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2B Daily News – Saturday, March 31, 2012 Concerns in Sacramento over Kings' status LOS ANGELES (MCT) — Owners of the Sacra- mento Kings have raised concerns about the city's ability to build a new arena complex in Sacramento by the 2015 NBA season, and a family spokesman said if those concerns aren't met the team will consider reloca- tion again. Documents reviewed this week by the Los Angeles Times show that Kings own- ers Joe, Gavin and George Maloof are also disputing that they have a firm agree- ment to participate in a new entertainment and sports complex in Sacramento. In a letter delivered Wednesday to city leaders under the subject "ESC fea- sibility concerns," the Mal- oofs' attorney Scott Zolke wrote "unresolved issues regarding the ... project remain ... " Maloof spokesman Eric Rose said: "If an arena pro- ject cannot be completed by the timeline set by the city, then the Kings would be forced to explore all of their options." A year ago the Maloofs were poised to move the team to Honda Center in Anaheim before NBA Com- missioner David Stern asked them to wait a year and let Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, an ex-NBA All- Star point guard, establish a financing plan for a new arena in the city. In late February Sacra- mento officials and the Mal- oofs said they had reached a verbal agreement for a new $391-million arena to be jointly funded by the Mal- oofs ($75 million), arena builder AEG ($59 million) and the city ($255.5 mil- lion). In a Tuesday letter to the Maloofs' attorney, Sacra- mento officials acknowl- edged they are working to ease the owners' "questions and concerns." Sacramento Assistant City Manager John Dang- berg wrote, "there is much work ahead that must be closely coordinated among the partners," adding, "it is critical for all parties to be pulling in the same direc- tion." Dangberg, in the nine- page letter, said completing construction by the 2015 NBA opener is "achiev- able." However, meeting the 2015 timeline requires satis- fying environmental requirements and dealing with possible additional expenses and legal chal- lenges, among other risks. Stern issued a statement late Thursday: "The parties have been attempting to reach agree- ment on funding the pre- development expenses that must be incurred in order for the project to move forward in a timely fashion," Stern said. "Those discussions have stalled, but I have advised Mayor Johnson that the NBA will advance pre- development expenses on behalf of the Kings pending our report to the NBA Board of Governors at its meeting on April 12-13." Stern is projecting costs in the range of less than $200,000 before next month's board meeting, not the $3.2 million-plus in total pre-development costs. Still, the Maloofs are concerned any money advanced by the league would be a loan the owners might be on the hook to repay when they believe either the city or AEG should. "The long-standing posi- tion has been that the Sacra- mento Kings would be a tenant in an arena owned by the city and managed by an outside company," Rose said in a follow-up state- ment. "Pre-development costs are not the responsibil- ity of the tenant. The Sacra- Raiders pick up running back in trade; sign Wheeler ALAMEDA (AP) — The Oakland Raiders agreed to a one-year deal with unrestricted free agent Philip Wheeler on Friday to fill their void at starting out- side linebacker. Wheeler visited the Raiders on Thursday and agreed to the deal a day later, his agent Todd France said. NFL Network first reported the agreement. Wheeler played 13 games for Indianapolis last season, making 80 tackles and recording one sack. He played four seasons overall FINAL 4 (Continued from page 1B) stories this year — the way tiny Butler or overlooked VCU beat the odds last sea- son to make it to basketball's pinnacle — we're regaled with tall tales of redemption and resurrection: Teams and coaches that overcame their problems and got everyone thinking about basketball instead of the underside of a business driven by a $10.8 billion TV contract. ''There are a lot of good players out there who are performing right now,'' Ken- tucky coach John Calipari said. For his part, Calipari is perfecting the art of luring a player for one, maybe two seasons, to contend for a championship, then saying a guilt-free goodbye. During his more candid moments, he'll tell you he's no fan of the rule that allows players to leave college after a single year. But it's out of his hands. It's the NBA that put in the rule stating players must be 19 before they can enter the draft. What's a coach to do? ''I think they trust that when the year is out, they're going to get the right infor- mation and be treated fairly,'' Calipari said. ''They don't worry about it. Historically, we don't convince kids to stay who should leave. They are going to get the informa- tion, and they know that. They are just going to play basketball.'' It means freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, both project- ed as high lottery picks, probably will be gone after this season, and it's not impossible to think the rest of the starting lineup — all freshmen and sophomores — could leave, as well. Calipari, who has had NCAA trouble at every step along his college head- coaching career, said this is a price worth paying for run- ning a ''players-first'' pro- gram — with players who worry about winning first, then reap the benefits when the NBA comes calling. While he applauds his team's unselfishness, the NCAA insists it is toughen- ing its academic standards and isn't so concerned with the 15 players who do leave after one year, but rather the 5,500 who don't. ''I've made no secret of the fact I'd prefer to have a different model,'' NCAA president Mark Emmert said. ''Most people want a differ- ent model. It would be nice if that were the case, but I don't think we should blow one- with the Colts with 182 tackles and two sacks. New general manager Reggie McKenzie said ear- lier in the week that strong- side linebacker was one of the final starting positions that needed to be filled this offseason. A hole was created there earlier this month when the Raiders released Kamerion Wimbley. Wheeler is not the pass rusher that Wimb- ley is but is considered to be a better run defender, which is a big need in Oakland. The agreement came and-done out of proportion and suggest this is undermin- ing the educational mission of the NCAA.'' While the NCAA spins that issue, its rules police have spent plenty of time vis- iting Ohio State's athletic department over the last sev- eral years. First, there was the firing of coach Jim O'Brien, who was found to have given money to a recruit, then later sued the school for wrongful termina- tion because he got the ax before the NCAA had offi- cially determined he'd done anything wrong. Thad Matta cleaned up that mess and has led the Buckeyes to the Final Four twice in the last seven years. Though the basketball pro- gram has recovered nicely, the athletic department didn't learn all its lessons: The foot- ball team is on probation because of violations that happened during Jim Tres- sel's tenure. The takeaway quote from that entire episode came from university president Gordon Gee, when asked if he was going to dismiss Tressel while the coach's problems were still unfold- ing. ''No, are you kidding?'' Gee said with a laugh. ''Let me be very clear. I'm just hoping the coach doesn't dis- miss me.'' The last year has not been the greatest for college sports, with child sex abuse allegations at Penn State and Syracuse and a number of scandals uncovered at Miami, North Carolina, Southern California, Ten- nessee and elsewhere. This week, of course, is supposed to be a celebration of what's right with college sports. Yet it's hard not to ARENA NATIONALCONFERENCE West Division Utah WL T Pct PF PA 2 1 0 .667 177 162 CATS 21 0 .667 199 165 Arizona 2 1 0 .667 197 164 Spokane 1 2 0 .333 161 198 Central Division WL T Pct PF PA Chicago 2 0 0 1.000121 97 San Antonio 2 1 0 .667 161 145 Iowa 1 1 0 .500 118 132 Kansas City 0 3 0 .000 95 157 AMERICAN CONFERENCE South Division WL T Pct PF PA Tampa Bay 2 1 0 .667 169 186 Georgia 2 1 0 .667 157 130 Jacksonville 1 2 0 .333 162 168 N. Orleans 0 2 0 .000 104 128 Orlando 0 3 0 .000 109 138 Eastern Division WL T Pct PF PA Philadelphia 2 0 0 1.000147 121 Milwaukee 2 1 0 .667 193 153 Cleveland 1 1 0 .500 88 80 Pittsburgh 1 2 0 .333 139 173 —————————————————— Friday's results San Jose 69, Spokane 35 Tampa Bay 71, Jacksonville 69 Saturday's games Chicago at Iowa, 5:05 p.m. New Orleans at Utah, 6 p.m. Sunday's game Cleveland at Philadelphia, 3:05 p.m. hours after the Raiders filled another hole by acquiring backup running back Mike Goodson from Carolina for offensive line- man Bruce Campbell. Goodson, who ran for 501 yards and three touch- downs in three seasons with Carolina, became expend- able after the team signed free agent running back Mike Tolbert earlier this month. He was fourth on the depth chart behind Jonathan Stewart, DeAnge- lo Williams and Tolbert, so ignore some tidbits that came up on the road to the Final Four: —Louisville spent the first two weeks of the tourna- ment off campus, not wanti- ng to fly back and forth to play games scheduled by the NCAA in Portland and Phoenix. —Last year's champion, Connecticut, isn't eligible to play in the tournament next year because of NCAA aca- demic sanctions, though the school is appealing. —This year's Final Four coaches are making between $2.5 million and $3.8 million this season and will cash in on six-figure bonuses if they win the national title. The NCAA hasn't been as big a player at Kansas, but that's not to say the Jay- hawks are immune to cor- ruption. Last May, five athletic department employees and consultants got between 37 and 57 months' prison time for unlawfully selling foot- ball and basketball season tickets to ticket brokers and others, then pocketing the money. Perkins saw his name sullied, and although he wasn't accused of any wrongdoing, he retired a year ahead of schedule in the wake of the scandal. At Louisville, the NCAA didn't get involved, but Piti- no certainly landed in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. His name was trending for months while details of his extramarital affair and the ensuing extortion trial were aired out in public. Pitino's reputation was damaged, and the woman who tried to bribe MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Vancouver 2 0 1 7 3 0 Seattle 2 0 0 6 5 1 Salt Lake 2 1 0 6 5 2 QUAKES 21 0 6 4 1 Colorado 2 1 0 6 5 5 Portland 1 1 1 4 4 3 FC Dallas 1 2 1 4 5 8 Galaxy 1 1 0 3 4 4 Chivas USA 1 2 0 3 1 2 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Kansas City 3 0 0 9 6 1 Houston 2 1 0 6 2 2 Chicago 1 0 1 4 2 1 D.C. 1 2 1 4 5 5 New York 1 2 0 3 5 5 Columbus 1 1 0 3 2 2 N. England 1 2 0 3 1 4 Montreal 0 2 1 1 1 5 Philadelphia 0 3 0 0 2 6 Toronto FC 0 2 0 0 1 6 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. —————————————————— Friday's result D.C. United 4, FC Dallas 1 Saturday's games San Jose at Seattle FC, 7 p.m. Columbus at Toronto FC, 11 a.m. Montreal at New York, 1 p.m. Vancouver at Philadelphia, 1 p.m. Real Salt Lake at Portland, 7 p.m. New England at Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Sunday's games Chicago at Colorado, 4 p.m. Kansas City at Chivas USA, 6 p.m. his departure did not come as a surprise. ''Being behind DeAnge- lo and Stewart for a couple of years has been difficult just wanting to play and being a competitor,'' Good- son said. ''I wasn't looking to leave but anywhere that gave an opportunity, I'm definitely up for that.'' The Raiders needed depth at running back after losing Michael Bush to Chicago in free agency. Starter Darren McFadden has been injury prone, missing 19 games in his him to keep the thing secret got a seven-year prison sen- tence. ''A lot of times the last two years I took a lot of grief from a lot of people saying a lot of things,'' Pitino said last week after Louisville beat Florida to make his sixth Final Four. ''And I never thought in my life I could turn the other cheek and just walk on. And I did. And some of the most ugly things I've heard, I just took it inside. And today, as I look back on it, I'm real proud that you could turn the other cheek.'' This week, Pitino keeps looking forward, refusing to take the bait from all those Kentucky Wildcats fans, who may never forgive the 59-year-old coach for leav- ing them, heading to the NBA, then coming back a few years later to coach their archrival. The Kentucky-Louisville NBA WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division Athletic director Lew Clippers Phoenix Lakers WL Pct GB 31 20 .608 — 29 21 .580 1.5 25 26 .490 6 WARRIORS 20 29 .408 10 KINGS 18 33 .353 13 Southwest Division WL Pct GB San Antonio 35 14 .714 — Dallas Memphis Houston 30 23 .566 7 27 22 .551 8 28 24 .538 8.5 New Orleans 13 38 .255 23 Northwest Division WL Pct GB Oklahoma City 39 12 .765 — Denver Utah 28 24 .538 11.5 27 25 .519 12.5 Minnesota 25 28 .472 15 Portland 24 27 .471 15 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division Boston WL Pct GB 29 22 .569 — Philadelphia 28 23 .549 1 New York New Jersey 17 35 .327 12.5 Toronto 26 26 .500 3.5 17 35 .327 12.5 Southeast Division WL Pct GB 37 13 .740 — 32 20 .615 6 31 22 .585 7.5 Miami Orlando Atlanta Washington 12 39 .235 25.5 Charlotte Central Division x-Chicago 42 11 .792 — Indiana Milwaukee 24 27 .471 17 Detroit 7 42 .143 29.5 WL Pct GB 30 20 .600 10.5 18 33 .353 23 Cleveland 17 32 .347 23 x-clinched playoff spot —————————————————— Friday's results Sacramento 104, Utah 103 New Jersey at Golden State, late Atlanta 100, New York 90 Boston 100, Minnesota 79 Chicago 83, Detroit 71 Dallas 100, Orlando 98 Denver 99, Charlotte 88 Houston 98, Memphis 89 Miami 113, Toronto 101 Milwaukee 121, Cleveland 84 Washington 97, Philadelphia 76 Portland at L.A. Clippers, late Saturday's games New Jersey at Sacramento, 7 p.m. New Orleans at L.A. Lakers, 12:30 p.m. Atlanta at Philadelphia, 4:30 p.m. Charlotte at Detroit, 4:30 p.m. Cleveland at New York, 4:30 p.m. Indiana at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. Memphis at Milwaukee, 5:30 p.m. Utah at L.A. Clippers, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's games Golden State at L.A. Lakers, 6:30 p.m. Chicago at Oklahoma City, 10 a.m. Miami at Boston, 12:30 p.m. Denver at Orlando, 3 p.m. Washington at Toronto, 3 p.m. Indiana at Houston, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Portland, 6 p.m. New Orleans at Phoenix, 6 p.m. four seasons and Taiwan Jones played sparingly as rookie and is seen as more of a change-of-pace back. In three seasons with the Panthers, Goodson played in 28 games with three starts. He rushed 125 times for 501 yards and three touch- downs and added 43 recep- tions for 329 yards. Good- son had three straight 100- yard rushing games and three touchdowns late in the 2010 season under for- mer coach John Fox in 2010. story line is the best thing going this week in New Orleans, for what Calipari predicts will be an epic Final Four. Without any little teams cluttering up the court, this weekend will feature the most talent, Calipari says, since 2008, when he brought Memphis and Derrick Rose to the Final against Kansas and Mario Chalmers. Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Thomas Robinson (Kansas) and Davis (Ken- tucky) are first-team AP All-Americans. Those three teams all have other players who look very much like NBA material in the near future. ''2008 was ridiculous,'' said Calipari, whose trip to the final later was vacated by the NCAA because of violations. ''Guess what? This Final Four will be very similar to that.'' NHL WESTERN CONFERENCE Pacific Division WL OT Pts GF GA Dallas 42 30 5 89 205 204 Phoenix 38 27 13 89 202 202 Kings 38 27 12 88 178 165 SHARKS 39 29 10 88 211 201 Ducks 33 33 11 77 194 213 Central Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-St. Louis 48 20 10 106 202 151 x-Nashville 45 25 8 98 223 203 x-Detroit 46 27 5 97 240 195 Chicago 43 26 9 95 235 225 Columbus 26 45 7 59 185 253 Northwest Division WL OT Pts GF GA y-Vancouver47 21 9 103 231 187 Colorado 41 33 6 88 205 209 Calgary 35 29 15 85 192 219 Minnesota 32 35 10 74 164 212 Edmonton 31 37 9 71 207 226 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Rangers 50 21 7 107 217 173 x-Pittsburgh 48 24 6 102 264 208 x-Philadelphia45 24 8 98 248 214 New Jersey 44 28 6 94 214 205 N.Y. Islanders33 33 11 77 190 230 Northeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA x-Boston 45 28 4 94 251 189 Ottawa 39 28 10 88 236 227 Buffalo 38 30 10 86 205 215 Toronto 33 36 9 75 218 249 Montreal 29 35 14 72 200 218 Southeast Division WL OT Pts GF GA Florida 37 25 16 90 192 215 Washington 39 31 8 86 209 221 Winnipeg 36 34 8 80 211 230 Carolina 31 31 16 78 208 232 Tampa Bay 35 35 7 77 220 266 NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss. x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division —————————————————— Friday's results Colorado 4, Calgary 1 Columbus 4, Florida 1 Nashville 4, Detroit 1 N.Y. Rangers 4, Montreal 1 Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 3 Winnipeg 4, Carolina 3, OT Dallas at Vancouver, late Los Angeles at Edmonton, late Saturday's games Dallas at San Jose, 7:30 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Islanders, 10 a.m. Ottawa at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Buffalo at Toronto, 4 p.m. Montreal at Washington, 4 p.m. New Jersey at Carolina, 4 p.m. Winnipeg at Tampa Bay, 4 p.m. Chicago at Nashville, 5 p.m. Columbus at St. Louis, 5 p.m. Los Angeles at Minnesota, 5 p.m. Anaheim at Phoenix, 6 p.m. Calgary at Vancouver, 7 p.m. Sunday's games Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, 9:30 a.m. Ottawa at N.Y. Islanders, Noon Florida at Detroit, 1 p.m. Boston at N.Y. Rangers, 4 p.m. Minnesota at Chicago, 4 p.m. Edmonton at Anaheim, 5 p.m. mento Kings organization will continue to work with the city to seek solutions to the unresolved issues." That prompted a state- ment by Mayor Johnson: "The success of the new entertainment and sports complex depends on com- plete trust and partnership among all parties. It was with that spirit that we all agreed to a deal in Orlando, including the Maloof family, who looked an entire room in the eye and promised their commitment to Sacra- mento." Tuesday the Sacramento City Council is expected to discuss the status of the arena agreement . On the tube Saturday AUTO RACING •7 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Truck Series, pole qualifying for Kroger 250, at Martinsville, Va. • 8:30 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, pole qualifying for Goody's Fast Relief 500, at Martinsville, Va. • 10:30 a.m., SPEED — NASCAR, Truck Series, Kroger 250, at Martinsville, Va. •1 p.m., NBCSN — IRL, IndyCar, pole qual- ifying for Grand Prix of Alabama, at Birming- ham, Ala. (same-day tape) • 1 p.m., SPEED — Rolex Sports Car Series, Porsche 250, at Birmingham, Ala.(same-day tape) COLLEGE SOFTBALL •1:30 p.m., FSN — Baylor at Missouri GOLF •4 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, Sicil- ian Open, third round, at Sciacca, Italy • 10 a.m., TGC — PGA Tour, Houston Open, third round, at Humble, Texas • Noon, NBC — PGA Tour, Houston Open, third round, at Humble, Texas •1:30 p.m., TGC — LPGA, Kraft Nabisco Championship, third round, at Rancho Mirage HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL •9 a.m., ESPN2 — National Invitational, girls' championship game, at Bethesda, Md. • 11 a.m., ESPN — National Invitational, boys'championship game, at Bethesda, Md. HORSE RACING •2 p.m., NBCSN — NTRA, Florida Derby and Gulfstream Oaks, at Hallandale Beach, Fla. MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •3 p.m., CBS — NCAA, Division I tourna- ment, Final Four, Kentucky vs. Louisville and Ohio State vs. Kansas, at New Orleans MLB • 10 a.m., MLBNETWORK—Spring Train- ing, Boston vs.Tampa Bay •1 p.m., MLBNETWORK—Spring Train- ing, L.A. Angels vs. Chicago Cubs NBA •12:30 p.m., NBATV —New Orleans at L.A. Lakers •4:30 p.m., NBATV—Cleveland at New York •7 p.m., CSNC—New Jersey at Sacra- mento NHL • 10 a.m., NHLNETWORK—Ottawa at Philadelphia •4 p.m., NHL NETWORK—Buffalo at Toronto •7:30 p.m., CSNC—Dallas at San Jose SOCCER • 6:55 a.m., ESPN2 — Premier League, Sunderland at Manchester City •7 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Premier League, Chelsea at Aston Villa •9 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Serie A, AC Milan at Catania • 11:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Serie A, Lazio at Parma •6 p.m., NBCSN — CONCACAF Men's Olympic qualifier, Mexico vs. Canada, at Kansas City, Kan. •7 p.m., CSNB—MLS, San Jose at Seattle •8 p.m., NBCSN — MLS, New England at Los Angeles TENNIS • 9:30 a.m., CBS — ATP World Tour/WTA, Sony Ericsson Open, women's champi- onship match, at Key Biscayne, Fla. AUTO RACING Sunday • 9:30 a.m., FOX — NASCAR, Sprint Cup, Goody's Fast Relief 500, at Martinsville, Va. • 11 a.m., NBCSN — IRL, IndyCar, Grand Prix of Alabama, at Birmingham, Ala. •4 p.m., ESPN2 — NHRA, SummitRac- ing.com Nationals, at Las Vegas (same-day tape) COLLEGE BASEBALL • 11 a.m., FSN — Southern Miss. at Rice CYCLING • 5:30 a.m., NBCSN — Tour of Flanders, Brugge to Oudenaarde, Belgium GOLF •4 a.m., TGC — European PGA Tour, Sicil- ian Open, final round, at Sciacca, Italy • 10 a.m., TGC — PGA Tour, Houston Open, final round, at Humble, Texas • Noon, NBC — PGA Tour, Houston Open, final round, at Humble, Texas •1:30 p.m., TGC — LPGA, Kraft Nabisco Championship, final round, at Rancho Mirage MLB • 10 a.m., MLBNETWORK— Spring Train- ing, N.Y.Yankees vs. Miami •1 p.m., MLBNETWORK—Spring Train- ing, Chicago White Sox vs. Cincinnati MOTORSPORTS •11 a.m., SPEED — FIM World Superbike, at Imola, Italy (same-day tape) NBA • 10 a.m., ABC — Chicago at Oklahoma City •12:30 p.m., ABC — Miami at Boston •3 p.m., NBATV—Denver at Orlando •6 p.m., NBATV—Minnesota at Portland •6:30 p.m., CSNB—Golden State at L.A. Lakers NHL • 9:30 a.m., NBC — Philadelphia at Pitts- burgh •1 p.m., NHL NETWORK—Florida at Detroit •4 p.m., NBCSN — Boston at N.Y.Rangers SOCCER • 3:30 a.m., ESPN2 — Women's national teams, exhibition, Japan vs.United States, at Sendai, Japan •6 a.m., FOXSOCCER — Serie A, Genoa at Inter Milan •8 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Premier League, Swansea City at Tottenham • 11:30 a.m., FOX SOCCER—Serie A, Napoli at Juventus TENNIS • 10 a.m., CBS — ATP World Tour/WTA, Sony Ericsson Open, men's championship match, at Key Biscayne, Fla. WOMEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL •3:30 p.m., ESPN — NCAA Division I tour- nament, semifinal, Notre Dame vs. UConn, at Denver •6 p.m., ESPN — NCAA Division I tourna- ment, semifinal, Baylor vs. Stanford, at Den- ver MEN'S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Monday •6 p.m., CBS — NCAA, Division I tourna- ment, championship game, Kentucky/Louisville winner vs. Ohio St./Kansas winner, at New Orleans MLB •4 p.m., MLBNETWORK—Spring Train- ing, N.Y.Yankees vs. Miami • 7 p.m., MLBNETWORK—Spring Train- ing, L.A. Dodgers vs. L.A. Angels NBA •5 p.m., NBATV—Houston at Chicago •7 p.m., CSNC—Minnesota at Sacramen- to NHL •4 p.m., NBCSN — Washington at Tampa Bay SOCCER • 11:55 a.m., ESPN2 — Premier League, Manchester United at Blackburn