No Promises from Commissioner Stern

NBA Commissioner David Stern said Saturday there is no deal yet in the push
for a new arena to keep the Sacramento Kings in California. But, the
commissioner also said a new arena in Seattle would not necessarily mean we
would be able to lure a team here.

The recently unveiled plans to build a new sports arena in Seattle hinge on
teams in the NBA and NHL agreeing to call it home. Stern was asked whether
the arena proposal is Seattle’s first step down the road toward making that
happen.

“I can’t say for sure it’s a pathway, but I will say that the only way to have a
team these days is to have a world-class building,” Stern said.

Right now, he says, he is concentrating on deals to keep the Kings in
Sacramento and the Hornets in New Orleans.