Anaheim Kings?

[alwaysr92]

Sorry if this was brought up before, but i ran across this on ESPN...it looks as though the Kings are getting serious about them trying to move to Anaheim.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/allstar2011/news/story?id=6140807

[AndrewG70]

Maybe they'll call the team the Los Angeles Kings of Anaheim.

Oh, wait a minute...

[McCall]

Maybe they'll call the team the Los Angeles Kings of Anaheim.

Oh, wait a minute...

Put down the stick.

[Gothamite]

2005 called, they want their joke back.

[BrySmalls]

Anaheim already has a hockey team, but they severely lack defense as the past few games have shown. So this combined team may fare slightly better in the Pacific Division than just one team.

Yeah, I know we're not talking about hockey.

[wildwing64]

Anaheim already has a hockey team, but they severely lack defense as the past few games have shown. So this combined team may fare slightly better in the Pacific Division than just one team.

Yeah, I know we're not talking about hockey.

I recall someone actually doing that in a REEL-LINE-MINT concept.

But in all seriousness, this is only going to overcrowd the market. I doubt that any existing Laker fans in Orange County are going to switch their allegiance overnight.

[crashcarson15]

If this move were to go through, I highly doubt they'd retain the "Kings" name. I think they should go back to the "Royals" name they originally had before moving to KC (obviously to remove confusion with the baseball team), so you'd expect something similar to avoid confusion with the LA Kings.

[DEAD!]

If this move were to go through, I highly doubt they'd retain the "Kings" name. I think they should go back to the "Royals" name they originally had before moving to KC (obviously to remove confusion with the baseball team), so you'd expect something similar to avoid confusion with the LA Kings.

.. or how about they just move back to KC... I hear they have an arena...

[Sport]

I asked this in the other relocation thread, but I'll pose the same thing here as this may be more appropriate. This is a serious question and I'm not trying to get all "winnipeg-coyotes" here, but why don't they move the Kings back to Cincinnati and rename them the Royals? How could that be any worse than putting them in a market with entrenched Laker history and fanbase and a second team? IIRC, I think Cincinnati was considered when they ultimately awarded Charlotte a second expansion team.

[Lights Out]

LA already has the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers are already a huge ratings and box-office draw, and thanks to Blake Griffin, the Clippers are becoming one too. Suffice to say, the LA market is already saturated with pro basketball. Moving the Kings to Anaheim will prove to be a complete disaster if they go through with it.

[McCall]

I asked this in the other relocation thread, but I'll pose the same thing here as this may be more appropriate. This is a serious question and I'm not trying to get all "winnipeg-coyotes" here, but why don't they move the Kings back to Cincinnati and rename them the Royals? How could that be any worse than putting them in a market with entrenched Laker history and fanbase and a second team? IIRC, I think Cincinnati was considered when they ultimately awarded Charlotte a second expansion team.

I don't believe Cincinnati was ever considered. With Charlotte's second expansion, they were the only team considered. It was essentially a Cleveland Browns type situation.

I say stay out of southern California unless you're going to San Diego which isn't happening. Either stay in NorCal and go to San Jose, or look elsewhere, like Kansas City and maybe Louisville for immediate readiness (new arenas already completed) or Seattle if they, and the league, are willing to wait for a new facility.

[omnivore]

If this move were to go through, I highly doubt they'd retain the "Kings" name. I think they should go back to the "Royals" name they originally had before moving to KC (obviously to remove confusion with the baseball team), so you'd expect something similar to avoid confusion with the LA Kings.

.. or how about they just move back to KC... I hear they have an arena...

Maloofs live in Southern California and Las Vegas, so they said putting the team in Kansas City would be an inconvenience to them. They refuse to sell the team though. A lot of the possible move to Anaheim is that the Ducks owner owns the building and has offered to float them $100m loan to cover some of the expenses related to moving. He'd give them a sweetheart lease too, the building is newer and while it won't turn Lakers fans or a Clippers fan into switching allegiances, someone pointed out elsewhere that the Dodgers drew over 3m last year and the Angels did too. With the Clippers and Lakers in the same building, that at least limits the damage to those two teams and the NBA isn't like baseball or football, so they only need a 15-14 majority to leave town...and I doubt they'll have a problem securing it if they decide to pull the trigger, especially with all of the teams rumored to be moving or who want the option in upcoming years.

[bosrs1]

LA already has the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers are already a huge ratings and box-office draw, and thanks to Blake Griffin, the Clippers are becoming one too. Suffice to say, the LA market is already saturated with pro basketball. Moving the Kings to Anaheim will prove to be a complete disaster if they go through with it.

As much as I want the Kings to stay in Sac, I disagree. Anaheim might as well be in another state during the average day in LA. It is a 2 hour trek minimum to get from most points near Honda Center and south to get to a Lakers or Clippers game on the average night. In other words, it's damn near impossible. This would give those people and indeed people even further south in San Diego, an option that is within a realistic driving distance and time. I think for that reason alone they'd pick up their own fans. And for being another place to see the Lakers and Clippers in the region for fans of those teams they'd become an option as well.

[ClamBake]

Anaheim SurfKings

[neo_prankster]

The Kings should forget about Anaheim and just go to Seattle and become the new Supersonics.

[Lights Out]

And for being another place to see the Lakers and Clippers in the region for fans of those teams they'd become an option as well.

Well, yeah, they could always do a promotional campaign around being able to see Kobe and Blake without breaking the bank, but that's not exactly conducive to building a long-term, dedicated fanbase.

[omnivore]

LA already has the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers are already a huge ratings and box-office draw, and thanks to Blake Griffin, the Clippers are becoming one too. Suffice to say, the LA market is already saturated with pro basketball. Moving the Kings to Anaheim will prove to be a complete disaster if they go through with it.

As much as I want the Kings to stay in Sac, I disagree. Anaheim might as well be in another state during the average day in LA. It is a 2 hour trek minimum to get from most points near Honda Center and south to get to a Lakers or Clippers game on the average night. In other words, it's damn near impossible. This would give those people and indeed people even further south in San Diego, an option that is within a realistic driving distance and time. I think for that reason alone they'd pick up their own fans. And for being another place to see the Lakers and Clippers in the region for fans of those teams they'd become an option as well.

Exactly. The drive from the Staples Center to Honda Center is about the same in traffic as the drive from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia to the Prudential Center in Newark (and about another half hour from the future Barclays Center provided they get that thing ever built...)

[McCall]

LA already has the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers are already a huge ratings and box-office draw, and thanks to Blake Griffin, the Clippers are becoming one too. Suffice to say, the LA market is already saturated with pro basketball. Moving the Kings to Anaheim will prove to be a complete disaster if they go through with it.

As much as I want the Kings to stay in Sac, I disagree. Anaheim might as well be in another state during the average day in LA. It is a 2 hour trek minimum to get from most points near Honda Center and south to get to a Lakers or Clippers game on the average night. In other words, it's damn near impossible. This would give those people and indeed people even further south in San Diego, an option that is within a realistic driving distance and time. I think for that reason alone they'd pick up their own fans. And for being another place to see the Lakers and Clippers in the region for fans of those teams they'd become an option as well.

It's gonna take some time. A long time. Those Clippers and Lakers fans aren't just gonna switch allegiances because there's a closer team. As mentioned, at this time, the Clippers are becoming one of the more exciting teams in the league, maybe even more than the Lakers at the moment. The Kings aren't exactly on the rise. I don't see LA as a 3 team market like NY/NJ. I still think San Jose would be a better move, if Kansas City is not an option.

[NJTank]

Why cant they do the logical thing and move the Clippers to Anaheim. Give that team an identity, and not steal the Kings identity by having them act as a tenant to the Ducks. A Ducks team that would not exist if the Kings did not trade for Wayne Gretzky btw.

[bosrs1]

LA already has the Lakers and Clippers. The Lakers are already a huge ratings and box-office draw, and thanks to Blake Griffin, the Clippers are becoming one too. Suffice to say, the LA market is already saturated with pro basketball. Moving the Kings to Anaheim will prove to be a complete disaster if they go through with it.

As much as I want the Kings to stay in Sac, I disagree. Anaheim might as well be in another state during the average day in LA. It is a 2 hour trek minimum to get from most points near Honda Center and south to get to a Lakers or Clippers game on the average night. In other words, it's damn near impossible. This would give those people and indeed people even further south in San Diego, an option that is within a realistic driving distance and time. I think for that reason alone they'd pick up their own fans. And for being another place to see the Lakers and Clippers in the region for fans of those teams they'd become an option as well.

It's gonna take some time. A long time. Those Clippers and Lakers fans aren't just gonna switch allegiances because there's a closer team. As mentioned, at this time, the Clippers are becoming one of the more exciting teams in the league, maybe even more than the Lakers at the moment. The Kings aren't exactly on the rise. I don't see LA as a 3 team market like NY/NJ. I still think San Jose would be a better move, if Kansas City is not an option.

It may take time, but in the meantime many of those Lakers and Clippers fans will go to games in Anaheim both to see their own team and others out of convenience. And all the while the Kings will attract new fans from Anaheim and points south who weren't going to Lakers or Clippers games. I'm not saying it's the ideal situation, the Kings would be better served going to their own market in Seattle or Vegas. But unfortunately neither city has an an arena that the NBA would find acceptable. As for San Jose, I think the Kings are avoiding it for several good reasons. 1, the Bay Area is already a crowded sports market (and San Jose itself figures to be even more crowded when the A's and Niners complete their moves to the south bay joining the Sharks, Sabercats and Earthquakes). 2, HP Pavilion is one of the most used arenas in the world, there may not even be any open dates for them. 3, HP Pavilion's operators, SVSE, will want a slice of the team like they have on their other 3 resident franchises (Sharks, Sabercats, Strikeforce) unlike the Honda Center owners who just want the rent. 4, probably most importantly, the Warriors will fight them tooth and nail and demand ridiculous concessions to allow them into the area... the Lakers and Clippers by all accounts don't want much in the way of compensation.