Chris Hansen Breaks Silence; George Maloof Speaks in Seattle Presentation
By Dave "Deuce" Mason
NEW YORK— Hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen surprised many by speaking to the media following Seattle's meeting with the NBA but did not go into much detail about what took place.
"As you can imagine there's not a lot I can say about the details of our presentation," Hansen said.
"We're optimistic, the ownership group is very enthusiastic…the NBA has a tough decision to make, and we're hopeful for an outcome in our favor."
Hansen declined to say when he first had discussions with the Maloofs about purchasing the Sacramento Kings.
"I'd rather not get into those details. I don't think there was a simple date. It was a process that took time," Hansen said.
"We announced it when it was ready to go."
Kings owner George Maloof represented his family during Seattle's presentation and told the league that his family has a strong desire to complete the sale of the Kings to the Hansen-Ballmer group of Seattle.
"They (Maloofs) did express strong support for moving forward with the deal that they've made with Chris Hansen," said Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.
King County Executive Dow Constantine added that it was "touching to hear them (Maloofs) talk about their long involvement with the league."
McGinn and Constantine spoke to the media following the Seattle's presentation and are confident in Seattle's chances of getting an NBA team following Seattle's meeting.
"Seattle supports bringing the NBA back to Seattle, and there's the political and public support for that. I do think it was a very positive meeting," McGinn said.
Stay tuned to CBS Sports 1140 for the very latest and follow @DeuceMason who is covering the NBA meetings in New York City.
