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Burkle reportedly willing to buy
Kings and keep team in Sacramento |
Sacramento "made a bid Thursday to keep the NBA in the city," and Penguins co-Owner Ron Burkle, "in partnership with well-connected Sacramento lobbyist and developer Darius Anderson, emerged as last-minute potential saviors" of basketball in the city, according to Tony Bizjak of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Burkle and Anderson said that they "would lead a group that could purchase the Kings -- or buy another team for the city should the Kings move to Anaheim." Anderson, accompanied by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Icon Venue Group President & CEO Tim Romani, "essentially presented Burkle's credentials" to the NBA BOG Thursday. Anderson noted that Burkle "already has been rebuffed by the Maloofs on buying" the Kings. The Maloof family "has vowed to hold onto the Kings and insisted Thursday that the team isn't for sale." But L.A. investment banker Lloyd Greif said that Burkle's "mere presence could persuade NBA owners to block the Kings' move to Anaheim -- and effectively force the Maloofs to sell the team to him." Anderson said that Burkle is "exploring three or four other NBA franchises as possible candidates for purchase and relocation to Sacramento," including the Hornets. However, Bizjak notes "despite its interest in Sacramento, Burkle's group put the same conditions on a deal that have stymied the Maloofs and city officials for the past decade: construction of a new arena to replace faded Power Balance Pavilion" (
SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/15). In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin writes under the header, "Burkle Gives Sacramento Hope." Voisin: "This much can be said with certainty about the involvement of the Burkle Group: NBA Commissioner David Stern is doing backflips back in his Manhattan office. He needed this. He wanted this. He has been waiting years, decades even, for someone with the financial capital of a Ron Burkle to make an appearance in Sacramento. ... Even after the Maloofs' intent to relocate became apparent two months ago, Stern encouraged Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and other civic and business leaders to persist in their attempts to retain or acquire another franchise" (
SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/15). However, a source connected to the situation assessed Burkle's late bid as "grandstanding" (
L.A. TIMES, 4/15).
HANGING IN THE BALANCE: In California, Randy Youngman notes whether NBA owners "will support the Kings' plan to move to Anaheim in time for next season could become known Friday as the two-day NBA Board of Governors meetings conclude" in N.Y. The Maloofs Thursday "presented their case for relocation during a joint meeting of the NBA relocation and finance committees," and when asked if he expects to gain approval, Kings co-Owner Joe Maloof said, "Yes, I think so." It remains to be seen "how Sacramento's 11th-hour proposal affects what owners think about the Maloofs' relocation proposal." If the owners support the Maloofs' proposal, the family "will file for relocation by Monday's deadline." If there is "overwhelming sentiment against the Maloofs' plans, it's likely they will not file for relocation." Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait also was in attendance for the Kings' presentation Thursday, and he said he made a point during his presentation to emphasize that Orange County is "its own market and different from Los Angeles." He also "delivered a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern expressing those sentiments." Tait: "If Orange County were a city, we'd be bigger than Chicago" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 4/15).
END OF THE LINE? ESPN.com's Mark Kreidler noted Kings co-Owners Gavin and Joe Maloof "were no-shows at their usual courtside location" for Wednesday's season finale against the Lakers at Power Balance Pavilion, which was "playoff intense, one emotional whiplash after another." Kreidler: "A city is getting its heart ripped out in an era of truly baffling ownership in the NBA -- just another midlevel city with corporate support and broadcast money that can safely be described as 'not insane,' which in the current times is not nearly good enough" (ESPN.com, 4/14). In Seattle, Jerry Brewer writes, "Just as the Sonics were allowed to become the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Kings will become the Anaheim Royals soon." Brewer: "In many major cities, people are talking about how great the regular season was. ... But beneath the facade of health that intrigue provides, the NBA is as ill as it has ever been. The business model is broken. The owners' misguided solution is often to hold cities hostage for new arenas, and if they don't get what they want, they run off in the middle of the night, hoping to make a sucker out of another city." He added, "You get the feeling this discouraging merry-go-round will continue to spin and spin, spin and spin, causing more and more dizziness, until the entire league feels like it wants to vomit" (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/15). ESPN's Michael Smith asked, "How can you not have sympathy for Sacramento? Some of the most passionate and committed fans that the NBA has seen in a long time" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 4/14). ESPN's Jim Rome: "These are great fans too, some of the best in the league. They were there every night before the Kings mattered and then in the '90s when the Kings were all the rage, that barn was fierce" ("Jim Rome Is Burning," ESPN, 4/14).
