“Long live the Sacramento Kings”.  That was the message of yesterday’s massive celebration taking place at Cesar Chavez Park.  Cowbell Kingdom was there and caught up with new Kings owners Mark Mastrov, Paul Jacobs, Phil Oates and Dave “Deuce” Mason of CBS Sports 1140 at yesterday’s event.  Listen down below.

Excerpts

Mark Mastrov

It’s amazing because you look at what we’ve done in the last four months.  I mean Burkle and I started off and then we slowly brought Vivek in quietly and then it evolved into the Jacobs family and Andy Miller and Chris Kelly and Raj (Bhathal) and everybody else.  But when you look at the people around us, it’s an amazing group of brain power with the diversity of experiences that are going to add a tremendous value to this franchise.

Paul Jacobs

The thing the fans need to know is that they’re the one who kept the team in Sacramento.  The league didn’t want to move the team when they knew that these fans had the passion that they had, the excitement that they had.  Sacramento supported the team and that’s why we’re here.  Sure we’re a new ownership group and we came in and put some money in, but it was really the fans that made the team stay here and that’s what this day is about.

Phil Oates

As a community, it’s thrilling because we need jobs in this community.  We need this to be a place where people are moving to, not away from.  And I think with this energy of this downtown arena, with the whole great feeling that it brings to this town, knowing that people, tremendous people of power are coming from San Diego and Los Angeles, the Silicon Valley, it means Sacramento is going to live long past me and into the lifetime of my grandson who’s due on Monday and past to his grandson.

Deuce Mason

This new ownership group is all about the fans…They’re gonna be in Sleep Train for the next three years and they will make the most of it.  They’re gonna do great with what they have.  Then you go to the new arena, it’s going to be even more amazing.  That’s what I’m so excited for.  I have so much belief in this new ownership group.  This isn’t just some “oh we’re doing this for fun”.  They are doing it because they believe in this community.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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A deal has been reached to sell the Sacramento Kings according to reports.  The ownership group led by Vivek Ranadivé has struck an agreement with the Maloof family to buy controlling interest of the team, which would be valued at a record $535 million.  Now that change is finally coming at the top, how can the Kings fix the product on the floor?  We discuss that and other topics on this week’s Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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The group of investors proposing to buy the Kings and keep them in Sacramento made headlines this week when it was reported that they are prepared to opt out of the NBA’s revenue sharing program.  League salary cap expert Larry Coon joins us on this week’s podcast to offer his analysis and opinion on the news.  We also discuss the Twitter exchange between a Sonics fan and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison, as well as some “what if” chat on the Kings and Golden State Warriors’ recent draft history.

Excerpt

How does Coon think NBA owners in small markets feel about the Sacramento group’s proposal to forgo revenue sharing?

Well first of all, if I’m a Peter Holt or somebody in a small market, I’m saying ‘Well No. 1, don’t expect us to being doing that because we were part of the negotiation for this thing and we think it’s important and we’re glad to be recipients of that’.  And No. 2, I’d be saying ‘Okay, so they’re not taking their share, where’s that money gonna go?  Can that further subsidize (other) small market teams and help the rest of us out more?’ That’s what I’d be petitioning for if I were a small market owner.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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Sacramento’s effort to keep the Kings took a major leap forward earlier this week.  The NBA’s relocation committee unanimously recommended against moving the Kings to Seattle, putting the capital city in prime position to end this saga on a high note.  What’s next for Sacramento?  Jonathan Santiago joins James Ham from Oracle Arena in Oakland following the Golden State Warriors’ first round defeat of the Denver Nuggets in this week’s Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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The race for control of the Sacramento Kings appears to be entering its final lap.  The NBA’s relocation and finance committee is expected to formulate its recommendation this Monday, followed by a vote from the full Board of Governors’ in two weeks.  San Francisco talk show host Tim Montemayor has shared some intriguing details on the situation over Twitter in the last few weeks.  He joins this week’s Cowbell Kingdom Podcast to discuss the saga.

Excerpt

How has Montemayor sourced his information on the Sacramento/Seattle situation?  He says he’s spoken regularly to at least three different people who are directly involved in league affairs.

There was a lot of momentum around the idea that “hey we’re hearing there’s a compromise in the works.”  And so I was putting it out there and that was, if today’s Thursday, that was a few days ago.  Monday, Tuesday – I sent a text message to a guy I know and he got back to me late on Tuesday.  And he said well hey here’s what’s going on – the league is working very hard to find a way to satisfy both markets.  And Kevin Johnson has been kicking ass and has clearly outperformed the Seattle group.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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The Sacramento Kings’ 2012-13 season is offically over. But is the franchise finished for good?  Jonathan Santiago is in New York covering the NBA Board of Governors’ meetings and updates on what’s happened so far. Back in Sacramento, James Ham offers his reflections of the Kings’ last game of the year. James is also joined by venerable Kings radio voice Gary Gerould for an intimate conversation conducted before Wednesday’s game.

Excerpt

Gerould’s feelings on the team’s uncertain future:

I think I’m a lot like other folks.  We want resolution.  We want the saga, the roller coaster to come to an end.  We want to have some definition, yes or no.  I think we’re all kind of at that point.  That being said, couple of days ago when word came out that there would be no decision with the Board of Governors’ this weekend with these meetings, I wasn’t the least bit surprised.  These things as we all know are so terribly complicated.  I’ve said it countless times – so many moving parts.  And it’s a difficult decision that the owners are now wrestling with.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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The fate of the Sacramento Kings might be decided one week from today inside the conference room of a New York hotel.  Aaron Bruski of NBC Sports ProBasketballTalk joins us for a conversation on what appears to be the final leg of Sacramento’s race to keep the Kings.

Excerpt

Bruski on the Maloofs’  5 pm ultimatum for the Sacramento group’s offer:

Everybody kind of collectively rolled their eyes at this demand.  But behind the demand, or maybe the way that it was given, was actually a very valid point on behalf of the Maloofs, which is “Hey, if we’re gonna be perhaps forced to take this backup offer by the NBA, we want to see it.  And if we have problems with it, we want to be able to tell you what our problems are with it.”

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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Both cities have made their cases.  Now Seattle and Sacramento must play the waiting game as the NBA decides the fate of the Kings.  James Ham was in New York to take in the sites and sounds of the league’s special meeting on the Sacramento/Seattle situation.  We break down and recap what he saw and heard during his stay out east.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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On Wednesday, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson went public with the 25 businesses pledging $50 million in sponsorships if the Kings stay put.  One of the companies announced was the local branch of Jiffy Lube, a major business that’s been a part of this saga since the relocation scare of 2011.  Jiffy Lube marketing director Matt Graham joins James Ham in the first segment of this week’s podcast to discuss local business’ role in the effort to keep the Kings in Sacramento.  In segment two, a recap of the week’s events, including a discussion on the Seattle group’s agreement to purchase an additional 7 percent of the team.

Excerpt

Graham on the business risk involved in committing corporate dollars to an uncertain situation:

A lot of people in our situations or others that have stepped forward, they don’t know the outcome, so they don’t want to put their foot in the water so to speak.  I think as those businesses that want to take the lead and take the risk, they’re rewarded for that in many ways.  And so we’ve always felt to take a risk as a right thing to do.  Our owner is a serial entrepreneur with many successful companies, as well as a few failures, and he’s passed that on to us within this company.  We always feel helping the community, not only the Kings, other charitable stuff, is the right thing to do and it helps all of us in the end.  So as a business, we felt it’s the only thing to do is support the greater good of the region.

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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Another suitor has emerged in Sacramento’s effort to keep the Kings.  Software tycoon and Golden State Warriors vice chairman Vivek Ranadivé has become the lead investor in a prospective ownership group that includes Mark Mastrov and Ron Burkle.  We welcome talk radio host Carmichael Dave and Jeff Dorso of Think Big Sacramento to join us to dissect yesterday’s major news in this week’s Cowbell Kingdom Podcast.  Dave joined us from the road to also discuss the “Playing To Win Tour”, while James caught up with Dorso at halftime of last night’s Kings’ win at Sleep Train Arena.

Excerpt

Dorso on Ranadivé:

He’s been partners with Mark Mastrov for some time.  He’s currently an owner of the Warriors and he’s just a tremendous asset to an already strong ownership group.

Dave on giving up a month of his life for the “Playing To Win Tour”:

The bottom line is this is an incredible honor.  And there are three people on this RV, but to me after being at ARCO a couple days ago and seeing everybody sign the RV, seeing the tears and the hugs, seeing Grant Napear come out with his wife and sign it, meeting little kids and lifting them up and signing it, my kids signing it – the entire city of Sacramento, every Kings fan is with us in the RV and we’re charged.  We’re spreading that love and passion, just like I’m doing to you right now.

I’m so pumped up, even though I’m so tired, in trying to get that word out and hopefully come home before the Board of Governors’ meeting, I believe, with very good news.  And we can all celebrate together with my kids and your kids and all the kids I saw two days ago signing that RV.  They’re gonna take their kids to go see a Kings game.  And for that, who wouldn’t give up 30 days of their life if they were lucky and blessed enough to be in that position?

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Music Credit: Ronald Jenkees – Guitar Sound

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