SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Brian Floyd

Logan Mayes' arrest the latest in a string of incidents

2013-05-19T22:43:05Z

Just about the last person I would've expected to have a run-in with police was Logan Mayes. So it was a surprise -- shock, perhaps -- to see his name in the Pullman Police logs, and for hit and run, no less.

We still don't know the details of his arrest, and probably won't until sometime on Monday. It's impossible to get ahold of a Pullman Police representative on the weekend so we're left with a police log entry that's bare at best. We know it happened out in the cluster of apartments where many students live (a small residential street out past the rec center), and that the incident happened on Thursday -- Mayes' birthday.

Mayes is, from all I know, a good person. I've never heard a word about him being in trouble with the law (until now), causing trouble, or even falling behind in class. Every interaction we, at CougCenter, have had with him has been positive. He's a great interview and has always been open, honest and up-front.

Mayes is a leader -- a young man that leads by example and lets his play do the talking -- and has been a model player and person. So sure, the arrest is certainly out of character and I would tend to believe that the incident leading to his arrest was minor -- perhaps a mistake or misunderstanding. But we'll have to wait and see.

I would, however, be surprised if Mayes did something horribly wrong leading up to the arrest. All things considered, I'm leaning more towards "oops" than something done with malicious intent. This could be proven wrong later, and I'll eat crow if so, but everything we know about Mayes indicates he's a good man with strong character.

The timing, however, is pretty awful. As we noted before, it hasn't been a great week for the Washington State football team. The offseason is always a nervous time for coaches and fans; players, without football and a daily routine to keep them busy, tend to have run-ins with the law. Hence the Fulmer Cup.

Mayes' arrest makes two-and-a-half incidents this week -- we'll count Teondray Caldwell's as a half because it happened a few weeks back and the details remain murky. All told, Washington State players have combined for a making false statements to police citation, a hit-and-run incident, and an assault/burglary allegation that may or may not hold. Not good, but still not awful -- and none of the incidents touch any of Mike Leach's third rails.

One does have to wonder if Leach will hold a meeting that includes a stern warning for the rest of the team -- or, at the very least, position coaches may reach out to their players to pass along a message. While the police-related incidents may not be incredibly serious, it's embarrassing for the coaching staff to see their team in the headlines for the wrong reasons. Nobody likes it -- coaches, administrators or fans.

But I would hesitate to call the string of incidents an epidemic -- at least not yet. Football players and college students run afoul of the law. It happens. They make mistakes and pay the price for those mistakes; members of college athletic teams just have their mistakes magnified because they're in the public eye.

I have no doubt Mayes will own up to this and take responsibility -- that's just who he is -- so I'm less troubled by the incident, despite the fact that it's completely out of character.

Logan Mayes arrested for hit and run

2013-05-19T06:12:48Z

Washington State linebacker Logan Mayes was arrested for hit and run on Thursday evening, according to the Pullman Police logs. Mayes, a junior-to-be, sat out most of the spring with an injury, but is expected to be a starter at the BUCK linebacker position -- a spot vacated by Travis Long. While we don't have details about the incident yet, it's the latest in a string of arrests involving Washington State football players.

A screen capture of the incident from the police log is below:

And a link to the log in question is here.

Earlier this week, news of a court date involving Teondray Caldwell broke. Caldwell could be facing burglary and assault charges stemming from an April 28th incident. Toni Pole was also arrested last week after allegedly making false statements to police. So not a great week for the Cougar football team off the field.

It's unclear what kind of discipline Mayes may be facing, or what happened leading up to the hit and run. The incident also happened on his birthday, which ... ouch.

We'll be back with more as it becomes available.

Where the Kings sale stands as decision week begins

2013-05-13T15:35:19Z

There are a lot of moving parts in the Sacramento Kings saga, and things have gotten more complicated by the day. Where a little over a week ago it appeared things may be winding down, now everything is up in the air again -- or at least, that's the perception. Seattle investor Chris Hansen upped his bid to buy the Maloofs' 65-percent majority share of the Kings on Friday to a $625 million valuation of the franchise, while also making a few other moves that have caused ripples.

What does it all mean at this point? We'll do this in question-and-answer format in an effort to parse things down to somewhat digestible portions. Fair warning, though: nothing is clear in this saga and information continues to change quickly.

Why did Hansen up his offer?

The short answer: the increase in his bid was one of the last chips he had remaining to play. The NBA Relocation Committee voted to deny his bid to move the Kings to Seattle, and the full Board of Governors was expected to follow the recommendation. Hansen and his group -- a group that includes Steve Ballmer -- has a lot of cash, and money does talk. So he upped the valuation in an effort to price the Sacramento group out.

Also read: Tom Ziller's argument for expansion.

Is this desperation? A power play? Something else?

Yes. Yes to all, depending on how you look at it. As with everything else in this saga, how things are interpreted depends on which side you're on. The Sacramento side views this as an act of desperation, and it may be! It could be a last resort. The Seattle side views it as a bold power play by a man who won't take no for an answer, and it might be!

There's no right or wrong answer here. Hansen's decision to increase his offer has been spun around and around, as one would expect.

Could Hansen buy the Kings and keep them in Sacramento, at least temporarily?

Sure, in theory. For whatever reason, that has been put on the table in the last week. But doing so creates an even messier situation and is only a precursor to burning things to the ground in Sacramento and then moving the team to Seattle. It's the same thing Clay Bennett did. Nobody wants a repeat of that situation, which was incredibly ugly for all parties involved. I just don't see it happening.

And what about this "backup plan?"

In yet another play for the team, Hansen also cut a backup deal with the Maloofs to purchase a portion of their majority share -- 20 percent, to be exact. This would give the Maloofs a quick influx of cash while allowing them to avoid selling to the Sacramento group. It would also give Hansen the opportunity to purchase the full majority share at some point within the next two years.

Sound nuts? Of course. Just like everything else in this saga, it's a wild twist. And yes, the Board of Governors would have to approve after rejecting the bid for 65 percent of the team. One thing seems to be clear from all of this: the Maloofs really, really don't want to sell to Sacramento.

And the relocation fee?

Hansen is reportedly offering $115 million to relocate the team, dwarfing the $30 million Clay Bennett paid to move the Sonics. That's ... that's a lot of money, and works out to about $4 million per owner.

Are Hansen's latest maneuvers going to anger the relocation committee and Board of Governors?

I've seen this idea floated, and maybe it's a possibility. The thinking goes that the relocation committee made its recommendation and Hansen was expected to gracefully bow out, take the deal off the table and allow Sacramento to complete the purchase. That may have been a less messy way to end this. He didn't, however, and instead made another play for the team. So, sure, it could anger the committees and owners.

At the same time, NBA owners are businessmen, and business is a shrewd, cutthroat game where just about anything goes. One can argue that they understand this happens with high-stakes transactions, and one can also argue that neither side was going to go down quietly. There's a lot of money on the table and a lot at stake.

Hansen feels like there's no better time than now. He has the funding and land, and Seattle made the necessary political moves to get the ball rolling on an arena. There are no guarantees when it comes to the future, be it expansion, another franchise moving or otherwise. Hansen has come right to the edge with Sacramento, and who knows if he, or Seattle, will get this close again, even despite pats on the back and "you'll get a franchise someday" from the masses.

It's not surprising that Hansen would exhaust every avenue. Were the roles reversed, I would expect Sacramento would do the same.

Does the Sacramento group have the money to get this sale done?

Sure! Vivek Ranadive and his group of investors have the money. They're very wealthy individuals. They've put half of the money needed to purchase the team on a $525 million valuation in escrow. But there have been reports that the Sacramento group is scrambling to get the rest of the money together and perhaps soliciting minority investors to help -- a claim Ranadive has also denied.

If they have the money, why hasn't it all been put into escrow?

There's a difference between being worth enough money to purchase an NBA team and that money being liquid enough to complete the sale. In other words, the investors are wealthy but that money is tied up in assets, stock and other investments. It's not cash. Individuals with a high net worth typically don't have hundreds of millions of dollars in cash lying around.* Getting that money liquid in a short amount of time isn't easy.

*Except Bill Gates. There are stacks on stacks on stacks of cash that just happen to fall out of his pockets and into his couch. A billion here or there doesn't make a dent anyway, so no big deal.

Will the Sacramento group be able to get the full purchase price into escrow this week?

Who knows! I wouldn't bet against them, though. Where there's a will, there's a way, and the Sacramento group has a strong track record of finding a way to get things done throughout this whole saga.

What about that relocation committee vote?

The relocation committee voted to recommend denying the Seattle group's bid to move the team from Sacramento by a 7-0 margin. Since then, there have been whispers, rumors and murmurs that the vote was initially 4-3 in favor of Sacramento and that a second vote was unanimous. Those whispers and rumors became a report from Art Thiel on Friday, but we'll probably never know for sure what happened. The NBA adamantly denied a split vote and the only people who truly know were on that call and those who were aren't going to spill it.

Logically, it would make sense that an initial vote was split. A unanimous vote was a surprise after we'd heard about how agonizing and difficult a decision was. Coming out with a unanimous recommendation made a statement. Announcing a split vote would've made a different statement: "We don't know." It's akin to not making a recommendation at all, and would've been a waste of everyone's time.

If the vote was split, and if a second vote yielded a unanimous decision -- both big ifs at this point -- it tells us that those who changed their votes weren't married to a side either way. This would also make sense: the Kings sale has been a lot to chew on for the owners and it's likely that the three -- if there were three -- weren't necessarily entrenched.

No matter what happened, the relocation committee's vote was the most recent and significant statement from the NBA. No matter how much noise there has been since, the recommendation still gives Sacramento the upper hand as things stand now.

Does the recommendation matter, and does it matter whether it was unanimous at first or not?

Maybe! Or maybe not! The relocation committee made its recommendation and owners, falling in line, are likely to follow it. But the vote isn't necessarily binding, either. Things can change, or things can stay the same and fall in line with the committee recommendation. Nothing would be surprising here.

Do the Maloofs have to sell to Sacramento?

The simple answer is no. The NBA can pressure and lean on the Maloofs in an effort to get them to sell to the hometown group, but cannot force them to sell the team. We do, however, know the Maloofs need money -- thus the sale of the team. Desperate individuals who need money quickly are rather unpredictable.

Who's the villain in this?

Every good story needs a villain, right? Of course. And depending on who you ask, the Kings saga has numerous villains.

There's Chris Hansen, the man who is coming for Sacramento's team. I get the feeling if the roles were reversed, however, and Hansen was fighting to keep the team in Sacramento, he'd be admired. He's shrewd and doesn't take no for an answer. He, like Sacramento, is putting up a strong fight.

David Stern, right or wrong, has been a villain in Seattle since the Sonics left. And the perception is out there that he's been working to help Sacramento and undermine the Seattle bid. There's never been any love lost for him in the Northwest.

Hello Maloofs! Sacramento hated the Maloofs before this latest mess started and they'll continue to be public enemy No. 1 in the city. The family has some kind of grudge against Sacramento, and the fans understandably hold one against them. That's probably never going to change, and I don't blame Sacramento fans one bit. Actively working to screw the city one last time just isn't a good look.

In short, just about wherever you look, there's someone to hate here.

What's the endgame here?

Nobody knows. Anyone that tells you they know how this will all play out is disingenuous at best and lying at worst. The Kings sale is complicated, and as we've seen over the past few months, it's also filled with twists and turns. Hansen's group appears to have the Board of Governors' attention, so much so that they're meeting before the scheduled Wednesday vote to sort out the latest developments. What happens from there is up in the air.

There are many possibilities still left on the table, and we just don't know where the NBA is going with this. There could be a decision one way or another on Wednesday. Perhaps the league will revisit expansion. The fight may move from the boardrooms to the courtrooms, as well. Everything seems to be on the table in one way or another.

Sacramento still has the upper hand in a significant way in the wake of the relocation committee's recommendation.

But just to reiterate things one more time: Sacramento still has the upper hand in a significant way in the wake of the relocation committee's recommendation.The Seattle group is making a lot of noise at the moment, where Sacramento was making the noise before the relocation committee vote. The odds and everything else still favor Sacramento here, despite the new-found hope on the Seattle side.

Who's going to take this to court?

I don't expect the Hansen group to sue. It's suicide to do so, and is an all-or-nothing move that will leave a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. Lose, and Hansen and Seattle are probably done. Win, and there will still be leftover animosity.

The Maloofs, however, are the wildcard. The maneuvering over the past week seems to be an effort to build a case and increase leverage. If the Maloofs are forced to take, say, a deal worth $60 million less, they might have a case. And we know the Maloofs don't care about burning bridges and going scorched earth at this point -- one way or another, they're going to end up out of the league.

And, again, this could all be a leverage play to make the owners think the Maloofs are building a case. The threat of a lawsuit is powerful, especially when it could change the league in the future.

It there any way both Sacramento and Seattle can win?

Expansion. Making both sides whole would be a win-win. But as far as anyone knows, expansion isn't on the table now and it may be a few years before it's even explored.

The NBA therefore must make a difficult decision now. On one side, they have a group of very qualified owners offering a lot of money for a franchise. On the other, they have an incumbent city that has mounted a feverish comeback to save its team. In the middle is a current ownership group -- the Maloofs -- that wants to sell to the Seattle group and doesn't appear to want to deal with the incumbent city, out of spite or what have you. It's a mess.

Whether all of these latest moves have forced the NBA to reconsider expansion remains to be seen. But unless the NBA goes to 31, someone is going to end up spurned and their hearts broken.

So will we get an answer this week?

I think everyone hopes we'll have some kind of final decision this week, but with all the last-minute maneuvering and all the questions, it seems unlikely. Even if the Board of Governors does cast votes on all the issues in front of them, it feels like this could continue to stay up in the air, especially with the Maloofs dragging their feet.

This just needs to end, one way or another, so everyone involved can get back to their lives and back to basketball.

One last request that will probably fall on deaf ears. Please be civil in the comments. It's possible -- and rewarding, in fact -- to have a civil conversation about this issue. I understand that fans on both sides are passionate. But there's no need to call each other names and make things ugly. I've had plenty of very civil discussions about the Kings over the past month and learned many things along the way. Please try it, and be respectful.

More from SB Nation:

• Ziller: Expansion still makes the most sense

• Flannery: Redemption, agony and clear paths

• Prada: Indiana's near-perfect defense

• Warriors tie series with OT win

• Derrick Rose considered return but will remain out

What the Kings sale has done to us all

2013-05-02T16:00:08Z

When I was young, I would mute the television, turn up the radio and listen to the smooth sounds of Kevin Calabro on full blast in my room. With my Shawn Kemp jersey on -- or Gary Payton depending on the day -- I'd watch the action unfold on television, listening to my hometown homers while dunking foam balls on a small hoop hanging from my door. This was basketball to me. This will always be basketball to me.

I never saw a live Sonics game in person. When they existed, it was expensive .... and I just never made it to a game, nor did I experience the bond that comes with going to an NBA game with family. Well, not quite: My father and I filed into Key Arena -- an arena not good enough for the league -- with numerous other fans to watch Kemp, Payton and the Sonics battle the Bulls in the NBA finals while the team was in Chicago. It's a moment in time I'll remember forever.

I had Sonics posters all over my wall: The Reign Man. The Glove. Big Smooth. These were my childhood heroes. These were what I knew growing up.

I am a Sonics fan, and will always be a Sonics fan. It's part of who I am, just as your allegiances are part of who you are. It's something that sticks with me and perhaps in some way defines what I've become. We're all fans here.

Except my teams -- well, one of my teams -- is dead. It's gone and has been gone for quite some time. Until you've experienced what it's like to have a team take out from underneath you, the emotion probably won't make sense. And I get that.

Which is why the saga of the Kings sale bugs me and has me conflicted. I've shied away from writing or even expressing a public opinion about the matter because it's a difficult situation for everyone. I want the Sonics back and I want the NBA back because I know firsthand what having the league in town does for the city.

And I also know what it feels like to have a team ripped away. So, you see, there is no win here. There's nothing clean about the way the Kings sale has unfolded. Someone will lose and someone will get screwed. The answer to both of those phrases is probably my city.

What bothers me the most is how ugly everything has gotten. I can counter every single talking point Sacramento has. I can argue Seattle's arena plan. I can argue economics. I can feed into the game. But it's not worth it.

As I've watched this all unfold, I've seen Sacramento and Seattle go at each other's throats. I've seen fans threaten and degrade other fans. I've watched two cities go to war publicly, all over an NBA franchise. And I understand why. They do it for the jerseys, the homer radio announcers and the superstitious kids. They do it for the memories and bonds an NBA team creates. Sure, sports are an escape. But they're an escape we all share.

This whole saga has turned fans against fans ... again.

This whole saga has turned fans against fans ... again. It happened with Oklahoma City and Seattle, and is happening again. The Kings' decision is business to the NBA, but it's more to us. It's a kid walking into an arena with his dad, or sitting on a couch cheering on the home team.

I get it. I understand why Sacramento and Seattle fans are at each other's throats. But it doesn't make it right, and it doesn't make it any easier. This is the culture the NBA has bred with its threats of relocation and arena deals. It sucks, and will continue to suck.

Things will continue getting uglier between the Sacramento and Seattle, of that much I'm almost sure. And it's a shame to watch it all spiral downward into a pit of insults and passive-aggressive -- or not so passive-aggressive -- actions. We're all the same, in a way. We're all fans who want to share the experiences of an NBA team with those close to us.

At some point this will all come to an end, and someone will probably be left in the cold -- maybe temporarily, or maybe permanently. What's happening now may be a blip on a rather large radar. But watching it unfold as it is now isn't fun, and it feels like a vicious cycle of relocation threats the NBA has created.

I want my Sonics back. I want the good people who are Kings fans -- Tom Ziller and everyone that writes for and visits Sactown Royalty -- to have a team to rally around. I want the NBA to do the right thing and stop fans from sniping at fans. I don't think these are mutually exclusive, but I just don't know.

Things were simpler when I was wearing a Gary Payton jersey, dunking on a small plastic hoop.

More from SB Nation:

• Celtics survive, push Knicks' swagger into grave

• The NBA's best GIFs from Wednesday

• The Grizzlies are back from the dead

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SCOREBOARD FIRE at Columbus Crew Stadium

2013-04-27T23:22:07Z

That photo above this text is a scoreboard on fire. We might joke about high-scoring football teams setting scoreboards on fire, or wild baseball games doing the same, but this is at the stadium belonging to the Columbus Crew, of MLS fame.

We don't know how the scoreboard caught on fire. We don't know why it's on fire. But it's burning. Like, actually burning.

This probably isn't a good thing, but SCOREBOARD FIRE!

Literally in flames. RT @massivecityffc: The scoreboard is on fire. This is not good.#crew96 twitter.com/MassiveCityFFC…
— Land-Grant Holy Land (@Landgrant33) April 27, 2013

Update: Best tweet

We are aware of the issues with our scoreboard, and are awaiting assistance from the Columbus Fire Dept. More details to follow. #Crew96
— Columbus Crew (@ColumbusCrew) April 27, 2013

Update 2: Fire is out, and Massive Report has more right over here. A sneak preview:

Adam Scott and Steve Williams high five: A story in photos

2013-04-15T00:29:35Z

Sometimes a GIF tells a story. But sometimes, the pieces that go into creating a GIF -- the single frames in the form of photos -- tell it even better. That was the case with the Stevie Williams-Adam Scott highfiveshake (I'm using this as a term for what happened, because Scott went for the five and Stevie does this weird thing where he clasps hands). The series of photos tells a story, and what a story it is.

First we have the approach. It's two singular celebrations in the same orbit. They're about to meet.

The setup: Stevie and Scott line it up and prepare to make contact.

Now we zoom in to see the enthusiasm. Look at Scott's face. Note the concentration and jubilation.

Contact. Eyes almost closed, mouth open. Hands meeting at an angle, with Stevie going for the clasp.

We have contact. Sweet, beautiful contact.

The clasp and pull. Again, mouth is open and screaming.

Enhance.

Exhale. Pressure is released, and the emotions have been freed.

And now, walk it out.

Fin.

Photos via Harry How, Andrew Redington, Mike Ehrmann / Getty

Adam Scott, Steve Williams get their high five on

2013-04-14T23:02:17Z

Friends, let us first take a moment to remember a classic at The Masters.

Simpler times. Back when Stevie and Tiger were inseparable. Times have changed, and these two really don't like each other. Tiger never really found himself in contention at Augusta this week, but Stevie and Adam Scott sure did.

And after Scott drained a putt to take the lead on the 72nd hole, the always interesting caddie-player high five made a return. Same caddie, new golfer.

Angel Cabrera has his own way of cutting Augusta patrons off

2013-04-14T20:36:51Z

Perhaps Angel Cabrera thought this man didn't need anything more to drink. Maybe he just decided it was time to cut the patron off. Golfers have quite a bit of control, so Cabrera could've conceivably taken a detour to knock a drink (we're assuming beer) out of a man's hand with a shot.

Or maybe it was just an awesome errant shot. Your call

SB Nation Atlanta: All Posts by Brian Floyd

Logan Mayes' arrest the latest in a string of incidents

Logan Mayes arrested for hit and run

Where the Kings sale stands as decision week begins

Expansion vs. litigation

Will a rising tide lift all boats?

More from SB Nation:

What the Kings sale has done to us all

Another day in paradise

More from SB Nation:

SCOREBOARD FIRE at Columbus Crew Stadium

Adam Scott and Steve Williams high five: A story in photos

Adam Scott, Steve Williams get their high five on

Angel Cabrera has his own way of cutting Augusta patrons off