NBA@2: Could Sacramento Kings Move To Seattle?
Last night NBA Commissioner David Stern did his annual NBA Finals press conference, covering anything and everything related to the NBA, and among the topics of conversation was the current state of the Sacramento Kings. For a while it looked as though the Kings were going to reach an agreement with the City of Sacramento that would allow the team to stay put, but now there is once again talk of a potential relocation.
Throughout this process, Stern has maintained an attitude of optimism, but now he seems less sure. He did say the NBA owners would not support a move to Anaheim, as has been proposed, but he was equally unwilling to commit to a belief that the Kings would stay in Sacramento.
“If there was a vote, there would be no support for a move (to Anaheim),” said Stern. “But I, and I believe the ownership says, they are planning to stay there. On other situations I might hazard a guess for a prognostication. On this one, I’m out of the business for now.”
Meanwhile, the city of Seattle is working hard to bring the NBA back to town, especially in light of the success of the former Seattle SuperSonics, who are now in the NBA Finals as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Seattle City Council and the King County Council have received a $500 million arena proposal that would situate a new NBA venue near the exiting Seattle Mariners’ stadium, and the mayor of Seattle met with Stern on Monday to discuss the possibility of bring the NBA back to town.
“(Mayor McGinn) was in, and he explained to us they have a place that is zoned for an arena, that the land has been purchased by the party who wants to both put an arena there and buy a team, and he’s securing the support of the Seattle City Council and the King County Council, and it is their hope that if there is a building going up and there is a team available that they would float bonds to support the team, the bonds would be repaid by the additional revenue that would be generated by the arena that would be built otherwise with private funds.”
It is extremely unlikely that the NBA would expand the number of teams in the league, but if a current team were to be approved for relocation, Seattle would have to be considered a frontrunner if they have a new building ready for occupation.
Sacramento had better get their act together. The competition is about to get stiffer.
NBA Draft: Tomas Satoransky
One of the lesser-known players in this year’s draft class is Tomas Satoransky, the Banca Civica Sevilla point guard who provided a spark off the bench and served primarily as a set-up man for his teammates. He compares himself to Goran Dragic, which may not seem like a lofty comparison at first, but given how much attention Dragic is going to receive as a likely restricted free agent this summer, it’s very possible that Satoransky gets some attention as a potential second round pick.
Here’s a look at Satoransky, who could turn out to be a second round pick for a team interested in looking at a point guard prospect with their second round pick.
Where Will Kevin Garnett Land?
As the 2012 NBA trade deadline approached, there was a strong school of thought in Boston that the Celtics should cash in their chips. They explored offers for Rajon Rondo, talked internally about moving veterans Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, and going in a completely new direction.
Obviously, cooler heads prevailed, and the Celtics stood their ground, the effect of which was that they wound up in the Eastern Conference Finals battling for a return to the NBA Finals with the Miami HEAT. They seemed to run out of gas in the fourth quarter of Game 7, but up until that point the possibility that Boston could win another championship with their older, veteran core seemed very real.
Now the question is, do they bring that core back for one more run, or is this summer the time to turn the page?
Despite the amount of attention Garnett’s age drew over the course of the 2011-12 season, the veteran power forward showed no signs of slowing down in leading his team to two postseason series wins. He averaged 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in 20 postseason appearances, making him one of the more sought-after names in free agency. Garnett wouldn’t mind staying in Boston if the Celtics are going to keep the core group together, but according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, Garnett will wait to commit to Boston until he sees what their team is going to look like going forward.
“Kevin’s very loyal, and he hates change,” one source said. “But I think it’d be hard for him to come back if it’s a total rebuild. If he’s going to play, he has to be playing for something.
“I think he’ll wait to see what’s going to happen. If Danny can give him a solid answer right away, then maybe he gives them an answer, too. But KG’s going to want to know who he’ll be playing with.”
If Garnett gets a sense that the Celtics are going to rebuild, don’t be surprised if he lands on a team that might be a veteran big man away from competing for a championship. It’s clear Kevin Garnett has plenty of basketball left in him.
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