Is it true the Kings are moving to Las Vegas?

geof,

Where did you hear the Kings were moving to Las Vegas? If it happens, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

My questions to you would be, "What do you consider a premium product?" Were the Kings teams of the last 7 or so seasons a premium product? Is it merely the win column that distinguishes premium from non? Would you be happy with a team that wasn't winning but consistently put forth a high level of energy and effort? What about a team that won a championship, but then had a 20 to 30 win season?

My reason for asking is that I keep hearing different discussions regarding the Kings and everyone seems to have a different set of expectations as to what is acceptable. In the modern basketball era and free agency, one is hard pressed to find any team that consistently performs at the highest level for a sustained period of time. In the last 20 years, how many different organizations have won back to back NBA titles? 6. And several of those occurences were won by teams that had either Jordan or Shaq on the roster, both of whom have been called the most dominant player of their era. A new team is in town. There are only a few old faces, several new and the season has been wrought with injury. I highly doubt that a success oriented organization like the Kings is trying to pull the sports equivalent of "The Producers." Maybe all the change needed is Father Time? Guys get healthy, maybe they end up with a talented high draft pick and then we see what happens. If it were really so easy to run an NBA franchise, would any of us pay to watch?

Brandon,

Thanks for your insightful comments. For my entertainment dollars, I am looking for entertainers who are passionate, energized, and customer focused. My sense is that the Kings play on the court lacks passion. The crowd lacks energy. The Maloofs delivered passion and energy the past several years. Where are they now? I never see them engaged at a game. It's not about winning, because I became hooked when the Kings were not a winner. Do you think the Chicago Cubs fans are passionate? Are the Cubbies winners?

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive

Cubs fans. I shake my head in genuine wonderment at the very thought. Passionate, patient... persevering. They've definetly put up with a lot of mediocrity. They come back season after season, never knowing which team is going to show up. All this while living in fabulous, historic Chicago. A town which is also the home of the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, the(2005 Champion)White Sox... And yet, those passionate fans come out and cheer on the Cubbies. While I agree that we don't have to settle just because we only have the Kings, (nothing against the RiverCats) is it really so hard to believe that a bad season might just be a bad season?

Where are the Maloofs? I couldn't tell you. But doesnt their track record tell us that they just might be hard at work, trying to figure out what they need to change to help this team find it's winning ways once again? Or maybe not. As a Yankees fan I realize that endless dollars, a tenacious owner, unlimited potential and arguably the top players in the game don't always result in a championship. As a Kings fan, I'm disappointed with what I've seen from the team this season. As a sports fan I realize that passion comes from within.