Seems fair that if the NBA turns down the bid for the Kings that they somehow make up for the good faith effort Hansen/Balmer folks made with the non-refundable $30M. All this could be just to firm up the Sac group's offer so that there are no questions if the BoG decide to turn down the sale. Just like the Maloof's request for a firm, in writing offer sheet to them that they have as a backup offer.

This is a unique situation where a second competing offer is in play instead of a straight yes/no on a group purchasing a team. Usually the BoG just reviews a sale on its merits alone. This Sac/NBA option should have been viewed on its own merit but the owner chose not to work with the locals and the NBA is trying to save face after the disaster that was OKC/Seattle relocation approval.

I consider these recent actions just due diligence and not totally tied to how the BoG and owners are leaning as far as approving/rejecting the Hansen deal. The Stern/NBA split story could be misreading actions vs intent as well.

One more week of angst for Sonics supporters.

Throwdown wrote:What the hell is going on?

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Dail ... Kings.aspx

I'm not liking that at all, all of a sudden the NBA wants to be charitable? and shut your punk ass face, Sac!

You have got to be kidding me.......NBA is against us again!

And even better, that 7% seems to be going to the Kings:
Chris Daniels ‏@ChrisDaniels5 49m
MT @kcrabienick: Bankruptcy trustee expects to complete deal today w/Lucchetti for Cook 7% share of #nbakings. Would supersede Hansen deal.

I hope Sacramento suffers for this

Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

I just heard that, the best thing about it is that we have owners on our side right now, and Stern may not have the pull that he once had.

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

Blitzer88 wrote:

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

How much pull is it really though? The toad is on his way out next season, how much does Stern scare these guys?

Throwdown wrote:

Blitzer88 wrote:

E.C. Laloosh wrote:Daniels was just on Bob & Groz. Sounding (to me) like nobody knows what's really going on. The one thing that seems quite possible, is that Stern actually is holding Sacramento's hand through this thing.

Stern still has some pull with the owners or at least enough of the owners no matter what CD and others say. Him being on Sac's side scares me to death.

How much pull is it really though? The toad is on his way out next season, how much does Stern scare these guys?

He's only got to have pull with eight of them... that is what concerns me.

If the nba turns down this deal they truely are screwed. They can never ask cities to put up money for
arenas. If they turn this one down.

Stern created this whole mess

Expansion is the only thing they can do to satisfy both parties without stupidity coming into play

E.C. Laloosh wrote:

Throwdown wrote:How much pull is it really though? The toad is on his way out next season, how much does Stern scare these guys?

He's only got to have pull with eight of them... that is what concerns me.

Thats how I feel. I think he still has enough pull to get 8 owners on his side.

dunceface wrote:

Seahawk Sailor wrote:At this point in time, the Kings/Sonics team is Schrödinger's cat, and Stern is the single decaying atom in the box.

Hahaha relevant.

Glad somebody got it.

Lords of Scythia wrote:

Seahawk Sailor wrote:At this point in time, the Kings/Sonics team is Schrödinger's cat, and Stern is the single decaying atom in the box.

Are you expostulating the team could potentially become both the Sonics AND the Kings?

No. Only that right now the team exists, as does the hypothetical Schrödinger's cat, in two distinct realities, both as the Kings and as the Sonics. From now until the meeting on the 18th/19th, the team is in limbo, status unknown, equally Kings and Sonics at the same time. And Stern is the single decaying atom in the box that decides the fate. There is no way of knowing that fate until after the meetings adjourn.

It does not make any $$ sense for the Kings to stay. The owners share the media monies. Seattle is a much larger market both corporate HQ and media. Money talks and in the end IMO that is all the owners will care about.

IMHO, if this thing goes past NEXT friday (not tomorrow the one after that), expansion will happen and soon. IMO it makes sense to let the Seattle group have the Kings and give the Sac group a year to come up with a real true BINDING OFFER and a BINDING new arena deal that is rock solid that isnt built on the house of cards that the current Sac deal is. If the sac group cames up with a solid binding offer and binding new arena deal then they get an expansion team and only miss a season.

Stern is pretending so he doesn't look the way he did when he sent the Sonics to OKC.

CALIHAWK1 wrote:Stern is pretending so he doesn't look the way he did when he sent the Sonics to OKC.

That's what I was kind of thinking.

Either way, the last 2 days things got uglier than a Master P album cover from back in the day

http://sulia.com/ricbucher/f/5132abbc-1 ... c417238ad/

Source: Sacramento could have a harder time keeping Kevin Johnson than keeping the Kings at this point. As it
stands, if the current Sacramento group matches the essential elements of the agreement with the group in Seattle, the league committee weighing the two offers is expected to recommend keeping the Kings where they are....

All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Aros wrote:All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Pretty much.

Just one more week, and its all resolved, either we're getting our hearts broke again or we're dancing in the streets celebrating the return making our sports scene whole again.

Throwdown wrote:

Aros wrote:All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Pretty much.

Just one more week, and its all resolved, either we're getting our hearts broke again or we're dancing in the streets celebrating the return making our sports scene whole again.

Not sure how your sports scene can be whole when your city doesnt have a Division 1 college football team.

AbsolutNET wrote:http://sulia.com/ricbucher/f/5132abbc-1702-4ae3-ab36-2cfc417238ad/

Source: Sacramento could have a harder time keeping Kevin Johnson than keeping the Kings at this point. As it
stands, if the current Sacramento group matches the essential elements of the agreement with the group in Seattle, the league committee weighing the two offers is expected to recommend keeping the Kings where they are....

Son of a......I am so over this, we can not catch a break.

I am no sick to my stomach. We all can try and spin things to make it seem as if we are gonna get the team back, but what the past few days have taught me is that ultimately in the end we will have too many things stacked against somehow and will be left in the cold by the NBA again.

JSeahawks wrote:

Throwdown wrote:

Aros wrote:All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Pretty much.

Just one more week, and its all resolved, either we're getting our hearts broke again or we're dancing in the streets celebrating the return making our sports scene whole again.

Not sure how your sports scene can be whole when your city doesnt have a Division 1 college football team.

Do college teams even count? real question.

JSeahawks wrote:

Throwdown wrote:

Aros wrote:All I know is I am sick and tired of the back and forth in the news. I just want it over with. Yes, I want the Sonics home but at this point, I'm just wanting this whole stupid thing over already. Sick of hearing about all the disappointing twists and turns on the news. It's like peeling away that band-aid with hair underneath super, super slowly versus tearing the bastard off at once and being done with it.

Pretty much.

Just one more week, and its all resolved, either we're getting our hearts broke again or we're dancing in the streets celebrating the return making our sports scene whole again.

Not sure how your sports scene can be whole when your city doesnt have a Division 1 college football team.

We should compare it to a city with no pro sports teams, instead.

Throwdown wrote:

JSeahawks wrote:

Throwdown wrote:Not sure how your sports scene can be whole when your city doesnt have a Division 1 college football team.

Do college teams even count? real question.

Not really, but I couldnt resist.

AbsolutNET wrote:http://sulia.com/ricbucher/f/5132abbc-1702-4ae3-ab36-2cfc417238ad/

Source: Sacramento could have a harder time keeping Kevin Johnson than keeping the Kings at this point. As it
stands, if the current Sacramento group matches the essential elements of the agreement with the group in Seattle, the league committee weighing the two offers is expected to recommend keeping the Kings where they are....

Given reports like this becoming more prevalent, can't imagine what it's got to be like for Hansen...

Is the Hansen group able to raise their bid if the Sacramento group match?

Hawkspur wrote:Is the Hansen group able to raise their bid if the Sacramento group match?

Yes, according to Condotta, there is an escalate option in the PSA with the wonderful Maloofs.

Throwdown wrote:

Hawkspur wrote:Is the Hansen group able to raise their bid if the Sacramento group match?

Yes, according to Condotta, there is an escalate option in the PSA with the wonderful Maloofs.

Then I'm not worried. The Cow Town Posse cant seem to match the initial offer even knowing what it is. If tge Hansen group can counter it will be a dagger.

If this turns into a bidding war, the team is coming to seattle. Sacramento doesn't have the pockets to match if it gets to that. I definitely feel like we are going to get screwed here though.

It makes horrible business sense for the Kings to stay in Sacramento, but the NBA doesn't really care about that.

Yea, Pinksheets, I'm going to have to go ahead and have you add a few stacks to that pile. I'm really not feeling it yet.

pinksheets wrote:

With the rumors of Stern backing the Sac bid and doing all that he can do make sure they contend I don't think money is important as a factor than some think. Stern seems to have more pull than some are letting us believe and once I heard that I knew that we were in in trouble. I want to believe and be confident, but I just have a horrible gut feeling that we will be burned again. I mean I know some of you are weary of Ric Bucher, but up until this point he has been pro-Seattle, but after appearing on the Brock Huard show today and saying it still favors Seattle he later puts out a piece about how rumors are that if Sacramento meets a few more needed pieces that they would be favored/recommended to keep the Kings. And truthfully all the positive news about Seattle being the favorite is really only coming from our part of the country nowadays, whereas most other media outlets seem to think that it is more of a toss up. I am probably rambling, but I am feeling sick over the thought of us getting screwed again and just feel that the chances are very high that we do get the raw end of the deal again.

Like I said, Stern is the damned decaying atom in the box.

Whether the owners are leaning one way or the other, whether the Malooffs want to sell to Chris Hansen & Co. or not, or whether Sacramento's offer is anywhere close to Seattle's, it all depends on whether that atom has decayed or not.

The NBA loses money by keeping the team in Sacramento.

The team isn't worth, in Sacramento, the amount needed to buy the team.

It's arithmetic. I just don't buy into the NBA being charitable, which is what keeping a team in a market with no spending power and no potential for a large television deal is, charity.

pinksheets wrote:The NBA loses money by keeping the team in Sacramento.

The team isn't worth, in Sacramento, the amount needed to buy the team.

It's arithmetic. I just don't buy into the NBA being charitable, which is what keeping a team in a market with no spending power and no potential for a large television deal is, charity.

Well unfortunately Stern doesn't seem to care about that as he has to help out his boy KJ like he did with Bennett and we all know that there are owners out that, especially those that have been owners longer, will side with Stern when push comes to shove, well at least I think so.

Trust Chris Hansen. He has done his work for the past 2 years to make this happen. He has come through every time we needed him to. Just relax, try to be half as calm, cool, and collected as Hansen is right now. This is business.

pinksheets wrote:Trust Chris Hansen. He has done his work for the past 2 years to make this happen. He has come through every time we needed him to. Just relax, try to be half as calm, cool, and collected as Hansen is right now. This is business.

I'm a Seattle sports fan, the word relax is foreign to me lol. I'd be more calm if Stern wasn't all for Sac as well as having to constantly listen to Sac-Town talk on our own airwaves whereas H/B/N can't/won't say anything and Chris Daniels seems to be the only media head saying positive things about Seattle.

Blitzer88 wrote:

pinksheets wrote:Trust Chris Hansen. He has done his work for the past 2 years to make this happen. He has come through every time we needed him to. Just relax, try to be half as calm, cool, and collected as Hansen is right now. This is business.

I'm a Seattle sports fan, the word relax is foreign to me lol. I'd be more calm if Stern wasn't all for Sac as well as having to constantly listen to Sac-Town talk on our own airwaves whereas H/B/N can't/won't say anything and Chris Daniels seems to be the only media head saying positive things about Seattle.

And Chris Daniels hasn't been wrong yet, as far as I can tell. Daniels puts out the good and the bad, but he doesn't spin. He's a well respected journalist.

The news about Hansen applying for a master use permit with intentions of breaking ground in November is pretty big. Sacramento wouldn't be likely to even have a finalized arena agreement by then.

Chris Daniels ‏@ChrisDaniels5 1h
RT @agonzalezAP: NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver & prospective Kings owners Ranadive & Mastrov were at Warriors-Thunder game tonight.

I know Ranadive is part owner of GS, but Silver being there is very concerning!

Yet you don't post the tweet CD put out about Chris Hansen applying for the master use permit next week and looking to break ground in November....



Lock yourself in a closet for a week if all you can do is surrender. Not needed.

Mannnnnn blitzer is on defcon 5 over there. Pacing back n forth in his room, I can see it.

Another thing to point out, since Sacramento wants to play the "WE'RE SO LOYAL" card, if the NBA cares about its fanfare. I was talking to a friend who lives in NY, and he told me that the Sonics were kind of iconic, and no one even thinks about the Kings unless their team is playing 'em.

Anyone else think that Stern is getting involved with helping the Sacramento group in an effort to drive up the price of the Kings that Hansen & Co. will eventually pay, thus raising the perceived values of the other franchises for the rest of the owners?

SeatownJay wrote:Anyone else think that Stern is getting involved with helping the Sacramento group in an effort to drive up the price of the Kings that Hansen & Co. will eventually pay, thus raising the perceived values of the other franchises for the rest of the owners?

I think he could, I think the NBA though is testing this Sacramento group thats been all talk and no action though with this deadline that comes at 5pm.

And if we don't get the team, you guys can blame me because of my purchase of this iphone, I am sorry Mr. Ballmer.

I believe I heard on the radio this morning that the Maloofs have set a deadline for Sac to submit their offer by the end of the business day today?

AbsolutNET wrote:I believe I heard on the radio this morning that the Maloofs have set a deadline for Sac to submit their offer by the end of the business day today?

5pm today

Heh: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/12/5336141/ailene-voisin-maloofs-wouldnt.html

From that article: "Though the NBA clearly wants another franchise in Seattle, which lost the Sonics to Oklahoma City five years ago after similar and protracted arena wranglings, the league is reluctant to abandon Sacramento for a number of reasons, including TV market size (20th), proven viability and history of fan support, potential for economic and population growth, and lack of competition (the Kings are the only major-league sports franchise in town)."

Really? They'd push for keeping the Kings in the 20th-ranked television market instead of allowing a move to the 14th largest market?

I'm sorry, but when you list staying in the 20th largest TV market over moving to the 14th largest, you lose a teenie-tiny bit of credibility there. Oh, and we can probably compare Seattle's history of fan support, and potential for economic and population growth too, while we're at it.

There is more money to be had in Seattle. Plain and simple. If the NBA turns us down because of sentimentality reasons and charity cases (which the Kings are) for an unstable ownership that isn't willing to commit, they deserve all hardships that will be coming their way.

I don't see how Sacramento, in a nearly bankrupt state, can provide the kind of economic growth and vitality that Seattle does. Seattle is kind of booming right now, can Sacramento say the same thing?

To me, vetoing the purchase agreement is not a decision with the best interests in mind of the NBA. All it has to do with is Stern's legacy. He doesn't want another team to move on his watch. Long term and short term, getting the Sonics back is huge for the NBA. Its a good tv market, the ownership group is extremely solid. Seattle is a city with a vibrant basketball community with plenty of players currently in the NBA. If the NBA never comes back, they are losing out on a lot all in the name of David Stern. This guy fixes games to maximize revenue, but isn't going to do this? It's ridiculous.