NBA Commissioner David Stern hopeful on future of Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Hornets – NBA Update
The NBA Commissioner David Stern spoke at length recently about two of the most troubled NBA franchises, Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Hornets. The Commissioner was positive of the recent developments regarding both teams and hopeful that he would have
good news to share with the NBA fans sooner than later.
The New Orleans Hornets are currently owned by the NBA. That realistically means that they are an ownerless entity, controlled instead by the league and the other NBA owners, who are board members of the NBA, have a say in its running.
That model cannot be kept up for long and the NBA has been looking to sell the franchise to a suitable owner, especially someone who would keep the Hornets where they are, i.e. New Orleans.
A major stumbling block towards that goal is New Orleans being a small market. The lack of financial potential in the city has kept prospective owners away for a long time. However Stern is sure that some of the recent success with regards to the Hornets,
such as work on very favourable lease and important capital improvements, not to mention intense tax benefits and a new television deal will help draw I the investors.
In fact, Stern has suggested that the NBA is in negotiations with three groups at the moment.
The scenario is a little different in Sacramento. While the Sacramento Kings do have owners, they do not want to remain in the city because of the arena issue. The owners have also made it clear that the Kings franchise will not be sold. This means that
work has to be done regarding a new arena by the city or they risk losing the Kings to another city.
However the mayor of Sacramento, a former NBA player, Kevin Johnson, has been working tirelessly in this regard and Stern is hopeful that his efforts will soon bear fruit.
“I’m very, very hopeful that it gets on track because I think the owners have a respect for the Maloofs and I think the owners also have an enormous respect for what Sacramento has done over the years in supporting an NBA franchise,” Stern said. “It’s always
been our first preference ... to keep a team where they’re at if they’re playing in a good facility.”
A positive development for both these franchises, and other small market entities, according to Stern has been the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NBA’s new CBA restricts teams from overspending, meaning that the lower income franchises can now
be more competitive with their larger market counterparts.
Stern is certainly pleased with the new CBA, and quoted the high spending Dallas Mavericks owner, Mark Cuban, as proof that the new system was working.
“He said under the old deal he could just throw money at things. He could stockpile players, use exceptions, do all kinds of interesting things,” Stern said.
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