Kevin Johnson, Sacramento, and the Kings arena: a discussion

[SeatownJay]

So, while I was reading an article about what an absolute POS Kevin Johnson is (http://deadspin.com/how-kevin-johnson-d ... 1706908176), there was a link to another article from the Sacramento News & Review about KJ, the Kings, and the arena deal. Seems the mayor and the Kings may not have been entirely open with the public regarding their negotiations and the city's contribution. Shocking, I know. Anyway, here are some excerpts.

Three Sacramento residents and their lawyers are suing the city, claiming Sacramento officials committed fraud by giving Kings investors as much as $100 million worth of “sweeteners,” including the rights to build digital billboards, and the city-owned parking garage beneath Downtown Plaza. The city gave these assets to ensure the team’s profitability, while never disclosing the real costs to the public.

In this version of the story, the mayor, the city and the Kings colluded to shift millions of dollars in costs away from NBA owners and onto taxpayers, without the public catching on.

Ranadive may have summarized it best, in an email to other potential investors Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle, in February 2013: “The problem is that while 525m may be a justifiable price for the Seattle market it is not for Sac … Leaving aside our ask on the arena we have to make the Kings price tag more in the 325m to 350m range. So we need almost 200m in value separate from the arena.”

The full article can be read here: https://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/s ... d=17159293

 

[Sgt. Largent]

As much as I hate Johnson, deep down I wish he was our mayor when the Sonics were leaving. If we had a mayor that cared that much the Sonics would still be here.

 

[Msfann]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.

 

[Hawkfan77]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.

They are there only because of the promise of a new arena, if no new arena...

 

[SeatownJay]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.

They are there only because of the promise of a new arena, if no new arena...

This. If the arena isn't ready by 2017 the NBA can move the franchise.

 

[Sports Hernia]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.

They are there only because of the promise of a new arena, if no new arena...

This. If the arena isn't ready by 2017 the NBA can move the franchise.

Don't see that happening. KJ will do the same thing he did to Stern Jr, that he did to Stern to keep the team there. Use your own imagination.

 

[Hawkfan77]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.

They are there only because of the promise of a new arena, if no new arena...

This. If the arena isn't ready by 2017 the NBA can move the franchise.

Don't see that happening. KJ will do the same thing he did to Stern Jr, that he did to Stern to keep the team there. Use your own imagination.

I'm not sure I believe this. Silver is a fan and advocate of big market teams. This *could* be a way for him to put his stamp on the league. I'd give it a non 0 chance of happening

 

[Sports Hernia]

Even if they get into a little trouble over it the Kings will still stay there so it was probably worth the trouble.[
They are there only because of the promise of a new arena, if no new arena...

This. If the arena isn't ready by 2017 the NBA can move the franchise.

Don't see that happening. KJ will do the same thing he did to Stern Jr, that he did to Stern to keep the team there. Use your own imagination.

I'm not sure I believe this. Silver is a fan and advocate of big market teams. This *could* be a way for him to put his stamp on the league. I'd give it a non 0 chance of happening

I would like to see Stern Jr prove what you just said. Until I see different, he is just a hand picked Stern clone IMHO.

 

[SeatownJay]

Oh Karma, thou art a bitch. Kevin Johnson & David Stern's handpicked owner of the Kings is apparently actively trying to kill the franchise.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--k ... 14697.html

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Oh Karma, thou art a bitch. Kevin Johnson & David Stern's handpicked owner of the Kings is apparently actively trying to kill the franchise.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--k ... 14697.html

I don't know about actively trying to kill the franchise, but Ranadive is an example of what happens when a league pushes and props up an owner with almost no vetting process.

It's the same thing that's going on in NJ with Prokhorov, just because some overseas billionaire has more money than he can spend in three lifetimes doesn't make him a good fit for an American sports league owner.

Hell, Ranadive isn't even worth that much, which is why Stern backing his purchase bid for the Kings was even a bigger head scratcher. Low net worth, zero sports ownership experience, foreigner.......how the hell is this a better fit than selling to a first class ownership group and city in Hansen, Balmer, the Nordstrom's and Seattle?

I love what's going on in Sacramento. I hope that franchise implodes with the force of 1,000 dying suns.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

I don't know much about the Kings situation in Sacramento right now, but I do know that Vivek Ranadive is a joke. He's the same guy who proposed playing 4 on 5 and leaving a cherry picker, and also full court pressing all game. His reasons for this.....because it worked in his daughter's rec league team.

He is also the same guy who hired Mike Malone and then fired him shortly after. Then hired Ty Corbin as a replacement, only to fire him shortly after for Karl. Now there are rumors that Karl may get fired.

He is re-writing the book on how NOT to manage a sports franchise.


EDIT: Just saw this on rotoworld from today:

The Sacramento Kings are probing Kentucky head coach John Calipari's interest in running the front office and coaching the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Coach Cal has reportedly been communicating with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive over the past few weeks and has listened to scenarios that would give him complete control over basketball operations in addition to the head coaching position. A hire of Calipari would seem to spell the end of vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and head coach George Karl in Sacramento as one league insider said Ranadive is "trying to find a magic button to push that'll fix everything."

Do they know that they have a great coach in George Karl? IMO Cal is crazy to take this job. He arguably has the best gig in college basketball right now. The Kings are probably the worst NBA franchise the past 10-15 years.

 

[twisted_steel2]

Things get sketchy when they're desperately trying to save a franchise from moving. They start playing fast and loose with the rules and finances right?

Look whats happening with the Coyotes, 2 years late its all falling apart again.

unno:

"will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

 

[Hasselbeck]

I don't know much about the Kings situation in Sacramento right now, but I do know that Vivek Ranadive is a joke. He's the same guy who proposed playing 4 on 5 and leaving a cherry picker, and also full court pressing all game. His reasons for this.....because it worked in his daughter's rec league team.

He is also the same guy who hired Mike Malone and then fired him shortly after. Then hired Ty Corbin as a replacement, only to fire him shortly after for Karl. Now there are rumors that Karl may get fired.

He is re-writing the book on how NOT to manage a sports franchise.


EDIT: Just saw this on rotoworld from today:

The Sacramento Kings are probing Kentucky head coach John Calipari's interest in running the front office and coaching the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Coach Cal has reportedly been communicating with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive over the past few weeks and has listened to scenarios that would give him complete control over basketball operations in addition to the head coaching position. A hire of Calipari would seem to spell the end of vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and head coach George Karl in Sacramento as one league insider said Ranadive is "trying to find a magic button to push that'll fix everything."

Do they know that they have a great coach in George Karl? IMO Cal is crazy to take this job. He arguably has the best gig in college basketball right now. The Kings are probably the worst NBA franchise the past 10-15 years.

Vivek is pretty terrible yeah, but Karl alienated the teams franchise player from the beginning and hasn't slowed down since. He also has a track record with such a thing.

I know Sonics fans hold Karl in high regard, but he's not a whole lot better than Vivek at this point.

Malone should have honestly never been fired to begin with, but you're right.. the Kings are a disaster.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

I don't know much about the Kings situation in Sacramento right now, but I do know that Vivek Ranadive is a joke. He's the same guy who proposed playing 4 on 5 and leaving a cherry picker, and also full court pressing all game. His reasons for this.....because it worked in his daughter's rec league team.

He is also the same guy who hired Mike Malone and then fired him shortly after. Then hired Ty Corbin as a replacement, only to fire him shortly after for Karl. Now there are rumors that Karl may get fired.

He is re-writing the book on how NOT to manage a sports franchise.


EDIT: Just saw this on rotoworld from today:

The Sacramento Kings are probing Kentucky head coach John Calipari's interest in running the front office and coaching the team, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Coach Cal has reportedly been communicating with Kings owner Vivek Ranadive over the past few weeks and has listened to scenarios that would give him complete control over basketball operations in addition to the head coaching position. A hire of Calipari would seem to spell the end of vice president of basketball operations Vlade Divac and head coach George Karl in Sacramento as one league insider said Ranadive is "trying to find a magic button to push that'll fix everything."

Do they know that they have a great coach in George Karl? IMO Cal is crazy to take this job. He arguably has the best gig in college basketball right now. The Kings are probably the worst NBA franchise the past 10-15 years.

Vivek is pretty terrible yeah, but Karl alienated the teams franchise player from the beginning and hasn't slowed down since. He also has a track record with such a thing.

I know Sonics fans hold Karl in high regard, but he's not a whole lot better than Vivek at this point.

Malone should have honestly never been fired to begin with, but you're right.. the Kings are a disaster.

Regardless if Karl is a good coach or not, you don't hire a guy with a quarter of the season left, and then fire him in the offseason. Especially a guy with the credentials of Karl. I don't know the situation between Karl and Cousins before he was hired, but you think they would have discussed it in the hiring process. Karl has butted heads with star players pretty much everywhere he has gone (Payton, Carmelo). Bottom line is George Karl is a winner. Won with the Sonics. Won with the Nuggets. Won against cancer. Case in point: Karl won 57 games with Denver in 2013, the next year under Brian Shaw they won only 36 games with basically the same roster.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

And it continues....

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2015/7/2/88 ... t-terrible

What a horrible franchise. The Kings front office make the Mariners front office look like the current Seahawks.

 

[SeatownJay]

The Knicks finally have a worthy challenger for "worst franchise in the NBA".

 

[Sgt. Largent]

Not really Kings related, but still oh so satisfying............

http://deadspin.com/kevin-johnson-sues- ... socialflow

 

[Mr. McGibblets]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkKassMBJ/status/618130121854222336[/tweet]

Seattle is probably getting used as leverage to get a new arena but it's something to talk about

 

[Hawk-Lock]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkKassMBJ/status/618130121854222336[/tweet]

Seattle is probably getting used as leverage to get a new arena but it's something to talk about

I would be more than happy to take the Bucks. They're a young up-and-coming franchise. Michael Carter-Williams, Jabari Parker, Greek-Freak, Khris Middleton, plus they just signed Greg Monroe.

 

[twisted_steel2]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/MarkKassMBJ/status/618130121854222336[/tweet]

Seattle is probably getting used as leverage to get a new arena but it's something to talk about

We're always the leverage, we're the example of worst case scenario the NBA uses to scare every city with a team.