You can sum up the nearly decade-long Sacramento arena crisis much like you can sum up the existence of the Sacramento Kings these days: long stretches of boredom spliced intermittently with bits of deep panic. ARCO Arena is busted, as the Maloofs have been saying since 2001, and the city is no closer to a new gym than it was then.Every now and then, progress looks so far off that someone -- an agent of the Maloofs, a mayor, a bunch of fans -- cranks up the wailing and the Evil Advent Calendar begins its countdown to a relocation. The Maloofs, at this point, actually have good reason to yell "Fire!" as the latest plan (hatched by the NBA itself) isn't making progress.
But to the shock of nearly all, the Maloofs have done the completely opposite: they have assured Sacramento the Kings will remain in town for the long haul.
Last spring, the NBA unveiled a plan to build a new arena at the site called Cal Expo, also known as the annual host of the California State Fair (and the more-than-occasional RV/gun/doll/garden/Phish show). The economy didn't exactly cooperate with the NBA's timing, and developers, while impressed with the plan, have told the league that it can't happen until the region is back on track.
Given that NBA representative John Moag said he'd be looking for progress within a year, and that the region's economy is expected to be in the tank until 2011 at the earliest, and that a year from the unveiling is early 2010, and that the deadline to apply for relocation in the NBA is in the spring ... you can see why the panic spread. And why it became imperative for reporters to hover around Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof Wednesday.
Maloof's answer to whether a relocation app would be filed is ... refreshing. The Sacramento Bee:
"No, no, no. There's no way," Maloof told The Bee Wednesday, waving his arms emphatically. "We love the market. We love our fans. This is the only place we want to be."The Maloof reputation isn't impeccable, but the family has been seen as trustworthy. I feel confident in believing that quote, and -- given time -- the league should be able to get something done. (This is the NBA, after all.) We just need to wait.
Considering how the product on the court has gone over the past three seasons, a return on this issue to boredom rather than panic ... that sounds good to me.
