NBA officials yesterday said that a decision on the Kings' future has been "pushed back at least two weeks ... straining already taut nerves in Sacramento and Seattle," according to a front-page piece by Lillis, Kasler & Bizjak of the SACRAMENTO BEE. But the officials for the first time "hinted at a potential resolution that could satisfy both cities." Spurs Owner and NBA BOG Chair Peter Holt said that the NBA has "not ruled out the possibility of adding a team to the league." NBA Commissioner David Stern in the past has said that the league is "not considering expansion." He repeated that stance yesterday, saying the league "has no current plans to expand." However, Holt said the expansion issue is "not off the table." Although he added that it "wasn't discussed" at yesterday's meeting in N.Y. Both Stern and Holt said that the "issue of whether to allow the team to be sold to a Seattle group remains far from resolution." Stern said that he will "convene the league's finance and relocation committees again late next week, and representatives of the two cities may be asked to come to New York to answer more questions." Stern added that the committees' "questions involve potential lawsuits facing arena plans in both Sacramento and Seattle, as well as financial issues with those plans." Stern said of a possible voting date, "I'd be charitable to say the first week of May, but it could slide a bit." A source said that Sacramento's bid would require Kings Owner the Maloof family to "terminate their deal" with Seattle hedge fund manager Chris Hansen "before the Sacramento group would negotiate a final, binding offer." Under such a scenario, the BOG "wouldn't vote on the Hansen deal." The source added that the Sacramento group's offer "doesn't include a deposit until after the Maloofs agree to sever ties with Hansen" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/18).
EXPANDING TO NEW FRONTIERS? In Seattle, Bob Condotta cited league sources as saying that the delay could give time to "further consider expansion as a way out of the Seattle/Sacramento situation." Stern: "There are loads of documents, some as recently as today, in connection with this transaction that we are in the process of sifting through and analyzing." One of the documents "arriving" yesterday was the formal offer by the Sacramento group. The sources said that it does "not match the increased Seattle offer" of $357M for 65% of the team, based on a $550M valuation of the Kings (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/18). Also in Seattle, Chris Daniels cited a source as saying that the Sacramento "bid was 'non-binding,' did not include a deposit, and did not match the offer from Hansen." The source suggested that the Maloofs have "rejected that request. " The same source said that the Sacramento group, led by Warriors Vice Chair Vivek Ranadive, was "having trouble coming up with the money to solidify their counter bid, and had asked for more time to close the deal." Hansen’s real estate consultant, Vipond Group President Bill Vipond, made a statement "claiming a major hurdle had been reached for the group ... after Hansen’s WSA Properties closed Wednesday on the final piece of land needed" for a new arena. Hansen will buy "three lots just east of 1st Avenue South for $9,024,600" (KING5.com, 4/17).
TOUGH CALL TO MAKE: In Portland, Joe Freeman conducted a Q&A with Trail Blazers Owner Paul Allen and asked where he stood on the potential Kings relocation. Allen said, "I think it's a tough call. ... I think in general, there’s some feeling that if there’s good fan support in an area and there’s good political support sufficient enough to have a state-of-the-art facility, that’s more than enough to keep a franchise in the same place. Then you can get all the parameters of who’s made the best offer, who hasn’t made the best offer, all those things. So it’s a very difficult thing. And, of course, [Seattle bidder] Steve Ballmer is a very good friend of mine. I think he’d be a great owner. So I reserve my final decision" (Portland OREGONIAN, 4/18).
STICKING AROUND: In Sacramento, Dale Kasler notes a "sea of purple-clad Kings fans" last night "rocked Sleep Train Arena for what could have been the final game in the team's Sacramento history." The sellout crowd of 17,317 "chanted 'Sac-ra-men-to!' in the waning seconds of the game -- and segued into 'Here we stay' a few minutes later." Kings broadcaster Grant Napear, who "choked back tears as he signed off during the finale in 2011, said he's sure the team will stay put." Napear: "I feel like this is not the last game I'm going to broadcast. It feels different this year" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/18). NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper tweeted, "Ten minutes after the game and still a lot of Kings fans in Sleep Train. Some pro-Sacramento chanting. But mostly just not wanting to leave." In Sacramento, Ailene Voisin writes, "The screaming, the cheering, the chanting. That first standing ovation. That first Kings basket. That sellout crowd. All that stomping. This was more like it." Last night was "about the past and the future, but primarily about the possibilities." For one of the "few times" during this season, Sleep Train Arena "felt more like an opening night than a goodbye kiss." Yesterday was a "memory tweaker." There were "long lines at the ticket windows and large crowds inside the team store." Unlike the "season finale two years ago, when the Kings appeared Anaheim-bound and fans left the building in tears, the mood was upbeat, energetic, even festive" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 4/18).
INTERNATIONAL APPEAL: In N.Y., Ken Belson writes Ranadive, who has "deep pockets and extensive contacts ... plans to promote the NBA heavily in his native India and to Indians living in the United States." He said, "I believe basketball will be the global sport of the 21st century because it can be played by young and old, boys and girls, indoors or outdoors, rich or poor. Independent of whether the Kings bid succeeds or not, I’m very committed to making it the No. 2 sport in India.” Belson notes "parallels with the NBA's efforts in China are often made." But Stern said that the comparisons were "unfair because the Chinese have been playing the game far longer, have their own leagues and have produced NBA stars." Stern: "The demographics favor us. This is not about finding the next great Indian player, though over time we know it’s inevitable. It’s about working with schools, creating programs. But we’re not unmindful of television, merchandising or events. This is a long-term proposition.” Ranadive’s "drive to raise the profile of the sport in India, while welcomed, will not be a deciding factor in which group gets the Kings" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/18). In India, Chidanand Rajghatta noted Stern's "presence in the country in the midst" of Indian Premier League cricket fever "gave him a chance to weigh the market and see if NBA can use an Indian-American beachhead to make advances in India" (TIMES OF INDIA, 4/18).
