The Kings were "swamped with ticket requests" yesterday, one day after they "declared they aren't moving to Anaheim," according to Kasler, Bizjak & Lillis of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Kings officials "put out a help-wanted notice for 20 people to sell tickets and sponsorships, scrambling to make up for weeks of idleness while the team's status was in limbo." Additionally, a "special team dispatched to Sacramento from NBA headquarters in New York began advising the organization on marketing, sponsorships -- even personnel decisions." Brian McIntyre, NBA Senior Communications Advisor to Commissioner David Stern and "one of the team leaders," said, "We're helping out in ticket sales, you name it. Obviously there's work to be done here." The NBA "has given the Maloofs the league's blessing to relocate the team if an arena plan isn't in place by next March." McIntyre: "We've got a finite amount of time." But he "dismissed any suggestion that the Kings are in disarray." Meanwhile, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson "pointedly" said that the Maloof family "must contribute financially to the new arena." The "amount the Maloofs would contribute is unclear," but Johnson said, "They've got to participate in some shape or form" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/4).
COMMITTED TO MAKING IT WORK: Joe Maloof yesterday said, "We're going to turn things around with the Kings. We're going to get better. People will see that." In Sacramento, Joe Davidson reported the Maloofs "have zero desire to sell the franchise." The family "regretted selling the Houston Rockets a generation ago, and they know how hard it is to get back into major sports ownership" (SACBEE.com, 5/3). In Sacramento, Tom Couzens writes, "We're going to hear plenty in the months ahead how difficult it is to succeed in a small market in the NBA." But the Grizzlies and Thunder are "proving that small markets can, indeed, field highly entertaining and successful teams." Couzens: "So why not Sacramento?" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/4).
IMPORTANT MOMENT: In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin writes Kings coach Paul Westphal's "postgame act" following the Kings' regular-season finale against the Lakers last month was "one of the most compelling events I have witnessed in three decades of covering sports." With "approximately 5,000 fans lingering" in Power Balance Pavilion following the game, Westphal "came bounding through the tunnel, accompanied by his wife, Cindy." Westphal "ran onto the court and blew kisses to the fans, spun around and made contact with fans in each section." When he "raised his arms and applauded, the place went crazy." By "numerous accounts, the scene resonated all the way back to New York," where the NBA BOG "was discussing the Maloofs' plans to relocate." Voisin: "The scene, in essence, watered the seed. Why leave a market with such a tradition of support?" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/4).
