Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson will announce his lineup of investors next week.
Finding out who is really willing to step up and put their name behind this is relevant. It may not be enough to break up any deal that could be in place but it will certainly be a difference maker when it comes to the strength of the Sacramento campaign.
I knew about the Ballmer/Griffen/Sinigal/Stanton ownership group in principle for a while and in detail about 5 weeks before it was announced. I remember clearly exactly where I was when I got the call that they were going public(walking my dog down to the beach on a beautiful day in North Beach for those who care). I think that the way they unveiled that group was very telling and ultimately they were willing to write the check but not make the time/effort commitment to what was sure to be a very hard process with limited chances for success. In Sac I will look for the strength of names and depth of pocketbooks. I will also look for how strongly they commit and whether their statements are closer to “I would consider any opportunity to be a part of community efforts to retain the Kings.” or “I’m ready to fight, go to war and pay whatever the cost to get this done.” Somewhere in between is most likely.
Sounds like we are gonna get a pretty good idea sooner then later of how this is all gonna go without dragging out as long as i thought. Thankfully i have total faith in chris to find a way to get this done
FAITH;
Trust, Chris Hansen, Steve Ballmer, and the rest of the Seattle group !.
There is a reason why everything is quiet in the battle front, It means
that all the talks are going well !
Our Seattle group is not going to negotiate in the media, for there is no
need for publicity.
When you are dealing with this amount of money , Half a Billion, and some
change, there are countless of paper work from both sides of the ownership group, Lawyers, and more Lawyers are working to get this done, with endless
paper work, It’s no different from buying a home, It takes forever to close.
The negotiation at this point is between the Hansen / Ballmer group, and the
Maloof Family.
The Maloofs, have no reasons to deal with Kevin Johnson and the City of Sacramento anymore, The relationship between the City, and the Maloofs
have been dissolved a long time ago , That bridge had been burnt, and could
never be cross again.
The Maloofs are stranded in the corner as an owner! In Sacramento, the grass could never get any greener, than it would have been in another city,
But they are boxed in, and could not go where they want to, Anaheim is out
of the question.
The Maloofs even tried Virginia Beach, to still be an owner, and hang on to
the franchise, But!!! Not meant to be.
Seattle is the only place that makes sense, for a whole lot of reasons;
Seattle should have never lost the Supersonics. ( Big mistake )
A true Northwest Division rivalry with the Portland Trailblazers.
12th Largest Market.
Plenty of Corporate sponsorship.
Basketball Fanatic City
Gateway to Asia.
And a whole lot more to mention at this time.
Why is this sale going to happen ?
There is 525 million dollar reasons why this sale is going to happen.
This will only work in Seattle, because of the market size, and Corporate
size, population of the city, and it’s limits.
The Competition will not outbid the Seattle group, because if Sacramento does,
That means, Sacramento, is way overpaying for that market size, plus
building an arena, too, I just think it’s too much.
That’s the reason why the Maloofs, wants out.
This deal is going to be done soon !
Announcement is forthcoming .
After the sale, The new owners can file for Relocation with the NBA.
Kevin Johnson, Sacramento Mayor, Will have his day with the Relocation
Committee to state Sacramento’s case about keeping the team there.
Commonsense tells me once the sale happens , It’s a done deal.
Kevin Johnson has no choice but to fight the relocation, he is the Mayor
of that city, and has aspirations to be Governor one day.
Good Luck !!!!!!.
It’s out of the fans hands. Sacramento, Seattle, no matter what side of the fence you’re on, this is all going to play out like a huge business transaction. Like Brian keeps reminding us, just have faith in Chris. He’s gotten this far, and I’m sure he’s not in this to waste all the hard work he’s put into this. We’ll get a team!
Faith and trust in Chris. That should absolutely be the mantra right now.
In Hansen we trust
If the negotiations with the city are any indication of his patience, persistence, and desire the persevere, I simply believe that all things being equal, he will succeed.
me too. But that doesn’t mean it has to be the Kings.
Not to beat a dead horse but is it true kj is going to pitch expansion for seattle or is that a rumor? At this point just as long as we get a team soon i dont care what team it is. Although i highly doubt expansion possible ya never know…..
Im gonna smack myself for even bringing up expansion. What the h3ll is wrong with me
Peter mentions expansion a minimum of 2x a day. Thinking of making a drinking game about it.
I propose that instead of expansion we start referring to it as “santa clause”.
the quote from him was “If won’t just be the Sacramento Kings if we have anything to say about it.” This was predicated with “Seattle needs a team, Seattle deserves a team, Seattle never should have lost their team.”
so KJ how do we suppose to get a team if expansion is not an option?
I think what he was trying that it isn’t Sacramento’s problem that we don’t have a team. He just says we deserve one, but it won’t be the Kings if he has anything to say about it.
Yup. Don’t blame him either.
Agreed, I’m done getting nervous about any news out of Sacramento. They don’t have Chris, and we do. In Chris we trust.
In Chris we trust. I’m also through with reading any news that comes out of Sacramento as it tends to be extremely misleading at best.
Couldnt agree more
I think we’re getting the Kings. Sacramento & the NBA have to play this scenario out the best way they can, keeping the collateral damage to a minimum from this sale to Seattle.
My hunch is that this is all window dressing. They are (or already have) finalizing “verbal” relocation votes owner by owner. As soon as they know that they have a total clear path to Seattle(which they may already have) then the paperwork will be signed/submitted) then announced when NBA feels appropriate.
mitch levy @kjrmitch
A comment on a potential sale of the Kings to Hansen’s group in our last segment up next.
Mitch on KJR just said he expects news to trickle out by next week. Good news that is, said it might not be a signed deal but it will be good news from Seattle’s side.
Good news, thanks James
If its not a signed deal then what sort of good news would it be?
Maybe it is something like a signed deal contingent on BOG approval of relocation or something. Who knows?
i can’t think of it being anything else but a “signed deal” unless it something regarding the relocation committee review of it?
I can understand the might not be a signed deal part of what mitch said. Don’t want to mention it out (from source) saying that its done and cause a craziness when its really not.
Awesome… I really like Hansen’s approach to the entire situation. Rather than make noise through the media (thereby annoying the league like Jim Balsillie did trying to move the Nashville Predators to Hamilton), Chris is patient, listens, and quietly (in the media sense) comes up with collaborative solutions to address issues. He may not make the biggest public splash, but it’s resulted in sweeping positive change for our chances to get the NBA back.
Mitch has good sources.
Mitch has the source on this one.
In other news, the Timberwolves are expected to announce the signing of Mikeal Gelebale. Joining a team with Luke Ridnour and assistant coach Jack Sikma. No word on Francisco Elson or Donyell Marshall.
I wonder if he will play PG.
In other Sonics news, Mitchell & Ness released some new sonics gear. I’m really liking the black/logo stuff. Can’t wait for the Sonics to come back so I thought it might be a good idea to start wearing some gear in anticipation!
SonicsGear
That Mitch tweet is the best news Seattle has had since the Hawks beat the Redskins. He has been on the money with Hansen tweets from the beginning with one exception. That was when he reported with everyone else that McGinn went to meet with Stern without checking with Hansen first. He has been right EVERY other time that I can think of.
He’s not saying it’s a done deal, but he is saying things are going well, which is indeed excellent news.
Maybe they announce next week a promise for a future team (can’t say the E word) for Sacramento. That makes Seattle giddy and saves face with Sac.
If this scenario happens to play out, Sac should get to keep their team and we get the (E) team. To me it just doesn’t make sense to buy the Kings and move them away if The league is going to turn right around and give them a new team.
The odds of this happening are slim to none anyway IMO. League isn’t adding new teams anytime soon.
I think he meant it wouldn’t be an E-word team. Like we got in 2008, a wink and a nod from the NBA that next team to relocate goes to Sacramento if they get everything in line.
I think he means the next relocated team Sac would be on the top of the list if they get their arena issue straighten out.
I thought he said “that makes Seattle Gaddy” and I punched a coworker. He didn’t though. He said “giddy.”
My coworker forgave me. She understood.
Haha! That was the best news I’ve read in a while here.
I wouldn’t expecte anything that seismic from this announcement. Will likely be positive but vauge/non comittal as there is no desire to crush the rest of the Kings attendance before things are offically official. If it gets done then it will get done, no sense in gettin your d!ck hard over every tweet and rumor.
But Stern has said expansion could be 3-5 years away. Maybe he allows the Kings to Seattle since they have an arena plan that’s already been laid out, while Sacramento is sill scrambling to even find an ownership group, let alone an arena plan. Then tells Sacramento, get a solid group together, and an arena plan and we will look at getting you a team in 3 years. Who knows how this all plays out.
I agree. Sacramento will be in the same situation that we were since 2008.
They will not expand while teams are still years away from knowing if they have a local arena solution in Milwaukee, a permanent lease solution in Indy, then you start creeping into the bobcats window.
If Kohl fails to get an arena plan in place within 3 years would Sacramento be the 2016 version of Seattle?
KJ sure as heck hopes so, and I am thinking that will be the eventual nature of his pitch to the BOG.
This whole thing reminds me of how so many Sonics fans, myself included, pointed at the Hornets as a solution to satisfying both Seattle and OKC.
This situation might not look that far gone to the Sacto fans, but, Hansen has been making a run at this for almost two years, maybe 18 months. He didn’t wake up in December and just call the Maloofs out of the blue.
Reminds me that Wally Walker visited the Maloof’s in late 2010. That’s probably when this kicked off.
http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/01/18/great-pressure-on-seattle-as-well/
*rolls his eyes* Oh good grief. This is ridiculous especially the last paragraph.
Hansen/balmer should pull away and go for NHL as main tenant. Perhaps he needs to read the agreement that arena won’t be built unless a NBA is secured.
bleh darn moderation.
Take two
http://on.nba.com/VyeIwb
*rolls his eyes* Oh good grief. This is ridiculous especially the last paragraph.
Hansen/balmer should pull away and go for NHL as main tenant. Perhaps he needs to read the agreement that arena won’t be built unless a NBA is secured.
Continue to read the article. Right like the NBA would put a 6th team in California if the Kings went to anahiem.
5th
Thanks.
so baker you’re talking about SAC getting the bucks in 2016 as potentially being KJ’s pitch? I may be mistaken, but I think I did hear something a while back about the hornets eventually wanting to move to the eastern conference. moving the bucks to SAC and the western conf and moving the Hornets/Pelicans/? to the eastern conf could work.
Peter, the point you missed is that KJ is going to be left with taking Seattle’s place as the #1 option for failing teams to leverage for new arenas, so he hopes.
unless INDY/Milwaukee/Bobcats situations could bring them here by 2017, SAC will probably be in the same situation we were in 2008. Kings go here, and one of those other 3 teams go to SAC down the line. I just don’t see KJ pulling an arena out of his @ss in the next 4 or so weeks, and without one in his back pocket he wont get far with the BOG.
The issue is i think with the arena there is city council support. I doubt the new council will support the one that was previous agree upon.
if SAC doesn’t have an arena passed by the KJ/BOG meeting, SAC shouldn’t keep the kings. bar none. but the article also points out the bucks coming here as a backup in case the kings stay. I don’t see the BOG voting down an relocation. when was the last time they did that? more likely SAC will get an opportunity at the Bucks down the line, especially if they don’t have an arena in their back pocket soon.
I think it might be better for Sac that way. let Seattle have the kings then get their own side in order with arena, a great ownership group then approach the NBA later.
Bucks in 2016 is cutting it too close to the expiration of the arena deal if you ask me.
agreed, won’t mention the E word until I find out what happens with SAC. but with the other teams in trouble not having their fate decided until they do (2016 or so), it may be worth discussing if SAC doesn’t turn out our way.
I think regarding expansion is not everyone really knows the logistic of it. Sure it may be the simple solution from our perspective. But its not really that simple solution from the league’s perspective more complex issue.
Both sides of the kings situation needs to understand that. As its been pointed out here several times it’s just not going to happen any time soon.
the only way I see expansion potentially is the unlikely, but possible scenario that our 5 years are running out and we still haven’t bought a team. sort of a last resort, “nuclear” option if all else fails to get a team here. I do not see it happening in SAC.
I could definatley see it happening in Sac. I dont see how you couldnt. If the Kings come here and KJ gets a solid ownership group together and they get the arena plan(which shouldn’t be that crazy hard for them to do, obviously) then I think Baker is exactly right in that they could totally take our spot as the “next” city in line.
Everything is gonna be OK. Until the All Star we’re going to hear a lot of rumors from “realiable sources”, but we just need to remember this…
http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-trust-hansen-2.png
Haha, we got all these team issued figured out. The NBA should hire us to solve its franchise issues:)
The humor is in the fact that we can see through their bullshit.
look, folks, i’m an old man who’s seen it all before. . . but don’t take my word for it. think of me as john the baptist, giving y’all a great tip: clear the way, clear the way, listen to mr. baker.
okay, that was a little blasphemous. but i am not kidding. i think that sacramento is the ‘new seattle.’ they will cool their heels for awhile (and you who crave purity, be forewarned, the ‘seattle fans are jerks who hate us’ stuff has already started), and then get a replacement team. but i don’t think sterno tells hansen & ballmer “take a number & wait your turn.”
it’s our turn, almost. hard world we live in, but we have hard (& rich) men on our side.
A quick note on the Sac City Council. KJ actually had two candidates he personally selected and funded beat out incumbents who were enemies of the mayor. He basically now has a majority whenever he wants on issues now. One of the councilmen who was on the fence about the arena previously said the vote would be 9-0 if it were held now…the city council will not be an issue.
*crickets*
This Silvertips vs Thunderbirds game is pretty good. Everett’s up 4-1 after 2 periods of play.
Yea I was at the game it was pritty fun a least until Everett scored again and the T-birds players knew it was over and just started picking fights left and right
Yeah after that last goal, things went downhill quickly. The T-Birds looked really inept during their power plays and also during the game Ian Furness I think it was said the T-Birds were on their 3rd string goalie.
I like that Mitch is saying some things will start to trickle out next week. Some times hearing the sound of a trickle is enough to get a strong stream flowing. #URINAL LOGIC.
The question is this. Which fan base will be relieved by the flow and which will have to change its pants?
LOL keep it flowing, Paul, you’re a wizz!
While sitting up fighting the flu, hoping that a few gallons of chamomile will put me under, I had a thought while scouring Kings’ sites. Reading those sites it’s easy to see that Kings’ fans have insulated themselves in a bubble in which only positive news and fringe positive speculation is getting through. It’s interesting to watch the snowball start to form: there’s a rumor that there’s a “whale”(big time investor), it becomes there IS a whale, names get thrown around, it becomes DEFINITELY THAT GUY and so on and so forth. There are several comments flatly stating that Sacramento is in the driver’s seat and that odds are upwards of “98%” in their favor. Now I’m not saying they need to resign themselves to defeat, but this kind of misinformation and repeated confirmation of misinformation is dangerous, at least in how sharply we are going to made into villains.
I know we want to pretend that “we know what they’re going through” and that “it’s not as bad as what Clay did to us, we’re being clear from the get go”, throw even that crap to the side, this false (or at least unlikely and not at all evidence based) narrative is now truth to these fans. They firmly believe that they’ve all but saved the team at this point, and hey, maybe they turn out to be right, but if they aren’t, the Hansen-Ballmer group buying the Kings will be seen as as nefarious as any deed ever committed in the NBA. I realize most of us our smart enough to know that we weren’t going to amicably take their team, but we need to be prepared for vitriol of the highest order, because the perception will be that our city “that gave up on our team” stole theirs after they delivered in a way that we didn’t. Expect extremist viewpoints, it’s bound to happen when/if that bubble bursts.
Sure it’s been rough not hearing anything for a little while, but man am I glad not to be caught up in the roller coaster right now or trapped in a bubble. Our guys are working behind the scenes, theirs are working at press conferences, I’ve always heard the important decisions are made in shadowy backroom deals, so plus one for us.
I think we should take up a charity for the fans that have supported the Kings and who have had no say in losing their own team. I could go as far as calling some of those fans members of a unifying SuperKings group, but many of them have been SuperSacs about the whole affair. However, in spite some zealous trolling from good o’l Sac fans something should be done to unify our common empathetic bond as fans watching a business event neither party truly has any say over-all we have is ticket money.
Even as we will revel in the victorious return of a franchise whole heartily, para-soberly, and with thumbs against our chins directed southward. Perhaps we could find a common bond and some common enemies between the communities of fans.
Look at it this way, Sea-Sac fans can universally root together against those good for nothing La[c]kers. The a’fore mentioned team having also been shoved out of some mythical land we call the Mid-West. Seems like movements happen everywhere, while some movements are hard to accept, they happen anyway.
I would love to find a way to “invite” sacramento fans to be part of our new legacy but I don’t see how it can be done in a way that would not be perceived as offensive.
It takes a lot of energy not to get sucked into the conversations. I’ve been watching the Sac message boards really closely and there are 1-2 people who are Seattle trolls in the same way 1-2 people from OKC were in our face. It gets the same results.
Some fascinating conversations. I would love to have a debate about what city “took care of their arena.” From what I can read the strong perception there is that “Sacramento did everything to support the NBA and Arena while Seattle did nothing.”
I wonder about the historical accuracy of that. The reality is that their arena lease expired in 2005 and they overwhelmingly voted down the last public attempt. Seattle’s team was already out the door 3 years before their lease expired. They can blame the maloofs but we have Howard and the ineptitude there. IMO the biggest difference was timing and a vastly different media/public perception. The SacBee has been way friendlier to them than the Seattle Times ever was to us.
Yeah, it really frustrates me how much inaccuracy there is out there about how and why the Sonics left, even among Sonics fans. I remember reading in some newspaper (it might have been the NY Times) about how Howard Schultz had tried for a decade to get a new arena before selling to Bennett. A decade? He had only owned the team for five years (and had only been “trying”-I use the term incredibly loosely-for an arena for 1-2 years)!
I’ll be completely honest; I don’t care what Sacramento fans think of us, what they’re saying, or how they’re trying to vilify us. I don’t care about being the villain here.
This is business. Nobody on the Seattle side of this situation gets to dictate the terms of how this business will be conducted, including Mr. Hansen and Mr. Ballmer. Of course, in a perfect world, Seattle would get an expansion team, and everyone else could keep their franchise. The world is far from perfect, and I’m not going to feel bad for being complicit with the actions of a hopeful ownership group playing by the rules laid before them by the NBA. In the immortal words of Marlo Stanfield, “You want it to be one way… But it’s the other way.”
For Sacramento, this is personal, and it can’t really be any other way. There is literally nothing any Seattle fan can say to them to make them feel better or hate us less, no matter what the intent was or how eloquent it was said. They hate us right now, and if they lose their team, they’ll hate us forever, just like I’ll hate the Okie team 30 years from now even if we get the Sonics back tomorrow.
We should really just leave them alone completely. Reaching out to them will most likely prove to be as futile as it already has. Let them continue hating us and living in their little bubble of positive vibes. The way I see it, that’s better for us and our situation anyway. I can only hope that hubris extends all the way to Mayor KJ.
Well said.
Sad but it’s probably a moot point. I think people will believe what they want to believe, and both sides of this are truly stuck in their respective bubbles. We believe that we’re getting the Kings here in Seattle, but we should withhold judgement as there is no conclusive proof or signed deal. They believe the angels will come and buy a team and build an arena. We’re really no different than them.
It’s a moot point about who supported their team or their arena more, because really we as fans have so very little authority or sway over either.
I want to reach out to Sactown fans and tell them how much I hate this, and how much I really don’t want their team. Of course I would embrace any team that came here, but that’s not the point. The point is that the NBA is a fucked up, outdated and non-sustainable business model, and we fans are the ones who get to suffer as a result. It’s really seriously lame. Almost lame enough to make me want to move on and find another pursuit to spend my time and energies and emotions on. Almost.
Well said. It’s a business. The best part of this for me is knowing Hansen grew up here without a silver spoon and was/is a huge Sonic fan. I don’t know if many other owners can say that. I don’t know how many fans could be blessed with that. Karma, baby !!
I will probably not connect with Sactown fans for the reasons Brian has been talking about.