Maloofs Present Case To Other NBA Owners; Mayor To Fly To New York

NEW YORK CITY (CBS13) - The Maloof brothers made their presentation to other NBA owners Thursday on their issues with terms of a new Sacramento downtown arena, and the presentation apparently was serious enough for Mayor Kevin Johnson to fly out to New York.

The Maloofs were at the St. Regis Hotel for the first day of the NBA Board of Governors meetings. CBS13 cameras were the only ones to catch Joe Maloof leaving through a clothing store attached to hotel. All four brothers slipped through the same door earlier Thursday afternoon before presenting their case to the rest of the league's owners.

Johnson originally said he had no plans to be at the meetings, but his presence has been requested by NBA Commissioner David Stern to get the deal back on track.

The city, the Maloofs and proposed arena operate AEG agreed to the framework of a deal for a $391 million during meetings in Orland several weeks ago during All-Star Weekend in Orland, and the City Council approved moving forward with its $255 million contribution toward the project March 5.

However, the Maloofs have balked at paying their portion, $3.26 million, of $13 million in predevelopment costs to move the project forward.

Maloof spokesman Harvey Englander says the family remains committed to building an arena in Sacramento by 2015 but said this round of talks could take weeks.

"We hope after these meetings to have a clear path to finalize or be able to negotiate all items on the table," he said. "There's details of the business deal, details that have not been in public which are between parties."

Just as the Maloofs were preparing to give their presentation, a group of 25 Sacramento business leaders announced a letter they've written to Stern asking the league to pursue new owners for the team who are committed to the long-term future in Sacramento.

But Englander said if people back in Sacramento were privy to the negotiations, they would not be as critical of Maloofs.

"Critics are critics," he said. "Their behavior has been consistent."

Stern didn't make himself available after the meeting, but Memphis Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said he's hoping a deal can be worked out to keep the team in the Capital City.

"I've been an owner. I've relocated. I know how difficult it is and I hope things can be worked out to everybody's satisfaction," said Heisley, whose team moved to Memphis from Vancouver.

And it seems on the ground insiders are rooting for Sacramento. Pat Riley wished the city good luck. And even Sarah Palin, staying at the hotel, threw her support behind Sacramento.

"Absolutely, I hope they get to keep their team," the former GOP vice presidential nominee said. "It's a unifying thing."