Sacramento Kings

This is a letter from Here We Stay. *** Dear Vivek Ranadivé, Jacobs family, Raj Bhathal, Arjun Gupta, Mark Mastrov, Andy Miller, Chris Kelly, Mark Friedman, Katrina Garnett, Ron Burkle and all of the other investors who believed in Sacramento: It is with great sincerity that we thank you for your commitment to Sacramento. Sacramentans take great pride in their city and in their region, and the fact that you have stepped forward to invest in downtown and put a winning product on the floor excites this entire community. Our region needs a shot in the arm, both from a jobs perspective and an economic development standpoint. A new downtown arena will facilitate these things and then some. Our team, the Sacramento Kings, has needed a group like yours to take it to the next level -- a global level. We want to stand with Kings fans in every corner of the world and celebrate this symbol of civic pride that we call our team. We also want our families and future generations to be able to enjoy professional sports and entertainment in a thriving downtown epicenter. We feel as though there is no greater fan base in all of sports. Kings fans scratch, claw, and punch. It's in our nature to take on the role of the underdog -- the community and fan base that is always counted out, only to storm back to fight with resilience and passion. This fan base will take that intensity to another level under your ownership. The fans of this team and the people of this city will fully support your group as we all strive for the same thing -- an NBA championship and a downtown that we can all champion as a beacon of light, shining bright. We're in this together as a family and we look forward to you leading us into a new era in Sacramento: a "Sacramento 3.0," filled with world-class entertainment in a world-class facility. From everyone affiliated with the Here We Stay campaign, we again say thank you. Thank you for believing in our fan base and our community. Sacramento is behind you. Sincerely, Here We Stay ### This is a wishlist from fans we've talked to in the last few weeks as we enter the new era. 1. Fans would be amenable to changes to logos/jerseys but the current color scheme and team name should stay. It's become part of our identity. 2. Let the crowd be the soundtrack to the game, not music. Less music in game, and more cowbell! 3. Bring back the Carl's Jr. player bobble-heads. 4. Buy-a-Brick program for the new downtown Entertainment and Sports Complex. 5. Sell food and beer that is being made right here in the Sacramento area in the arena. Incorporate local restaurants and food trucks for the food, similar to how the new airport terminal did. 6. Fan access to the team (think Cowboys Stadium). 7. A phone-charging kiosk. 8. An area for dancing during concerts. 9. Retire Mayor Johnson's Sacramento High jersey and build a statue for him. 10. A bigger team store. 11. Hire a knowledgeable, reputable, and qualified head coach. 12. No more Bill Walton calling games. 13. Partner with regional transit for a "Game Day Ticket = Transit Pass" program like they have in Phoenix. 14. Hire local contractors and engineers to build the arena. 15. Add a Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame in the arena so that people can see all the great athletes from this region. 16. Add a special section to commemorate the grassroots battle of the past few years. 17. No more Jim Gray. Hire a new sideline reporter. 18. Incorporate little items from Arco Arena in the new arena. Keep the "Hustle Board" and the "Noise Meter." 19. Put a large screen in the arena that projects tweets from fans at the game/watching from home about the game. 20. Include solar panels, green roof, and outdoor spaces. 21. Create a tailgate section outside of the arena. 22. Build a giant cowbell at the front entrance that can be rung to signal the beginning of the game. 22. Bring back the pre-game show for the Kings on TV. 23. Sign Lady and Mr. Sign Lady should get f

Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Here We Stay campaign has released an open thank you letter to the new owners of the Sacramento Kings. The letter is based on this week’s decision by the NBA Board of Governors to block relocation to Seattle and the announcement that the Kings have been purchased from the Maloofs by the investor group led by Vivek Ranadive. The letter is below. ### Dear Vivek Ranadive, Paul Jacobs, Raj Bhathal, Arjun Gupta, Mark Mastrov, Andy Miller, Chris Kelly Mark Friedman, Katrina Garnett, Ron Burkle, and all of the other investors who believed in Sacramento: It is with great sincerity that we thank you for your commitment to Sacramento. Sacramentans take great pride in their city and in their region, and the fact that you have stepped forward to invest in downtown and put a winning product on the floor excites this entire community. Our region needs a shot in the arm, both from a jobs perspective and an economic development standpoint. A new downtown arena will facilitate these things and then some. Our team, the Sacramento Kings, has needed a group like yours to take it to the next level – a global level. We want to stand with Kings fans in every corner of the world and celebrate this symbol of civic pride that we call our team. We also want our families and future generations to be able to enjoy professional sports and entertainment in a thriving downtown epicenter. We feel as though there is no greater fan base in all of sports. Kings fans scratch, claw, and punch. It’s in our nature to take on the role of the underdog – the community and fan base that is always counted out, only to storm back to fight with resilience and passion. This fan base will take that intensity to another level under your ownership. The fans of this team and the people of this city will fully support your group as we all strive for the same thing – an NBA championship and a downtown that we can all champion as a beacon of light, shining bright. We’re in this together as a family and we look forward to you leading us into a new era in Sacramento; a “Sacramento 3.0,” filled with world-class entertainment in a world-class facility. From everyone affiliated with the Here We Stay campaign, we again say thank you. Thank you for believing in our fan base and our community. Sacramento is behind you. Sincerely, Here We Stay ### In addition to the letter, the Here We Stay campaign has crowdsourced a list of “wishes” from Kings fans for the team and the arena under the new ownership group. Below is that list: 1. Fans would

Vivek Ranadivé went before the NBA Board of Governors and pitched his vision of “NBA 3.0”. By all accounts, aside from the Seattle and Maloofs camp, the new owner of the Sacramento Kings blew away the league with a plan of global expansion that all begins with his new franchise. I’m intrigued by the idea of millions of people in India tuning in to watch the purple and black. But before that happens, there needs to be a hard reset of this franchise. That is what happens to a computer that’s become so corrupted from the inside. From top to bottom, a facelift is needed before Ranadivé and the NBA try to pitch the Kings to anyone outside the 916. We need to see “Sacramento Kings 2013”, a complex overhaul of one of the league’s worst franchises. I’m not talking about players so much and I’m certainly not suggesting that all 800-1000 arena employees need replacing. There are some incredible people out there that have been through absolute hell over the last three years. I’m talking about how this team needs a new identity and a voice at the top. Someone who can attempt to rebuild this franchise from the ground up. For the last 19 years, Geoff Petrie, not the Maloofs, has been the brains behind the Kings’ product on-the-court. It was Petrie who assembled the 1995-96 team that broke a 10-year playoff drought and it was the magic of Petrie that brought us the greatest eight-year run in franchise history. There was a time when Petrie couldn’t miss. His crowning moment came before the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season when he traded for Chris Webber, signed Vlade Divac, drafted Jason Williams and talked Peja Stojakovic into coming over from Greece. That team was pure basketball genius and to Petrie’s credit, the hiring of Rick Adelman to coach was spot on. Not only did Petrie sustain an incredibly high level of performance from that group, but he added pieces along the way that made the Kings one of the best teams of the early 2000s. But it appears that Petrie has lost the Midas touch. Sure, the current Kings roster has talent, but the swings and misses are beyond egregious. Drafting Thomas Robinson with the fifth pick, a player who refused  to visit Sacramento during pre-draft workouts, instead of Rookie of the Year Damian Lillard will haunt the Kings for the next decade. And bailing out on Robinson before the All-Star Game just compounded the mistake. People will blame the Maloofs for that move. They will point to the millions saved for the Kings former owners by dumping Francisco Garcia’s expiring contract and they might even champion Patrick Patterson as atonement. But Petrie did have a choice. He could have walked away from the final three months of his contract. He could have said “no, that is not how I want to be remembered” and people around the country would have applauded the former two-time NBA executive of the year. Petrie could have walked away anytime from 2006 when the Maloofs began to make their intentions clear. Petrie was coming off an incredible run and he was extremely marketable. Instead of looking for a better situation, he stuck around and watched, while the Maloofs systematically ran the Kings into the ground. It began with the decision to not retain Adelman following the 2005-06 season, a longtime friend of Petrie’s and the most successful coach in franchise history. Over the next seven years, Petrie turned to four new head coaches (not including interim head coach Kenny Natt). He was in the room when Eric Musselman, Reggie Theus, Paul Westphal and Keith Smart were hired to run the club. A string of budget picks for sure, but again, this was Petrie’s reputation on the line, not the Maloofs. And when these coaches struggled with the players that Petrie had brought, he allowed the Maloofs to override the good judgment of his people on the ground on disciplinary issues. In fact, he approved the letter Paul Westphal released to the media regarding DeMarcus Co

We have a pair of great Kings season tickets that we share four ways and we're looking for a fourth partner for next season. With 1/4 season, you get 11 games. All regular season. Although we get preseason games, our season ticket status lets us swap them out for regular season games. These are incredible seats. Here's why: We are in the 10th row up from the floor right near the Kings bench. And we're in the first row of our pricing section... The row in front of us costs almost twice the price. And by getting these at the season ticket discount, you'll save about 25% on the tickets and there are no Ticketmaster fees. We are only looking for one new partner so it's first come first served. We take turns picking games so you'll be able to pick some hot games. The average price per ticket is $59 so a quarter season, two tickets for 11 games comes to $1,298. The Kings have started using different prices for different games. For example, Laker games cost more than Minnesota games. So your final actual price of the games you pick may be a bit higher or a bit lower than $1,298 depending on the games you choose. We've had these seats forever. That's how we got to the first row of our pricing section. You can see pictures that show the exact location and view from our seats at this Craigslist ad: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/tix/3812481733.html If you're seeing this here, I know your a real fan, so I've set up a special gmail address for STR people. It's KingsSeasonTickets@gmail.com. If you're interested, shoot me an email with your number and the best time to call. And of course... Go Kings! We have a pair of great Kings season tickets that we share four ways and we're looking for a fourth partner for next season. With 1/4 season, you get 11 games. All regular season. Although we get preseason games, our season ticket status lets us swap them out for regular season games. These are incredible seats. Here's why: We are in the 10th row up from the floor right near the Kings bench. And we're in the first row of our pricing section... The row in front of us costs almost twice the price. And by getting these at the season ticket discount, you'll save about 25% on the tickets and there are no Ticketmaster fees. We are only looking for one new partner so it's first come first served. We take turns picking games so you'll be able to pick some hot games. The average price per ticket is $59 so a quarter season, two tickets for 11 games comes to $1,298. The Kings have started using different prices for different games. For example, Laker games cost more than Minnesota games. So your final actual price of the games you pick may be a bit higher or a bit lower than $1,298 depending on the games you choose. We've had these seats forever. That's how we got to the first row of our pricing section. You can see pictures that show the exact location and view from our seats at this Craigslist ad: http://sacramento.craigslist.org/tix/3812481733.html If you're seeing this here, I know your a real fan, so I've set up a special gmail address for STR people. It's KingsSeasonTickets@gmail.com. If you're interested, shoot me an email with your number and the best time to call. And of course... Go Kings!

To the tune of "Save Me San Francisco" by Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj7NnR_QJNQ To commemorate one of the most joyous moments in Sacramento history. Because celebrating is more fun when you can sing about it. Long Live the Kings. --------------------------------------------- VERSE 1A Used to assume our Kings would stay, until we reached that fateful day When rumors of a move began to swirl But instead of doubts and sitting back, we soldiered up and showed some sac To keep the greatest franchise in the world! VERSE 1B Never thought we stood a chance, once Sonics brass had played their hand But we kept on pounding, pounding the hardwood We drove into Seattle's paint, slammed one home in Hansen's face And now the Kings are staying home for good! CHORUS 1A We told Gavin. We told Joe. We told George... told Anaheim, Oh hell no! All my Kings fans represent, yo (cause) Here We Stayed in Sacramento! VERSE 2A We used to love Gavin and Joe, goin' apeshit courtside at Arco Until they proved to be some worthless tools. Maloofed the team into the ground, then tried to flee to the Puget Sound (and) That's when Sac up and rewrote the rules! VERSE 2B Was worried we'd turn emerald green, when Ballmer tried to steal our team Then K.J. snared some whales from outta town. They called the league and struck a deal, three-forty mil sounds like a steal Cause any day now we'll be breaking ground! (downtown) CHORUS 2A We told Gavin. We told Joe. We told George... told Adrienne, Oh hell no! It's straight insanely monumental (that) Here We Stayed in Sacramento! CHORUS 2B We told Phil. We told Rose. We showed all these fools how Sactown rolls! ('course) It was always our intent so Here We Stayed in Sacramento! BRIDGE To tell you the truth, we'd miss every King, every King. (but) It's a kind, fine basketball world, When at last you have some owners who care. And they mean everything, everything. CHORUS 3A We told Gavin. We told Joe. We told George, told Adrienne, Oh hell no! Lo me hace muy contento Here We Stayed in Sacramento! CHORUS 3B We told Phil. We told Rose. We showed all these fools how Sactown rolls! Thank Vivek, Mastrov ‘n Burkle (that) Here We Stayed in Sacramento! OUTRO Woo ooh ooh! Oh oh! Here We Stayed in Sacramento! -- Al final del peor tormento Here We Stayed in Sacramento! -- Too bad our players so resent growth (cuz) Here We Stayed in Sacramento! -- Now begins the real ascent though, (so) Here We Rise in Sacramento!! --------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- BONUS CHORUS! (Parental Advisory!) CHORUS 4A We told Gavin. We told Joe. We told George, told Adrienne, Oh hell no! We don't get fucked without consent, so The Kings remain in Sacramento! CHORUS 4B We told Phil. We told Rose. We showed all these fools how Sactown rolls! And if you think this means we're spent, ho, You ain't fucked with Sacramento! To the tune of "Save Me San Francisco" by Train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj7NnR_QJNQ To commemorate one of the most joyous moments in Sacramento history. Because celebrating is more fun when you can sing about it. Long Live the Kings. --------------------------------------------- VERSE 1A Used to assume our Kings would stay, until we reached that fateful day When rumors of a move began to swirl But instead of doubts and sitting back, we soldiered up and showed some sac To keep the greatest franchise in the world! VERSE 1B Never thought we stood a chance, once Sonics brass had played their hand But we kept on pounding, pounding the hardwood We drove into Seattle's paint, slammed one home in Hansen's face And now the Kings are staying home for good! CHORUS 1A We told Gavin. We told Joe. We told George... told Anaheim, Oh hell no! All my Kings fans represent, yo (cause) Here We Stayed in Sacramento! VERSE 2A We

Mayor Kevin Johnson led a press conference on Friday following the news about the Maloofs selling their majority ownership stake of the Sacramento Kings to Vivek Ranadive and his investor group. The deal solidifies that the Kings will be in Sacramento for at least 35 years and the fans are as energized as they were (and maybe even more so) in the early 2000s when the team was battling for an NBA championship. A community has rallied together, fought for a cause, won that cause and now gets to enjoy the fruits of that labor. Mayor Johnson defied all odds with a fan base, a business community and a political team behind him for the last two-plus years. Below are the Mayor's thoughts from his May 17 press conference at City Hall following the big news.

Don't. The comments that you leave there will be treated as though you posted them here. In the past 24 hours, we have banned two StR members for leaving comments at SR that were so over the top, we banned the members here as our way of showing that we do not condone that sort of behavior. Comments that were absolutely beneath contempt. If this thing had swung the other way, you would not want to hear at all from a Sonics fan right now. So leave it alone and leave them alone. If you insist on posting there, it better not even hint of trolling or douchebaggery, or you will run the risk of a timeout/ban here. I apologize to the 99% of our membership that is classy and does not need this reminder. I just wasted your time, and for that I am sorry. To the other 1%, knock it the fuck off and/or get out of here. You're giving Sacramento Kings fans and StR members a bad name. Don't. The comments that you leave there will be treated as though you posted them here. In the past 24 hours, we have banned two StR members for leaving comments at SR that were so over the top, we banned the members here as our way of showing that we do not condone that sort of behavior. Comments that were absolutely beneath contempt. If this thing had swung the other way, you would not want to hear at all from a Sonics fan right now. So leave it alone and leave them alone. If you insist on posting there, it better not even hint of trolling or douchebaggery, or you will run the risk of a timeout/ban here. I apologize to the 99% of our membership that is classy and does not need this reminder. I just wasted your time, and for that I am sorry. To the other 1%, knock it the fuck off and/or get out of here. You're giving Sacramento Kings fans and StR members a bad name.

The push to sell tickets for the 2013-14 Sacramento Kings season has begun.  Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson announced yesterday that beginning Tuesday at 9 am, the team would begin accepting deposits for next year. A letter from new Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé went out to current season ticket holders yesterday, encouraging them to renew.  This is what it said. Via Niko Rust.

Sales for 2013-14 Sacramento Kings season tickets will begin at 9 a.m. Tuesday, the team announced on Friday. The franchise is staffing up and The Bee has reported that the NBA is sending a swat team out to help Sacramento catch up. (Most teams began season ticket renewal drives months ago.) Also on Friday, Vivek Ranadivé sent a letter to season ticket holders thanking them and inviting them to renew. Niko Rust, also known as Mr. Sign Lady, tweeted a photo of the letter he and Sign Lady received. Here's an excerpt: Long Live the Kings! The Kings are here today because of the unparalleled support this community has provided since the team arrived in 1985. The passion and dedication of Kings fans over the years is what inspired me to buy this team. I am excited and proud to say my fellow owners and I now have the privilege of being your stewards. We applaud your unwavering commitment to this team. You fought, you cheered, you rallied, you believed and even traveled thousands of miles to support the cause -- we cannot thank you enough. Today we begin a new era in Sacramento Kings history: new ownership, a new arena and a new Kings community. We will do everything in our power to make this organization one that you can be proud of, both on and off the court. We will bring winning basketball back to Sacramento, alongside an organization that will achieve global and technological excellence. As expected, part of the team's marketing pitch is that becoming a season ticket holder for the next three seasons at Sleep Train Arena will get you a spot in the new arena in 2016.

There are a LOT of interesting tidbits in The Bee's next-day story. I encourage you to read it all. One I found particularly interesting as we post-mortem this thing. The sweetened offer leaves the Sacramento purchase, on its face, $59 million short of Seattle's. But the true gap between Seattle's bid, and what the Maloofs will take away from selling to [Vivek] Ranadive, is just a few million dollars. Why? If the Seattle deal had been approved, the Maloofs would have put $25 million of their payout toward the relocation fee owed to the NBA, the source said. In addition, although the Seattle deal is dead, the Maloofs get to keep the $30 million nonrefundable deposit Hansen and Microsoft CEO Ballmer gave them in early February. That shaves the effective difference to about $5 million. So Vivek quickly agreed to up the valuation to $535 million, resulting in an extra $6.5 million to the Maloofs. That's the valuation that gets them $59 million away from what the Maloofs would have taken home on close of escrow if Seattle had been approved. But Hansen had already given $30 million and wasn't getting it back. And Hansen wanted $25 million from the Maloofs for relocation. So when the Maloofs agreed quickly to take Vivek's deal, they were only really giving up on the last $4 million in the gap. And one more time: Chris Hansen was a freaking brilliant spinmaster. A big deal was made of the $115 million relocation fee offer and the $625 million valuation. But $25 million of that was hocus pocus money: cash he'd pay the Maloofs for the team that'd be transferred to the relocation fee. Really brilliant accounting. So we can either drop the actual valuation by $38 million (since the $25 million to the Maloofs is in payout, not valuation) to $587 million or drop the relocation fee to $90 million. And that $30 million that had already been paid out: if we would have considered that a sunk cost, that drops the valuation by $46 million. So let's call this a $541 million valuation and $115 million relocation fee. Somewhat less impressive than what Hansen trotted out. Still impressive. But man, I really enjoy his math. No sarcasm: brilliant ploys all around.