Caption this pic - Kroenke (left), Stern (right)
If you don't know by now the Blues are for sale. The Blues, their lease to Scottrade Center, and Peabody Opera House are all for sell. Checketts is out of the picture, and while I thought he may be the guy to bring the NBA back to St. Louis, its not necessarily a bad thing.
This presents a huge opportunity for someone like Stan Kroenke. As things stand now Kroenke owns the Rams Nuggets and the NHL Avalanche. According to NFL's cross-ownership rules he can't own all three, being that they're in different markets. He'll eventually have to sell off the Nuggets and Avalanche, which he's agreed to do within four years.
Kroenke may not need four years. With the NBA owning the Hornets and the Blues for sell, an opportunity for something more might be here now already.
The Blues and Hornets both need new ownership. The NBA and NHL should to ask Kroenke to take both teams. The Blues are already here the Hornets would have to relocate. Kroenke has proven himself to be a solid owner and should be given the chance to continue to being one, in both leagues.
Its expected that Stan will transfer ownership of his Denver franchises to his son Josh in order to comply with cross-ownership rules. However, if Josh Kroenke were to someday inherit the St. Louis Rams, he'd run into those same cross-ownership rules. Why not just consolidate in St. Louis?
Well, Kroenke can't flat out move the Nuggets because he agreed to keep them there until 2025 when he purchased the team. Therefore, if Kroenke wants to own an NBA team in St. Louis he has to buy and relocate one. Better yet, the NBA can trade Stan Kroenke the Hornets for the Nuggets. For the NBA that's an upgrade; there's no question the Nuggets would field better offers than the Hornets. Perhaps something similar can be worked out with the Blues and NHL. The bottom line is, If the NBA wants a team in St. Louis, they can make it happen. With that, they have an opportunity to get out of New Orleans, if they don't think a team can work there.
Another issue regarding New Orleans is, Chris Paul is a free agent after next year. Last summer, Paul joked about forming his own Big 3 in New York with A'mare and Melo. Obviously with his pending free agency in 2012, the NBA has a conflict of interest. Do they trade Chris Paul, or risk losing him to free agency for nothing at all? If Chris Paul leaves, either via trade or free agency, where does that leave the Hornets? Chris Paul or no Chris Paul, I'd take the Hornets in St. Louis in a heartbeat, especially with Kroenke at the helm.
In closing, the Nuggets traded Carmelo to the Knicks, making millions of Knicks fans joyous. The NBA loves the Knicks and Kroenke made them relevant again, so why not reward him and give him a team in St. Louis?
Does the NBA want to lose one of its best owners?
