Sacramento Business leaders petition NBA against Kings owners, the Maloofs – NBA Update
Important business leaders of Sacramento are said to be encouraging the NBA to force the Sacramento Kings owners to sell the franchise so that a deal for a new arena can be brokered.
Two dozen of Sacramento’s most powerful businessmen have joined together to write a letter to NBA Commissioner David Stern, suggesting that the Kings present owners Joe, Gavin and George Maloof are not fully committed towards building the Sacramento team into a successful and thriving franchise. They also believe that the Maloof family is not negotiating fairly in the new arena building process, costing dearly to the Kings team as well as the city.
“We feel it is time for the Maloofs to sell their ownership of the franchise, for the good of the city and in the interest of advancing Sacramento's effort to build a downtown arena. The city, the fans and the NBA deserve and require an ownership group that is fully committed to being a good-faith constructive participant in the arena process” read a segment of the letter.
The letter came at the same time when the Maloofs were in New York City to give an update of the project to the NBA board of governors during their annual spring meeting. It was in New York City almost a year ago that Sacramento mayor and business leaders convinced the owners not to move the franchise to Anaheim, California.
Sacramento city officials were not present in the meeting. The city Mayor earlier stated that the city had done its part in the process and now it was up to the NBA and the Kings franchise owners to resolve their issues. However, Mayor Kevin Johnson is expected to meet the team owners on Friday in New York City.
Spokesman for the Maloofs, Eric Rose, said in a statement that the owners were disappointed in the letter and were fully committed towards the franchise as well as the construction of the new arena. They, however, wanted to ensure that all parties are involved in the process and necessary precautions are taken in this project.
The Sacramento Kings have not had a good season in the last couple of years and have not made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. This has led to a lack of interest in the franchise from the fans and the city as a whole. The Kings were almost lost last year by Sacramento, when the owners had decided to move the Franchise to Anaheim, California. They were later convinced by the City mayor and business leaders to stay in Sacramento. One of the reasons for the lack of trust in the franchise owners is their attempt to move the franchise from Sacramento.
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