Commissioner David Stern came out in a Press Conference today and announced that the Maloofs and Board of Governors had jointly decided that another extension was needed before a decision could be made on whether or not to file for relocation. The new deadline is May 2nd and it likely is the last time an extension will be granted.
Stern also revealed that the Board of Governors, chaired by Oklahoma City owner Clay Bennett (a bit of a slap in the face as Bennett was the owner who moved the Supersonics from Seattle), would be using the time to do some fact finding.
Among the facts that they'll be studying are some of the facts presented by Mayor Kevin Johnson in yesterday's meeting about how Sacramento was willing and able to bring more money to the table to keep the team there, as well as looking at the new Arena plan being worked on by the David Taylor/ICON group. The Arena was the real problem, Stern said, as numerous arena deals had fallen apart in the past.
"There's no denying that the Power Balance Pavilion - is an inadequate facility."
On the Anaheim side, Stern said their proposal was "not fully understood" by the committee and that during these next two weeks, the board would try to gain a better understanding of the lease agreement and potential television revenues.
Yesterday it was revealed that Southern California Billionaire Ron Burkle was interested in potentially buying the team and keeping them in Sacramento. Before Stern's conference, George Maloof, one of the co-owners of the Kings, said that they were "100% not selling" and that Burkle "should go back to where he came from". When asked directly about Burkle, Stern said that his proposal was not high on the priority list for things to consider.
When asked if the Los Angeles Area could support three teams, Stern said he believed that it could. But do NBA owners want three teams in Southern California? It looks like we'll find out May 2nd.
Keep up to date with this ongoing story by following this stream and by checking out Sactown Royalty.