The Golden State Warriors just officially announced they are for sale, and the potential early player may be Oracle billionaire, Larry Ellison.
Uh, not so fast...yet.
Indeed, earlier this year, Ellison, who's worth anywhere from $30-40 billion, give or take a few yachts and mansions, and lives large down in Atherton, said he was interested in buying the Warriors, but "unfortunately, you can't do a 'hostile takeover with an NBA basketball team."
The Warriors, despite relative ineptitude on the court, (they've only made the playoffs once fifteen out of the last sixteen years) are a hit ON the floor at the, yes, ORACLE, arena in Oakland, (named after his highness' company,) averaging nearly 18,000 fans a game in a building that seats over 20,000 people.
Although Ellison certainly has the money to buy the franchise, don't automatically assume he's going to pony up the estimated 400-$450 million asking price. Billionaires tend to be pretty savvy about how they spend their coin; that's why they're billionaires.
The Warriors have hired a financial company to assist in finding a suitor, so look for some gamesmanship on the potential buyers. Majority owner, Chris Cohan, is known for wanting to get top dollar, duh! There were reports that Ellison's numbers were far lower than Cohan's asking price. But of course.
Should be one helluva chess match. Stay tuned.
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This is a HUGE story, even bigger than the Niners losing their general mannager, and that shameless shill Bob Fizgerald won't discuss it on his KNBR program. I've been listening to his show for the past hour and a half, and he won't mention the sale or take callers that want to discuss it. It's comical....and pathetic. I hope that whoever buys the team lets the "Flunkster Dude" go off in to the sunset and brings back real pro Greg Papa.
ReplyDeleteWhy are you listening to that 3-hour Warriors commercial for? Damon Bruce is where it's at. Oy! Oy! Oy! Oooyyyyy!
ReplyDeleteLet's hope no one ponies up the asking price and they have to go with Ellison, who edges out the top bid at a reduced price. I think he is the type of competitive owner we'd like to see who wants to win. I'd hate to see the team go to an owner just happy to be making money off of mediocrity.
We respect winners. Look how fans still talk about Eddie D and the Haus family. If your sports franchise isn't going to compete off the court/field too, then you will be forgotten. As an owner, why not make your mark?