Sacramento Kings all set to move to Anaheim – NBA Update
The Sacramento Kings' owners, the Maloof family, received an extension until 18 April to ponder an issue that has been bouncing around the National Basketball Association for years, the relocation of Kings to Orange County. The development which has caused
a stir amongst the Kings’ fan base in Sacramento, now seems to be heading towards its culmination, as Anaheim is fast emerging to be the ultimate stop.
The Kings' desire to relocate comes after prolonged attempts to secure a new arena with better facilities in Sacramento. The NBA, for one, has grown frustrated by a lack of progress.
Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, who was himself a former All-Star point guard, has been very vocal about keeping the Kings in town. But on Friday, even Johnson said the only way the Kings will remain in Sacramento is if discussions to move to Anaheim drop
out. For this purpose Johnson met with the owners of the Kings to discuss the team's future home.
It took Mayor Johnson three weeks to fix a meeting with the Kings’ Maloof brothers Joe, Gavin and George. There is a lot of buzz going on that the Kings are looking forward to a suitable agreement in Orange County before they reach any conclusion. The brothers
did not want to upset Johnson with bad news, so they kept a non-confrontational attitude and got along well with him. Since the Anaheim deal is their first priority, they did not go through any new plans, as it seemed that both the parties were unable to reach
to any conclusion in the meeting.
After the meeting, Johnson told the press that he and the owners had an open and prolific conversation. He made it clear to the owners that Sacramento wants the team to stay, and he will work to build up a new arena, "with or without the Kings." Kings’ owners
Joe, Gavin and George Maloof are completely silent about the issue, but this does not mean that they are silent on having any negotiations regarding the shift to the south of Anaheim, as the team see a lot of opportunities there.
Johnson’s sources confirmed that he had also spoken with NBA Commissioner David Stern on Wednesday regarding this matter. As the day before the meeting with the team's owners, the Maloof family left Johnson with the feeling that the team is all set to head
south.
The Mayor does not believe the city of Sacramento can influence the outcome of negotiations between the Maloof’s and the city of Anaheim. There are also rumours that the Maloof’s are negotiating an agreement to play at the Honda Centre, home of the National
Hockey League's Ducks. This will only take place if they do not reach an agreement with the city of Anaheim. At the end of the day, it is the Maloof’s responsibility that they failed to generate funds for a new arena in Sacramento.
The NBA has first given the Maloof’s 18 April, as a deadline to make a decision whether they will shift the team for the next NBA season or not. The Maloof’s are also not interested in selling the team if a Sacramento-based group will offer them to buy the
franchise. So at the moment the owners are in complete control of the situation and they are not in a hurry, as they have a new deadline now.
The Kings' shift requires an approval by a majority of the NBA's owners. The Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers are against the Kings relocation beyond 30 miles, and would try to collect enough support from other franchises in their favour,
to reject the Kings’ proposal. Their opposition comes based on the fact that a move southward might hinder their fan base and market as according to a survey of more than 6 million residents in the Los Angeles metropolitan area have some interest in the NBA.
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