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Latest On Kings, Sacramento, Seattle

April 10th, 2013 at 11:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Maloof family, principal owners of the Kings, made headlines earlier today when they set a Friday deadline for the Sacramento bidders, and there's plenty more on the tug-of-war over the Kings this evening. Here's what we know:

Commissioner David Stern is pushing Sacramento's bid along and personally seeking new investors, sources tell Chris Daniels of King 5 News in Seattle. That puts him at odds with several owners who have expressed their willingness to approve the team's proposed move to Seattle, according to Daniels.
Ron Burkle pulled out of Sacramento's bidding group this week presumably because of the conflict regarding his stake in the Relativity Sports agency, but Daniels hears Burkle wasn't that excited about the effort to begin with.
Daniels also hears the second half of Sacramento's presentation before NBA owners last week fell flat, and that it was based largely on vision rather than facts. A source tells Daniels that Sacramento's offer is still "way off" the $341MM price set when the Seattle group agreed to purchase the team earlier this year.
Chris Hansen, the point man in Seattle's bid, used his presentation to outline an agreement with the city of Seattle to operate Key Arena while a new building is under construction, Daniels reports. That new arena could open as soon as 2015, Hansen claimed, while also revealing a potential regional televsion deal worth in excess of $40MM a year, much more than a similar deal would be worth in the Sacramento market.
The Maloofs' deadline for Sacramento is of no real consequence, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com (Sulia link).

Maloofs Set Deadline For Sacramento Bidders

April 10th, 2013 at 6:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

6:25pm: The Maloofs want the Sacramento bidders to include a $30MM non-refundable down payment in their bid, just like the one the Seattle investors paid, according to Sean Cunningham of News10 KXTV in Sacramento (Twitter link). Sources tell fellow News10 reporter Nick Monacelli that Ranadive is willing to cover that payment if necessary (Twitter link).

5:11pm: The current principal owners of the Kings have informed a group of investors seeking to keep the team in Sacramento that they want a binding offer in writing for the team by 5:00pm Pacific Time on Friday, report Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee. If the offer doesn't arrive in time or match the $341MM price that the Maloof family has agreed upon for its share of the team with Seattle-based bidders, the Maloofs say they won't have any more talks with the Sacramento group.

Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com cautions that the league, and not the Maloofs, is in charge of deciding the Kings' next move, and a source downplayed talk of a deadline, characterizing it as a publicity stunt (All four Twitter links). According to The Bee report, the NBA forwarded a statement of interest from the Sacramento bidders to the Maloofs a few weeks ago, but commissioner David Stern said the amount of that offer was well short of the money the Seattle group has ponied up. Yet, more recently, at last week's presentations from both bidding groups, Stern said the size of the offers was no longer an issue. California State Senate President Darrell Steinberg, who spoke in support of Sacramento during its presentation, assured The Bee that the city's offer is equivalent to Seattle's.

While the deadline may have no bearing on whether or not the league approves the sale of the team to the Chris Hansen-led Seattle group and a subsequent move up the coast, it seems as though it may complicate the matter of what happens to the Kings if the league blocks the Hansen sale. Since the NBA is deciding whether to allow that sale, and not simply choosing between the two competing bidders, there's no compulsion for the Maloofs to sell to the Sacramento group. Indeed, there have been whispers that the Maloofs may hold on to the team if they can't sell to Hansen and company.

Mark Friedman Joins Sacramento Bid For Kings

April 9th, 2013 at 12:55pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Sacramento investment group angling to buy the Kings is successful, business magnate Ron Burkle will no longer be a part of team ownership, but the group added another big name today. Sacramento developer Mark Friedman has joined the bid for the Kings, according to Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.

Friedman will be a part of the bid to buy the Kings and build a new arena, as well as participating in the non-arena development that has been proposed for the Downtown Plaza site. He indicated to the Bee that he has been considering joining the bid for some time, having talked to lead investors Mark Mastrov and Vivek Ranadive over the last "couple of months." While Friedman didn't specify how much he's investing in the project, he said his commitment would be "substantial."

We shared a few more of the latest updates on the Kings saga earlier today.

Sacramento/Seattle Updates: Tuesday

April 9th, 2013 at 10:01am CST by Luke Adams

We're a little over a week away from this year's NBA's Board of Governors meetings, which will be crucial for the future of basketball in both Sacramento and Seattle, as the league's owners consider whether or not to approve the sale of the Kings to Chris Hansen's Seattle group. As a final decision continues to inch closer, let's check in on the latest developments in the saga:

The removal of Ron Burkle from the potential Sacramento ownership group isn't viewed as a major factor, since his proposed contribution to the team and arena was relatively small, says Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com (Twitter link). Burkle's contribution and participation have "barely changed," according to Bruski (Twitter link).
Even in a smaller role, Burkle is considered a vital participant in the development around the proposed arena, according to Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis, and Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee.
With Burkle taking a back seat, the Jacobs family's proposed stake in the team figures to increase. But since the NBA is confident that any of the potential investors could carry the bid on their own, shifting smaller amounts from one to another isn't a concern, says Bruski (Twitter links).
Although it's not expected to be the deciding factor in the NBA's decision, Vivek Ranadive's presence in the Sacramento group, and his potential make an impact in India, makes him a "game-changer," one source tells Bruski (Twitter link).
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee has more on Ranadive and the NBA's interest in India.
Tom Ziller of SBNation.com takes a look at how, in the future, the league can avoid another situation that pits two cities against one another in direct competition for an NBA franchise.

Ron Burkle Won’t Be Part Of Kings’ Ownership

April 8th, 2013 at 5:36pm CST by Luke Adams

5:36pm: Per NBA.com's David Aldridge, Burkle will not be directly linked with the building of a downtown arena for the Kings, but rather will only be involved in the economic development of the surrounding area. Aldridge adds that the "conflict" over Burkle's small stake came up at last week's meeting in New York City. Despite Burkle's stake being minimal, this development will increase the chances of a successful sale to the Sacramento group if the league rejects the Seattle bid because the Maloof's were uninterested in selling to Burkle "in any form." Aldridge speculates that Jacobs could step in and fill the void left by Burkle's departure from the group. (Aldridge Twitter links here)

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reminds us, via Twitter, that Burkle cannot be involved with the Kings for the same reason that Jay-Z would have to divest his ownership stake in the Nets if his newly formed agency began to represent NBA players. Here is the statement from the NBA, courtesy of Sports Business Journal's Liz Mullen on Twitter:

"Ron Burkle is no longer part of the Sacramento group because his ownership interest in Relativity Media which has a division that represents NBA players – would violate NBA rules."

3:44pm: Ron Burkle, one of the investors in the Sacramento group trying to keep the Kings in the city, won't take an ownership stake in the franchise if Sacramento keeps the team, according to Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Due to a conflict of interest, Burkle will instead focus exclusively on building a downtown arena for the team.

A source tells Kasler and Lillis that NBA officials expressed concern about a potential conflict of interest for Burkle last week, since he is a part-owner of Relativity Sports. Relativity, the home of prominent NBA agents Dan Fegan and Happy Walters, represents Dwight Howard, Amare Stoudemire, and John Wall, among other NBA stars.

With Burkle removed from the ownership picture, Mark Mastrov, Vivek Ranadive, and the Jacobs family (led by Paul Jacobs) will head the group. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), the development doesn't hurt Sacramento's pitch to the NBA; in fact, it could be a positive sign for Sacramento that the league went to "great lengths" to resolve the potential conflict.

Kings Rumors: Robinson, Arena, Ranadive

April 7th, 2013 at 9:45am CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have the league's seventh-worst record, but they've been one of the most newsworthy teams all year, thanks to the uncertainty surrounding where they'll play next season. They also participated in perhaps the most significant trade at the deadline, sending 2012 fifth overall pick Thomas Robinson to the Rockets. There's more news on both fronts, as we detail here:

Robinson says the trade shocked him, but added that he doesn't hold it against the Kings, as Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee documents. "I don't have any regrets," he said. "I'm glad the Kings gave me a chance and drafted me. They put me in the league." That's in contrast to what he told Maurice Bobb of SLAM shortly after the deal, when he said he felt "somewhere between" happy and disrespected. Robinson could be on the move again, as he's rumored as potential trade fodder if the Rockets want to clear space for Dwight Howard.
Sacramento County officials deny they've agreed to kick in $600K annually to help fund a new $448MM arena for the Kings, according to Tony Bizjak, Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Bee. A report circulated by the city of Sacramento stated that the county had agreed to the funding, but representatives from both the city and county say the matter isn't a significant hurdle to the arena plan.
David Stern's trip to India this weekend had been scheduled long in advance and isn't related to India native Vivek Ranadive's recent emergence as the lead investor of Sacramento's bid to keep the Kings. Still, the connection can't hurt the city's chances in its duel with Seattle, The Bee's Ailene Voisin opines.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe believes the most significant takeaway from this week's owners meeting on the future of the Kings was that Sacramento proved its bidders have the financial wherewithal to match Seattle's effort.

Pacific Rumors: Lakers, Kings, Clippers

April 5th, 2013 at 8:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

If the Lakers fail to make the playoffs, they'll have no one but themselves to blame, opines Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. They sit a half-game up on the Jazz for eighth place in the Western Conference heading into tonight's action, with Utah playing host to the Hornets while the Lakers face a much tougher opponent in the Grizzlies. It's the same position both clubs found themselves in yesterday, when we asked Hoops Rumors readers which of the teams fighting for the last playoff spot would make it. A strong majority favored L.A. over Utah and the fading Mavericks. As the Lakers, through all their struggles, continue to deal with expectations, here's more from around the Pacific Division:

Michael Lee of the Washington Post summarizes the state of affairs in the tug of war over the Kings, and lays out the case for both Sacramento and Seattle.
Legal analyst Michael McCann believes there's little grounds for a threatened referendum on Sacramento's public funding plan for a new arena, tweets Aaron Bruski of NBCSports.com. The city would raise money for its contribution to the building through the lease of parking garages and land.
Blake Griffin doesn't put much stock in a recent column by T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times suggesting immaturity is causing problems for the Clippers, and downplays the idea of chemistry problems on the team. Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.

Odds & Ends: Wizards, Pistons, Greene, Kings

April 5th, 2013 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

As we prepare for a busy 12-game evening slate, let's check out a few Friday afternoon odds and ends from around the Association:

The Wizards have discussed adding a player from the D-League in the wake of Bradley Beal's season-ending injury, but head coach Randy Wittman tells J. Michael of CSNWashington.com that a signing is unlikely (Twitter link).
If Kevin Martin wants to remain with the Thunder next season, he'll likely have to accept a significant pay cut, says John Rohde of the Oklahoman in a chat. Rohde estimates that Martin would get no more than $7MM annually from the Thunder, who will be aiming to avoid the luxury tax.
The Pistons have a pair of solid building blocks in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe, but the moves Joe Dumars makes this summer will have a significant impact on the direction of the club, writes Paul Flannery of SBNation.com.
Donte Greene, who was set to sign with the Nets last summer before fracturing his ankle, will join Puerto Rico's Brujos de Guayama, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com has an interesting profile on Celtics guard Terrence Williams, who says he understands he still needs to display consistency in the NBA. Williams' deal with the C's includes a non-guaranteed team option for 2013/14.
The final stretch of the Kings saga may come down to whether Sacramento or Seattle has the better arena plan, according to Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler, and Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee.

Pacific Notes: Howard, World Peace, Kings, Clips

April 4th, 2013 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, the Clippers signed DaJuan Summers for the season, and we passed along word that Grant Hill is likely to retire at season's end. Here are a few more Thursday items from out of the Pacific Division:

Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Insider-only link) expects Dwight Howard to re-sign with the Lakers, but notes that there are other potentially attractive destinations in play. Broussard breaks down the pros and cons of three likely Howard suitors, the Hawks, Rockets, and Mavericks.
Metta World Peace's rehab from knee surgery is off to a good start, though his future is still uncertain, writes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains, when the NBA Board of Governors votes on the future of the Kings, the decision won't necessarily come down to Seattle vs. Sacramento, since the Board can't force the Maloofs to sell to the Sacramento group. The Board of Governors will simply be voting on whether or not to approve the sale to the Seattle group, so if the sale is to be declined, there will need to be real cause.
In his latest column for the Los Angeles Times, T.J. Simers argues that the immaturity of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan is dragging the Clippers down, and says Jordan "blames [head coach Vinny] Del Negro for burying him on the bench."

Odds & Ends: Kings, Babby, Bynum, 2014

April 3rd, 2013 at 11:08pm CST by Chuck Myron

TNT's David Aldridge, writing for NBA.com, delivers a lengthy summary of the fallout from the presentations that competing bidders for the Kings made today before a group of owners. Aldridge concludes that the key issue has shifted from the size of the bids to how quickly each city can build a new arena. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com gives his take on the affair, noting that four of the 12 owners scheduled to attend today's meeting were not present. The Kings saga is the major story of the day, but there's plenty more happening around the Association:

Even with Bradley Beal out for the rest of the season, the Wizards aren't planning to bring in another guard, reports Michael Lee of The Washington Post (Twitter link).
Lon Babby's first three years as the Suns' president of basketball operations have included plenty of both hits and misses, but owner Robert Sarver likes the job Babby has done with the franchise, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Babby was offered a two-year extension this past Sunday, and accepted the offer on Tuesday.
Andrew Bynum isn't ruling out a return to the Sixers in the offseason, agent David Lee tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
A roundtable of ESPN.com contributors debate the best free agents not in this summer's class but in 2014 — a group that apparently won't include Zach Randolph.
N.C. State small forward T.J. Warren will return to school rather than enter the draft, his father tells Joe Giglio of the News & Observer. Opinions on Warren vary widely, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him as the 31st-best prospect, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him No. 62.
Nerlens Noel remains atop many draft boards in spite of his torn ACL, and a Western Conference executive told Chris Mannix of SI.com that with so much medical information available these days, "it's easy to predict that he will be fine." Mannix has more draft-related updates on Steven Adams, Alex Poythress and Cody Zeller.
HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy provides further insight on why Noel is rated so highly, noting that scouts like Noel's upside while advanced statistics demonstrate his high value.

Luke Adams also contributed to this post.