While the outcome is far from certain here, there are strong indications that the Maloof family, which owns the Kings,
is facing enough opposition to the move to force it back to Sacramento. The Maloofs have already been pushed into two overtimes, as the original April 18 deadline to file for relocation was extended twice and now sits at May 2.
The next two days are pivotal. Johnson will host relocation committee chairman and Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett and league counsel Harvey Benjamin in Sacramento and attempt to prove the case the mayor made so strongly at the NBA's Board of Governors meetings last week: that his city remains a viable market.
On the other bench, sources say the Anaheim presentation given at the meetings was as ineffective as Johnson's was impactful, and there is serious doubt as to whether there will be enough support to warrant the Maloofs filing for relocation (a majority vote is needed to approve a move when a team files).
Specifically, a source with knowledge of the proposal revealed that the television rights riches that had long been seen as a major motivating factor for the Maloofs aren't quite as lucrative as they had hoped. And while it had been assumed they would attempt to fill the programming void left by the Lakers at Fox Sports West due to their recent megadeal with Time Warner that starts in 2012, two sources said that is not the case.
The plan as presented in New York included a possible partnership worth $20 million annually with KDOC, an Orange County-based, independent television station that is co-owned by the very man working so hard to make this move happen. Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli, who operates the Honda Center where the Maloofs' team would play and has already committed $50 million through city bonds to help cover their cost of relocation, reportedly teamed with Bert Ellis to pay $149.5 million for the station in 2006.
...
The NBA has to approve all media deals for its teams, and the $20 million figure would hardly impress those doing the vetting considering the league average is also believed to be $20 million and the Los Angeles area media market is the second largest in the country.
By comparison, the Kings' current deal with Comcast is believed to be worth approximately $11 million annually, not much more than the league-low $9 million annual agreement for the Charlotte Bobcats. According to sources, the Clippers' television contract with Fox Sports West is worth $22.5 million annually (although renegotiations are expected considering the team's increased relevance). The Lakers' Time Warner deal is believed to be worth $200 million annually (potentially 25 years and a combined $5 billion).
The math, in other words, just isn't adding up like the Maloofs had hoped. And while the complications continue in Anaheim, optimism is on the rise in Sacramento.
By all accounts, Johnson was nothing short of spectacular in his presentation. He revealed $7 million in recent corporate commitments as a sign that there was untapped wealth in the area, leading to natural questions about why such contributions weren't available previously.
Read more:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/20.../20/sacramento.kings/index.html#ixzz1KCOghFFw
