Kansas City Mayor Sly James wants the Los Angeles Lakers, not an expansion NBA (or NHL) franchise

I’ve said it over and over: Kansas City isn’t going to get an NBA or NHL team to play at the Sprint Center without a local owner. NBA commissioner David Stern told The Pitch the same thing. We just don’t have someone willing to pony up the cash for a team. This said, Kansas City Mayor Sly James’ comments about not wanting an expansion team to anchor the Sprint Center are disheartening.

The Star quoted James making shortsighted statements at a recent Kansas City Club luncheon: “It’s a trade-off,” James said. “If it’s the (Los Angeles) Lakers, let’s

do the deal. You’ll know you’ll fill it up. … I know we don’t want an

expansion team (hockey or basketball). If the Penguins came here, ha ha,

that would have been great.”