Another consequence for Chris Hansen's failure to acquire the Sacramento Kings to play in Seattle this fall: It provided time for opponents of his proposed $500 million basketball/hockey arena in SoDo to armor up. Foes Tuesday released a consultant's report that says the cost to city and county taxpayers in the proposal is more than $731 million over 32 years, not the advertised $200 million.

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NBA legend, former Sonics coach and Mercer Island resident Bill Russell was arrested Wednesday at Sea-Tac International Airport for bringing a gun into a prohibited area, according to a statement from TSA and reported by several news stations Friday.

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Writing that he did not authorize a Los Angeles law firm "without my knowledge or consent" to send $80,000 in support of an anti-arena campaign in Sacramento, Seattle arena developer Chris Hansen Monday attempted to distance himself from the controversy that erupted last month with disclosure that he likely violated California state campaign law.

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SuperSonics legend Gary Payton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday in Springfield, MA. The only NBA player with 20,000 points, 8,000 assists, 5,000 rebounds and 2,000 steals, Payton was a Sonic from 1990 into 2003, then played for four teams until his retirement after the 2006-07 season.

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Now that Steve Ballmer plans to be without a day job and has $15 billion in his pocket -- give or take a small industrialized nation -- everyone in Seattle is going to leap at the opportunity to spend his money for him. Here's my suggestion: Buy the NBA.

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Imagine in 2008 if Steve Ballmer, Jim Sinegal and partners offering $150 million in private money, were successful in getting the state to authorize public funds to help redo KeyArena for $300 million to keep the Sonics in Seattle. Next, imagine a public outcry, led by anti-subsidy activist Chris Van Dyk, over using tax dollars without a vote.

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Before the Saturday debut of Fox Sports 1, ballyhooed 24/7 challenger to ESPN's national cable sports hegemony, the enterprise took a hit Thursday with news the nation's biggest distributors wanted no part of the new network's asking price. So the Pac-12 Networks aren't the the only ones to get blocked by purveyors of cable/satellite TV.

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Not only did Chris Hansen lose out in his bid to buy the Sacramento Kings, he apparently didn't take no for an answer, and now it's coming back to bite him. The Sacramento Bee reported Friday that Seattle native funded to the tune of $100,000 an anti-arena campaign in Sacramento that seeks to put the project to a vote in June.

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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman phones his former boss/mentor, NBA Commissioner David Stern.

Stern: Good to hear your voice. Did you get away for the holiday weekend?

Bettman: Yeah, but not what I wanted to do. I had to fly out to Phoenix to personally shake down the Glendale City Council. The politicians were close to rejecting the tax subsidy we arranged to keep the Coyotes there.

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Another team and pro sports league appears ready to use the eagerness of Seattle and investor Chris Hansen for a new arena to help an existing franchise score a deal. This time it is the NHL, which has owned the Phoenix Coyotes since 2009 and is trying to leverage Seattle's arena urgency into a new deal for the distressed franchise in suburban Glendale.

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Asked what he knew of NBA commissioner-elect Adam Silver, Chris Hansen said, "He's a rational, sensible guy." If true, whew. That puts him well ahead of his predecessor, David "I have a game to get to in Oklahoma City" Stern, for whom vindictiveness is a life force.

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Saying he "won’t be a predator again,” Chris Hansen was “sick to my stomach” from the fight between Seattle and Sacramento markets over the Kings, but remains committed to returning the  NBA to his hometown. In his first interview since the NBA denied his relocation request two weeks ago, Hansen told KJR-AM radio Tuesday afternoon that he underestimated the intensity of the effort by California business people and politicians to keep the Kings.

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As Phil Jackson continues a tour to promote his new book, "11 Rings," he keeps making it sound as if Chris Hansen would have let him run the Sonics franchise, were Hansen to have sprung the Kings from Sacramaento.

On the "Dan Patrick Show" Tuesday, Jackson reiterated his interest, this time saying had a deal, and seem to be very impressed with Hansen.

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When I watched the live stream of David Stern’s press conference from Dallas a few days ago, during which the commissioner made clear Seattle would not receive an NBA franchise any time soon, I couldn’t help but think of State Rep. Frank Chopp (D-Seattle), the events of Feb. 24, 2006, and conclude that Stern is still blinded by rage over his humiliation that day.

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After nearly a week of silence following the rebuke by NBA owners of his offer to buy and relocate the Sacramento Kings, Chris Hansen said he plans to continue with the SoDo arena project and to "work with the League regarding opportunities that may arise to return an NBA franchise to our City."

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Appearing on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" Thursday night, legendary coach Phil Jackson, 67, confirmed earlier reports that he talked about working with Chris Hansen if he brought the Kings to Seattle. The 11-time champion, who hasn't coached since 2011, was interested in a top executive job.

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In a celebratory press conference Friday morning at City Hall, Mayor Kevin Johnson summed up the the practical and emotional drivers that preserved the Kings for Sacramento: "It's about jobs and it's about revitalizing downtown. It's about civic pride. It's about not letting somebody take something that isn't theirs."

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The Maloof family has sold the Kings for $535 million valuation to a Sacramento group led by Vivek Ranadive, according to the Sacramento Bee Thursday, citing an unnamed source. That figures to end the drama of the past five months following the offer of $525 million in January from Chris Hansen, whose bid to move the team to Seattle was rejected Wednesday by NBA owners.

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Responding to a question about whether Wednesday’s vote by owners wiped out Seattle’s future ability to create momentum for pursuing another team, NBA Commissioner David Stern said something intriguing. “Seattle,” he said, “will always act in its best interests.”

Spoken like the insincere, unctuous monopolist that he is, Stern used used a high-minded phrase to disguise his true meaning that Seattle tries hard but doesn't succeed.

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