NBA back to Seattle? NHL too?

[DustDevil61]

Things look bleak in Sacto. I know this has been discussed before, but I wonder if the league (one way or another) steps in and either (1) shoots down any proposed move to Anaheim or (2) pressures the Maloofs to sell. Any Anaheim move is a business move in the strictest sense--not one that really involves basketball or fans.* IIRC that's the Maloofs' quickest path to profit/out of debt.

*Even as bad as the Sonics-to-Oklahoma move was for Seattle fans, you can't deny that there was an anxious fanbase in OKC. I don't see the same with a proposed move into Anaheim and becoming the 3rd Greater LA-area team.

[rvrdgsfn]

Yeah, one would think that, the Maloofs are bleeding money, thus when the news of Seattle getting arena plans, people's ears started to perk up, I really would like to see the Sonics come back, but at the same time, the Kings have had a long history with the NBA, IMO either way, someone looses.

[bosrs1]

Wow. How did that all go wrong?

I guess Stern is no Goodell.

One word, Maloofs. The family killed it. They were given everything and then some that they asked for and were taken by surprised when the Sacramento came up with everything on their laundry list yet again (this is now the third time they've been the primary or sole reason a Sacramento arena plan was scuttled). So they did what the Maloofs always do, they sabotaged the arena plan only to turn around and propose another arena plan, plan 4. Plan 4 being a renovation of the existing Power Balance Pavilion (which the Maloofs own) that they want the city to pay for. That's right, they now want the taxpayers to fund a renovation of their privately owned arena at the same time they're claiming they've killed the new arena project to protect those very same taxpayers. The city has promptly told the Maloofs to go themselves which will of course be the justification they use when they go whining to the NBA for permission to move to some other unlucky city.

At this point I don't think anyone in Sacramento will shed a tear when they Maloofs leave town even if a few will be sad when the Kings leave. The Maloofs have all but poisoned the well in Sac for the NBA, particularly as long as Larry, Moe and Curly Maloof are running the show.

[DarkJourney]

I really hope the Maloofs feel the wrath of David Stern and the owners on this one and force them somehow to sell the team. But that's probably unlikely when creepy, slimy lawyers get involved.

[tp49]

I really hope the Maloofs feel the wrath of David Stern and the owners on this one and force them somehow to sell the team. But that's probably unlikely when creepy, slimy lawyers get involved.

That would be the best possible outcome for the long term health of the Kings in Sacramento. I also think this will be the probable outcome though it will probably not come to fruition until next offseason. I know I won't give the Maloof's another dime of my money and will go to a Kings game again once there are new owners in place. The Maloof's took all of the goodwill from last year and pissed it all away. Good luck selling season tickets for next year.

[Gothamite]

I think they're counting on that as the only way to convince the other owners to allow relocation to Anaheim.

[bosrs1]

I think they're counting on that as the only way to convince the other owners to allow relocation to Anaheim.

Which they won't do. The other owners don't want a third LA team. They made that abundantly clear when they denied the LA move last spring. And in the interim Sacramento did everything the other owners asked for from the city. Add into that the owners inherent dislike of the Maloofs and I find it unlikely the LA move ever gets approved. Which hopefully means the Maloofs will be forced to sell. But knowing how much like cockroaches they are the Maloofs will probably find a way to hang on and move the team somewhere else it'll benefit them like Vegas or Seattle.

[illwauk]

Columbus wants an NBA franchise

www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/150933995.html (Not sure why my link isn't working)

Some folks online have been floating around a hypothetical Bucks for Blue Jackets trade. Funny how both team names could work equally as well in the other city.

[The_Admiral]

Professional basketball would fail in Columbus even more spectacularly than professional hockey has. Enough with Columbus. I don't care how much it's growing. It is a college town. Austin is large and growing, but nobody has the poor sense to plop a team there. I mean, you think the Bucks encounter too much "I don't wanna see no thug league ball because I care about good kids with fundamentals" crap? Talk about entering the belly of the beast.

The real trade in my mind is Milwaukee Admirals for Nashville Predators, but that ship has sailed, sadly.

[UnclearInitial]

Yeah, one would think that, the Maloofs are bleeding money, thus when the news of Seattle getting arena plans, people's ears started to perk up, I really would like to see the Sonics come back, but at the same time, the Kings have had a long history with the NBA, IMO either way, someone looses.

IMO if the Kings move to' Seattle the best option would be to' move them and their history to Charlotte (queen city) and then make the Bobcats the Sonics and forgot that trainwreck ever happened

[dfwabel]

Professional basketball would fail in Columbus even more spectacularly than professional hockey has. Enough with Columbus. I don't care how much it's growing. It is a college town. Austin is large and growing, but nobody has the poor sense to plop a team there. I mean, you think the Bucks encounter too much "I don't wanna see no thug league ball because I care about good kids with fundamentals" crap? Talk about entering the belly of the beast.

The real trade in my mind is Milwaukee Admirals for Nashville Predators, but that ship has sailed, sadly.

You have not talked to those who want to reboot the USFL then.

?We will play in markets where there are no NFL teams or major league baseball teams. It?s a league for guys who are on the bubble for making NFL teams, and we will have complete open access for the NFL. We want to build a model that is sustainable.?

The USFL is looking at a 14-game season from March until June in eight cities. Its players would then be free to join NFL clubs at their training camps.

All player and coach contracts will be owned by the league, with salaries not approaching anything the NFL offers.

Cities currently being considered are Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; San Antonio or Austin, Texas; Columbus or Akron, Ohio; Oklahoma City; Omaha, Neb.; Raleigh/Durham, N.C.; Birmingham, Ala.; and Memphis, Tenn.

?These are cities with underutilized facilities at that time of year,? Cuadra said.

I do agree that the NBA to Columbus is a ill-conceived idea.

[Sodboy13]

You have not talked to those who want to reboot the USFL then.

Somewhere in North Carolina, The Mad Mac just did a spit take with his evening scotch.

Wasn't the USFL "planning to reboot next March" like, two or three years ago?

[Gothamite]

Just because some idiots are talking about doing it doesn't make it a smart idea.

Some folks online have been floating around a hypothetical Bucks for Blue Jackets trade. Funny how both team names could work equally as well in the other city.

I've long thought that; Wisconsin has a strong and honorable Civil War legacy.

[illwauk]

Professional basketball would fail in Columbus even more spectacularly than professional hockey has. Enough with Columbus. I don't care how much it's growing. It is a college town. Austin is large and growing, but nobody has the poor sense to plop a team there. I mean, you think the Bucks encounter too much "I don't wanna see no thug league ball because I care about good kids with fundamentals" crap? Talk about entering the belly of the beast.

The real trade in my mind is Milwaukee Admirals for Nashville Predators, but that ship has sailed, sadly.

Hey now... I never said it'd be a good idea, just that I want the Bucks to be in Columbus

And yes, Ads for Preds would make even more sense... as would Bucks for Preds.

I've long thought that; Wisconsin has a strong and honorable Civil War legacy.

Yup. They could even host a Winter Classic game at Camp Randall, an actual camp for union troops during the war.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

A public announcement for a Memorandum of Understanding. It's so Seattle:

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, County Executive Dow Constantine and hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen are expected to announce Wednesday morning that they are sending legislation to the city and county councils to finance a new $490 million sports arena in Sodo.

McGinn and Constantine also are expected to propose an agreement over what percentage of $200 million in public construction bonds each would finance.

City and county officials were meeting late Tuesday in McGinn's City Hall office to finalize what Sung Yang, Constantine's chief of staff, characterized as a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that would be sent to the councils.

"We're still working very, very hard to finalize this MOU," Yang said.

Hansen and city and county leaders initially proposed a memorandum of understanding to detail how the city and county would issue the construction bonds and how the investment group, led by Hansen, would repay them. An MOU would be less binding than an ordinance and potentially less of a guarantee of taxpayer financial commitment.

Some City Council members said that, over the past month, Hansen had asked that the legislation be in the form of an ordinance that would be more binding, so that if approved, he would be in a stronger position to lobby the NBA for a team, according to City Hall sources familiar with the discussions.

In February, McGinn, Constantine and Hansen announced at a cheering news conference what they described as a "self-funding" proposal to build a new, 18,000 seat arena and entertainment venue to return professional basketball to the city. The plan also envisions attracting an NHL team, and hosting up to 200 events a year.

The city and county's outlay of public money would be capped at $200 million. That would be repaid through rent and taxes generated by the arena.

The initial proposal included several measures to protect the public investment, including requiring the arena owners to make up any revenue shortfall, to require both teams to sign 30-year non-location agreements, to pay for upkeep and maintenance of the facility and to build up a financial reserve equal to three years of debt payment on the building.

Hansen said then he hoped the respective councils would approve the memorandum by June, so he could take it to the NBA Board of Governors. But that timeline is unlikely with the councils only now receiving the detailed legislation and with in-depth financial analysis of Hansen's proposal yet to be made.

[bosrs1]

Kings might just be available to move out of Sac after all.

http://newballpark.org/2012/05/15/drama-more-drama/

Looks like there really isn't ANY hope left in Sac itself. The two parties are sicking the Feds on each other at this point. And the owners will never let the Maloofs move to Anaheim like they want. Not without a lengthy, and more importantly costly, court proceeding that the Maloofs in no way can afford. Good luck Seattle is all I have to say if that happens. You're the luckiest city since Nagasaki.

[rvrdgsfn]

An agreement on Seattle has been made, even without the NHL

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/agreement-reached-seattle-arena-plan-175408540--nba.html

The city of Seattle, King County and investor Chris Hansen have reached an agreement in the effort to build an arena that could bring professional basketball back to the Puget Sound.

The memorandum of understanding announced Wednesday now goes before the City Council and King County Council for approval.

The agreement adds a new wrinkle to an original proposal in that an NHL team is no longer needed to start construction. Only an NBA team, with a non-relocation agreement signed, is needed to begin construction on the proposed 18,500-seat facility.

[tp49]

Kings might just be available to move out of Sac after all.

http://newballpark.org/2012/05/15/drama-more-drama/

Looks like there really isn't ANY hope left in Sac itself. The two parties are sicking the Feds on each other at this point. And the owners will never let the Maloofs move to Anaheim like they want. Not without a lengthy, and more importantly costly, court proceeding that the Maloofs in no way can afford. Good luck Seattle is all I have to say if that happens. You're the luckiest city since Nagasaki.

The parties are the business community group who wrote the anti-Maloof letter and the Maloof's not the City of Sacramento. The report has nothing to do with the city at all. Though nothing will ever get done in Sacramento so long as the Maloof's own the team. They have destroyed any good will they ever had in this town.

[bosrs1]

Kings might just be available to move out of Sac after all.

http://newballpark.org/2012/05/15/drama-more-drama/

Looks like there really isn't ANY hope left in Sac itself. The two parties are sicking the Feds on each other at this point. And the owners will never let the Maloofs move to Anaheim like they want. Not without a lengthy, and more importantly costly, court proceeding that the Maloofs in no way can afford. Good luck Seattle is all I have to say if that happens. You're the luckiest city since Nagasaki.

The parties are the business community group who wrote the anti-Maloof letter and the Maloof's not the City of Sacramento. The report has nothing to do with the city at all. Though nothing will ever get done in Sacramento so long as the Maloof's own the team. They have destroyed any good will they ever had in this town.

Not legally. But the city has been badmouthing the Maloofs and the Maloofs have been calling the city a bunch of liars. Not a great basis to begin negotiations.

[KDubK414]

Since there is a lot of Bucks and Admirals talk in here. The BC is now the BMOHBC

Story here. BMO Harris Bradley Center.