Some Golden State fan somewhere must have just let a genie out of a bottle. Because Warrior Nation might be about to get it's biggest wish -- owner Chris Cohan is reportedly trying to sell his stake in the franchise.
Cohan, who could be charitably decribed as one of the least popular and least successful owners in all of pro sports, grabbed full ownership of the team in 1995. He sold a 20 percent stake in 2005, but has remained in full operating control. His tenure as owner was marred by a 13-year playoff drought, nine different coaches, and a great deal of losing basketball.
But Tim Kawakami reported Friday on his Mercury News Talking Points blog that "Warriors owner Chris Cohan is believed to be seriously considering selling his 80 percent stake in the franchise in the next year or two," and that "one knowledgeable source said it’s “highly likely” that Cohan will sell most or all of his controlling interest in the team."
The very plugged-in Kawakami updates Tuesday that such talks did take place between Cohan and an unnamed party, but negotiations broke down over price. Kawakami speculates the potential buyer may have been Oracle owner Larry Ellison, whose software company already owns current naming rights to Oracle Arena.
Be aware that no one else is reporting this except Kawakami, but few local sports reporters dig as deeply and relentlessly as he does. But this has led the Chronicle's Rusty Simmons to weigh in that the rumor may be hogwash, writing, "The disconcerning thing about the situation is that Kawakami, who reports the heck out of the NBA, is spouting this rumor. He's been burnt by unnamed sources time and again."
Leading Kawakami to tweet back, "Hey now! I got ripped by the Chron's Flunkster Beat Writer. Yep, all of his long-time NBA sources know better."
Oh man. If we could just somehow get Jason Whitlock and Violet Blue involved in all this, we'd have have the best Internet flame war of the week.
Sports
Warriors fans all over the Bay and beyond will be rubbing their rabbit's feet on this one hoping for it to come true. If so, Golden Stae might be heading into a new golden era.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who gets shudders just typing the name "Garry St. Jean".
