Sacramento Kings moving franchise to the OC, CA.

Herb Kohl is on Line 2.

 

I don't know who would be the likely next team to bolt, but if the Kings leave and Sacramento builds an arena, we'll start hearing the rumblings... New Orleans? Charlotte? I don't know...

 

So the team in Sacramento moves to Seattle, where it reclaims the name SuperSonics, and Charlotte becomes the Hornets again for a couple years before it looks to move and Kansas City and Sacramento try to outbid each other for the right to take the franchise and rename it the Kings? Sound about right?

 

Something like that...

 

Yeah, I guess the strategy for leagues is to always have one more viable market than you have franchises, to keep the threat of moving alive. Sort of like the NFL with Los Angeles, the NHL with Hamilton or Quebec City, the MLB with ????

 

Heard Fay Vincent on the radio on Friday, with respect to franchise movement, he was of the mind-set don't let owners think they can move the franchise, it just leads to extortion of public entities. Make the owner(s) improve the product, then the fans will come. I miss Vincent.

 

I agree with him on that. I miss Vincent, too. Much better than Selig.

 

For many years, Tampa/St. Pete was held out as the place that was gonna swoop in and take your team if you didn't vote "Yes" for the stadium tax. If I recall correctly, the Giants, the White Sox and the Twins all had serious flirtations with Tampa Bay. Not sure what market is clamoring for MLB now, if any. Charlotte?

 

Portland was the last. The only team looking to move is Oakland, and San Jose is the target.

 

I remember when I was in college the Giants seemed super close to moving to St. Pete... So glad that never happened...

I really don't think there is a single team in the NBA that should be allowed to move... I know they've been talking about two expansion teams and Seattle should definitely get one. I know the Maloofs are broke, but they're not broke because of the Kings... That should be taken into consideration by the NBA.

I think the only NFL team that should ever be allowed to move would be Jacksonville, and I'm beginning to think even the Jaguars are safe. I don't know if there is a baseball team that would qualify.

 

Why not? There are some markets in the NBA that are just terrible. Sacramento may or may not qualify -- I don't personally think there's enough corporate money to support a team -- but there are a host of places where the market just doesn't want to be part of it. So if a Kansas City or Omaha or St. Louis or whatever is waiting, why does a team need to be chained to the same losing situation forever?

 

It seems like the Florida baseball teams almost always draw poorly...