The Sacramento Kings on the Verge of Being Royally Screwed...

Deja Vu?

Remember what happened in Seattle say...oh 7 years ago? The Sonics were bought buy a group from Oklahoma and were looking for anyway to move the team from Seattle to Oklahoma City.  Professional Basketball Club LLC, the group who bought the Sonics, had told the city of Seattle that they wanted help funding KeyArena.  PBC was asking the government to fund the new stadium that would have cost onwards up to $500 million.  As we all know, the Sonics were left in the dust and the Thunder came bolting into Oklahoma City and the NBA scene.  Left behind were loyal, heart broken, infuriated distraught fans.

Well NBA fans, looks like we could in for act II!  Reports have come out that after much fighting, push and pull, and unlike what may have happened in Seattle, the city of Sacramento did what they could to keep the Sacramento Kings in town...are getting the Royal Flush.  We heard for a few years now, rumblings of the Maloof family trying to get renovations on what used to named ARCO Arena.  I understand that the Maloofs don't want to keep investing money into renovations. In 2006, the bizjournal reported that "Measure Q -- which would have recommended that the proceeds of a tax increase go for an arena -- failed 71.5 percent to 28.5 percent. Measure R, which would have increased the county sales tax by a quarter-cent for 15 years, failed 80.2 percent to 19.8 percent".  A $600 million facility in downtown Sacramento was proposed, which was to be funded by a quarter cent sales tax increase over 15 years and the people rejected the idea.  In some ways up to this point, it seemed as thought the stars were starting to align and we may have another scenario develop like Seattle.

Artist rendition of the new arena in Sacramento

In late February, SportsBusinessDaily.com had reported that the Kings' owners, the city, and the NBA came to a tentative deal on the construction of a 387 million dollar facility in the rail yards in downtown Sacramento. The city would be paying up-front more than 250 million dollars, raised by from leasing city-owned parking lots to a private company. The Maloofs would be contributing only 75 million up-front as well as the money from the sale of the current Power Balance Pavilion. In addition they would pay a 5% surcharge on their ticket sales supposedly generating another 75 million through the span of the deal. Arena operator AEG was to contribute another 60 million up-front for the right to operate the arena. With this agreement, it was expected that the Kings would play in the new arena as early as 2015.  Just over a week later, the city had agreed on the parameters of the deal and it looked like everything was "peaches and cream" in Sac-town.

Well, on Friday, April 13th...yes FRIDAY THE 13TH!  NBA Commissioner David Stern came to the party and ruined it for everybody.  ProBasketballTalk broke down what Stern had to say, and this is what came of his press conference. 

"In my view, it was subject to any party who said didn’t want to do it. It was always non-binding… I think it’s fair for Maloofs to say ' don’t want to do it.'" 

"I am extremely disappointed, on behalf of Maloofs and city of Sacramento, but I think that there’s nothing further to be done," Stern said. "This is a situation that the Maloofs will make judgments on and city will have to make judgments on. I think we’ve done as much as we can do."

Just like Seattle, the fans are at the mercy of the team, but there isn't much they can do

 So the city of Sacramento did what they could to try and work with the Maloofs in giving the family a new stadium, had a proposal all put together, tentatively approved the deal.  It's odd that they would be willing to work with the city up to this point and then decide one day "Nope, we really don't like it now, good yesterday...not so much today".  From the very beginning, the Maloofs really had no intentions of staying there, good owners understand how much a team means to a community and they do what they can to stay in town and be the "town attraction".  Anaheim has been in their vision ever since the Sonics were bought and moved, this was a way for the owners to find leverage and get what they want.  In all this, what's frustrating and disappointing is the leadership up top with David Stern.  He is able to take control of the New Orleans Hornets, run the team, make trades and talk about how important it was to make sure that the team is bought by someone (Saints Owner Tom Benson) to keep the team in town, because of "how much the team meant to the community".  What about the Sonics and Kings?!  These are examples of cities that DO have fans that DO care about there team, regardless of how good or bad their team is, they will still show up.  If community is important enough to the commissioner, he would do what he can to keep or have kept the teams in their town.  At this point, it looks like that the Kings will spend the 2012-2013 season in Sacramento, but after that?  Anaheim?  Downtown Los Angeles?  The Maloofs have Mayflower on speed dial and are ready to move at a moments notice.  Luckily we have heard in the past, owners such as Jerry Buss has come out and voiced their displeasure with another team in the L.A. market.  If it becomes a big enough issue, maybe the whole notion of moving the team will come down to a owners vote and/or approval of the move.  If it comes down to Stern making the ultimate decision, Sac-town will be at the mercy of the Kings and the fans, just like Seattle, will be the ones that lose the most in all of this.