Clippers owner Steve Ballmer in advanced negotiations to buy The Forum from MSG, sources say

NippySudz · Post #1 » by **NippySudz** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 2:00 am

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28818084/clippers-owner-steve-ballmer-advanced-negotiations-buy-forum-msg-sources-say

Quake Griffin · Post #2 » by **Quake Griffin** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 2:10 am

Watch on YouTube

MartinToVaught · Post #3 » by **MartinToVaught** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 2:20 am

Wow, this is huge and unexpected. Hopefully the deal gets done so our new arena can get built ASAP.

donemilio21 · Post #4 » by **donemilio21** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 3:56 am

After Ballmer buys the Forum, he should put Dolan's face on every urinal.

Jokes aside, NBA should have intervened a long time ago and asked MSG & Dolan to either sell the Forum or the Knicks.

50CalClips · Post #5 » by **50CalClips** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 4:40 am

Ha...

[that is all]

Clemenza · Post #6 » by **Clemenza** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 5:56 am

If Ballmer buys The Forum then either he guts the interior for basketball or its getting torn down. You're not going to buy the Forum then build a new arena down the street- and all the concerts go to the new arena- leaving the Forum empty and bare and having to pay expensive maintenance and upkeep costs for a building with no concerts and no permanent pro tenants. Plus it would be prime real estate to build a hotel or highrise with condos. Alot of locals won't like the thought of The Forum being torn down though. But no way you buy that just to leave it sitting there with nothing going on that plot of land

MartinToVaught · Post #7 » by **MartinToVaught** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 6:59 am

Clemenza wrote:If Ballmer buys The Forum then either he guts the interior for basketball or its getting torn down. You're not going to buy the Forum then build a new arena down the street- and all the concerts go to the new arena- leaving the Forum empty and bare and having to pay expensive maintenance and upkeep costs for a building with no concerts and no permanent pro tenants. Plus it would be prime real estate to build a hotel or highrise with condos. Alot of locals won't like the thought of The Forum being torn down though. But no way you buy that just to leave it sitting there with nothing going on that plot of land

It's probably not viable for an NBA team anymore, but I could maybe see the AC Clippers playing there.

esqtvd · Post #8 » by **esqtvd** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 8:03 am

if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em

Clippers2020 · Post #9 » by **Clippers2020** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 10:30 am

Beat 'em (Clippers lead Lakers 2-0).....Buy 'em.....Knock the crap out of 'em.

Post #10 » by **QRich3** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 11:05 am

This was always the most likely option wasn't it? since it was always a money problem for the forum, it was always gonna be a matter of when MSG gets paid off to go away, more than when. At least I always got that feeling from WC's updates in the relocation thread.

Glad it can be settled this soon. I bet it's not gonna be cheap at all, but this is where having the governor with the deepest pockets in sports comes in handy.

Quake Griffin · Post #11 » by **Quake Griffin** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 4:39 pm

Clemenza wrote:If Ballmer buys The Forum then either he guts the interior for basketball or its getting torn down. You're not going to buy the Forum then build a new arena down the street- and all the concerts go to the new arena- leaving the Forum empty and bare and having to pay expensive maintenance and upkeep costs for a building with no concerts and no permanent pro tenants. Plus it would be prime real estate to build a hotel or highrise with condos. Alot of locals won't like the thought of The Forum being torn down though. But no way you buy that just to leave it sitting there with nothing going on that plot of land

He's just buying out the opposition.

He's been fairly clear that he is trying to make basketball arena that has no hockey and, IIRC, is less focused on being a concert venue. He's mentioned a Field House before and I think that is what the first renderings look like. I HIGHLY HIGHLY doubt that his plan is to gut the Forum and redo it as a basketball arena.

Ballmer gets it. I truly doubt he would want to subject Clipper fans to playing in the house that Magic built.

Quake Griffin · Post #12 » by **Quake Griffin** » Mon Mar 2, 2020 10:10 pm

btw, lol at Laker fans on the General Discussion Board taking more swipes at the Clippers.

They see the writing is on the wall.

We aint moving. Aint no Seattle. We're gonna be here in LA and competing for decades.

NippySudz · Post #13 » by **NippySudz** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 1:33 am

MartinToVaught wrote:Wow, this is huge and unexpected. Hopefully the deal gets done so our new arena can get built ASAP.

Unexpected for us but probably balmers plan all along. He has the local politicians in his pocket and he knows the forum won't get much business once the new arena is built.

Basically, the wealthier man is gentrifying the less wealthier man and forcing him no option to sell.

And I'm all for it.

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50CalClips · Post #14 » by **50CalClips** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 2:15 am

What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?

Roscoe Sheed · Post #15 » by **Roscoe Sheed** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 2:21 am

50CalClips wrote:What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?

It is a concert venue. They get some big time performers. I think it is still too outdated though even with the renovations

esqtvd · Post #16 » by **esqtvd** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 2:56 am

Roscoe Sheed wrote:
50CalClips wrote:What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?

It is a concert venue. They get some big time performers. I think it is still too outdated though even with the renovations

I saw The Moody Blues there in like 1842

it was s**tty then

NippySudz · Post #17 » by **NippySudz** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 3:05 am

50CalClips wrote:What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?

They used it for small events. It hosted an emergency ufc event . It doesn't hold as many people thus doesn't generate a lot of money. It will be used for the Olympics

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Quake Griffin · Post #18 » by **Quake Griffin** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 3:57 am

Just wiki'd it. It's going to hold the gymnastics events in 2028.

Casey Wasserman, years ago, said we were a good fit for 2028 because the infrastructure was there already and we didn't need to build it ala Greece.

Pretty cool.
Still think we can find a better place to host gymnastics right?

Clemenza · Post #19 » by **Clemenza** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 4:47 am

NippySudz wrote:
50CalClips wrote:What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?
They used it for small events. It hosted an emergency ufc event . It doesn't hold as many people thus doesn't generate a lot of money. It will be used for the Olympics

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What are you guys talking about. Some of the biggest tours in the world play at The Forum now. It still seats like 16,000 people

NippySudz · Post #20 » by **NippySudz** » Tue Mar 3, 2020 4:49 am

Clemenza wrote:
NippySudz wrote:
50CalClips wrote:What was that New York guy doing with the Forum anyway?

Is it being used as a church?
Does it hold Boxing events?
They used it for small events. It hosted an emergency ufc event . It doesn't hold as many people thus doesn't generate a lot of money. It will be used for the Olympics

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using Tapatalk

What are you guys talking about. Some of the biggest tours in the world play at The Forum now. It still seats like 16,000 people

staple center holds 20,000