King James new owner of Kings?
Who says Kevin Johnson doesn't have a sense of humor?
The former NBA player and current mayor of Sacramento, Calif., is trying to save the Kings from being sold to hedge fund billionaire Chris Hansen, who wants to move the team to Seattle.
Johnson reached out Friday to another successful businessman - LeBron James. The Miami Heat were in Sacramento, and the two appeared at a charity fundraiser where Johnson floated the idea of James owning the Kings.
"I know you like to be first at everything you do," Johnson said to James. "How about being the first person to own a team while still playing? You know, we have a team here in Sacramento that's for sale.
"So what do we need to do to make it happen? Do my people call your people? How does that work?"
James broke up laughing.
"That's how it works," James said, before asking a member of his entourage, "You bring my checkbook?"
It was a nice piece of levity to what is a serious situation for Johnson, who already has fought off a bid in 2011 to move the Kings to Anaheim, Calif. He thinks he has the financing in place to purchase the team from the Maloof family and keep the Kings in Sacramento.
On Tuesday, The Sacramento Bee reported that Johnson has approval from NBA commissioner David Stern to make a direct proposal to the league's Board of Governors. Johnson said that bid also would have to include plans for a new arena and would have to have local investors.
But a March 1 deadline for relocation is looming, and Hansen has the financial wherewithal to up his current offer of a reported $525 million to the cash-strapped Maloofs.
The storyline in this real-life soap opera changes every day. As we here in Las Vegas watch from afar, just be glad we don't have an arena to be used as leverage against Sacramento. We have enough drama of our own.
■ PEACE OFFERINGS - When the Los Angeles Kings had their first practice Sunday at their El Segundo, Calif., facility, hundreds of fans showed up to watch the defending Stanley Cup champions go through the paces. At the Philadelphia Flyers' practice facility in Voorhees, N.J., 2,000 fans packed the rink to watch their heroes work out.
Of course, free hot dogs and soft drinks didn't hurt attendance in L.A. And with the puck set to drop Saturday, virtually every NHL team will have some sort of "welcome back" perk to lure their jilted patrons following the 113-day lockout that caused the league to cancel 32 regular-season games, the Winter Classic and the All-Star Game.
From free concessions in Pittsburgh to no service fees on tickets in Detroit and Anaheim, to free parking in Ottawa to free admission for kids the first two months in Dallas, teams are looking to make peace.
But like everything that gets settled in labor squabbles, the end result is not perfect.
The good news for fans is with the NHL back, they get to listen to Mike "Doc" Emrick do play-by-play on NBC. The bad news is they have to look at Don Cherry's garish wardrobe during the first intermission on "Hockey Night in Canada."
COMPILED BY STEVE CARP
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
