tdlabrie":34kwvwzv said:
There's something I just don't understand. Y'all are talking about how strong, or not, an anti-trust case would be. Seems to me I've read that "Hansen is not interested in pursuing a legal course of action."
So is this true? Is this smoke? Is this poker playing? Because if sale and relocation are both denied and he doesn't want to go to court, aren't we sunk?
Nope. But the NBA would sure love for you (and the Hansen and Maloof groups) to believe that.
The Seattle group isn't going to back down. They believe the sale will be approved and there is a rumor that they have heard from enough owners to support this theory. Hansen's group is hoping the owners will approve the sale or offer expansion so they don't have to go to court.
Don't listen to the media. They're the least knowledgeable of anyone when it comes to what's happening and what will happen in the future. In fact, much of what you're hearing is just propaganda coming straight from the NBA offices. Or it's just pure conjecture.
I've heard ridiculous reports that the Maloofs can't sue and could be forced to sell. Both points are blatantly false and such a statement shows a complete ignorance of the law. The NBA could move for dismissal of an antitrust suit based on any number of reasons, but whether that case is dismissed or not is up to the judge hearing the motion - and nobody knows how that would turn out because it's up to the judge, not the NBA. It's just as likely (if not more likely) that a judge would allow the case to continue. And even if the suit was dismissed, it could be appealed all the way up to the Supreme Court, just like what happened in the American Needle case.
I've also heard in the media that the owners are annoyed with Ballmer. How would anyone know that? And why would any owner be annoyed with Ballmer? The NBA might be annoyed with Ballmer and that would make sense, but the other owners?
The owners don't care about NBA politics. They are businessmen and their own business interests come first. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of it. Ultimately, the owners will vote for whatever they feel will be best for their own interests. And it's hard to argue against the immediate boost in value that all NBA teams will experience if they approve a sale of the Kings for $625 million. If the Kings are worth that, what does that do for the top 16 markets? You're talking about hundreds of millions here.
So don't get too up or down based on what you're hearing here, in the media, or anywhere else. If you really want to feel better, just take peace knowing that the Seattle group is going to put up one hell of a fight and has no plans to back down. And that the Hansen group believes they have enough owner support to win a vote on the sale (based on what they have heard directly from the other owners).
