Oklahoma City Supersonics

[frenchblue23]

Originally Posted by SenorRoboto2k5

Sonics are one of the "cornerstones" and instantly recognizable franchises of the NBA. Even though they haven't been good in a while, they still belong there like the Bulls in Chicago, Lakers in LA, Knicks in NY, and Spurs in San Antonio.

Seriously, it would be just like moving any of those teams you mentioned, to another state.
I hope the NBA realizes that they need to keep the Sonics in Seattle.

 

[exileue]

Originally Posted by biggieeb0y

Thanks for they summary...never really understood what was really goin with that situation.
As for the pending lawsuit, I hope the team wins so they can move. OKC is very deserving by the way they showed up for them Hornets games. Also, Ford Center is fairly new; it opened in '02.

seriously, no disrespect but you're argument is horrible. You want the sonics to move because OKC deserves a team for supporting a team for 2 seasons?While Seattle's supported the Sonics for 40+. Also it's not even like the city hasn't tried to work with Bennett or even Schultz. the problem wasneither guy was willing to throw in any money. Schultz complained about the lease, the city offered to renegotiate it to make it more fair for the team. herefused and sold the team. against the will of some minority owners by the way.
bennett wants $500 million dollars all paid for by the city for a newarena. the city offered a deal that if the team kicked in $100 million to renovate key arena, they'd kick in $300 million. while on the OKC side of things,he's willing to accept a $100 million renovation of the ford center.

 

[burns1923]

I'm fed up with teams moving or considering moving.

I'm aware of the outline of this situation. Even though Schultz isn't directly to blame, one wonders if he knew the intentions of the person (Bennett)he was selling the team to. You'd think that if you're selling something that means something - anything - to you, you'd sell it to someone whowould take care of it and do right by it. In that sense, Schultz sold off a part of Seattle when he sold the Sonics to Bennett.

The NBA should not allow teams to move unless the team is in a dire financial position and needs to relocate to stay afloat. From what I see, the Sonics arejust fine financially. It all seems to come down to this: Bennett wanted a pro sports team in his city and doesn't seem to care if he rips the Sonics fromthe Seattle fans, community, economy, or region in order to make it happen. If Schultz knew all of this when he sold the team, how can he walk around the cityknowing what he did to it? The Supersonics are a part of Seattle, 41 years of the city's history, not just sports history. They are also a staple NBAfranchise; obviously one of the oldest but one of the league's most identifiable teams as well.

As an NBA fan, and fond rememberer of the early 90s Payton/Kemp years, I think it is disgusting that this is being allowed to happen. This is bad for Seattleand its fans, bad for the NBA, and bad for sports. I wish I could personally do something to stop this garbage. Bennett has a moral responsibility to Seattleto not move the team. If he can't or won't see why removing a 41 year old franchise from its city is unethical and intellectually dishonest, DavidStern should be standing in the way to tell him why.

 

[buggz05]

OK is a Sports Country. Look at the Sooners, bet money they sell more gear than the seahawks. Not exactly comparable but I hope that sheds some light. Mostpeople don't know what it's like down there when it comes to sports, it's religion down there. But I think they should have a football team beforea basketball team.

I feel bad for yall. I like the Seattle SuperSonics, even though all my fav players are history now. I keep hearing rumors of the chargers moving out of SD,smh.

eh...

Seattle = Owned.

(lame I know, but thats the business. Sports is simply a business, how many times has your favorite players from favorite teams been cut or traded...)

 

[gangsta207therevolution]

Seattle aint a basketball town,on the pro level but OK dont have anything going for it. The Ford Center was a waste of money,switching small market for anothersmall market aint finna work. If your metro area dont have 1 million then you aint drawing 20000 on the regular.

 

[guillermo gutierez]

that name is dreadfully long.

 

[jonfarr]

RON SIMS HAS not talked lately to Clay Bennett, nor has he been in touch with the NBA.

But as the King County executive who endured stadium-extortion attempts from Major League Baseball, as well as the National Football League, he knows a little about sports business and the Seattle rich-guy crowd.

So when he says there's virtually no chance that the Sonics will remain in Seattle beyond the expiration of their KeyArena lease in 2010, the man has some credibility on the topic.

When he says he has met with members of three separate potential Seattle ownership groups, all known to the National Basketball Association, who said they are willing to buy a team and contribute to a new arena while seeking to retain the Sonics name, that also has some credibility.

NBA Commissioner "David Stern is not going to stand in Clay Bennett's way, because Stern likes his teams to be able to move," Sims said by phone Thursday. "Bennett so far does not want to sell, since he has six first-round draft picks over the next few seasons and likes what he has."

Even in the likely event of a June defeat in federal court for his attempt to get out of the club's KeyArena lease, Bennett, in Sims' view, will endure the necessary losses to relocate the team in 2010 to his hometown of Oklahoma City.

Sims is also persuaded that NBA owners do not want to abandon, long-term, Seattle's large market and gateway status to the biggest item on the NBA's business agenda -- development of a subsidiary pro basketball league in China.

Between those realities sits a potential outcome worthy of consideration -- another team in a floundering market, perhaps the New Orleans Hornets or the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming available to Seattle because "it's a great West Coast market with an NBA tradition," Sims said.

Sims made clear in the interview, as well as on KJR-AM on Thursday, that the observations about the NBA's future in Seattle were not his conjecture but the views shared with him by principals interested in buying the Sonics or another team.

He would not identify anyone in the groups, nor characterize their chances. He did say that two of the parties analogized to the circumstances in Cleveland in 1996, when the NFL allowed the Browns a controversial relocation to Baltimore with an agreement that kept the Browns nickname, colors and history in Cleveland for an expansion team begun in 1999.

Sims emphasized that no action on the idea has taken place. No one with knowledge of the ambition will discuss the topic publicly before a verdict is rendered on the city of Seattle's lawsuit to enforce the KeyArena lease. The trial begins June 16.

Sims did say that a favorable outcome in the case was worth pursuing, rather than accepting a cash settlement from the Sonics, because two more years for the Sonics in Seattle would buy the time necessary to pull together an arena deal with a public-private partnership.

He said the prospective owners "understood the political will in Seattle" for more private money in a proposed new building, and were willing to participate in the funding.

Although as county executive, Sims has no direct role in the situation -- KeyArena is a city of Seattle building on city property -- he is an advocate for county tax help for an arena solution.

The set of taxes that is retiring the construction-bond debts on the baseball and football stadiums is collected only in King County. Only the Legislature can authorize the county to extend those taxes to fund other projects, hence the lobbying done in Olympia by current and past Sonics owners.

From the start of talk about upgrading KeyArena for the Sonics, Sims has been on board with the extension of county taxes. The Safeco Field debt should be retired by 2011, five years ahead of schedule.

Sims called a new arena a "launch venue," his term for a top-tier showcase for a globalized game on worldwide TV, saying the Mariners ballpark is such a place for Major League Baseball.

"Do you think the NBA hasn't noticed the revenues coming to MLB from Mariners telecasts in Japan?" Sims said. "Safeco and Seattle are very attractive places for the telecasts. ... That's part of why Bennett wanted such an elaborate arena in Seattle."

By MLB rules, international revenues are shared equally among all teams. The Mariners get only a sliver of the money from the presence of Ichiro. But the proliferation of Japanese players has increased MLB telecasts to -- and revenues from -- Japan.

In theory, even greater revenues might come to the NBA as fellow Chinese players follow Houston Rockets star Yao Ming. Relative to NBA standards, the Chinese pro game is primitive. But many things in China that were primitive a decade ago no longer are.

"David Stern is not stupid," Sims said. "He's not looking at one or two years. He's planning where basketball will be 10 years or more down the road."

Whether pro basketball will be in Seattle in 10 years is still a guess, despite the path outlined by Sims.

For Oklahoma City, too. Bennett has to win a vote there on Tuesday on a sales-tax increase to put $120 million into the six-year-old Ford Center to make it NBA ready. If he loses, his relocation plan is in serious trouble.

Even after a positive vote, he and his partners would have to have the will to bleed $40 million to $60 million more in potential operating losses over the next two seasons -- after losing big this season and overpaying even more grandly for the franchise in the first place. He has no choice but to say he can handle it. But he, not Sims, is the one who has to write the checks in a gloomy economy.

Obviously, many variables remain, as do ideas. Sims has heard one. And he knows what NBA owners know but can't say -- abandoning a large, growing West Coast market with an established trade history in China for a small Midwest market is, long-term, nobody's idea of good business.

P-I columnist Art Thiel can be reached at 206-448-8135 or artthiel@seattlepi.com.

Thats from the seattlepi. Interesting stuff.

Seattle aint a basketball town,on the pro level but OK dont have anything going for it.
Please don't post garbage like this if you don't know what you are talking about. There are a ton of players that have come out of Seattle. Oh my gosh you have no clue what you are talking about.

OK is a Sports Country. Look at the Sooners, bet money they sell more gear than the seahawks.
Another terrible comment. This is a ludacris statement. Seahawks have a HUGE following in the NW plus the stadium hold close to 70k and there is a waiting list for season tickets... They sell PLENTY of merch... People need to think before they post. Thats like me saying that because Portland has so much potential that no other team in the NBA has potential because its all in Portland... That is probably the dumbest thing I could make up too but its exactly on the same lines of these comments.

 

[breakinyourankles]

How can they go and take away a team of 40 years? And Stern has done nothiing about it. Someone fire him before he ruins this game even more, if it can even gothat far.
I'd hate to see my home team i grew up watching just leave.

 

[dmbrhs]

It still amazes me stern is focusing more on expanding to Europe when he can't even keep his house in order stateside.

 

[badboyf0life420]

NOK>>>>>>>>>>>>>>OKLAHOMA SUPERSONICS..

I USE TO ALWAYS LOVE SEATTLE WITH GP ..
ITS A DAMN SHAME THERE MOVING THE TEAM..
SEATTLE FANS DOES NOT DESERVE THAT..

 

[kingjay718]

I'm not Sonics fan, but it'd be a sad thing if the Sonics were to move from Seattle. Seattle is a basketball city, and I can't imagine OK having anNBA franchise. Hopefully David Stern can flex his muscles more and veto that move, in the event that it should happen.

 

[sick ik 23]

i could seriously write a damn essay on this topic but i'll just say this: I hate Stern and Bennet.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by KingJay718

Hopefully David Stern can flex his muscles more and veto that move, in the event that it should happen.

Stern is the one who is allowing it to happen. He wants a team in OKC. He's best buds with Clay Bennett. Stern pretty much wants them to move.

 

[pj and bompton]

two of the 3 major top pro sports leagues in town
tell me about it...SD here....

 

[exileue]

Originally Posted by Burns1923

The NBA should not allow teams to move unless the team is in a dire financial position and needs to relocate to stay afloat. From what I see, the Sonics are just fine financially. It all seems to come down to this: Bennett wanted a pro sports team in his city and doesn't seem to care if he rips the Sonics from the Seattle fans, community, economy, or region in order to make it happen. If Schultz knew all of this when he sold the team, how can he walk around the city knowing what he did to it?

The city's arguing how much money the Sonics are really losing. Bennett is saying they're losing too much money in seattle so they should beallowed to move because of that. so the city subpoenaed the league to provide financial information to see where the sonics are compared to the other 29 teams.david stern's not happy about this.

Bennett bought the team to move. one of the minority owners even said so in an OKC newspaper. schultz holds a lot of blame here. some of his minority ownersdidn't want to sell the team and are actually trying to buy them back but bennett isn't selling. Part of the deal was also that bennett was supposed toshow a good faith attempt to keep the team here since schultz said there was an ownership group from kansas or anaheim that wanted to buy the team and justmove them without trying. the city is also saying that there's some sort of breach of contract there since the ownership group said it was their plan tomove the whole time, and because they've basically refused to meet with city officials unless it's to discuss a new arena being fully paid for by thecity. anything else: team kicking in money, key arena being renovated.....it all resulted in in clay bennett canceling meetings

 

[osh kosh bosh]

They better change that name, historic franchises should never be able to lose that.

 

[superuntouchable]

See: Houston Oilers.........

 

[jwill jr]

since i live in oklahoma I want the sonics to move here , but thats just because im a huge nba fan and would enjoy a 1 hour drive to see a game better than a4.5 hour drive(dallas), I think a NBA team would do well out in OKC... i think they would have lots of support.... just not really cool how everything is goingdown.. but we will see in the next few weeks what happens.. there is a vote for improvements and renovations on the ford center which is expected to pass...

 

[sneakerpimp 023]

i don't like this situation. i really want the Sonics to stay where they are because i really like the city of Seattle and i think it's a great cityfor sports.

 

[am 1 fiend]

I could never imagine one of my favorite teams relocating, this really is sad for Sonics fans.

 

[johndaeyun]

people must be sleepless in seattle...

 

[pkballr]

Would anyone root for the Oklahoma Sonics at all? I know I won't.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by Jwill JR

I think a NBA team would do well out in OKC..

Yeah, the Hornets, who should have stayed.

 

[swyftdahoe]

Yeah.. f'k Clay Bennett and his thug of millionaires/billionaires lol
Seriously.. OKC over Seattle? F'k off!

 

[in the line for viis]

I would be all in favor of keeping the Sonics identity in Seattle a la the Cleveland Browns. If Memphis relocates to Seattle would be a great spot. That wayOKC could take Memphis spot in Southwest Division and Seattle could stay in the Northwest.

Otherwise, I'm going to cheer for the OKC to lose every time the play.