Seattle SuperSonics Blog – Page 5 – NBA Blog

Maloofs close to selling the Sacramento Kings to group in Seattle

Years after losing the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City, Seattle may be getting an NBA team back.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports via Twitter, “the Maloofs are finalizing an agreement to sell the Sacramento Kings to the Hansen-Ballmer led Seattle group, sources tell Yahoo! Sports. The deal will sell the Kings for approximately $500 million, with the Seattle group seeking relocation to Key Arena for the 2013-’14 season. The Seattle group’s plans, with support of the NBA, is to play two seasons in Key Arena before moving into a new Seattle arena, sources say. The Maloofs are expected to keep an extremely small percentage of team, but will have no real input or say in franchise, sources say.”

More coming shortly.

David Stern reportedly hopes to get an NBA team back in Seattle

Between now and his departure, Stern is determined to get a franchise back into Seattle, league sources said. He has become a strong ally of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s group to bring back the NBA there. Ballmer’s group has been trying to get the Maloof family to sell the Sacramento Kings, so that the franchise can eventually play in a new arena in Seattle.

From the league office, pressure on the Maloofs to sell has been growing, sources said – just as hopes for a new Sacramento arena have been fading. Seattle Sonics fans will never forgive Stern for his complicit role in Clay Bennett’s deception to move that franchise to Oklahoma City, but make no mistake: Stern desperately wants to return the NBA to one of its great markets and wants it for his own measure of vindication before he leaves office.

As one source involved in the process said, “Stern has enough time to get a team back to Seattle, but he’ll let Silver deal with the crowd [booing] on opening night.”

— Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports

Seattle arena plans continue to move forward

A new stadium in Seattle designed for NBA and NHL teams will continue to move forward after the City Council and Metropolitan King County Council voted to support a Memorandum of Understanding for investor Chris Hanson’s proposed $490 million stadium.

The stadium will include $200 million in public funds, and Monday’s vote is seen as the next step in the road to building the venue.

The biggest of which is obtaining a current NBA franchise, because the league has no plans to expand.

There is also now a 21-day window for legal challenges, and at least one is expected from the local Longshoreman Union, according to the Seattle Times.

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Seattle City Council OKs arena deal

A wealthy hedge-fund manager won approval Monday for his plan to bring professional men’s basketball and hockey back to Seattle, with initially skeptical City Council members agreeing to put up $200 million for a new arena after he promised to personally guarantee the city’s debt.

Council members voted 6-2 to approve Chris Hansen’s plan for a $490 million arena near the Seahawks and Mariners stadiums south of downtown.

“I was a skeptic when this came forward because I was worried about our taxpayers,” said Councilwoman Sally Bagshaw. “The fact that we have a personal guarantee from Mr. Hansen … that makes a big difference.

“At the end, we’re going to have something the city is proud of.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Seattle arena update: Progress being made

A new arena in Seattle that could bring the NBA back to the Puget Sound appears a step closer to reality.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has issued a statement late Monday night saying he welcomes the news that the Seattle City Council has decided to support bringing basketball back to Seattle.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Chris Hansen should never have to buy a beer again in his hometown.

It wouldn’t just be a gesture of appreciation for the investor with a heart of Sonics green and gold. It could be a necessity. Considering the dough he’s about to put down to build a new Seattle arena and lure an NBA team, he might have to reduce his going-out money.

Then again, looking at all the concessions he made to consummate a deal in Sodo, he probably is now part-owner of all the local suds, anyway.

Whatever the case, will every Sonics-missing fan raise a glass?

The hardest part of this comeback quest is all but over now. The Seattle City Council has reached an agreement with Hansen on his $490 million arena plan. And for once, the city’s annoying affinity for process, debate and universal pacification appears to have resulted in a digestible situation for Hansen, the Port of Seattle and all businesses concerned with how even more Sodo congestion will affect their bottom line.

— Reported by Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times

Seattle City Council not ready to support new arena initiative

Eight of nine Seattle City Councilmembers have sent a letter to the investor seeking public help to build a new sports arena in the city, saying changes must be made to a proposal before they can support it.

The Council wants to alter a memorandum of understanding between Chris Hansen and the city to ensure that a portion of tax revenues generated by a new arena would help pay for local transportation improvements. Currently, the proposal calls for those taxes to be used to pay off the $200 million in city and county bonds that would be issued to help pay for the $490 million arena.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Miami Heat sign Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent guard Ray Allen and free agent forward Rashard Lewis. We’ll post contract details here later today.

Allen, a 16-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 1,148 regular season games (1,140 starts) averaging 20.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.16 steals and 36.9 minutes while shooting 45.2 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 89.4 percent from the foul line. Among all-time NBA leaders, he ranks first in three-point field goals made (2,718), first in three-point field goals attempts (6,788), fifth in free throw percentage, 18th in minutes played (42,373), 22nd in field goal attempts (17,761), 24th in points (22,941) and 32nd in field goals made (8,035). Last season, Allen appeared in 46 games (42 starts) with Boston and averaged 14.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.07 steals and 34.0 minutes while shooting 45.8 percent from the field, 45.3 percent from three-point range and 91.5 percent from the foul line while helping the Celtics capture the Atlantic Division title.

A 10-time NBA All-Star, Allen has appeared in 128 postseason games (120 starts) averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.08 steals and 38.8 minutes while shooting 44.7 percent from the field, 40.2 percent from three-point range and 88.2 percent from the foul line. During the 2012 NBA Playoffs, he helped lead Boston to the Eastern Conference Finals while appearing in 18 games (10 starts) and averaged 10.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 34.2 minutes while shooting 39.5 percent from the field, 30.4 percent from three-point range and 71.1 percent from the foul line.

In addition to his many contributions on the court, the former 2008 NBA Champion was honored with the NBA Community Award in February of 2011 and was named The Sporting News “Good Guy” in 2000, 2001 and 2005. He initiated the “Ray of Hope” Foundation that currently assists charities in several communities and served as NBA Spokesperson for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA youth basketball support program.

Allen was originally drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round (5th overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft.

Lewis, a 14-year NBA veteran, has appeared in 934 regular season games (827 starts) averaging 16.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.11 steals and 34.0 minutes while shooting 45.4 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from three-point range and 80.8 percent from the foul line. Among Seattle/Oklahoma City all-time franchise leaders, he ranks first in three-point field goals made (973), second in three-point field goals attempted (2,519), fourth in points (10,251), fourth in defensive rebounds (2,576), fourth in minutes played (20,921), fifth in field goals made (3,762), fifth in field goals attempted (8,162), sixth in games played (617), seventh in total rebounds (3,595), seventh in offensive rebounds (1,019), eighth in steals (708), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.387), ninth in blocks (362) and 10th in free throws made (1,754). Last season, Lewis appeared in 28 games (15 starts) with Washington and averaged 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 26.0 minutes while shooting 38.5 percent from the field and 83.8 percent from the foul line.

Lewis, a two-time NBA All-Star, has appeared in 64 postseason games (63 starts) averaging 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 38.5 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three-point range and 82.1 percent from the foul line. During the 2009 NBA Playoffs, he helped Orlando advance to the NBA Finals and scored a playoff career-high 34 points in Game Two on June 7 at the Los Angeles Lakers while also dishing out a postseason career-best seven assists. Additionally, earlier in that postseason he hit a game-winning three-point basket with only 14.7 seconds remaining in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals at Cleveland on May 20 to help Orlando capture the 107-106 victory.

Lewis was originally drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the second round (32nd overall) of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Thousands rally to support new arena in Seattle

Chris Hansen walked on stage and was greeted with the kind of reception normally reserved for the musicians and athletes who were waiting backstage.

Hedge-fund managers don’t normally get rock star ovations.

“I was about to tear up actually. It was inspiring,” Hansen said.

While former SuperSonics stars Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp got the loudest ovations, it was Hansen left accepting the most praise at a rally in downtown Seattle on Thursday afternoon to support the push for a new arena that could eventually bring back the NBA.

The late-day rally crammed green and gold clad fans into Occidental Park just a few blocks north of Seattle’s stadium district where CenturyLink and Safeco fields currently sit. Hansen’s proposal before the King County and Seattle city councils calls for a $490 million facility just south of the Mariners’ Safeco Field with nearly $300 million in private investment.

Hansen said he was overwhelmed by the turnout, with estimates of about 4,000 in attendance at the peak of the event. The rally ended with chants of “Thank you Chris!” and included appearances by Payton, Kemp and fellow former Sonics player Detlef Schrempf.

— Reported by the Associated Press

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer part of investor group for proposed Seattle arena

The push to build a new arena in Seattle with the hopes of seeing the NBA return now has another name to go along with that of hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.

Ballmer will be part of the investment group for both the arena and the acquisition of an NBA franchise, according to a letter sent Wednesday by Hansen to King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn. A copy of the letter was obtained by The Associated Press.

That Ballmer is part of the investment group is not a surprise. Ballmer is a longtime basketball fan who regularly sat courtside at SuperSonics games before their departure to Oklahoma City in 2008 and was part of a group that made a last-ditch effort to try to keep the team in Seattle.

At that time, Ballmer teamed with a handful of other Seattle businessmen to offer a renovation of KeyArena. Now Ballmer is throwing his support, and dollars, behind Hansen’s proposal for a $490 million arena that would house an NBA franchise and possibly bring the NHL to Seattle.

— Reported by Tim Booth of the Associated Press

Seattle mayor meets with David Stern

Mayor Mike McGinn met with NBA Commissioner David Stern in New York City on Monday to tell him Seattle wants to bring back professional basketball.

“We met so the mayor could show his commitment to bringing an NBA team back to Seattle,” wrote McGinn spokesman Aaron Pickus in an email.

The visit came as a surprise to local representatives of Chris Hansen, the San Francisco hedge-fund manager who is proposing to spend up to $800 million to partially finance a new arena and buy an NBA team.

Rollin Fatland, a spokesman for Hansen, said he didn’t know anything about the meeting.

“What the hell is that about?” Fatland said, adding that the mayor may have contacted others about the meeting. “I’m not aware that anyone asked him to do it.”

— Reported by the Seattle Times