Category: Sacramento Kings

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–The anti arena group Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork or STOP says they now have enough signatures to put an initiative on the Sacramento June ballot to ask voters one question that Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and other major supporters were trying to prevent, “should (public funds) be used to build a new sports or entertainment facility.” If the count is right according to the Sacramento County of registrar of voters the initiative that all arena and Sacramento Kings supporters feared could be another road block for the new downtown arena plan.

Mayor Johnson has got this far in getting the NBA to keeping the Kings in Sacramento and not allowing the team to move to Seattle, second Chris Hansen who wanted to buy and move the team to Seattle and failed put $100,000 of his money towards a signature campaign under the care of a Los Angeles law firm where workers from STOP collected signatures on the petition to get the question on the ballot.

At first it looked as if STOP would have problems getting it to even pass when it was discovered that Hansen tried to undermine Sacramento by getting signatures to get the question on the ballot. Hansen was even fined for campaign violations $50,000 by the California Fair Political Practices. Then the validity of the signatures were called into question and it looked like a number of the signatures might not be real legitimate registered voters who signed.

Friday turns out after careful cross referencing the registrar’s office counted 22,498 signatures a razor thin margin over the minimum needed 22,026. Johnson has ordered Sacramento City Clerk Shirley Concolino to throw out some of the signatures saying that some of the signatures were erroneous, that some of the signatures are challenged and some believe that a lot of the signatures were not from registered voters in the county also it was pointed out that the names of the backers of the petition were left off the public notice in the June edition of the Sacramento Observer .

“Given the legal stench wafting off these petitions, we beleive it is critical for the city to protect the public by making sure that the flawed petitions are rejected” in a statement from The4000,a committee orgainization that Johnson had established and also is being directed by Kings president Chris Granger.

STOP has said that even though they finished one hurdle about the count being right they are prepared for a legal fight from Johnson and the city over the signatures. STOP lawyer Brad Hertz said that whatever the problems are with the regisrations there isn’t a major problem with those signatures and they will be counted, “We hit the mark and are very gratified, the city clerk still has to validate. We will see what happens there, we have to be prepared for some legal issues.” said STOP co-founder James Cathcart.

Concolino has until Monday January 28th to approve all the petitions and check the signatures. There is no doubt that Johnson will ask Concoline to cross check the signatures again for mistakes, dead people signing, non-registered signatures or false names. Concolino’s office has reportedly already cross referenced the signatures and there hasn’t been a report of misconduct or at least enough to withdrawl petitions so that the count would be reduced.

If the number is accurate and the petition count stands Johnson, the Kings, and supporters of the new downtown arena will have to change their approach and convince voters why public funds would be beneficial for Sacramento building a new sports facility. Most municipalities who want to use public funds to build new stadiums or arenas have a large sector of the community that do not want tax dollars spent on such projects. The Kings would have to almost bend over backwards to convince Sacramento County voters to get the new arena voted in with a question proposed like that on the ballot.

The Mayor’s foundation and legal team must now find a legal loop hole to stop the subsidy question from entering the ballot and again the clock is ticking for Johnson and his team to find a way to stop the question from entering the ballot. Hertz said that the voters have spoken and that all requirements have been met for legal compliance. Both sides have indicated that there will be a show down in the courts over this.

Ken Gimblin is covering the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors arena developments for Sportstalk radio

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–DeMarcus Cousins came up through the ranks at the Sacramento Kings during his rookie season in 2011-12 often showing his growing pains with former Kings head coach Paul Westphal. On occasions at practice Cousins who may not have agreed to Westphal’s plays or the way he was addressed or the way he would address Westphal back. Cousins opened up the new year in 2012 on January 1st getting a one home game suspension from Westphal for “unwilling/unable to embrace traveling in the same direction as his team, it cannot be ignored indefinitely” Cousins asked to be traded to another team but that request was denied.

Westphal was fired from the team four days later on January 5, 2012 some at the time said it was a “either he goes or I go” situation between Westphal and Cousins. Westphal was replaced at that point by former Golden State Warrior head coach Keith Smart. The next season 2012-13 on December 22, 2012 Cousins was suspended indefinitely for “unprofessional behavior and conduct detrimental to the team” the suspension lasted only two days as Cousins was reinstated by the club on December 24, 2012.

This season 2013-14 under head coach Mike Malone, Cousins has shown he has grown up and there have been no reports of indifferences with he or Malone or the coaches and the Kings are glad that they stuck with Cousins saying with his great ability he will be the future and marquee of the organization especially after the new arena is up and running in downtown Sacramento in October of 2017. The Kings owner Vivek Ranadive says he has foresite for this team and sees Cousins leading the way and doing great things for the future of the club.

Cousins has been a far cry from those challenging first two years with the club where it was a wonder if he would be able to stay in Sacramento given all the troubles he had when he first broke into the NBA. Cousins image has also taken an upswing taking an interest in the community and donating $1 million to the families of the Sacramento community after signing a big contract at the beginning of this season.

What’s a bitcoin? The Kings who have started this week to accept bitcoin as regular currency for ticket payments are noted to be the first in professional sports to do so. Ranadive wants the Kings to be state of the art in accepting the crytocurrency “when I sold the NBA on keeping the team in Sacramento, my pitch included using the sports franchise as a social network to push the technology envelope. This is an example of that” said Ranadive.

There had been talk that if there would be some kind of currency change in the future whether it be the Amero or Bitcoin but with the Kings introducing accepting the coin this could be the start of the coin being accepted as mainstream currency as opposed to paper tickets or cash at Sleep Train Arena.

One Bitcoin is valued at $850 but the coin also brings some downsides as it is regarded as digital cash and it could be electronically erased. Also Wall Street says the economy is still shaky with some volatility particularly in the retail market where JC Penny just announced that it’s closing 33 stores and laying off 2000 employees as the tip of that ice berg and the current $850 price tag could drop. Outside of that Ranadive says the idea of bitcoin can be profitable for the team and user friendly for fans if used in a frequent and successful way that it was designed for. To see how Bitcoin succeeds time will tell but the Kings are accepting the coin now.

Ken Gimblin covers the Kings for Sportstalk radio

By George Devine, Sr.

The difference in tonight’s score at Minnesota was only that of a three-pointer, and the Kings had one more than the home team. But it was tense coming down to the wire. With 19.5 seconds to go, Sacramento high scorer Rudy Gay hit a 26 footer from the left, making it 107-102 in the visitors’ favor, but at 17.4 Kevin Love hit one from 27 feet on the right. It was that kind of game in a dynamic fourth quarter in which the T’Wolves outscored the Kings, 35-28. essentially balancing the second period in which Sacramento dominated, 34-24. The other two frames had scoring totals a point apart.

Gay, who has been scoring about 20 in most games since joining the Kings, exploded this time for 33, also contributing 5 rebounds and 6 assists. DeMarcus Cousins trailed him with 20 points and had 11 boards. Isaiah Thomas had 26 points and 7 assists. Derrick Williams came off the bench to score 16 and had 5 rebounds, in his first game at Minnesota since that team traded him to Sacramento.

For Minnesota, Love hit 17 points, had 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Kevin Martin, J.J. Barea and Nikola Pekovic each scored 14. Ricky Rubio committed 5 turnovers.

By George Devine, Sr.

The Pacers hosted the Kings, or more accurately roasted them, in a 116-92 romp. The home team led in every quarter excepting the third, when Sacramento outscored Indiana 29-27, including 19 from DeMarcus Cousins, and actually led for a brief while. But in the final frame, the Pacers had a 16-2 run early in the quarter and dominated, 30-18, coming up with their highest score of the season. With this game Indiana is the first team in the East to win 30, and Sacramento has now seen the end of their 3-game streak. It is the first game in a dozen where the Kings have scored under 100 points.

Cousins — player of the week in the western conference — had another night as high scorer for Sacramento, and his 31 points (12-21), combined with 13 rebounds, would seem to destine him for the All-Star Game. Rudy Gay fell below his usual pace with 12 points. Derrick Williams and Jimmie Fredette each had 9, with the latter contributing 4 assists.

Paul George had 31 points for Indiana, going 4-7 from beyond the 3-point line. David West had 16 points and 8 boards. Lance Stephenson scored 3; Roy Hibbert and C.J. Watson had 10 apiece.

by Ken Gimblin

SACRAMENTO–George Speir an attorney from Chicago representing U.S.Bank partner of the Macy’s building ownership. Macy’s is located at the west end of Westfield Mall downtown plaza. Speir has objected to eminent domain reasons given by the Sacramento city council to force emient domain and for U.S. Bank to sell it’s share of the former department store building to the city.

The city council enforced emient domain through a 7-2 vote on Tuesday that will force U.S.Bank and CalPERS to sell their shares of the property to allow the Sacramento Kings to build their training facilities near the new arena at the mall.

Speir argues that the U.S.Bank has niether received an offer from the city for the property and Speir wrote that the “public interest and necessity do not require the project.” The city council said eminent domain could be enforced if it benefits the region economically and brings jobs to Sacramento.

Does this mean that U.S.Bank will hold out for more, Spier says the bank has not received an offersheet since the last bid that was made on the property last year when the Kings wanted to buy the Macys building but withdrew after the Kings nearly moved to Seattle. The NBA later ruled in favor of Sacramento to keep the Kings and fast forward to today the city and the Kings are asking U.S. Bank and CalPERS to sell or face emient domain.

Once it was decided to keep the Kings in Sacramento the city has been trying to negotiate with the building owners but neither side has been able to settle on final sale price. Speir is the only hold out at this point as CalPERS is on board with selling their share to the city in statement from CalPERS spokesman Brad Pacheco, “CalPERS has no objection to the city’s right to acquire the property through eminent domain, we recognize the significance of the city’s downtown redevelopment efforts and are eager to find a resolution that is in the best interests of everyone involved including our members, the city of Sacramento and the tenant of the property.”

Sacramento city attorney James Sanchez said that the city did forward an offersheet for the property to U.S.Bank last September. Speir says that he nor U.S.Bank received an offersheet from the city. There had been talks through the summer between U.S.Bank and the city about purchasing the property and sources tell Sportstalk that the city nor U.S. Bank can come to an agreement on a price. U.S.Bank is not satisfied with the amount being held in escrow by the city which came from the Kings at $4.3 million.

The city is holding the money also as part of a pre construction agreement that was made at the time of new owners purchase of the team regarding construction budgeting. The city which is also facing an anti arena group Sacramento Taxpayers Opposed to Pork or STOP who are trying to put an initiative on the ballot that asks voters to approve public monies for all facilities built for sports or entertainment.

The eminent domain legal costs are not part of the $258 million city contribution for the $448 million new arena costs. The $4.3 million came from the Kings to be held in escrow for the property purchase which U.S.Bank says they need to see a new offersheet.

The city now must present the eminent domain case in front of judge, the city must prove that the city would benefit economically in order to force the sale and a move on the building owners. City Council members who voted for the arena say that the property is necessary for the completion of the new arena and training facility for the Kings.

The two council members Darrell Fong and Kevin McCarty voted against the eminent domain proposal and Fong said that the arena doesn’t “cross the threshold” for eminent domain.

Ken Gimblin is covering the new arena proposals for both the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors for Sportstalk Radio

By George Devine, Sr.

Despite a 41-point night by Damian Lillard, the Kings won out over the Portland Trailblazers, 123-119 in a hard-fought game at Sacramento. The visitors actually led in the first and fourth quarters, but a 25-13 advantage in the third gave the Kings the edge they would come to need as Lillard poured in one three-pointer after another — one from 28 feet out — late in the final period. He had 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Also a high scorer for Portland was LaMarcus Aldredge with 24 points, 6 boards and 5 assists.

For Sacramento, DeMarcus Cousins played true to form, contributing 35 points with 13 rebounds. Rudy Gay had 32, with 5 rebounds and 4 assists. This is in keeping with his pattern of scoring at least 20 in most of the games he has played since coming to Sacramento. Isaiah Thomas scored 22 points and had 7 rebounds.

This makes for two losses in a row for the Trailblazers, and breaks a 2-game losing streak for the Kings.