Kings Staying Put (was Sonics coming back)

[Triumph36]

how in the world did the kings sell for that much?

[Goldin Brown]

Oh Damn. These Maloofs

stevelarge_cbs13 @largesteven

Source: Seattle groups offer was rejected by Maloofs. Hmmm. Plot thickening by the minute.

[Numbers Guy]

Sacramento fans supported Seattle fans and hated the Bennett shenanigans as much as anyone. "THANKS SO MUCH, GIVE US YOUR TEAM."

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) January 9, 2013

[Triumph36]

the maloofs don't care about someone moving the team. why would they turn down $500M?! that is nuts.

[Jack Brickman]

My two thoughts on this:

1. I feel really bad for Kings fans. Unlike many NBA markets (New Orleans, Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta, and probably a few others I'm forgetting), Sacramento has great and loyal fans.

2. At least the Maloofs are finally out the fucking door if they do sell. Those people were poison and the league will be a better place without them.

Also, if they turned down that offer, presumably it's because someone might be bidding higher.

[RealKingsFan]

As a Kings fan waking up this morning seeing this news, I was outraged obviously.

The sad fact is this was inevitable, loyalty only gets you so far in the NBA. Some of the best fans in the world couldn't save this team. It all started with Anahiem and when that fell through they had a vendetta to get out of Sacramento. Even when they had one of the most favorable arena deals that Mayor Johnson and Stern could come up with they denied it just to move somewhere else. This season it was Virgina Beach and Seattle. Maloofs have been slimy for years now trying to cut costs and barely make minimum, everyone could see that they had little money left to run the franchise, so they ran it into the group until they had to sell. They struck gold here.

I doubt anyone is going to match the Hansen Group. Burkle is in the Kings court to save this from happening, but its very doubtful that it will ever happen. If the Kings leave Iam glad it was to a city that had its franchise stripped from them and now have hope all over again. I just wish I didn't have to lose the team I loved to see Seattle have a team again.

I've been through alot as a Kings fan, many sad moments but many great moments. But even without a team I won't stop being one. This is from a Kings fan point of view. Iam sure Seattle Supersonics fans are cheering in Seattle.

I think I'll leave off with this, all my memories as a Kings fan are summarized in this. from 2000-2012. An 8 year child that loved basketball to a young adult now

[Jack Brickman]

It just sucks this couldn't have been New Orleans. Terrible fans who didn't show up for games even when they had Chris Paul and were winning 40+ games a year. I'd say Charlotte too but then I wouldn't be able to walk to NBA games any more, so fuck that.

[KB]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/maloofs...GlvbnM-;_ylv=3

Maloofs nearing deal to sell Kings to group that plans to relocate franchise to Seattle
Adrian Wojnarowski


The Maloof family is finalizing an agreement to sell the Sacramento Kings to a group that hopes to move the franchise to Seattle for the 2013-14 season, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

The deal will sell the Kings for approximately $500 million to a group led by hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer. The group is seeking to relocate the franchise to Seattle's KeyArena for the 2013-14 season.

The Seattle group's plans, with support of the NBA, is to play two seasons in KeyArena before moving into a new Seattle arena, sources said.

No agreement has been signed, but one source with knowledge of the talks described the deal as "first and goal at the 1." Sources said it will take "some time" to get a formal agreement in place. The Maloofs' history of changing course late in negotiations still has some uneasy about getting the sale completed. The Maloofs previously neared a deal with Sacramento leaders to help finance a new arena in the city before backing out.

The Maloofs are expected to keep an extremely small percentage of the team, but will have no real input or say in the franchise, sources said.

Once the sale is completed, the Seattle-based group will have until March to file for relocation. NBA commissioner David Stern has been a big proponent of the Hansen-Ballmer group, and league officials will work diligently to help the franchise move to Seattle if the sale is finalized, sources said. The Seattle-based group is determined to not have the franchise spend a final lame-duck season in Sacramento.

The prospective Seattle ownership plans are to change the Kings' name and logos back to the original proprietors of the city's NBA history: the Sonics. "Same name and logos," a source working with the group told Y! Sports.

When owner Clay Bennett moved the Sonics franchise to Oklahoma City in 2008, he left behind the name, logos and history.

The Kings' status in Sacramento has been tenuous since the arena deal fell apart near the end of last season.

[Jack Brickman]

I really don't understand why they don't make a rule that, if a team is moved, the name and history do not move with it. Seems a fairly simple concept, and it would spare us stupidity like a New Orleans team named the Hornets or a team in Utah named the fucking Jazz.

[Marcus]

You would think being Cleveland fans we would all know what it is like to lose a team and maybe show a little support for Sacramento. The Magoofs are the biggest trash in the nba. All the money was committed from investors, the nba and the magoofs agreed upon it, then they come back and say they don't want to spend three million dollars for a new arena. Now that they can't get anybody to give them a free arena, they bail. They pay Travis Outlaw three million dollars to rot on the bench, yet they couldn't pony up that kind of cash for a state of the art arena?

These guys are grade A clowns that have no business owning a lemonade stand, let alone a sports franchise. They have done nothing but lie to the Sacramento community. They will just squander this cash just like they did Daddy's money. Remember when they were so heart broken by selling the rockets and they would never sell the Kings? Everything that comes out of their mouth is a lie. Cleveland is very fortunate to have such a passionate owner in Dan Gilbert.

Yeah, it is cool that Seattle gets a team again, but it is at the expense of another hurting franchise that has over 70 years of history and 28 years in Sacramento.

Thrilled that Seattle is getting the Sonics back. If there was any city that was going to get a franchise, I wanted them to be the first.

But, I also feel badly for Kings fans. They were robbed of a Finals appearance years ago by those crooked referees, and they had such a great team in the beginning part of the decade. The Maloofs are some of the worst owners in sports, and I personally hope that they are barred from buying another professional sports franchise ever again.

[shoes22]

I really don't understand why they don't make a rule that, if a team is moved, the name and history do not move with it. Seems a fairly simple concept, and it would spare us stupidity like a New Orleans team named the Hornets or a team in Utah named the fucking Jazz.

Or a team in Los Angeles called the fucking Lakers

[Jack Brickman]

Thrilled that Seattle is getting the Sonics back. If there was any city that was going to get a franchise, I wanted them to be the first.

But, I also feel badly for Kings fans. They were robbed of a Finals appearance years ago by those crooked referees, and they had such a great team in the beginning part of the decade. The Maloofs are some of the worst owners in sports, and I personally hope that they are barred from buying another professional sports franchise ever again.

I don't think you'll have to worry about the Maloofs buying another team. They'll go through that five hundred million with failed businesses and bad investments in no time.

[I.K.W.T]

The Sonics team name and history went with the Thunder to OKC... If there were to be a team, Seattle would need to pick another name.

[Vlad]

The Sonics team name and history went with the Thunder to OKC... If there were to be a team, Seattle would need to pick another name.

Wikipedia:

Settlement terms of a lawsuit between the city of Seattle and Clay Bennett's ownership group stipulated the SuperSonics' banners, trophies and retired jerseys remain in Seattle; the nickname, logo, and color scheme are available to any subsequent NBA team; and the Sonics' franchise history will be shared with the Thunder.[1]

[I.K.W.T]

Wikipedia:

Well wikipedia is trusted. I cannot argue with Wikipedia.