Kevin Johnson is in New York to attend the Camp David peace summit the NBA has facilitated (or ordered, it's hard to tell). The Maloofs made a case to the other NBA owners and league execs that the arena deal in Sacramento needs to be cracked back open. Well, that was the stated purpose of the Maloofs' presentation — no one has leaked details as to what they actually said. Meanwhile, KJ said all this week that he's not cracking the deal back open. He reaffirmed that in his annoyed letter to the family Thursday night.
The city is steadfast: no more concessions. This is the deal, and we're not going to change it. Given that position, and given the level of glee that the Maloofs spokesman of the indeterminate time period seemed to express in revealing that KJ was being flown out at the last minute, something seems incompatible.
There's only one way the principals can budge: the Maloofs can find satisfaction without a re-negotiated deal. How? I have no clue. I suggest coming to terms with the deal they shook hands on, but alas, it's not my bank account.
The city doesn't need to get creative here — KJ's work has been done. The NBA is the wild card here. What can the league do, if anything, to assuage the Maloofs' concerns? A primary focus of the Maloofs' complaints is that 2015 seems unreasonable. Is there anything the NBA can do to either guarantee the Maloofs won't suffer financially if for some reason the arena doesn't open until 2016? I have no clue, but it's something worth investigating.
Today's meeting doesn't need to be all about loggerheads. It can be about some loggerheads, but finding a solution without derailing everything in a bid to get the Maloofs out of Dodge should be an important goal in New York.
This is your open arena thread for the day.
0 Comments
Badge Legend