Hansen congratulates Sacramento on keeping Kings (Yahoo! Sports)
SEATTLE (AP) — Chris Hansen is not going away in his pursuit of bringing the NBA back to Seattle.
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Next Steps for Sacramento Kings Now That They’re Staying
After years and years of uncertainty surrounding the Sacramento Kings—most notably whether the team would even remain in the capital city for the following season—there’s finally some clarity about the franchise’s future home.
Now that we know where the organization will reside, it’s time to take the next step in the process—building a consistent contender.
Going from the NBA’s cellar to its playoffs will not occur overnight. It’s a methodical undertaking, and one that should begin immediately. In fact, all indications are that it’s already begun.
Secure an Ironclad Arena Deal
You can’t have a king without a proper castle. Unfortunately that’s been the situation for the Sacramento Kings for far too long. The team has been playing in the antiquated Sleep Train Arena (formerly known as Arco Area) for years.
That needs to change…and soon.
All indications are that it will change. A lot of movement has been made on that front—some of it before the NBA announced its decision on the team’s future and some of it in recent days. In the months leading up to the league’s decision to keep the team in Sacramento, city management stepped up with a viable arena proposal.
The project calls for a new $448 million facility to be built at Sacramento’s Downtown Plaza. The city is slated to cover $258 million for the project, with the ownership group contributing $189 million. The term sheet was voted on and approved on March 27.
In the days since the sale of the team was announced, even more work has been done to secure the arena proposal, according to The Sacramento Bee:
City officials rededicated themselves to the task of completing an environmental impact report, a lengthy document that must be finished before construction on the arena can begin. The work on the EIR began about a month ago in anticipation of opening the building in fall 2016.
“We had to get started in order to achieve this 2016 opening date,” said Assistant City Manager John Dangberg.
The owner of most of Downtown Plaza, JMA Ventures of San Francisco, is working on purchasing one last parcel in the mall: the Macy’s men’s store at the east end of the plaza. Dangberg said JMA doesn’t need the Macy’s location to build an arena, but removing that building would improve the layout of the area around the arena.
Friedman, the developer who’s part of the Ranadive group, said officials are starting to sketch out ideas for the arena and the rest of the mall, which would be overhauled. He said the whole site could turn into a miniature version of New York’s Times Square or Boston’s Faneuil Hall.
A proper arena, like the one that’s proposed, could really revitalize downtown Sacramento. It should also draw fans to games, which would increase the team’s revenue, allowing it to spend more freely on the roster than its done in recent years under the Maloofs.
Increase the Season-Ticket Base
For years, fan support in Sacramento was never a problem. Even when the team wasn’t winning much, as was the case during its first decade-plus in the state capital, selling out the arena was commonplace. It remained that way during the Kings’ competitive years at the turn of the 200s and throughout much of the Maloofs’ tenure as owners.
However, in recent years, fan support at the games has waned. Part of that is due to the recession—people simply didn’t have the same discretionary spending that they used to. Yet another aspect of it was the Maloofs—fans didn’t want to financially support an ownership group that was so openly trying to relocate the team.
Well, the Maloofs are gone now and the economy has started to rebound. The base of season-ticket holders needs to increase, thereby increasing the team’s overall revenue. But just as with the arena, work is already underway on this front.
First off, the team is actively hiring more sales representatives to field calls for season-ticket holders.
It was also announced that fans can start buying season tickets on Tuesday, May 21 at 9:00 a.m. PT.
Mayor Johnson’s announcement in regards to season tickets was made during his press conference on May 19. Already there have been numerous fans publicly announcing that they’re either renewing their tickets or purchasing them for the first time.
Those are only a couple of responses to the poll. There are many more where those came from. Not to mention the countless others who are purchasing season tickets without publicizing it on Twitter.
Commissioner David Stern cautioned Mayor Johnson when the deal with the Maloofs was finalized.
Well, Mr. Commissioner, it looks like Sacramento is on its way to living up to those expectations.
Have a Competitive Payroll
In the last few years of the Maloofs’ tenure, the Kings simply didn’t field competitive teams. Part of that was due to some bad personnel decisions. However, a huge factor was the lack of a payroll in line with other NBA franchises.
Sacramento had a payroll just south of $51 million in 2012-13. Only three teams had a lower payroll than the Kings (Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets).
The payroll was even lower in 2011-12. That year the team spent only $48.9 million. The Indiana Pacers were the only team that committed less money.
Yet none of that could compare to the 2010-11 season. The Kings spent only $44.9 million and had the league’s lowest payroll, with the next closest team (Los Angeles Clippers) having a payroll nearly $10 million greater.
Going forward, this needs to change. It’s not solely about spending money; it’s also about spending money wisely. At the same time, it’s difficult to correctly allocate your resources when they’re always in flux or when you’re not even sure there will be money to spend.
By having a new, deep-pocketed ownership group, the team can make decisions without this concern. There will still be the salary cap to abide by, but now the front office will know that it has a franchise willing and capable of at least spending money up to the salary cap.
Make Sure the Right Coach and General Manager Are in Place
Getting a strong ownership group in place is only half the battle for the Kings. The next step is ensuring that the right coach and GM are running the franchise.
Whether or not Keith Smart and Geoff Petrie are the right men for the job is difficult to say. Petrie was the architect of the Kings during their best years. However, his drafting and other personnel decisions haven’t panned out of late. Is that due to financial constraints that were placed on him in recent years that weren’t there during the team’s glory days?
As for Smart, the team in 2012-13 posted its best winning percentage in 2012-13 (.341) in four years. He accomplished this while dealing with the potential relocation, the absentee ownership group and the turmoil surrounding DeMarcus Cousins.
Should the Kings bring Smart back for 2013-14?
What the franchise ultimately decides to do with Smart and Petrie remains to be seen. However, it was reported by Sam Amick of USA Today that neither is expected to return, with two people new owner Vivek Ranadive is familiar with from his time as a minority owner with the Golden State Warriors named as possible successors.
If Kings coach Keith Smart is not retained as is expected, then Warriors assistant Michael Malone—a former assistant in Cleveland and New Orleans who sparked dramatic defensive improvement at each of his NBA stops and has interviewed for several head coaching vacancies – is expected to be a candidate.
Longtime Kings general manager Geoff Petrie is not expected to be retained either after the team’s 28-54 campaign, and one possible successor who would certainly bring name recognition was on hand on Thursday night. Warriors legend Chris Mullin, who called Game 6 as a television commentator for ESPN, was in the team’s front office from 2004 to 2009 and said he would be open to discussing the situation in Sacramento. He has met Ranadive several times but said they had not yet discussed the possibility.
“I definitely would (be interested in the job),” he told USA TODAY Sports. “But you know, it’s something that’s got to be the right fit. It’s gotta be—they need my expertise…I’m not one of those people to go solicit it. But a guy like him, if he called me and he needed me, I’d love that.”
Whether it’s Smart and Petrie back for another go, Mullin and Malone to break in a new era or a previously unmentioned combination, this much is clear: they need to be the right people for the job.
The general manger will be in charge of scouting for the draft, facilitating trades and sifting through the free-agent market. The coach will be responsible for molding that talent and getting results on the court.
Without the proper GM, the coach won’t have enough talented players with which to work. Without a viable coach, the team won’t maximize the players the GM brings in. Each one is equally vital in the long-term success of the Kings.
Conclusion
This is an exciting time to be a Sacramento Kings fan.
For the first time in years, the possibilities are endless—and I’m not talking about the possibilities for relocation. The team is here to stay for the long haul, it has a new ownership group that is committed and financially capable of fielding a competitive team and new arena is right around the corner.
The excuses are done with. We can no longer point to relocation as a distraction. Claims of the front office working with one hand behind their backs because of financial constraints are no longer valid. Fans can no longer blame low attendance figures to not wanting to support uncommitted owners.
Everyone is in this together: the players, the coaches, the executives, the owners and the fans. We’re all pushing in the same direction—back to the playoffs on a regular basis. The process may not be quick, and it certainly won’t be easy, but it’s going to happen.
It’s already begun.
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Vivek Ranadive excited about Sacramento Kings purchase
New Kings owner has humble beginnings, and plans to make team a global brand
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Vivek Ranadive is excited to get started with Sacramento Kings
New Kings owner has humble beginnings, and plans to make team a global brand
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Maloofs reach Kings sale deal with Sacramento buyers
The Kings’ future appears even more secure now that the Sacramento group and Maloofs agree.
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Owners reject Sacramento Kings’ move to Seattle (Yahoo! Sports)
DALLAS (AP) — Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson flashed a few smiles when his bid to save the city’s NBA franchise finally succeeded. Just not too many.
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Complete Timeline of Sacramento Kings’ Roller-Coaster Saga
Sorry, Seattle. The Sacramento Kings are staying put.
According to the Associated Press, the NBA‘s owners voted 22-8 to keep the Kings in California’s capital. The league’s relocation committee had previously recommended unanimously that the team not be allowed to flee to the Pacific Northwest.
The victory was a massive one for the city of Sacramento, its loyal fans, Mayor Kevin Johnson and the deep-pocketed investors who’ve stepped up to keep the Kings, but the fight is far from over.
The Maloofs, who own a 65 percent stake in the team, have a long history of shenanigans with regard to the franchise’s future, as laid out by Pete Bosofin of the Sacramento Bee back in January.
In essence, the Maloofs have been trying to ditch Sacramento for over a decade now, and though they’ve been summarily stiffed by the NBA in their latest attempt, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll willingly sell their share to local interests.
That being said, the good folks of Sacramento deserve a moment of jubilation for their extraordinary efforts to keep the Kings from winding up in the hands of Chris Hansen, Steve Ballmer and the rest of the group that had its sights set on the rebirth of the Seattle SuperSonics.
The ride to this point has been a long and crazy one for the Kings.
To get you caught up, let’s have a look back at what’s transpired since this saga became a showdown between Sacramento and Seattle this past January.
January 9th, 2013
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Maloofs are in negotiations to sell the Kings to a group led by Seattle magnates Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer for approximately $500 million.
Steve Large of CBS 13 in Sacramento later tweets that the Maloofs have rejected that offer.
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson offers his immediate thoughts on the situation.
Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee goes on to characterize the discussions between the Kings and the Seattle group as “conceptual” (via Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk):
January 11th, 2013
The Sacramento Bee reports that Mark Mastrov, the founder of 24 Hour Fitness, and Dale Carlsen, the man behind Sleep Train Mattress Centers (i.e. the company that currently owns the naming rights to the Kings’ arena), are both interested in buying the team and keeping it in Sacramento.
January 15th, 2013
Kevin Johnson tells the attendant media at the State of Downtown Breakfast that Sacramento will have an opportunity to make its case in front of David Stern and the NBA’s Board of Governors (via James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom):
January 21st, 2013
According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Hansen-Ballmer group comes to an agreement to purchase the Maloofs‘ share of the Kings at a valuation of $525 million. That would place the Maloofs‘ take at approximately $341 million for 65 percent of the franchise—53 percent from the Maloofs, 12 percent from minority owner Bob Hernreich.
The NBA clarifies that the sale is subject to approval from the league’s Board of Governors.
January 24th, 2013
According to Bob Moffitt of Capital Public Radio, Kevin Johnson begins his efforts to keep the Kings in Sacramento in earnest. He speaks with David Stern over the phone and later meets with a number of local politicians and interested investors to discuss the plan. Johnson tweets enthusiastically about his city’s chances of winning this battle:
Later that day, Bob Cook, whose seven-percent stake in the Kings is up for sale amidst bankruptcy proceedings, tells the Sacramento Bee that he’s helping to broker a meeting between Johnson and Oracle founder Larry Ellison in an effort to keep the team in Sacramento.
That day also sees supermarket mogul Ron Burkle meet with Stern about partaking in the burgeoning bid to re-establish the Kings’ tenuous roots in Sacramento, per Sam Amick of USA Today.
February 5th, 2013
Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk reports that the Seattle group’s bid to buy the Kings could be hamstrung by preexisting stipulations in the franchise’s ownership documents pertaining to the rights of the team’s minority owners.
February 6th, 2013
David Stern announces (via King5 in Seattle) that the Hansen-Ballmer group has officially filed to move the Kings to Seattle.
Kevin Johnson responds with a strong statement of his own on the matter:
February 9th, 2013
Kings fans stage a “Here We Buy” night at Sleep Train Arena. More than 16,000 supporters show up to watch Sacramento upend the Utah Jazz, 120-109.
February 11th, 2013
Alex Ben Block of the Hollywood Reporter reveals that Ron Burkle is in cahoots with Relativity Media to launch Relativity Sports, an agency that intends to represent athletes, coaches and broadcasters. By rule, Burkle‘s involvement in the venture could jeopardize his ability to serve as a financial partner in any purchase of an NBA franchise, including the Kings.
February 14th, 2013
David Stern addresses the emerging situation between Seattle and Sacramento during NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston.
February 22nd, 2013
Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk reports that Sacramento’s relative lack of legal impediments in comparison to Seattle could give the home city the upper hand in the battle for the Kings.
February 26th, 2013
According to Steve Large of CBS 13 in Sacramento, the city council agrees to negotiate with a group of as yet unnamed investors by a vote of 7-2:
February 28th, 2013
At his State of the City address, Kevin Johnson reveals that Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle are among those “unnamed investors” who will work to keep the Kings in Sacramento and help to build an arena at the Downtown Plaza site.
March 8th, 2013
Prior to a game between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets in Oakland, David Stern tells the media that there’s “substantial variance” between the offers put forth by groups from Seattle and Sacramento, and that the latter bid must improve if the Kings are to stay put (per the Associated Press).
March 21st, 2013
Vivek Ranadive, the founder and CEO of TIBCO and a minority stakeholder in the Warriors, comes forward as the leader of Sacramento’s investment group.
That same day, Steve Large snaps a photo of a conceptual rendering of Sacramento’s new arena while at city hall.
March 24th, 2013
Kings fans stage “Here We Buy 2.” This time, though, Sacramento loses to the Philadelphia 76ers, 117-103, in front of a crowd of nearly 15,000 at Sleep Train Arena.
March 25th, 2013
Kevin Johnson announces via Twitter that Paul Jacobs, the CEO of Qualcomm, has joined the group of moguls that intends to keep the Kings in Sacramento.
March 26th, 2013
According to Aaron Bruski of Pro Basketball Talk, the Sacramento city council votes in favor of the Kings’ arena term sheet by a 7-2 margin.
April 2nd, 2013
David Lucchetti, a minority owner of the Kings, matches Chris Hansen’s offer to purchase Bob Cook’s seven-percent stake in the team (via Kevin Johnson).
April 3rd, 2013
The prospective ownership groups from Seattle and Sacramento present their cases to the NBA in New York City. According to Aaron Bruski, Sacramento’s proposed arena subsidy is nearly double that of Seattle.
April 8th, 2013
News breaks that Ron Burkle will no longer partake in Sacramento’s bid for the Kings on account of his involvement with Relativity Sports (via Aaron Bruski):
April 9th, 2013
According to Rob McAllister of KOVR 13 TV and CBS Sacramento, Mark Friedman will step up his efforts on behalf of a new arena in Sacramento:
April 12th, 2013
According to the Associated Press, the Seattle group ups its valuation of the Kings from $525 million to $550. In essence, this means that the Hansen-Ballmer consortium will pay the Maloofs an additional $16 million for their controlling stake in the team, putting the price tag at $357 million total.
That same day, Chris Kelly, a former executive at Facebook, announces that he’s joined Sacramento’s bid to retain the Kings.
April 16th, 2013
The Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau releases a 30-second spot in support of the city’s bid to keep the Kings that’s to be played every five minutes in New York City’s Times Square—during the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings, no less.
April 24th, 2013
AECOM, the architectural firm in charge of designing the new Sacramento arena, unveils a series of concept drawings of the building in which the Kings will likely play if they don’t flee to Seattle.
April 29th, 2013
Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the NBA’s relocation committee votes against the Kings’ relocation to Seattle.
The vote is non-binding, though it stands as a strong recommendation to the Board of Governors to decline the Seattle group’s request to move the Kings.
May 6th, 2013
According to the Sacramento Bee, the Sacramento group offers to forfeit its slice of the league’s revenue sharing pie in an attempt to improve its case among the NBA’s owners. That forfeiture could cost the Kings approximately $15 million per year in funds normally allocated to franchises in small and mid-sized markets like Sacramento’s.
May 10th, 2013
In yet another attempt to swing the proceedings in favor of Seattle, Chris Hansen announces that his group has once again raised its valuation of the Kings, this time up to $625 million. The shift pushes the price of the Hansen-Ballmer bid for the Maloofs‘ stake up to $409 million.
May 12th, 2013
Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Maloofs threaten to retain ownership of the Kings if the team’s relocation to Seattle isn’t approved by the league’s Board of Governors.
In addition, the Maloofs reportedly cobble together a “backup” agreement whereby they would sell 20 percent of the team to the Hansen-Ballmer group for $125 million in order to allow the incumbent owners to continue to operate the organization.
Furthermore, Windhorst‘s sources indicate that the Seattle group has offered an unheard-of relocation fee of $115 million to entice the NBA’s owners to side with them.
May 15th, 2013
The Seattle and Sacramento groups make their final presentations at the NBA’s Board of Governors meetings in Dallas. The owners vote 22-8 against relocation, thereby keeping the Kings in Sacramento.
For now, at least.
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NBA owners reject Sacramento Kings move to Seattle (Yahoo! Sports)
DALLAS (AP) — NBA owners voted Wednesday to reject the Sacramento Kings’ proposed move to Seattle, the latest in a long line of cities that have tried to land the franchise.
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NBA owners vote to keep Kings in Sacramento
Kings situation is finally settled after several months of haggling
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NBA Owners Vote to Prevent Sacramento Kings from Moving to Seattle
The NBA Board of Governors has reportedly voted to block the sale of the Sacramento Kings to a Seattle-based ownership group spearheaded by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, per USA Today NBA insider Sam Amick:
Hansen and Ballmer had planned to purchase a majority share of the franchise for a reported $365 million (h/t Brian Windhorst of ESPN), relocate the team to Seattle as early as the 2013-14 season and rebrand it as the SuperSonics.
However, on April 29, the NBA’s relocation committee reached a unanimous decision to recommend to the league that the City of Sacramento retain the Kings.
Despite that decision, the Hansen and Ballmer group tried to up the ante, increasing its offer to $409 million. They also offered a “fee payout” of $4 million per owner as compensation for relocation.
That surprising verdict indicated the direction the owners were leaning toward leading up to the official vote on Wednesday.
This result is the culmination of three years of fighting by Sacramento Mayor and former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who worked relentlessly to secure funds and investors for a new arena and everything else required to keep the Kings in Northern California.
An ownership group led by Bay Area software tycoon Vivek Ranadive has worked out a backup agreement with the NBA league office to purchase a 65-percent controlling share of the organization for $341 million (h/t Windhorst).
After more than five years of mismanagement and poor ownership decisions from the financially struggling Maloof family, the future is looking bright for the Kings.
There is hope that Sacramento will no longer be at or close to the bottom of the league in both record and attendance, as the new owners should be fully committed to rebuilding a winning franchise as quickly as possible.
Speaking of building, a new arena seems to be in the cards and sketches are already popping up of the proposed structure in Downtown Plaza.
There is still a long way to go before the Kings return to prominence, but having the Board of Governors vote to keep the team in Sacramento for the foreseeable future is a huge step in the right direction.
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