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The NBA is not very happy with Sacramento right now, but then, who is?

The state is without a budget or a surplus, and after almost a decade of intermittent discussions about a modern sports/entertainment complex befitting California's capital, the Kings still haven't stuck a shovel in the ground.

"No one is packing up and backing up the trucks," NBA Commissioner David Stern said Thursday, referring to the latest failed arena deal involving a three-way land swap, "but we just don't have any new ideas. There were several good ones reduced to the convergence plan, and everyone got behind it except for one enterprise (Cal Expo). Cal Expo exhausted us. If something comes up that's workable, we would be all for it. But we don't see anything workable right now."

Folks, this isn't good. Stern is a pit bull. He doesn't quit unless he's soundly defeated. Yet after four years of personal involvement – at the Maloofs' request – the commissioner passed the blueprints back to the Kings.



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/01/307091 ... z117Lg9P4Y

5th pick sucks wrote:Folks, this isn't good. Stern is a pit bull. He doesn't quit unless he's soundly defeated. Yet after four years of personal involvement – at the Maloofs' request – the commissioner passed the blueprints back to the Kings.

More like Bully than Pit Bull.

In a time when basic infrastructure (roads, bridges, water/wastewater systems) is being horribly neglected because of lack of money, the idea of public money for an extravagance, such as a new arena, is just a non-starter. That means private investment has to step up to get this done. I'm sorry, but the economy is just not in the position yet for private investors will risk large amounts of capital on entertainment. The Maloofs just need to wait out the economic storm, remain committed to improving the product they put on the floor and wait for the timing to improve.

Is it time we explore other options besides the Kings? The Kings are my favorite NBA team and all but I'd like to see a study on getting either an NFL or MLB team here done.

I'd also like to see the city build a joint interest with Sac State and build up a good sports program. My thinking is that the college game is more in line with what the community is willing to pay to see sports in this region.

ICMTM wrote:Is it time we explore other options besides the Kings? The Kings are my favorite NBA team and all but I'd like to see a study on getting either an NFL or MLB team here done.

I'd also like to see the city build a joint interest with Sac State and build up a good sports program. My thinking is that the college game is more in line with what the community is willing to pay to see sports in this region.

No way the NFL would ever come to Sac, not with the 9ers about to play in Santa Clara and the Raiders in Oakland and Ed Roski building a stadium in Sac. The only team that might ever play here is the A's. But I don't think Sac deserves a pro sports team anymore to be honest. Hopefully the Kings move to San Jose and stay in NorCal for a long time.

1st off all SACRAMENTO did not even keep the SACRAMENTO SURGE footbal team around so getting an NFL team is not likely though I would love it if we did !
Additionally we did not keep the MONARCHS though i didnt care for them much myself .
All this being said if we lose the KINGS dont expect any major team from any major sport .
Not only will we show we wont as fans keep supporting our teams reguardless if you call it filling the arena's etc. or paying taxes to keep our teams in SAC but we are showing SACRAMENTO doesnt have the market to support any team of any major sport .
If we lose the KINGS dont expect another team.
If any of our colleges in football were good that would be a good thing but the market for a small scale college football team wont do muh for our CITY/COMMUNITY etc.
If the KINGS cant find a location for our NBA team to play what makes anyone think we can of another sport ( maybe ) but doubtful !

I sure as hell hope we dont lose our KINGS !

We have a better chance to get other sports teams idf we keep the KINGS and support them rather than not !

"It's up to the boys (Maloofs). But a year from now, they're going to need to figure something out. We'll be waiting."

Well, sounds like a deadline to me. Time is ticking.

If the Kings leave town you can scratch Sactown off the list of professional sports cities. I'm pretty sure the toxicity of this situation is pretty well known by all at this point and no other sport is going to head Sac's way. If you can't even get an area built how do you think a billion+ stadium is going to fly?

It seems to me somebody is not putting enough effort of getting this done. I mean from what I read, this was a problem even when the Kings were a legit playoff team, and still no body wanted to plan ahead of time. Now, whether this is on David Stern, the Maloofs or the city, that is what I am curious about. If the NBA and the Kings can't reach an agreement towards building an arena in Sacramento or the city of California, we are better off then relocating to a city that will welcome this franchise and put in the needed effort and hard work to finally get us a new arena. I personally don't mind if they move, I'm not saying I want them to, don't get me wrong. I don't live in Sacramento so I can't speak for the citizens of the city and how important that team is to them. A number of cities have been named as destinations; San Jose, Anaheim, Las Vegas & Kansas City. I feel the city with the most potential to get something done would be Kansas City, I don't have a specific reason why, it just seems to me that the city of KC would welcome the Kings with open arms, I know they have the Chiefs and that just tells you how loyal they are to their team.

It is pretty much wait and see for all sides at this point. If the economy improves somewhat and they can find a more viable funding sources, a downtown arena is still workable.

The Maloof's have already made a statement saying they have had calls from other cities. That seems like a statement intended to stir up things among the city/fans more than anything though. I don't think they have many viable options right now. KC has an arena, but already has two other pro teams competing for a much smaller market. San Jose might be somewhat viable, but they are pretty close to the Warrior's territory and would have to find funding for a new arena. Beyond the gambling questions, Vegas has had issues with the economic downturn and is risky since no one can really say for certain they know that an arena could be filled reliably there. Seattle would need to commit to building an arena, which they haven't. What other markets are there for them to tap? Also, the recent history of expansion teams or teams moving to new cities in pro sports has not been that good.

San Jose has a nice 19,000 seat arena ready and waiting for a pro team. Besides the Sharks of course.

Way I see it, we've got 2-3, maybe four years, to pray that A. Kings are serious contenders, B. The bandwagon jumpers jump back in, and C. (Perhaps most important and most risky to bank on) that the economy restarts.

If any of those things fail... I guess I'll be a San Jose/Las Vegas Kings fan. I'll cry myself to sleep for weeks -_-

ICMTM wrote:Is it time we explore other options besides the Kings? The Kings are my favorite NBA team and all but I'd like to see a study on getting either an NFL or MLB team here done.

I'd also like to see the city build a joint interest with Sac State and build up a good sports program. My thinking is that the college game is more in line with what the community is willing to pay to see sports in this region.

Are you serious? Who in the blue hell is gonna come to Sacramento if we end up proving to the world that we can't even hold on to the ONE pro sports team that we DO have? Seriously, nobody ELSE is gonna come to play in Arco, and we don't have anything else to house another pro sports franchise. You want MLB? That means we need a new baseball stadium. You want NFL? That means we need a new football stadium. And Sac State sucks too much to draw any serious interest. One way or another, Sacramento NEEDS a new SOMETHING, be it an arena or otherwise. Period. There's no getting around it.

There's an old saying: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." We better start working on keeping what we have RIGHT NOW before we start thinking about what we COULD have later on down the line. Because the future is promised to no one. If we lose the Kings, Sacramento will forever be degraded to EVEN MORE of a cowtown than it already is, with no possible hope of recovery. OH YEAH, and lets not forget about the amount of jobs that will be lost between the months of November and April...

He's probably discouraged that he can't get it up anymore without a pill but I don't see that changing anytime soon either.

SacTownKings4Life wrote:

ICMTM wrote:Is it time we explore other options besides the Kings? The Kings are my favorite NBA team and all but I'd like to see a study on getting either an NFL or MLB team here done.

I'd also like to see the city build a joint interest with Sac State and build up a good sports program. My thinking is that the college game is more in line with what the community is willing to pay to see sports in this region.

Are you serious? Who in the blue hell is gonna come to Sacramento if we end up proving to the world that we can't even hold on to the ONE pro sports team that we DO have? Seriously, nobody ELSE is gonna come to play in Arco, and we don't have anything else to house another pro sports franchise. You want MLB? That means we need a new baseball stadium. You want NFL? That means we need a new football stadium. And Sac State sucks too much to draw any serious interest. One way or another, Sacramento NEEDS a new SOMETHING, be it an arena or otherwise. Period. There's no getting around it.

There's an old saying: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." We better start working on keeping what we have RIGHT NOW before we start thinking about what we COULD have later on down the line. Because the future is promised to no one. If we lose the Kings, Sacramento will forever be degraded to EVEN MORE of a cowtown than it already is, with no possible hope of recovery. OH YEAH, and lets not forget about the amount of jobs that will be lost between the months of November and April...

I don't think the community as a whole cares about the Maloofs and will not support their efforts to do anything.

Even still It's painfully obvious the community (not us. We are kind of die hards...it's obvious as we post here) isn't behind the cost of professional basketball. I think it's worth a study to see what the cost of another professional team would run Sacramento and what the interest level for it would be.

I also mentioned collegiate sports. I'll even go further to say minor league sports (as you see we have a UFL team here) are more attractive to people. The Surge were a good draw. The RiverCats draw well.

It's just clear to me the NBA wants this market more than this market wants the NBA. It's to the point where the NBA will have to either say we'll pay up to stay here or we tried but there are greener pastures. I don't see how looking into other options means we're done with the Kings. I can kind of say though that the residents of the city has already given that impression.

Lets not forget the Maloofs owe the city $69 million dollars. The Maloofs are broke. They will do whatever makes financial sense. They have been trying for over a decade to get a new building. It just seems like greener pastures are out there.

So what is Sacramento's plan B?

ICMTM wrote:
I don't think the community as a whole cares about the Maloofs and will not support their efforts to do anything.

Even still It's painfully obvious the community (not us. We are kind of die hards...it's obvious as we post here) isn't behind the cost of professional basketball. I think it's worth a study to see what the cost of another professional team would run Sacramento and what the interest level for it would be.

And do you honestly believe that the cost for a new team would be any LESS than what it already is to keep the Kings? If, as you imply, the interest level for pro basketball is virtually non existant outside of die hards, how much MORE would it realistically be for another sport? Perhaps you might suggest football, but then again, California football teams tend to suck anyway (especially in northern California), so we STILL wouldn't be in any greater standing than the Kings are in the NBA right now.

ICMTM wrote:I also mentioned collegiate sports. I'll even go further to say minor league sports (as you see we have a UFL team here) are more attractive to people. The Surge were a good draw. The RiverCats draw well.

So in your scenario, Sacramento will forever be known (or perhaps UNknown) as a minor league town. Great...

It's just clear to me the NBA wants this market more than this market wants the NBA. It's to the point where the NBA will have to either say we'll pay up to stay here or we tried but there are greener pastures. I don't see how looking into other options means we're done with the Kings. I can kind of say though that the residents of the city has already given that impression.

Yeah, thanks to all the fairweather people that suddenly became fans in 2000. I suppose this team has no choice BUT to make the playoffs this year and beyond to generate more interest...

ICMTM wrote:Lets not forget the Maloofs owe the city $69 million dollars. The Maloofs are broke. They will do whatever makes financial sense. They have been trying for over a decade to get a new building. It just seems like greener pastures are out there.

So what is Sacramento's plan B?

Hold up, wasn't that $70 mill on the books BEFORE the Maloofs even came into the picture? It was the PREVIOUS owner (Jim Thomas, I believe?) that took out that loan to keep the team here. I really don't see why people continuously blame the Maloofs for that...

How the debt was acquired is irrelevant. The city gave the Kings money and haven't seen a dime of it back. The Maloofs are responsible for the repayment. If the Kings can't get a major sports franchise here we need to do something. I'd like to see Sac State a major player in college sports regardless of what the Kings do.

Even with your disapproval of alternative sports the same issue remains. There's no way a stadium is going to be built here for the Kings based on what (no) money is going back to the city. The problem has always been who gets the profits, and under all these deals it's been the Maloofs. That's the other issue. The arena has always been pitched as something for the Maloofs and Sports Entertainment group to profit from, but not pay for.

The other issue is the Kings don't have a fanbase outside of Sacramento. If they moved to LA people would laugh at them. They moved FROM Kansas City already. I don't know how that would go? In San Jose there are Kings fans, but that is definitely Warrior land. They wouldn't have a following. In my eyes moving this franchise would be riskier than playing in old Arco. Imagine them moving to a place where they weren't well received???

ICMTM wrote:How the debt was acquired is irrelevant. The city gave the Kings money and haven't seen a dime of it back. The Maloofs are responsible for the repayment. If the Kings can't get a major sports franchise here we need to do something. I'd like to see Sac State a major player in college sports regardless of what the Kings do.

You sound rather... concerned. As if to say that this $70 million is actually going to somehow effect YOU and your quality of life, whether paid or unpaid...

Also, there's a REASON why Sac State isn't really followed that much...

ICMTM wrote:Even with your disapproval of alternative sports the same issue remains. There's no way a stadium is going to be built here for the Kings based on what (no) money is going back to the city. The problem has always been who gets the profits, and under all these deals it's been the Maloofs. That's the other issue. The arena has always been pitched as something for the Maloofs and Sports Entertainment group to profit from, but not pay for.

And the same issue STILL remains. If there's no way we build a stadium for the Kings, then there's no way we build a stadium for ANOTHER team. And if there's no new stadium, no OTHER team is going to come within 100 miles of here. So if we DO lose the Kings, we're DONE as a sports city.

If you feel that it's wrong for the Maloofs to reap the profits for an arena in which they do not finance 100% entirely by themselves, exactly how much MORE right is it for the city to expect profits from an arena in which they wish to finance 0%?

And it's funny - The "tax payers" voted down the 0.25% sales tax increase (which nobody would seriously have even NOTICED) that could have funded the arena a LONG time ago, yet here we are today paying AN ENTIRE 1% sales tax increase ANYWAY, which is going towards... what exactly??? Does anybody actually KNOW what "greater cause" their further increased tax dollars are now funding? Since basketball is considered so frivolous...

ICMTM wrote:The other issue is the Kings don't have a fanbase outside of Sacramento. If they moved to LA people would laugh at them. They moved FROM Kansas City already. I don't know how that would go? In San Jose there are Kings fans, but that is definitely Warrior land. They wouldn't have a following. In my eyes moving this franchise would be riskier than playing in old Arco. Imagine them moving to a place where they weren't well received???

LA? Yeah right...
Not sure Kansas City is entirely out of the question. I'm not sure what that whole situation was, but I'm sure things can change in 25 years.
San Jose? Well if the Kings realize their potential, I'm sure they'd get PLENTY of bandwagon fans. After all, where are the Warriors going in the foreseeable future?

I'm not sure where ICMTM got that the Kings haven't been repaying the loan. The truth is they've never missed a payment as far as I know.

Sac dtate is the regional joke.

Realistically, 70%+ of their student population are NOT young people or student athletes. Tehy are persons either going to school of a re-educational disability plan to reschool or are trying to further themselves in tehir current job by earning a degree or a higher degree. IT has always been like that. That's why the local sports stars never want to stay home and you never get a real rally up for Sac state sports. that's an old and tired horse that has been beat around here for longer than I have been alive. UCD has FAR more fan support around this area than Sac State and they STILL would not be able to carry the type of fandom and support that a true D-1 large school gets (the only thing comparable to the Pro level).

Our only hope at this point is that the company out of Illinois that is a deep pocketed solvent developer that has bought up the railyards project takes on the effort to bring the arena plan back where it should have been (and was supposed to be) in the first place. This town is teetering economically on the edge of becoming Detroit - a burned out shell of a formerly great city - and we never really achieved greatness in the first place is what is truly sad. People around here just do not really care about anything beyond there own personal self-serving needs. They also do not truly understand what the impact of LOSING a major sports franchise will mean to an already pretty much depressed area.

Mark my words. If we lose the Kings, we will NEVER see another professional sports franchise here above the minor league level - EVER!

^^ Precisely. Sacramento NEEDS the Kings, whether the people choose to believe it or not. What the hell else is there to do around here?

That's like saying only young people watch and support college sports? The reason nobody considers playing at Sac State is because they aren't trying to be a D-I level program. Build it and they will come. How does Boise St or Butler become a national power in less than a decade? Leadership! How do you figure you can get 20,000 people to see Daunte Culpepper's old ass throw picks, but a national college power...noooo never???

The city will get behind amateur/minor league sports but why no longer the Kings??? Sacramento obviously feels it doesn't need the Kings as paying for the stadium has been a non starter even when the economy was great! The business sector isn't clamoring to get this thing done.