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The Commercial Appeal interviewed Dr. Kenneth Jung, an orthopedics doctor who specializes in foot and ankle fractures, to get more clarity on Jackson's injury. Jung was a foot and ankle consultant for the L.A. Lakers, Anaheim Ducks and L.A. Kings, among other sports franchises.
The Lakers, Kings, Ducks, Galaxy and Chargers have mandated vaccinations for full-time employees at offices within the United States, according to a statement Wednesday from AEG, the parent company of the Kings and Galaxy and the Staples Center landlord of the Lakers. The requirement would include “limited exceptions as required by law,” the statement said.
This time it’s among the 122 professional sports franchises in North America, as rated by ESPN the Magazine in its annual assessment. It’s an unofficial competition the Spurs have long dominated, earning “Franchise of the Decade” honors last year after becoming the only team to finish in the top 10, including twice in first, in each of its first 10 years. This year, the rankings are: 1. Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) 2. San Antonio Spurs (NBA) 3. Indiana Pacers (NBA) 4. Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) 5. Green Bay Packers (NFL) 6. Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB) 7. Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) 8. Anaheim Ducks (NHL) 9. Ottawa Senators (NHL) 10. Baltimore Ravens (NFL)
Seattle looms as the greatest threat of all, with a group headed by billionaire Chris Hansen and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer having already landed city council approval for a $490 million arena for professional basketball and hockey. The Maloof family that owns the Kings, that took it to such great heights during their glory days in the early 2000s and down to the lowest lows of late, has said consistently that they don't want to sell. But the mistrust in the Maloofs runs deep in these parts, and so the tension remains in what has become a most awkward arrangement between a once-beloved team and its city. "If somebody is going to pay an exorbitant price, and overpay, or do something very similar to what (Anaheim Ducks owner Henry) Samueli was going to do in Anaheim, if Chris Hansen is looking to do something like that, then that may be something that doesn't apply to us," Johnson told USA TODAY Sports. "All things being considered, I would like to believe that (the Maloofs) have a change of heart and are willing to consider selling at a fair price and that they would give us a chance to keep the team here in Sacramento."
In fact, as he prepares for Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery in New York, where Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson will be representing the Kings at the request of the Maloof family, Maloof is still somewhat surprised the team is playing one more year in Sacramento. "The decision to remain in Sacramento was tough," Maloof said. "We had what we thought was a very fair opportunity in Anaheim. It was basically a negotiated lease with Henry and Susan Samueli [who own the Anaheim Ducks and operate the Honda Center]. It was a difficult decision to remain in Sacramento. I'm not going to sugarcoat that but we're going to give it another shot. We're going to give it an honest shot. And hopefully there's an arena there, and if not we're going to have to move on."
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In a last-minute move to land the Kings, Anaheim billionaire Henry Samueli today offered to increase his personal loan to the team from $50 million to as much as $70 million, and has offered to buy a minority stake in the team. Samueli, owner of the Anaheim Ducks, also has agreed to far more costly improvements to Anaheim's Honda Center to bring that facility up to NBA standards. Originally, Honda Center officials had planned to spend $25 million on upgrades. That figure has jumped to $70 million, center officials said Thursday afternoon.
Kings co-owners Joe and Gavin Maloof were already in New York by tipoff time, preparing for a Thursday presentation at the NBA's Board of Governor's meeting that will determine their fate. They will talk of small-market challenges and large market benefits, explaining to their fellow owners how the Honda Center is a good fit and how the lease agreement with Anaheim Ducks owner Henry Samueli isn't as flawed as some have made it out to be. Yet according to numerous ownership sources, their pitch is hardly a formality in this process and there remains a small chance the "Here We Stay" chants might come true after all. After making their pitch, the Maloofs must file for relocation by the Monday deadline.
Tait repeatedly emphasized the city is borrowing no money and has no financial risk in the deal. According to every Anaheim official at the meeting, the city is merely acting as a conduit for a private investment by Henry Samueli, the billionaire owner of the NHL's Anaheim Ducks. "I'd like to recognize this is a historic moment for us," Council Member Harry Sidhu said. "This is going to be a great economic engine for us. A lot of jobs are going to be created, and I'm fully confident in that."
All of which is a very formal way of saying Samueli, billionaire owner of the Ducks, is all but subsidizing the move for the Maloofs so that an NBA team can join the Ducks as professional co-tenants at Honda Center. Were it not for Samueli, it's safe to say this deal could not and would not get done. The Maloofs, frustrated by repeated failures to secure funding for a new arena to replace outdated Arco Arena (now Power Balance Pavilion) in Sacramento, began serious relocation talks with Anaheim Arena Management officials last fall.
If the Kings (or Anaheim Royals) join the Ducks as co-tenants, the NBA team would be playing mostly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at Honda Center; the Ducks would play mostly on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday nights. The teams would have "equal priority" for playoff dates. •Ducks season-ticket holders would have "priority" to purchase seats for NBA games with the exception of "floor seats," seats set aside for "sports packages (good for both teams' games) and "premium" seats on the Club Level. •A new level of smaller "terrace suites" will be constructed on the upper level of Honda Center, and construction of two new private clubs for premium-seat holders — one under the lower bowl and one on the patio over the Team Store — are being considered.
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The Anaheim City Council is set to vote on the package Tuesday at a meeting dedicated to this one issue. The issue was on the agenda for mid-April but got moved up, presumably to accommodate the Kings' timetable. The team's owners, the Maloofs, have until April 18 to seek permission from the NBA to relocate. The city is involved because it owns the arena and would issue bonds. But the debt would be repaid by billionaire Henry Samueli, who manages the Honda Center and owns its main tenant, hockey's Anaheim Ducks. The package, if approved, "will clear the path for a professional basketball team to call Anaheim home," Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said in a prepared statement. He noted that the deal needs the NBA's approval.
Johnson said he also was upset that he had to hear the news via Google alert, rather than from the Kings themselves. "I would have preferred a phone call in advance," said the mayor, a former NBA All-Star. "Sacramento deserves better than this." Team officials declined Thursday to discuss the potential move. The Kings have refused to speak about their future since rumors surfaced last month of negotiations between the team and managers of the Honda Center in Anaheim, home to the Anaheim Ducks hockey team.
With a March 1 deadline to file for relocation looming large in Sacramento and the owners of the Kings continuing discussions with Anaheim Ducks officials regarding a possible move to Southern California, a source close to the situation said Monday that they have yet to deliver documents that were promised to the arena development team in California's Capital City. It is, without question, yet another sign that the Maloofs (Gavin and Joe above) are strongly considering the possibility of playing elsewhere next season.
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