OT: Sacramento to Anaheim

[chickenhead]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_y...c-spears_kings_last_game_in_sacramento_041411

I thought I'd seen a thread on this before but couldn't find it. As we all know, last night may have been the final Kings game in Sacramento. Unfortunate, in my opinion. I recognize the financial elements, but one thing I always liked about the NBA was how it was often the first league to give mid-market western cities a chance--like Phoenix in the late 60s.

Personally it would seem to make more sense for the Clippers to play in Anaheim. I never really undersood why they didn't make that leap pre-Staples Center after the Pond was built in Orange County. Of course, I never really understood why sharing LA as second fiddle was better than having San Diego all to themselves, either.

But I feel sympathy for the Sacramento fans. They're not just potentially losing a franchise--they're losing the only top-level game in town.

 

[BC867]

It is ironic that their mayor is former NBA player Kevin Johnson.

 

[BC867]

And now, later in the day, Mayor Kevin Johnson is flying across country to make a pitch to keep the Kings in Sacramento.

I hope he is successful. And that the Clippers be the team to move to Anaheim.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110414/ap_on_sp_bk_ne/bkn_kings_move

 

[CardsFan88]

I wonder what happens with the clips when the Kings move there. Somehow it just doesn't seem like it could work, but hey with sweet deals all around, it probably marginally could.

KJ will not be successful. (no NBA team has ever been denied, and while I love KJ as a Sun, as a politician, he's as idiotic as the rest of them. Also since the Kings have been a transitory team, it's not as if they didn't move from somewhere else to SAC.)

Good luck with the new SAC stadium, with no tenants, KJ. I would say there's no way for the Hornets to move there, but hell they left one podunk place for another before, so SAC would probably be a better place than NO. Fans not withstanding, as if they ever matter in any of these things (wrongly of course).

But it does get at me a bit when the uber rich Maloofs want to move the team, as if the Kings turning a profit really makes or breaks them. So it seems a bit silly to me. What would they do if LV got a chance to have a team? Move again?

I agree with the poster above, the clips should move there or back to SD. Makes much more sense than bringing the Kings down from SAC town. 3 NBA teams in apathetic LA? Even then, isn't Anaheim, going off memory, just a stone's throw from where the Lakers/Clips play. It's not like Dodger stadium to Anaheim distance, more like Downtown phx to Cardinals stadium distance.

But when does reality have anything to do with any business decision anymore. NEVER.

 

[Covert Rain]

Just heard KJ on the radio. He said that Sacramento will not go down without a fight. He is making the rounds in the media.

 

[Michael]

Recently Seattle and now Sacramento. Feeling sorry for the fans.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

How does clay bennett of all people get assigned to do fact finding on the proposals from anaheim & sacramento?!

 

[Covert Rain]

It's tough. I mean some cities never support their teams but I hate it when teams say that they are not getting any support because of the current state of team attendance with a previous history of fan support like in Sacramento. In other words, the team had support in the past but than because of too many years of front office struggles for whatever reason...the fans get sick of it and don't want to waste money.

I supported the Cards for 8 seasons of continual losing. I want to have fun when I go to games. I want to feel like I am getting my monies worth. I just can't justify continued cost increases when I wasn't getting a return on my entertainment dollar. I had 4 seats too so it wasn't cheap.

If the team came out and said the fans were not being supportive that would be the ultimate slap in the face. Sooner or later fans will stop coming and you can't blame lack of fan support IMO.

 

[chickenhead]

It stinks because Sacramento has been KNOWN for solid fan support despite limited success. The fact that the franchise went from Rochester to Cincinnati to Kansas City/Omaha to Sacramento has nothing to do with it, IMO. The Maloofs didn't own the team until it had been in Sacramento for over a decade--history prior to Sacramento has nothing to do with anything.

The distance between Anaheim and downtown LA is about the same as the Angels and Dodgers: Chavez Ravine is just north of downtown and the Staples Center. So not exactly close, but equidistant to a lot of people who live in between. When I lived near LAX, the way the traffic worked it was almost easier to get to Angels games via the 105, too...

It'll be an interesting experiment if it happens. Will Anaheim support baseball, basketball, AND hockey? It's not like there isn't enough population in Southern California for it, but it just depends on how the support breaks down. If I were the Clippers and the Ducks, I wouldn't be happy about the Kings possibly stealing some of my potential customers, either.

 

[Stewie Griffin]

If they have to move the Kings, should bring them to Vegas in a few years when a new arena will be ready.