Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

I just received my copy of ESPN The Magazine, on the heels of the report yesterday of the 10th annual ranking of pro franchises, including the MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL, by ESPN.go.com. It was  reported here yesterday by A Royal Pain’s, Bryan Rosa.

The Maloofs, owners of the Sacramento Kings’ franchise, received a virtual spanking by Peter Keating in ESPN’s annual Franchise Issue,  earning the title of:

“Ultimate (Horrible) Bosses”

This title came as a result of ranking last on the category of ownership, which covers, “honesty and loyalty to core players and to the community.”  Keating pondered the question:

“How do you finish last, by a landslide, in fan voting for owner honesty?”

Keating outlined six of his own reasons, citing playing “footsie with Anaheim,” striking a deal with Mayor Kevin Johnson, and then backing out six weeks later as three of them.

Keating further added:

“The Maloofs want out of Sacramento…. they’re back in fading Power Balance Pavilion… It has wooden risers and a leaky roof and ranked 121st among stadiums in our voting.”

That the Sacramento Kings’ franchise ranked so low among voters, shouldn’t come as any surprise to any loyal Kings fans, here in Sacramento, who have had to live this debacle over the past year.

By the way, the Oklahoma City Thunder ranked Number One. This is the franchise to model if it wants high fan ratings.

Peter Keating gets it.

Sports fans across the country spoke with their votes; Keating reported his analysis of those votes.  It is a message, not only to the Maloofs, but to other professional franchises, and other major leagues – if this is how you treat your fans, this is how you are going to rank. You can’t hide under a table, the rest of the sporting world is going to see what you are doing.

Fellow Kings fans, I know it’s been awhile since my last post, but I’ll make up for it with an interesting developing story.

The newly proposed ‘Amnesty clause’ would allow teams to cut a player whom they believe to be overpaid or unneeded, without having to pay the rest of their salary. 

This is big news to teams who have signed players to big contracts, only to see them under-perform (i.e. Rashard Lewis, Wizards). Thankfully, the Kings aren’t one of those teams, but there are two players on the roster who ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chad Ford believe could fall victim to this clause:

 Francisco Garcia

Newcomers Jimmer Fredette and Tyler Honeycutt can pretty much do what Garcia was brought in for – perimeter shooting (Jimmer) and wing defending (Honeycutt). The addition of these rookies to an already youthful roster makes Garcia somewhat expendable. Look for the Kings to find a worthwhile trade for Garcia, or exercise this amnesty clause.

John Salmons

This one had me scratching my head a little bit. Yes, Salmons is overpaid for his services, but he can prove to be a valuable veteran leader for this team, with a higher skill set than Garcia. I don’t think the Kings expected Honeycutt to fall into their lap when they traded for Salmons, but the veteran could find his niche on this squad with consistent perimeter shooting, solid defending, and by mentoring the young Honeycutt.