Presently at the helm of the fledgling Sacramento Kings organization is the once wealthy and arguably misguided Maloof family. Originally natives of the state of New Mexico, the Maloofs managed to forge out a multi-million dollar distribution industry, in the Southwest during the late 1930’s.
The Maloof family, consisting of two parents and their five children purchased the Sacramento Kings organization in July of 1999. While the Maloof biographies, which are available on the Sacramento King’s website, boast "the Maloofs have guided the Kings to their most successful stretch in the Sacramento-era (since 1985)," attendance statistics tell another story. In fact, the attendance records reflect the mismanagement of the organization and the Maloofs poor rapport with the citizens of Sacramento.
In the thirteen seasons the Maloofs have owned the King, the fan attendance rating has been in the bottom half of the league seven times. Moreover, five of the seven times the attendance rating has dropped to within the bottom five. Between the '06-'07 and the '07-'08 season this atrocious attendance rating took a tremendous hit. During this stretch, the King's attendance fell from a respectable 709,817 fans that attended a King's home game to a dismal 580,178. Ever since, attendance ratings at King's games has continued to falter, as only 478,764 people attended a King's home game during the '11-'12 season.
This is a far cry from what attendance figures in Sacramento looked like before the Maloofs. Between the '86-'87 season and the '98-'99 season, the thirteen seasons before the Maloof era, the team's attendance ratings were in the top half of the league nine times and eight of the nine times within the league's top ten.
This shift is unquestionably a result of the current state of management. Time and again the Maloofs have angered the basketball world and the city of Sacramento. One outrage came earlier this year when, according to an article published by Steven Greenhut in the Sacramento Bee, “the Maloof family said they are backing out of a handshake deal in February to invest $73 million in a project to build a new arena downtown.” Additionally, the Maloofs owned the former WNBA team, the Sacramento Monarchs. Under Maloof management the team collapsed in 2009 despite making the playoffs nine times in just thirteen seasons and winning the championship in 2005. Meanwhile, the Maloofs have recently been credited with the downturn that has befallen the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, which they used to own in addition to the Kings.
While this article is not meant to slander the entrepreneurial capabilities of the Maloof family, as the family has had wild successes in many areas, it is meant to make us wonder if the NBA should intervene? Will the Kings become the next New Orleans Hornets? Will the team even stay in Sacramento?
While this article is not meant to slander the entrepreneurial capabilities of the Maloof family, as the family has had wild successes in many areas, it is meant to make us wonder if the NBA should intervene? Will the Kings become the next New Orleans Hornets? Will the team even stay in Sacramento?
Great first article Brock!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. This team is just oozing with potential but have not been able to realize it. You can see the trickle down affect from poor leadership at the top
ReplyDeleteTrickle down is a great way to explain what is going on. Now rumors are surfacing that the Kings are looking to draft UConn's Andre Drummond, a talented big man that has a less than desirable work ethic and attitude. I wonder how Sacramento would look with Drummond, paired in the frontcourt with Demarcus Cousins, another big man who notably needs an attitude adjustment? Add Tyreke Evans and Marcus Thornton to that mix and who knows?
ReplyDeleteSounds to me like Drummond would be toxic for that locker room. They already have one head case on their hands; adding another probably exacerbates that situation and causes that attitude to proliferate that roster. The last thing the Kings need is to have a bunch of players not playing to their potential and blaming those around them for the team's shortcomings. Look at Pops at San Antonio--there's a man that drafts players with great character and as a result has created one of the most successful franchises in the past 20 years.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, there is no better team than the Spurs at drafting players.
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