Sacramento's Stay of Execution

In Part Two of our tale, the champion of the fans of the Sacramento Kings, Kevin Johnson, has emerged victorious in his battle to keep the Kings in town, at least temporarily. In what David Stern described as a 'herculean effort', Johnson was able to gets sponsors to promise over $10million from area corporations, helping to keep the Kings in town. Johnson has also promised to do everything he can to get a new arena built for the Kings to play in.

Boss Stern, in his typically hypocritical way, stated that while Johnson did a great job, he 'pledged support for a move to another market'.  Stern also went out of his way to praise the efforts that Anaheim has made to lure the Kings there, stating that this only furthers his belief that they will have an NBA franchise in the future (when Sacramento doesn't get the new stadium built).

The NBA, and the Maloofs, now have the Sword of Damocles hanging over Sacramento's head. Either plans for the new arena show signs of progress and are passed, or their beloved Kings move. Boss Stern has made his offer that you cannot refuse. Now the muscle is to be applied as they try to extort more from Sacramento.

So, who really wins here? At first glance, it would seem that Johnson and the fans won. However, that is not the case. They still need to find a viable location to build the new arena, get funding and planning passed by various governmental agencies, and then figure out how to pay for it. Chances are, a new tax will be put up to vote by the people of Sacramento for the privilege of building an arena that they will have to pay to enter.

No, the true victors here are the Maloof family. They are getting exactly what they want - a new stadium for the Kings either way. If they remain in Sacramento, that's fine. If they move to Anaheim, that is also fine. Nothing is coming out of their pockets, and they get to keep the Kings. It's a win-win scenario for them.

Watching this saga play out only makes me feel bad for the Kings' fans. They are a great fanbase who are rabid in their support of this team. They deserve better than threats and being forced into providing a new plaything for another spoiled billionaire.