Tag Archives: NBA

by | May 3, 2011

‘Orange County rebuffed again,’ says the Bee

Dale Kasler at the Sacramento Bee gloats at first but eventually gives us a break. Sacramento’s got a right to gloat. We would do the same.

Anaheim has been jilted again.

The Kings – like the Clippers, Grizzlies and Hornets before them – said no to Orange County.

What looked like a done deal pretty much unraveled when the NBA agreed to give Sacramento another chance. And I think that was a good move for the sake of the game and the league. Ripping a team away from a city can be traumatic.

Henry Samueli, operator of the Honda Center

Henry Samueli offered the Maloofs $145 million in incentives to relocate the Kings to Anaheim. KEVIN SULLIVAN / ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER FILE, 2009

Anaheim sure gave it a good try.

When it became clear that the NBA was interested in giving Sacramento another shot at keeping the team, billionaire Honda Center operator Henry Samueli nearly doubled the offer to $145 million. The package included a $75 million loan to the financially pressed Maloofs.

But the Anaheim effort ran into multiple obstacles, including stiff resistance from Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss. The NBA’s relocation committee advised the Maloofs to stay put.

…

The 18-year-old Honda Center was built with the NBA in mind. The Los Angeles Clippers were on the verge of moving there in 1996, until owner Donald Sterling had a last-minute change of heart.

In 2001, both the Vancouver Grizzlies and Charlotte Hornets took a long look at Anaheim before settling on Memphis and New Orleans, respectively.

So good for you, Sacramento. You’ve got another year, at least.

Also see previous posts on the subject.

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by | April 22, 2011

Looks like we won’t be seeing the Anaheim Royals any time soon

A Sacramento Kings fan holds a sign during a game against the Lakers.

A Sacramento Kings fan holds a sign during a game against the Lakers.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

I have been following the possible move of the NBA Sacramento Kings to Anaheim. It looked very much as if it was going to happen. But today, the Los Angeles Times reports that the Kings will likely be playing at least next season in Sacramento.

NBA officials now expect the Kings to play next season in Sacramento, league executives told The Times on Friday.

Whether the team, which was about to seek permission to move to Honda Center in Anaheim, stays in Sacramento beyond next season remains to be decided.

I would have liked to see a new team just up the freeway but I’ve also appreciated how Sacramento fans must feel about it. If they can work something out to the mutual advantage of both the city and the franchise, then that will be the best plan in the long run.

Orange County has the Angels (despite their ridiculous name) and the Kings. Good enough. :-)

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by | April 14, 2011

No Kings in Anaheim: honest petitioners?

Petition to force a vote on the $75 million Anaheim plans to spend to bring the Sacramento Kings to town

The Register is reporting that petitions are being circulated in Anaheim that would force a vote on bringing the Sacramento Kings to the Honda Center. Because the funding plan involves private investment only, specifically Ducks owner Henry Samueli, it was not subject to voter approval. But if this petition is successful, that could change things.

The petitions apparently have been “angering some Anaheim leaders.” They believe that those gathering signatures are not being honest in their depiction of the details. Or are these leaders merely petulant that someone would dare to mess with their carefully crafted plans to move the Kings to Orange County?

A coalition that includes Support Our Anaheim Resort and the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce sent an email to more than 10,000 members earlier this week with the subject: “Alert: Do Not Sign the Out of Town Petition!”

“Several of our members contacted us to say they were concerned about heavy-handed tactics the petitioners were using and claiming it would cost the city $75 million – that’s not the case,” said Jill Kanzler, executive director S.O.A.R.

“We, of course, feel having an NBA team supported by a private investor will be great for Anaheim,” she said.

The Register says that the petition comes from a Sacramento group called the Committee to Save the Kings.

I feel sorry for sports fans in Sacramento.

Previously, we posted Welcome to the Anaheim Royals and Anaheim City Council tries to lure the Sac Kings with $75 mil.

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by | March 29, 2011

Anaheim City Council tries to lure the Sac Kings with $75 mil

Updating an earlier post, Anaheim’s city council just approved $75 million in privately backed bonds to lure the Sacramento Kings into becoming the Anaheim Royals.

The Honda Center

The Honda Center

From the Orange County Register:

In a vote that Mayor Tom Tait called “historic,” the council voted unanimously for the bonds: $25 million for upgrades to the city-owned Honda Center, and $50 million in working capital, money that could help pay for the Kings’ relocation fees.

Tait said it was a “giant step toward bringing an NBA team to the Honda Center.”

“I am thrilled. A better word – I am stoked,” Tait said.

I bet he is.

But the L.A. Times had this quote:

City officials insisted no taxpayer money will be needed to back the bonds and that any shortfall in repayment generated by arena revenue would be paid by Samueli.

“It’s a Samueli entity lending money to a Samueli company; the city has no liability and is a conduit [as the arena's owner],” Tait said during the meeting. “I wanted to drive that point home: There’s no risk.”

When I hear no risk, I get scared. And incredulous.

It does look very much like a done deal. But I would not be surprised to see some miracle benefactor descend from heaven with a way to keep the Kings up north.

Me, I’m really more concerned that the Los Angeles Dodgers of Chavez Ravine are about to lose — again — to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. That’s not the kind of Freeway Series I was hoping to see.

UPDATE 3/30 Sacramento isn’t giving up yet. Mayor Johnson Supports ‘Cease’ Letter To Anaheim

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by | March 18, 2011

Welcome to the Anaheim Royals

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins

Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins wearing a Royals uniform

It looks as if the Sacramento Kings NBA team may move into the Honda Center in Anaheim by next season. Emphasis on may. With the NHL Los Angeles Kings in the neighborhood, the Sacramento team will change their name if they move to Orange County and the most likely name right now is the Royals.

The Anaheim Royals. Or the Los Angeles Royals. Or the Royals of Southern California. The city of Anaheim is insisting that Anaheim be part of the name so option 1 seems most likely.

It’s kind of a boring name, I think. And the Royals are a baseball team. There is history, though. The Kings were once the Rochester, New York, Royals where they won their only NBA title in 1951. See DeMarcus Cousins in the “throwback” uniform above.

I just started considering this and so I don’t have any brilliant ideas for the new team name yet. But I will think about it and get back to you as I’m sure you’ll be wanting to know.

I don’t know if the area will be able to support a 3rd NBA team. I believe they can. Anaheim is close enough to L.A., San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego counties to draw from a tremendously large area. I will certainly go to a game or two if that will help.

Meanwhile, we know how Sacramento must feel. More teams have left this region than starlets with dashed dreams.

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