Greg Johns has the write-up here.
Obviously, Slade Gorton is not a fool, and if he senses that David Stern would be willing to commit a future expansion team to Seattle in exchange for a new and/or remodeled arena, he feels it is worth pursuing that option.
Kudos to Gorton for having the dignity not to take Stern's ridiculous insults personally, and for looking at the big picture. Personally, I think the favored options for Sonics fans would be, in descending order:
1. The current team stays, we keep Durant, Green, et al, Bennett sells at a loss to Steve Ballmer and rides back to Oklahoma City with his tail between his legs.
2. The current team leaves for Oklahoma City, Seattle gets an expansion team.
3. The current team leaves, we steal a team from another city.
4. The current team leaves after two years in Pacific Northwest Purgatory. We get neither a replacement nor an expansion team.
It's easy to say, "this team or nothing," and a large part of me wants to say that, simply because of the disgraceful way the NBA has acted. Another part of me, a much smaller part, admits that any team is better than no team.
And, remember, if the "Sonics" move to Oklahoma City, won't that give us at least one game a year where we can boo the living heck out of a visiting team? Can you imagine a greater scenario than screaming "Oklahoma Sucks!" at the top of your lungs while the NewSonics beat the OldSonics?
Something to think about, anyway.
Tuesday, April 22
Monday, April 21
Stern Gets Punked
I saw this video first in the SonicsCentral comments section, and then on the Seattle Weekly Buzzer Beater. You can go there now to view it.
Basically, it involves Mitch Levy and David Stern, with Stern opining about how wonderful the brand-new KeyArena is. Funny how 13 years can change things.
[Edit: Credit should go to "camhusky," who found the video. It's rare to be able to find something which illustrates your point so effectively, and rarer still to find a blowhard such as Stern being hoisted so completely on his own petard. As camhusky writes at the YouTube link, "I post this video to show fans in Oklahoma that what David Stern and Clay Bennett are saying now, about how wonderful the Ford Center will be with a remodel, in 10-12 years' time, they'll be coming after you. Just like in Seattle, that remodel will not be good enough anymore. You're going to have to go through it all over again. And if you say, "enough!", you will probably lose your team too." Good job, cam!]
Basically, it involves Mitch Levy and David Stern, with Stern opining about how wonderful the brand-new KeyArena is. Funny how 13 years can change things.
[Edit: Credit should go to "camhusky," who found the video. It's rare to be able to find something which illustrates your point so effectively, and rarer still to find a blowhard such as Stern being hoisted so completely on his own petard. As camhusky writes at the YouTube link, "I post this video to show fans in Oklahoma that what David Stern and Clay Bennett are saying now, about how wonderful the Ford Center will be with a remodel, in 10-12 years' time, they'll be coming after you. Just like in Seattle, that remodel will not be good enough anymore. You're going to have to go through it all over again. And if you say, "enough!", you will probably lose your team too." Good job, cam!]
Fans No More?
One item never in short supply during this arena saga has been rhetoric. Whether from the league, the new owners, the local media, or your friendly neighborhood blogger, so many venomous words have been spewed you’d have thought Donald Trump owned the Sonics and Rosie O’Donnell was the mayor of Seattle.
Admittedly, and regrettably, yours truly has done his fair share of this. To be honest, this is an emotional issue for all of us, and emotional issues tend to produce venom from even the friendliest snakes.
But one particular aspect I’ve heard repeatedly is the one from local fans works along these lines, “If the Sonics leave, I’m done with the NBA.”
That’s a jarring statement to make, considering how important following basketball is to Sonic fans. Yes, we’re Sonic fans, but we’re also basketball fans. It’s not as though as soon as the regular season ended we gave up on watching hoops. With the staggering Western Conference matchups in the first round this season, you can’t help but watch, right?
Is this really an honest assessment, that you’d go cold turkey on the NBA if the Sonics headed off to Oklahoma City?
Having lived in three states and one province in the past 15 years, I think I have a different perspective than someone who has spent his entire life in the Northwest. While I love the Sonics, I’ve moved around enough to have spent times in my life where I couldn’t easily access information on the team. During those periods, I’ve learned to broaden my horizons a bit, and pick up information on whatever the local media was providing (except hockey; a man has to have his principles). I’m not going to say I’m better than someone who has never moved away, but it’s just a fact of life that it’s not as easy to follow the Sonics in Los Angeles or Vancouver as it is in Seattle.
So, rabid Sonic fan reading this site today: How angry are you? Are you truly willing to cast off the league that gave your memory Kareem’s skyhook, the Iceman’s finger rolls, and Dominique’s 360s? Can you really say that if the Sonics were already gone that you’d pass up the chance to watch Phoenix and San Antonio battle this spring?
Enlighten us, Sonic fans. How angry are you?
Admittedly, and regrettably, yours truly has done his fair share of this. To be honest, this is an emotional issue for all of us, and emotional issues tend to produce venom from even the friendliest snakes.
But one particular aspect I’ve heard repeatedly is the one from local fans works along these lines, “If the Sonics leave, I’m done with the NBA.”
That’s a jarring statement to make, considering how important following basketball is to Sonic fans. Yes, we’re Sonic fans, but we’re also basketball fans. It’s not as though as soon as the regular season ended we gave up on watching hoops. With the staggering Western Conference matchups in the first round this season, you can’t help but watch, right?
Is this really an honest assessment, that you’d go cold turkey on the NBA if the Sonics headed off to Oklahoma City?
Having lived in three states and one province in the past 15 years, I think I have a different perspective than someone who has spent his entire life in the Northwest. While I love the Sonics, I’ve moved around enough to have spent times in my life where I couldn’t easily access information on the team. During those periods, I’ve learned to broaden my horizons a bit, and pick up information on whatever the local media was providing (except hockey; a man has to have his principles). I’m not going to say I’m better than someone who has never moved away, but it’s just a fact of life that it’s not as easy to follow the Sonics in Los Angeles or Vancouver as it is in Seattle.
So, rabid Sonic fan reading this site today: How angry are you? Are you truly willing to cast off the league that gave your memory Kareem’s skyhook, the Iceman’s finger rolls, and Dominique’s 360s? Can you really say that if the Sonics were already gone that you’d pass up the chance to watch Phoenix and San Antonio battle this spring?
Enlighten us, Sonic fans. How angry are you?
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