The next team to use the Sprint Center as leverage …

The next NBA team to use the Sprint Center as leverage to get a better deal back home might be the Indiana Pacers. Despite low attendance and nine out of 10 seasons in the red, Pacers owner Herb Simon says he wants to keep the team in Indianapolis, but the cost of operating Conseco Fieldhouse — a whopping $15 million a year — is making it a struggle. On Sunday, The Boston Globe floated the idea of the Pacers moving to KC — or Seattle or Las Vegas or San Jose. It was the first time that I’d seen KC mentioned as a possible new home destination. Maybe Simon is sincere in wanting to stay in Indy. Or maybe it’s all part of an elaborate conspiracy by a consortium of sports team owners to use the Sprint Center as leverage against their home cities (as JJS in KCK imagines). On the bright side, The Kansas City Star says the Big 12 could anchor the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments where it belongs — in KC.