Steve Ballmer possibly buying the Clippers

[Hawkfan77]

I don't think it destroys our chances, but to play devils advocate I wouldn't assume we can find someone else whose willing to outbid someone like Ellison. Ballmer obviously had a huge passion for basketball, even if you want to reduce his contribution to name alone like you said above that's still a lose of influence.

I'm not trying to minimize Ballmer's contributions, I'm trying to maximize Hansen's. Some are assuming this group was Ballmer and a couple other guys (not saying you are). This was always Hansen's baby, he brought Ballmer along because he knew Ballmer would be a huge part of the ownership group, but Ballmer was never more important than Hansen.

To your other point, Hansen won't ever have to worry about getting into a bidding war with Ellison. LA will not be getting another team. Look at the last 2 times teams became available other than LA, the Kings and the Bucks. Hansen outbid everyone for both teams. Heck didn't they offer 600 million for the Bucks and the Bucks sold for much less? People like Ellison and Oprah have no desire to own an NBA team outside of LA, or else they would have put bids into the two teams that came up for sale in the past year for MUCH less.

I guess time will tell if Hansen and Nordstrom stay just them and if so they'd be willing to put up 600 million for another. But I don't see the type of bidding war you are talking about because there hasn't been one.

 

[Hawkfan77]

I'm sorry, but I just cannot see how losing Ballmer is anything, but bad news for us. Yes, we may have people that can fill his hole in the group, but name recognition alone, was a huge part of having him in the group. Plus, potentially having the richest owner in the NBA as part of your group was a plus as well. Heck, I would not be surprised to see the Seattle city council wanting to talk to Chris about this event thus causing us even more problems. I mean Hansen has got to be getting tired of this already.

Up until now, what has Ballmer done in the NBA? He's lost out on 3 teams...what kind of NBA name recognition is that? There is no "loyalty" in the NBA. The NBA isn't in the business of "helping out" Seattle will either get a team because it makes sense for the league, or they won't. Nothing to do with Ballmer.

 

[TheRealDTM]

I'm sorry, but I just cannot see how losing Ballmer is anything, but bad news for us. Yes, we may have people that can fill his hole in the group, but name recognition alone, was a huge part of having him in the group. Plus, potentially having the richest owner in the NBA as part of your group was a plus as well. Heck, I would not be surprised to see the Seattle city council wanting to talk to Chris about this event thus causing us even more problems. I mean Hansen has got to be getting tired of this already.

Up until now, what has Ballmer done in the NBA? He's lost out on 3 teams...what kind of NBA name recognition is that? There is no "loyalty" in the NBA. The NBA isn't in the business of "helping out" Seattle will either get a team because it makes sense for the league, or they won't. Nothing to do with Ballmer.

A lot of people thought he would become the frontman for Seattle after the whole Anti-Sacramento Arena debacle that got blamed on Hansen. He's vetted and is very very likely going to be selected to own one of the apparently most valuable franchises in the NBA. The league wanted him as an owner, thats more than I think is true of Hansen.

 

[Tech Worlds]

There is no team coming. Otherwise Balmer would have bought that one instead.

No team is coming

 

[seahawksfan28]

Bad news for supersonic fans

It's the death blow

The death blow was not getting the Kings.

I think our dream is over. No NBA, No NHL, and quite frankly no MLB. Thank God for the Seahawks.

 

[TheRealDTM]

There is no team coming. Otherwise Balmer would have bought that one instead.

No team is coming

I agree but I don't. It appears Ballmer really doesn't care about where he owns a teams, as he said in a forbes article. If you don't care about location there is nothing better than owning a basketball team in LA, and a playoff team to boot. If you get an expansion team in Seattle the 57 year old Ballmer could be 80 by the time they have 2 players as good as Paul and Griffen or...(i hate my life) Westbrook and Durant.

TLDR: He could have been told expansion would take more than a few years, and realized the clippers are good now and in LA

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Bad news for supersonic fans

It's the death blow

The death blow was not getting the Kings.

I think our dream is over. No NBA, No NHL, and quite frankly no MLB. Thank God for the Seahawks.

It could be far worse. You might have to deal with the Chiefs and Royals.

 

[seahawksfan28]

Bad news for supersonic fans

It's the death blow

The death blow was not getting the Kings.

I think our dream is over. No NBA, No NHL, and quite frankly no MLB. Thank God for the Seahawks.

It could be far worse. You might have to deal with the Chiefs and Royals.

Touche.

 

[Throwdown]

I'm sure the royals didn't try and stop the sprint center from being built, I could cheer for the royals, they care about their city.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

I'm sure the royals didn't try and stop the sprint center from being built, I could cheer for the royals, they care about their city.

Yeah right. They weren't interested in the Sprint Center because it's a downtown stadium built for Basketball and Hockey, how'd that work out? Kaufman and Arrowhead are in Independence which is east and 20-30 minutes away from downtown on game days just by car let alone public transit.

Want to guess where hockey is? Independence at the Independence Center. They're actually decent by the way. Soccer is in KCK because Kansas has lower taxes but they pay for crap so it's awesome for business's. Border War isn't a joke here. Given most of Kanas's population lives right here within an hour or so drive to the border.

 

[Throwdown]

I'm sure the royals didn't try and stop the sprint center from being built, I could cheer for the royals, they care about their city.

Yeah right. They weren't interested in the Sprint Center because it's a downtown stadium built for Basketball and Hockey, how'd that work out? Kaufman and Arrowhead are in Independence which is east and 20-30 minutes away from downtown on game days just by car let alone public transit.

Want to guess where hockey is? Independence at the Independence Center. They're actually decent by the way. Soccer is in KCK because Kansas has lower taxes but they pay for crap so it's awesome for business's.

You don't believe that crap the m's said do you? The whole we're worried about traffic crap? They did want competition, I'm sure if they had it there way there would be no seahawks in Seattle either. The mariners are slimey, everything about em is, their stadium got shoved down our throats, and they put out this crap product year after year, with nothing good going to the general public. The mariners are a parasite.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

I'm sure the royals didn't try and stop the sprint center from being built, I could cheer for the royals, they care about their city.

Yeah right. They weren't interested in the Sprint Center because it's a downtown stadium built for Basketball and Hockey, how'd that work out? Kaufman and Arrowhead are in Independence which is east and 20-30 minutes away from downtown on game days just by car let alone public transit.

Want to guess where hockey is? Independence at the Independence Center. They're actually decent by the way. Soccer is in KCK because Kansas has lower taxes but they pay for crap so it's awesome for business's.

You don't believe that crap the m's said do you? The whole we're worried about traffic crap? They did want competition, I'm sure if they had it there way there would be no seahawks in Seattle either. The mariners are slimey, everything about em is, their stadium got shoved down our throats, and they put out this crap product year after year, with nothing good going to the general public. The mariners are a parasite.

Not really because Armstrong and Lincoln are the devil. But I was bored. I blame Sac because he's with the wrong white woman.

 

[Hawkfan77]

There is no team coming. Otherwise Balmer would have bought that one instead.

No team is coming

Thanks for the inside info... :roll:

 

[Scottemojo]

Seattle is worth more to the NBA as leverage. Just like LA is for the NFL.

 

[m0ng0]

This is just bizarre, he spent 2 Billion for a TEAM, no building, no land, no property, no nothing! IF he wanted ball in Seattle he could have bought the Bucks or Kings for 600 mill, sold the arena or blew them up and sold the land, and dropped the rest on a state of the art arena in Seattle and been the king of Seattle, it begs the question of why? Is it just the sun and palm trees of SoCal or is it something else?

**edit** Or maybe he did not want to be the devil in places like Milwaukee or Sac town?

 

[Hawkfan77]

Seattle is worth more to the NBA as leverage. Just like LA is for the NFL.

Just like Tampa Bay was for the MLB, only the MLB eventually rewarded that city.

Sucks to be us

 

[Hawkfan77]

This is just bizarre, he spent 2 Billion for a TEAM, no building, no land, no property, no nothing! IF he wanted ball in Seattle he could have bought the Bucks or Kings for 600 mill, sold the arena or blew them up and sold the land, and dropped the rest on a state of the art arena in Seattle and been the king of Seattle, it begs the question of why? Is it just the sun and palm trees of SoCal or is it something else?

**edit** Or maybe he did not want to be the devil in places like Milwaukee or Sac town?

He tried to buy both the Kings and Bucks. It didn't work

 

[CPHawk]

I'm sorry, but I just cannot see how losing Ballmer is anything, but bad news for us. Yes, we may have people that can fill his hole in the group, but name recognition alone, was a huge part of having him in the group. Plus, potentially having the richest owner in the NBA as part of your group was a plus as well. Heck, I would not be surprised to see the Seattle city council wanting to talk to Chris about this event thus causing us even more problems. I mean Hansen has got to be getting tired of this already.

Up until now, what has Ballmer done in the NBA? He's lost out on 3 teams...what kind of NBA name recognition is that? There is no "loyalty" in the NBA. The NBA isn't in the business of "helping out" Seattle will either get a team because it makes sense for the league, or they won't. Nothing to do with Ballmer.

What 3 teams did he lose out on? The kings and who else?

 

[Front7vLOB]

why is it so hard for you guys to get a team (both NBA and NHL)? I mean, isn't Seattle a top 10 city?

It's funny to me that cities like Minneapolis have all 3 major franchises, but you guys only have 1.

If I were to rank the order of importance to get an NBA team, I'd put St. Louis as (1) and Seattle as (2).

I feel like you guys should be next in line for an NHL team, but I can't think of a current franchise trying to move, and I don't think the NHL is looking for an expansion team at the moment

 

[Front7vLOB]

I'm sorry, but I just cannot see how losing Ballmer is anything, but bad news for us. Yes, we may have people that can fill his hole in the group, but name recognition alone, was a huge part of having him in the group. Plus, potentially having the richest owner in the NBA as part of your group was a plus as well. Heck, I would not be surprised to see the Seattle city council wanting to talk to Chris about this event thus causing us even more problems. I mean Hansen has got to be getting tired of this already.

Up until now, what has Ballmer done in the NBA? He's lost out on 3 teams...what kind of NBA name recognition is that? There is no "loyalty" in the NBA. The NBA isn't in the business of "helping out" Seattle will either get a team because it makes sense for the league, or they won't. Nothing to do with Ballmer.

What 3 teams did he lose out on? The kings and who else?

Milwaukee and Minnesota I believe

the Kings to Seattle were the best bet. Milwaukee is a pretty big basketball town and for some reason Minneapolis is in the front when it comes to stadiums (Target Field, Xcel Energy Center, new Vikings stadium in 2018)... They will probably get a new stadium for the Wolves soon.

Edit: I didn't realize Minneapolis was such a business hub. I was confused about how they could afford all these teams, but apparently they have more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any city in the world according to Wikipedia

NorCal already has a team in the Warriors, why does Sacramento need one?