Kelly Jennings
Chris Spencer
Marcus Tubbs
Marcus Trufant
Jerramy Stevens
Steve Hutchinson
Koren Robinson
If the PSA is rejected and we somehow get expansion i’ll be ok with it. Not ideal, but if Chris ends up with a team assured to him out of this i’ll be cool with it. But if we come away empty handed in April, i’ll be done with the NBA. Forever.
“No clue”…? While they might not have an exact dollar figure, you’d think they could get a general idea of the bid by, y’know, reading the sports section of the newspaper or websites like ESPN. Is there anyone here who didn’t know from day one that the H/B/N bid was for 65% of the franchise with a total valuation of $525 million, or around $341 million?
If Mastrov & KJ needed Stern’s press conference to determine that, then they have “no clue” in any sense.
As far as I’m concerned, given the news coming out of Arizona, an ironclad promise of an e-word team would be fine for me as an outcome, as it would mean that the arena was guaranteed, which would also mean that the Coyotes could move here for next season and have their own “honeymoon period” for a year or two before the New Sonics had their debut.
The thing is, there are two numbers that would be enough. One would be a respectable enough offer that the NBA could say “you have proven your desire for a team — although we’re approving the sale anyway, thanks for playing, and you’ll be first in line for the next team.” Then there’s one that’s high enough for the NBA to decide “we can’t turn this offer down, so we’re rejecting the sale, keeping the Kings in Sacramento, and telling Seattle to get back in line.” For Mastrov and company, the trick is figuring out where each of those numbers is — not to mention whether they really do want to overspend to keep the Kings, or keep an oar in and hope the Bucks, Pacers, etc., can come at a lower price, once the Seattle market is no longer looking for a team.
The 384 million valuation would be right around or perhaps a little more than FMV. The Fair Market value of the Kings in Sacramento is right around that price.
I dont know if Mastrov can bridge the gap on his own and still cover operating expenses long term. Probably would still keep the Kings as a Revenue sharing liability. That right there will give the owners pause. A Liability or Probable Luxury Tax asset in Seattle.
Scott Howard Cooper was on KHTK 1140 in Sac at around 12:30 today, his interpetation of Strerns Press Conference was consistent to our thinking that it was not good news for Sac. He said from what he is hearing the Sac offer was really low and that is why Stern called them out in public.
If you can find the link it is worth the listen
I got to hand it to you. You stick to your guns on possible expansion.