Sacramento Kings: Narrow Vote an Ominous Sign for City's Basketball Future

Sacramento narrowly averted a basketball disaster on Tuesday night, but it may only be delaying the inevitable. 

There was a Sacramento City Council meeting on a resolution that would have all but sealed the Kings fate to be tied to a city other than Sacramento. 

Basketball Dooming Proposal

The City Council was voting on a measure proposed by Councilwoman Sandy Sheedy. This would have left the decision to use the leasing of parking assets to partially fund the new arena up to a public vote. 

And here is what would have doomed basketball. That vote would not happen until June. As it is now, the Kings owners, the Maloof brothers, will be free to secure a deal to relocate the team after March 1st. 

Too Close for Comfort Vote

Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee tweeted the news of the vote. 

The problem with this is that as this group moves forward, just one more defection to the anti-arena side and the arena proposal will be fighting an uphill battle. 

This is enough to lead Lillis ask this question via twitter. 

Tenuous Future

The March 1st deadline can come and go, and it does not mean that the Kings will be leaving. As it is now, this will simply put the fate of the Kings' location solely in the hands of the Maloofs. 

And no matter what they say, there is a very good chance they will bolt to greener pastures the first moment they can. 

They already tried to last season! But they ultimately stuck around for another year after the NBA intervened. 

The other thing that could keep the Kings in Sacramento in this scenario is an extension on that March 1st deadline by the NBA. This will be a much more likely reality if the talks are advancing strongly towards an arena being built. 

There is nothing strong about a city council that is split on votes involving the arena. 

Sacramento is up against the clock. This vote was a big hurdle. They crossed, but barely, and they have a ways to go before reaching the finish line.