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Sacramento has gotten no word from the National Basketball Association that the Kings are staying in town – but the league doesn't have plans yet to visit Anaheim, an NBA official said Friday.

League staff members will be in Sacramento Monday to collect more detailed information about financial support for the Kings and a new arena following a two-day visit Thursday and Friday by an NBA attorney and NBA Relocation Committee Chair Clay Bennett, who owns the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Bennett will report back to his committee next week, said Tim Frank, the NBA's senior vice president of Basketball Communications.

However, NBA officials have not scheduled a similar fact-finding mission to Southern California, Frank said.

"No trip planned at the moment for Anaheim," he wrote in an email.

The Kings' owners, the Maloofs, said Friday they have not yet made a decision about whether to file a relocation request to move the team. The deadline is May 2.

On Thursday, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and other elected official asked the NBA to give the region a year to show they will be able to replace Power Balance Pavilion with a new home for the Kings.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday afternoon NBA officials said they expect the Kings to stay in the state capital for the next year. However, the NBA has not told this to the city of Sacramento, Mayor Kevin Johnson said in a late-afternoon press conference.

"I have not heard that from David Stern's mouth. I have not heard that from Clay Bennett," said Johnson, who called the claim "too premature."

"I haven't heard anything close to that, by any means."

Still, Anaheim didn't sound like the happiest place on earth Friday. Mayor Tom Tait issued a brief statement saying he didn't want to respond to "unconfirmed reports."

“As we have said all along, Anaheim is an NBA-ready city,” he said in a prepared statement. “We put forth a great presentation at the NBA Board of Governors meetings in New York. And we are confident that we have established this region as a stand-alone market and that the NBA looks favorably on our city, our arena and our fans."

Anaheim city officials didn't wish to comment on the NBA having no visits scheduled for Anaheim, said Ruth Ruiz, spokeswoman for the city manager's office.

"That would be a decision for someone in the NBA to make," Ruiz said late Friday afternoon.

George Maloof told Johnson early this week they want to let Bennett and the NBA gather information before further discussing a possible move with the NBA or the city of Sacramento. The Maloofs repeated that in a prepared statement sent out Friday in response to reports the NBA has decided keep the Kings in Sacramento.

"We await the results of the fact-finding visit that the NBA made to Sacramento the past two days," according to the statement. "We have not made a decision with regards to relocation filing, and will not make that decision until we have more information from the NBA."

Johnson thanked Kings fans, the business community and other elected officials for their help in fighting "tooth and nail" to help keep the Kings in Sacramento.

By Friday, the Sacramento Metro Chamber, city and others had raised more than $10.2 million in pledges of financial support for the Kings if they stay.

"Clay Bennett got a chance to sit down and look face to face with the people who made these pledges, and they didn't flinch," Johnson said at City Hall.

NBA officials dined at Ella Thursday night and met from 9 a.m.- noon Friday with the Maloofs. Johnson said he rode to the airport with Bennett.

"They felt that our community had stepped up," Johnson said.

The mayor said NBA officials indicated they will say next week when they expect to make a decision, after meeting with the Kings and the Sacramento region's corporate community to discuss those pledges.

City officials and business leaders will have to wait until late May when an arena feasibility study is complete to start determining how new arena construction might be financed, he said.

Using a basketball analogy, Johnson said he no longer feels like Sacramento is behind in the game by 20 points. But he also doesn't yet feel like Sacramento has won the fight to keep the Kings.

"We've shrunk that lead to something manageable," he said.

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

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Rhonda Erwin

April 22, 2011 | 11:45 PM

We may win the battle; but will we win the war??? Johnson " no longer feels like Sacramento is behind in the game by 20 points. But he also doesn't yet feel like Sacramento has won the fight to keep the Kings." And he shouldn't since the Maloofs have done nothing to stay in Sacramento and let Sacramento do all the labor, fight, beg, plead, put their pride aside, come out the pocket.....If they wanted to stay wouldn’t they contribute??? So in a year Sacramento will again put everything else aside to bargain with the Maloofs, NBA.…??? Sacramento may win the battle but did we win the war??? We are asking them to give us a year. Why wouldn't they? Just to shut us up. It's just a year. A year from now will we be wearing purple, asking businesses, tribes for money.... asking the kings to please stay??? The Maloofs want to go, the team wants to go. They've put nothing into this, they are sitting back and letting Sac and Anaheim duel it out. Why would Anaheim put up a fight - it’s only a year. We are depending on the Kings to be our entertainment BUT what entertainment are we giving them compared to LA. ?

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trapper

April 23, 2011 | 7:54 AM

Seriously? The Maloof's have been tiring to build a new arena for 10 years now. If you knew anything about what is about to happen in the NBA, this NBA season will end in a lock-out with the league wanting to slash salary costs by one-third ($700-800 million) in the next agreement which will be June 30th. If this can't be done the NBA is considering the elimination of teams to also solve the league's financial woes. If the Maloofs are told they are in that category because the Sacramento market is the weakest or one of the weakest in the league, then expect them to preserve their investment by moving to Anaheim.

All this well known info. My bet is that there won't be a season at all next year because players won't want to cut their salaries.

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LisaInthe916

April 23, 2011 | 4:11 PM

It's not just about the NBA. If you want to continue to see concerts and other events (e.g. Disney on Ice) then we need a new sports and entertainment complex! It was a huge slap across the face when the NCAA said Arco Arena wasn't suitable enough to bring March Madness here to Sac. Think of all the tourism revenue we could've benefited from as an entire region if some of those games had taken place here?? It would be an entire month of hotels being sold out and people eating in our restaurants. I have yet to hear of one entertainment complex paid for purely with private funds. If our region wants to have say so in how a venue like that is run, they you have to put up some of your own money to make it so.

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Rhonda Erwin

edited on April 23, 2011 | 7:41 PM

Seriously--I don't know all the well known info... nor am I embarrassed for not knowing.... Thanks for sharing it. But what I do know is I love this city and to see city folks begging, pleading.... we're worthy, please stay, give us another chance-- to a sports team and the city folks putting in all the work as the sports team threatens "don't mess with our business..." which threatened to leave before and will again if the price is rigtht not only adds insult to injury but it is embarrassing. But that's my opinion and you are entitled to yours. I do agree players won't want to cut their salaries and I do believe your well known info could be a contributing factor to the move but I doubt it is the sole factor. Thank you http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/46881/Anaheims_economics_luring_Kings_mayor_says

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Rhonda Erwin

edited on April 23, 2011 | 7:33 PM

Lisa, I respect your opinion. However, I am inclined to agree more with what was written in David Barton’s editorial “…As Suzanne Hurt’s reporting last week shows, the departure of the Kings may, in the end, be no big deal financially..."
http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/47983/Echoes_of_Kings_last_move_reverberate_today

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Billyjames4545

April 23, 2011 | 9:24 AM

Sorry Rhonda, but not one team player has said anything about wanting to leave Sactown. In fact they are all quoted as appreciating this city, its fans and enjoy what it offers them. How many times do you really have to say the same thing about this subject? This has turned into an obsession with you turn the computer off and be positive.

If the players don't play next year, they loose out on salary, so it goes both ways. The owners want revenue sharing more then contraction actually.

The Anaheim Mayor is a spin doctor: "Anaheim is an NBA-ready city"
Fact: they only have ticket interest from a questionable 3000 people. Sac has 10,000 plus regular season ticket holders.
Fact: they need bonds to get upgrades for the Honda center so it can host an NBA team.
Fact: TV deal is through the owner of the Honda center and is league min in price. No conflict of interest there.
Anaheim=not NBA ready.

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Billyjames4545

April 23, 2011 | 9:28 AM

Concerning Anaheim and this whole Kings ordeal, their words and reports are as bloated with botox as their faces.
This whole ride has been great, as it has exposed the Maloofs as complete blundering fools to the other owners in the NBA if they didn't know all ready. The Kings might stay, but I have a good feeling the Maloofs will go. Please take Grant Napier with you.

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Rhonda Erwin

edited on April 23, 2011 | 8:02 PM

Sorry Billy-- Chris Weber couldn't wait to get out of here - lol. Heck, he knew their was little to do - didn't he start a night club in natomas? Which ended in a gang shoot out- closed down. (so it seems some business might want Sac to significantly address youth violence since gangs are bad for business.... ) Heck, I would hope the players don't publicly say anything if so they need to fire their publicist, Public Relations team.... Surely they wouldn't open their mouth and publicly bite the hand that fed them. That would be silly. And Billy I guess I have to say the same thing about this subject as many times as I want since it is my prerogative. Heck, my question is how many times will you read it? If I thought someone was saying the same thing I wouldn't read it. lol - An obsession--lol That's Silly Billy--lol- What?? Negative? That’s even sillier. I am being positive. I think the city can thrive without the Kings and find other avenues to generate revenue seems the negative folks seem to think we can't:) Fact: you are entitled to your opinion and I am entitled to mine. Have a great day

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Rhonda Erwin

April 23, 2011 | 8:24 PM

Chris Weber calls Sac a cow town while he supports the Kings staying in sac and trying to help keep the Kings in Sac and enjoys "the people" of Sac -- he has said nothing about sac entertainment....or enjoying the city life. In fact it's what he doesn't say that speaks volumes. But then he also stated, "I didn't want to go there" and "I tried to run away from there" In so many words he says it's a great place to visit- call it a home- but I wouldn't want to live there- and he's not.---

http://www.kcra.com/sports/21662242/detail.html
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2011/04/13/chris-webber-says-hes-working-to-keep-kings-in-sacramento/ ---

So I'll say it again, we should also be looking at ways to provide entertainment other than making the Kings the entertainment since some players don't want to come here and thinks it a cow town and will try and run from here.......

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joell83

April 24, 2011 | 7:14 PM

webber signed a multi year deal to stay here in 02. it might better serve your cause for this mystery entertainment you speak of to maybe people who arent sports fans

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Billyjames4545

April 24, 2011 | 8:30 PM

Rhonda, last I checked, Weber wasn't on the team anymore. It must also be noted that he was traded to Sac for Mitch. Mitch carried this team for most of his career with little reward. I'm sure webber was well versed in that history and he had no idea that he was about to be a part of a transformation to a winning team.

Google his cow town quotes all you want, but he regrets those initial feelings. Why would a star player want to come play for a team that has a history of not winning? I stand by what I said, there is not a single player on this team that has said anything less then being absolutely appreciative of the fans in this city. But please go ahead and take the standard position of how this is somehow related to overpaid privileged self entitled jocks all you want.

Players have nothing to do with this. Its about 3 man boys and their inability to conduct business with wealth that they inherited. Story of America. Or American lie what ever you prefer.

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