Will Ellison pull Oracle name off Arena? By David Zizmor July 17, 2010     OAKLAND--One question which was raised after Oracle CEO and runner up bidder to purchasing the Golden State Warriors Larry Ellison is will he keep the Oracle name on the Arena after submitting the highest bid yet losing out to winning bidder Joe Lacob venture capitalist. Ellison said under normal circumstances the highest bidder normally wins but not this time after the deadline had passed and Ellison learned that Lacob had submitted a higher bid Ellison tried to throw in a higher number but was told that the deadline had passed and that he lost to Lacob. Ellison only would say, "Although I was the highest bidder, Chris Cohan chose to sell to someone else. In my experience, this is a bit unusual". Sal Galatioto whose firm brokered the deal said that four bids came in at $400 million and Ellison's last offer was higher but too late. Ellison is a proud business man and after something like this would he still keep the Oracle brand name on the Arena in Oakland after he got skunked like this and had corporately supported the Warriors with spending millions on naming rights? It's yet to be seen but knowing Ellison's reputation and large ego he might want to stay far away from the Warriors, their new owners and after the naming rights lease expires will choose to take his business elsewhere. Who knows he might negotiate to buy out the lease and drop the name off the Arena before this season starts. Plus the NBA faces a lockout after this upcoming season to boot. Onto new owners Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber: With Lacob it's a wait and see situation we don't know much about Lacob or partner Peter Gruber. We know two things; we don't know a whole lot we know a few things and we don't know as much as we knew about Larry Ellison. What we do know bodes well for the Warriors first and foremost he was a minority partner in the ownership group for the Boston Celtics. So this is a guy who’s been around basketball teams but not just basketball teams but good basketball teams that are known to have good management, successful teams on the floor. So just the very fact that Lacob has been associated with the Boston Celtics and has been around the team and knows what he and the organization are doing that bodes well for the Warriors. This means they have someone who can draw experience as a owner in his capacity as the Warriors owner. Obviously this is a big thing, Cohan he came in it's not like he didn't have any experience owning a basketball team before. Lacob he comes in not only has he been part of a team but he's been part of a team that's been part of a championship and to another championship series and granted they lost but he's been part of a team that went from rough times and anyone who follows the Boston Celtics knows really from the time Larry Bird retired in the early 90s up until Kevin Garnett joined Paul Pierce in the last few years we know the Celts run were having some tough times as a franchise. The Celtics weren't very successful and it was the longest unsuccessful streak in the history of the Celtics one of the most storied franchises in the NBA and Lacob was part of the ownership group that turned things around that won a championship for the Celtics a few years ago that made it back to the NBA Finals this year. So Lacob has experience as a owner and good experience at that. Secondly Lacob is from the Bay Area. He got his MBA at Stanford, he lives locally and this is a guy whose always wanted to be the full time owner of a basketball team. He has seen what's gone on with the Warriors, number one as part of the Celtics ownership group and number two as a guy who’s in the Bay Area he knows what's been going on with the Warriors as far as their mismanagement, as far as their lack of success, but more importantly he knows what’s going on with the fans because to a certain degree he's been a fan. Lacob understands the fan experience and he's seen what the fan has gone through, he's heard what the fans want and what’s made them disappointed with the Warriors as frustrated Warriors fans. So the fact that this is a guy with experience as an owner but also experience as a Bay Area resident that should make Warriors fans feel good about what this guy might do. David Zizmor is covers Warriors basketball for Sportstalk radio

Copyright 2001-2010 - Sports Radio Service