I almost regret not exercising my right to vote - almost.
Trust me, if I didn't have to politicize a basketball column, I wouldn't. But this isn't my doing.
It's Kevin Johnson's fault.
The former Phoenix Suns' point guard, whom I will still remember as the guy Horace Grant blocked in the '93 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and the Suns, beat out incumbent Heather Fargo to become Sacramento's first black mayor.
Good for Johnson; great for the Maloofs; god-awful news for Albuquerque.
Let me explain.
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Among many issues, part of Johnson's agenda is to keep the Kings in Sacramento. It has long been rumored that the Maloofs, who own the Palms Casino Resort, have considered uprooting and taking the organization to Sin City.
I have always considered the move to Vegas to be a preposterous proposition. Not only is Vegas rooted in gambling, but consider the conflict of interest if a Maloof-owned casino (which, by the way, can now take NBA bets) took bets on a Maloof-run team. That's like taking two distant cousins who are attracted to each other, putting them in a room with a stockpile of hard liquor and saying, "Go for it." That's basketball incest.
Instead of moving the Kings' organization to Vegas, Albuquerque, at least prior to Johnson's appearance on the political scene, seemed like a puzzle-piece fit. The Maloofs have ties to Albuquerque; Albuquerque is a basketball town; former UNM standout Kenny Thomas is on the freakin' team; and oh, yeah, Mayor Martin Chavez is pushing and prodding to build an arena - something the Maloofs have lobbied for in Sac-town. Possibly, collaboration on the part of the City of Albuquerque and the Maloofs could transform a concept into a realization.
Getting back to the point, though.
All this appears to be a whimsical fantasy since Johnson was elected. He practically - OK, so the Maloofs have the final say so - ruined any chance Albuquerque had or has in landing a professional team in the foreseeable future. Johnson will pander to his constituents and persuade the Maloofs to remain cozily snuggled up in the love-Sac.
Sadly, in every aspect - in terms of population, location and appreciation - Albuquerque trumps Sacramento.
Sac-town has a population of about 476,000, whereas Albuquerque has a population of 518,271. Like I said before, the location is ideal because of the strong ties the Maloofs have to the region. And most important, Albuquerque citizens would value the organization more than those California fans, who are spoiled with the luxury of having four NBA teams in the state - the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kings.
Economically, it makes sense, too. Sure, you might be leaving a richer community, but it's better to be the only team in the state, rather than competing against three other organizations.
I can't just blame Johnson, however.
The City of Albuquerque, if its goal was to be a possible suitor for a professional team, incompetently mismanaged the placement of our D-League team, the Albuquerque Thunderbirds. If you're optimistic about convincing an NBA executive to consider Albuquerque as a destination for his team, the first thing on a list of don'ts has to be sticking the D-League team at Tingley Coliseum. Christ, it doesn't take a degree to figure that one out. Doesn't the Santa Ana Star Center seem a tad bit more appropriate? Maybe that's just me.
Forgive me, I digress.
I have about 300 other points I could have written into this column. Mainly, I'm just bitter that Johnson will get to cajole policy makers to siphon funds off for the Kings. Hey, Gavin and Joe, if you're listening, how about showing a little love for Albuquerque? We love the exhibitions.
