Because subsidized relocation plans serve as leverage for even bigger arena deals paid by the taxpayers. Like the mob, you knock one down to serve as an example for the others.
Ok, I'm wrong. If Seattle had everything in place then they got screwed. So since they got screwed, the league should let them screw someone else? If the Kings stepped up to the plate to keep their team then keep the team in Sacremento. Two wrongs don't make a right.
It's hilarious how "Stepping up to the plate" now means that a city/taxbase is willing to give away more money to billionaire owners. Chris Hansen "stepped up," but King County/Seattle were unwilling to give the NBA as much free money as Sacramento. Never mind that in a market like Seattle, the team would have the room to grow into a revenue-sharing contributor instead of a receiver.
That might be true under Stern, but Silver doesn't seem the grudge type. Silver reminds me a bit of Medvedev (with Putin), sits their towing the party line, but once he gets in will try to unwind all the **** his old boss did, except there's no come back for Stern.
I really hope they move to Seattle. I miss the Sonics and they were my second favorite team. The Rockets and the SuperSonics were my two teams. I still have my Kemp and Durant Sonics' jerseys. If they get the Kings there i'll buy a DeMarcus Cousins Sonics Jersey.
I believe Clutch hypothosized that if the Kings stayed in Sacramento, the Rockets may still have an opportunity to get Cousins. A move to Seattle would've killed that. This is a good thing if you're a Rockets fan.
I respect your enthusiasm for ClutchFans, shared by the vast majority of us here, but that's not why this BBS was started by Clutch. He started it for the most obvious of reasons... he was and is an avid Rockets fan. Later, when there was a threat of losing the Rockets to some other city, both Clutch and one of our oldest members (and mods), Jeff Balke, fought tooth and nail to keep the Rockets in Houston. Jeff in particular was a mad man trying to save the franchise, and both of them played a key role in the Rockets remaining in Houston in a new arena. Just thought I'd point that out. Don't worry, there's still plenty of irony to go around. ;-)-
If the city/taxbase decides to put up $$ to keep its team, like we did for the Astros/Rockets, then why take the team away from a market that has supported your league for decades?
I think in his mind Stern wanted the Kings to move. Glad that the owners defied him. Only thing Stern cares about is money. He screwed over Seattle because they couldn't get an arena deal good enough for Sterns greed, he showed no loyalty to Seattle. Now that the Seattle group has an arena deal and money backers, he'd love to go back and would happily screw over Sacramento. He would have screwed over Houston too if we didn't get our arena deal. He is ruthless and scummy.
How is that even possible?? I hated the Sonics because I was a Rockets fan. The Sonics were a colossal pain in the ass for the Rockets and their fans for a very long time. The Sonics can suck it.
I'm very happy that Sactown is keeping its team. I'm ecstatic that the Sonics fanbase has ended up with **** all. Back in 2008, Sonics had the sympathy of most BBALL fans. It was sad to see all the BS arguments being levelled at them: Sonics have got no fans, Sonics have crap attendances, Sonics don't have a good enough arena deal, OKC deserves the franchise more. The same Sonics fans, 4 years later, have turned into the biggest bunch of hypocrites and are recycling the same BS arguments against Kings fans who have already suffered terribly under the Maloofs: Kings have got no fans, Kings have crap attendances, Kings don't have a good enough arena deal, Seattle deserve a franchise more than Sacramento..... Pure scum. Karma is a b****.
Sonics were for me also the team I loved to hate. But, I don't get a chance to hate them now because they don't exist. So, I have plenty of sympathy for the city of Seattle, so that I can hate on the Sonics. Though honestly, it wouldn't be the same if the Kings became the Sonics anyway. They wouldn't be the Detlef Schrempf Sonics. Fortunately, I still have the Thunder to hate.
um... he's running a business... ?? Don't get me wrong, i think Seattle fans got screwed... but not because the team left, but how it left and the lies told by all parties throughout and afterwards wrt the process. But at its core, one team and fanbase didn't provide the league the same economic incentive as another local and potential fanbase... so yeah, it's kind of Stern's job to recognize that.
If Seattle would have put up half the fight that Sacramento did the Sonics would probably still be there. Let's face it, Seattle called the NBA and the Sonics bluff and lost. They didn't think it could happen to them and it did. It's what made the Sacremento community take serious action from lawmakers to citizens.
They came damn near close to that, but the problem was that Sacramento has had more time to put up a cohesive deal. Regardless I hate this decision because it basically states that the NBA can value (or devalue) a franchise. Think about it. The Seattle group is putting up more money than the Sacramento group, but the NBA is saying that the NBA has final say. Essentially if the NBA allows this sale to the Sacramento group they are saying they have the right to devalue a franchise. I look at it like if I was Cuban and I wanted to sell the Mavs. If the NBA told me I had to take a $100 million hit in how much the franchise could sell for I would be irate. That's $100 million I got cheated out of. This is why I don't see the owners following the advice of the relocation committee. If they do, they hurt their own pocketbooks as well.
I dont think thats true at all. Sacramento has been thrown even more curveballs than Seattle was. Remember Sacramento had a deal in place before all of this happened. The Maloofs were threatening to move to Anaheim and claimed it was because Sacramento couldn't get an arena built. Kevin Johnson then turns around and gets an arena deal pushed through. Now the Maloofs are broke and really wanted to move because Anaheim was willing to give them huge subsidies that would help erase a ton of their debt. However, when Sacramento produced an arena deal, the NBA basically told them they couldn't move since Sacramento had functionally matched Anaheim's offer. That said, the Maloofs really only care about making enough money to pay their debts and the Sacramento deal (while giving them a public stadium) didn't provide them with the money they needed to rectify their terrible financial situation. So rather than go through with the deal, they managed to torpedo the deal. (The Kings blame the city and the city blames the Kings but the Maloofs were the ones who had an interest in wrecking the deal) And while all of this is happening, Chris Hansen starts piecing together a deal with the Maloofs. No one (including the city of Sacramento) knew about the negotiations that were going on. Hansen was working with the Maloofs and the city of Seattle to finalize a sale and arena deal. It was only when David Falk's daughter leaked the existence of the sale, did anyone figure this out. And then in response, Kevin Johnson (who I assume had started his own set of negotiations to find buyers) then announces he has a group that can also buy the Kings. Now I assume he'd started piecing a group together before the Hansen announcement but the announcement forced him to play his hand immediately and work with an incomplete deal. Fortunately for him, he's been able to strengthen his deal by adding a couple of billionaires that hav eupped the offer to an acceptable price range for the NBA. Bottom line, Kevin Johnson saved the Sacramento Kings and Seattle never had a politician who cared even a fraction as much as KJ. If Seattle had a mayor or city leadership that tried the way KJ has, the Sonics would be in Seattle because they'd have a new arena. The Maloofs have been more slimy than Clay Bennett was and yet the team is staying in Sacramento now. That's top notch leadership right there.
