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Latest On Kings, Potential Move

September 2nd, 2012 at 10:15am CST by Chuck Myron

SUNDAY, 10:15am: Mike Gruss of The Virginian-Pilot examines how five highly sought-after retail stores are an indicator of whether a market is likely to be suitable for the NBA. His research shows that the fewer Apple, Ikea, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel and Brooks Brothers stores located in a market reflects an area less likely to be able to support an NBA franchise.

Simply put, these particular companies avoid areas where they believe consumers do not have enough money to spend at their stores. Gruss contends that if these stores won't come to a particular market due to financial concerns, then it is even less likely that a professional franchise would make such a move.

FRIDAY, 6:42pm: The Kings don't appear to be heading to Virginia Beach anytime soon, despite a local report last week that suggested otherwise. Still, an executive from another team told Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com that the general sentiment around the league is that chances are "more and more remote" that the Kings will remain in Sacramento (Twitter link). Howard-Cooper isn't sold on that idea, and says Sacramento may still win out in the end since the Maloof brothers, who own the Kings, face roadblocks between them and any new destination (Twitter link).

Josh Kerns of MyNorthwest.com yesterday passed along a report from Sacramento radio host Carmichael Dave that the Maloofs rejected a recent bid by investor Chris Hansen of upwards of $400MM to buy the Kings. Hansen, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been the primary force behind an effort to attract an NBA team and build a new arena in Seattle. Earlier this week Hansen purchased an $8MM piece of land in Seattle that he plans to use for the arena. That gives him all the land he's said he'd need for the project, according to Nick Eaton of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Howard-Cooper believes Anaheim, where the Kings almost moved in 2011, is still in play, and says the 20-year local TV deal between the Lakers and Time Warner Cable that kicks in for the Lakers this season could help Anaheim's case. Former Lakers broadcasters Fox Sports West and KCAL-TV could use the Kings as replacement programming (Twitter links). 

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Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Lakers, Heat

August 30th, 2012 at 12:20pm CST by Luke Adams

They may have been one of the NBA's least-active teams in free agency this summer, but the Thunder have remained in the news in recent weeks — in August alone, Oklahoma City had four players in the gold medal game in London and signed Serge Ibaka to a long-term extension.

In yesterday's round-up of Northwest Division notes, we heard that the head coach of the Thunder's D-League affiliate in Tulsa had been hired away by the Trail Blazers, and received the latest updates on a potential extension for Eric Maynor. Here are today's Thunder-related links:

  • Russell Westbrook appeared on 710 ESPN in Los Angeles, and was asked about the Lakers' summer acquisitions of Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. As Sports Radio Interviews notes, Westbrook wouldn't concede that the pickups were more than "good."
  • Westbrook also called the Heat the team to beat in 2012/13 and said he wouldn't mind seeing the Lakers in the playoffs again.
  • In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Chris Broussard explains why he thinks the Thunder are still the favorites in the Western Conference.
  • The franchise's old home, Seattle, continues to make progress toward building a new arena. King 5 TV in Seattle reports that Chris Hansen has purchased another parcel of land for $8MM in the area where he hopes to construct the new building.
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Pacific Notes: Warriors, Jenkins, McGuire, Kings

July 31st, 2012 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

With the most active weeks of the 2012 free agent period behind us, it's never too early to start looking ahead to 2013 free agency. Stephen Brotherson does just that today, ranking the best of the 2013 free agent class in a piece for HoopsWorld. There's a heavy Los Angeles presence at the top of his list, with Andrew Bynum coming in third, Chris Paul in second, and Lakers' trade target Dwight Howard in the top spot. I examined Bynum as a potential extension candidate earlier today, but here are a few other Tuesday notes on L.A.'s rivals in the Pacific Division:

  • Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com notes that Charles Jenkins' contract with the Warriors becomes guaranteed if he's not waived by tomorrow. Despite the team's proximity to the tax threshold after agreeing to sign Carl Landry and Brandon Rush, Golden State will almost certainly be keeping Jenkins, according to GM Bob Myers. At this point, only about $200K of his 2012/13 salary is guaranteed, but as of tomorrow he'll be in line for his full $762,195 salary.
  • Meanwhile, given their recent signings, the Warriors appear very unlikely to re-sign Dominic McGuire. According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter), McGuire would like to return, but the Warriors think they can get similar production out of Draymond Green.
  • Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld examines what the future holds for the Kings, pointing out that there's no guarantee where the team will play starting in 2013/14. Kyler says to keep an eye on Seattle, which is making progress toward building a new arena.
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Odds & Ends: McGuire, Wafer, Hinrich, Magic

July 30th, 2012 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Metropolitan King County Council took the initial step towards bringing an NBA arena to Seattle, according to the Associated Press.  Investor Chris Hansen's $490MM plan calls for nearly $300MM in private funds and $200MM in public contribution.  Here's tonight's look around the Association..

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Odds & Ends: Evans, Bulls, Magic, Seattle

June 23rd, 2012 at 10:38pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday night:

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Odds & Ends: Knicks, Shaw, Celtics, Seattle

June 19th, 2012 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA TV's recent "Dream Team" documentary revisited the developments that earned NBA players the right to compete in the Olympics 20 years ago, something that continues today. But there's a chance that the 2012 games in London will be the last time the Association's biggest stars participate in Olympic play. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, David Stern and the league are pushing for an under-23 Olympic team, with NBA players only participating in a rebranded world championships, called the World Cup of Basketball. A World Cup would allow the NBA to benefit finanically from letting its players play internationally, Wojnarowski explains.

Here are a few more Tuesday odds and ends from around the NBA:

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Odds & Ends: Crawford, Warriors, Seattle, Bulls

June 15th, 2012 at 10:18pm CST by Daniel Seco

The Lakers made history on this day 11 years ago when they beat the Sixers 108-96 to claim the NBA championship with the highest playoff winning percentage of all time at 93.8%, according to Hoopedia. Led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles went 15-1 in the playoffs by sweeping the Trail Blazers, Kings and Spurs before losing just once to Philadelphia. Let's take a look around the league to catch up on the latest news and stories making headlines…

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Odds & Ends: Jeffries, D12, Bird, Green, Turiaf

June 13th, 2012 at 11:02pm CST by Chuck Myron

NBATV's "The Dream Team" documentary debuted tonight to mostly positive reviews from NBA writers, and hoops fans may want to savor the film and this year's summer Olympics as much as possible. Commissioner David Stern says there's a 50/50 chance that Olympic basketball will be restricted to players age 23 and younger after this year's games, writes Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. Still, Sheridan believes discussion of such a rule will be tabled until after the 2016 games. 

There's plenty going on stateside as well, with a free agent expressing a desire to return to the Knicks and more news on Dwight Howard.

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Seattle Arena Plan Moving Forward

May 16th, 2012 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

The city of Seattle, King County, and investor Chris Hansen have reached an agreement on an arena proposal for Seattle in hopes of bringing the NBA back to the city, according to an AP report (via ESPN.com). Lynn Thompson of the Seattle Times first reported that the "memorandum of understanding" would be announced today.

According to pair of reports, the arena proposal calls for $490MM in funding, including at least $290MM in private investment. Only an NBA team — as opposed to both an NBA and NHL franchise — would be needed to start construction, should the Seattle City Council and King County Council approve the memorandum. If both an NBA and NHL team were acquired, the city/county contribution would be capped at $200MM, whereas it would be capped at $120MM with only an NBA team involved.

Hansen is hopeful that the city will approve the memorandum by June so he can take it to the NBA's board of governors. However, with "in-depth financial analysis" of the proposal still to come, that timeline may be a little optimistic, says Thompson.

"Our receipt of the documents is when the Council's formal review begins," said city council president Sally Clark. "We want Mr. Hansen to be successful, but the Council has a duty to scrutinize the agreement carefully."

Commissioner David Stern and other league officials have said repeatedly that expanding the NBA beyond 30 teams is unlikely, so relocation would probably be Seattle's only chance to land a franchise.

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