Getty Images In the end it may not change the outcome, but what the Sacramento Kings fans did Sunday night was show how much passion there still is for NBA basketball in that market. Which raises a lot of uncomfortable questions for the league.
Sunday night when the Rockets came to town was “Here We Buy” night at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, which follows the “Here We Stay” campaign of a couple years ago that helped stave off a planned move by the Maloof family (the Kings owners) to take the team to Anaheim. Now the Kings fans and community leaders are rallying behind keeping the franchise to keep it in Sacramento after the Maloofs have reached a deal to sell the team a group led by Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer, men with the intention of moving the franchise to Seattle.
Sacramento official are working to put forth a counter offer to the one the Maloof family will present to the league, a counter which when combined with some legal tangles might force the league and the Maloofs to reconsider the sale and look at potential local owners.
But part of that is convincing the league and the other owners — who have to approve the sale and moving of the team — that Sacramento is still a quality and passionate NBA market. Fans paid for extra tickets that went to area youth organizations.
It worked — the building was full, loud and you could hear the chants on the broadcast. Fans waved signs that said “Our City. Our Team” and “Let Us Match.” They were doing the wave — even the team. Tom Ziller at SactownRoyalty summed it up well.
But the damned crowd. 16,000 strong for a 17-win team in a seventh straight losing season with owners that just tried to sell us out after a history over the past two years of trying to sell us out. And those 16,000 people — you people — were loud. So loud. It blared through the TV. Constantly. It’s like the chants built to a crescendo. It was wild.
If you don’t think fan support helps, the Kings came back from 10 down in the fourth quarter to win that game against the Rockets.
The NBA and its owners have serious questions to answer — if there are legitimate ownership and new arena options to keep a team in a city, if fan support is there, should the league sanction a franchise move anyway? More bluntly, should an ownership group be allowed to run down a franchise to the point that it erodes fan support, then follow that with a sale to move said team without the league doing more earlier to prevent it? The league did step in and help set up an arena deal that got handshakes all around, then the Maloofs pulled out of it. Is it now okay for the to sell the team to whomever they want?
The Kings may well still be sold and moved before next season starts. We’ll see how it plays out. But how the league answers those questions is something fans of middle and small markets everywhere should watch.
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PBT Draft preview: Victor Oladipo may be the hottest prospect in the draft
May 23, 2013, 11:33 PM EDT
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For the next few weeks PBT will be profiling likely first-round draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Today we talk about Indiana’s wingman. ESPN’s well connected Chad Ford put it this simply in a chat Wednesday: “Oladipo is the guy that GMs love in this draft.” Victor Oladipo was one of those guys with…
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Celtics deny Nets permission to speak with head coach Doc Rivers
May 23, 2013, 11:20 PM EDT
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The Nets are looking to hire a big name with a strong track record to fill their vacant head coaching position, after parting ways with interim head coach P.J. Carlesimo following a season that ended with a first round playoff loss in seven games at the hands of the Bulls. Brooklyn reached out to Phil…
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AP
Most likely, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take Nerlens Noel with the No. 1 overall pick. When you think about their needs, a big man who can run the floor and defend the rim fits that. Of course, Noel is a project, a couple years away from really contributing much at all to an NBA team.…
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Roy Hibbert believes Shane Battier’s knee to his groin in Game 1 was intentional
May 23, 2013, 7:01 PM EDT
Late in the first quarter of the Heat’s overtime Game 1 win over the Pacers, Shane Battier drove into the lane and challenged Roy Hibbert on a layup attempt. Battier’s form was more than a little unorthodox as he went up for the shot, leading with his right knee that caught Hibbert squarely below the…
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PBT Extra: Talking Heat/Pacers, and why Indy might be optimistic
May 23, 2013, 6:51 PM EDT
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Today Kay Adams and I are talking what everyone else is — Heat vs. Pacers. I feel bad for Paul George because the Pacers wouldn’t have been in the game at the end if not for him, but that’s not what anyone will remember. And of course, we talk sitting Roy Hibbert a little —…
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Mike Krzyzewski must replace Nate McMillan as Team USA assistant
May 23, 2013, 6:11 PM EDT
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Mike Krzyzewski will return as Team USA’s head basketball coach, but he must replace both his NBA assistants. Not only is Mike D’Antoni moving on, so will Nate McMillan, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. McMillian, via Spears: “It was a great experience with Coach K,” McMillan said. “Jerry Colangelo did a great…
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If Phil Jackson could have any player to start a team it would be… Bill Russell
May 23, 2013, 5:16 PM EDT
AP
It’s all about the rings. For Phil Jackson — out promoting his book “Eleven Rings” — it’s always been about the hardware. It’s about building a real team around the stars he was given, about managing the egos, about having a team that didn’t seem fazed by the biggest stages. So when Time Magazine asked…
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Sixers GM Hinkie missed draft lottery… maybe to talk to Brian Shaw?
May 23, 2013, 4:10 PM EDT
AP
If the Philadelphia 76ers had beaten the odds and won the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday it would have made new GM Sam Hinkie’s life a little easier. But he would have heard about it on the phone, he wasn’t in New York. And he wasn’t at home in front of his television with a beer,…
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The network suits at TNT have to be happy they have the rights to the Eastern Conference finals — they got the Heat and LeBron James to showcase. Indiana may be a small market to go against them (you know the network was pulling for the Knicks last round) but at least they have crossover…
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Dwight Howard reportedly adds Hawks and Warriors to his free agent list
May 23, 2013, 2:47 PM EDT
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As the Dwight Howard free agency news cycle rolls on, the latest report has him expanding the list of teams he’ll consider signing with this summer. It’s been previously reported that Howard is most intrigued by the Houston Rockets, thanks in no small part to a young star already in place there in the form…
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Pablo Prigioni reportedly was considering returning to Spain in part because his wife wanted to go back, but the Knicks guard is making intentions clear now. Marc Berman of the New York Post: “If I can choose, I prefer to play in the United States and stay in the NBA,’’ Prigioni said on Argentine radio.…
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Even before the season tipped off you had a pretty good sense that LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul would be All-NBA First Team — they are dominant players at or entering their peak. But Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan continue to defy father time. The two veterans round out the All NBA Team…
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520px;”> Phil Jackson has been virtually everywhere the last couple weeks selling his new book “Eleven Rings” but one of my favorite interviews so far is the one from last night with John Stewart on The Daily Show. And not because as a Knicks fan Stewart wants to know about those two rings. It’s near…
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It’s official: Krzyzewski back to coach Team USA through Rio Olympics
May 23, 2013, 11:39 AM EDT
Reuters
We’ve all done this: After a really difficult project, no matter how rewarding it was, right afterward we say “no way, I’m never doing that again.” Then six months later we look back on it and think “you know, it wasn’t that bad” and talk ourselves into doing it again. That’s Mike Krzyzewski and coaching…
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John Calipari: Cavaliers’ GM scouted Kentucky more than any other GM
May 23, 2013, 11:22 AM EDT
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There’s a big risk that comes with draft Nerlens Noel. And not just his torn ACL. Noel played only 24 games last season, and although that’s more than twice as many as Kyrie Irving did his lone season at Duke, it’s still a pretty small sample. I think Noel proved enough to justify becoming the…
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The Wizards rightfully believe they would have made the playoffs if they remained healthy this season. Washington went 24-25 with John Wall – a better winning percentage than the eighth-seeded Bucks (38-44). And when Wall, Nene and Bradley Beal all played, the Wizards were 15-7. Washington should be excited to have a team on the…
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Hibbert said he will speak up in future, demand to be in game at end
May 23, 2013, 10:47 AM EDT
AP
Pacers coach Frank Vogel had his reasoning — the Heat with their small lineup had five guys who can shoot from the perimeter so he wanted to match that with a small lineup that could switch everything. Twice in the last 10.8 seconds he pulled the 7’2” rim-defending center and went small with Tyler Hansbrough…
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Reuters
It’s good to have the best player on the planet on your team. At the end of the day that was the reason the Miami Heat are up 1-0 — as great as Paul George was for Indiana, the Miami Heat have LeBron James. From the very start LeBron was knocking down jumpers from the…
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LeBron James’ detractors are still plentiful and are still vocal — just follow the conversation on twitter during any Heat game. People will tell you how much they loathe LeBron and everything he stands for. But they are buying his shoes. Forbes Magazine broke down the numbers on domestic signature shoe sales (from sportsonesource.com) and…
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For the 145th time since they joined forces in Miami, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh finished as the Heat’s top three scorers. For the first time in the 2013 calendar year, the fourth-leading scorer – Chris Andersen – scored more than 15 points. It’s been much less of a concern that many expected…
