Hold tight, Sonics fans: New NBA / NHL arena could be announced Thursday

Supersonicsoul sources tell us there might be a big announcement on Thursday about a potential new NBA/NHL arena and maybe a little more about plans to bring an NBA and/or NHL team to Seattle:

From the Seattle P.I.: 

A news conference is set for Thursday at City Hall to announce details around a potential new NBA arena deal in Seattle, according to reports. 

Christopher Hansen, the Seattle-born hedge-fund manager behind the project, is currently in Seattle,King 5 reports — and may be ready to reveal more about the possibility of the NBA returning to Seattle. 

Hansen owns property south of Safeco Field, and has reportedly been developing a plan with the city and the NBA for a year. If Seattle were to get the Kings, the team could play at KeyArena — the Sonics’ old home — on a temporary basis, until a new venue is finished. Before the Sonics even left for Oklahoma City, and became the Thunder, the NBA had declared KeyArena an unsuitable venue. 

It’s unclear if Thursday’s news conference will answer whether Seattle will soon have a new NBA team, but Hansen and Mayor Mike McGinn have an announcement regarding a new sports complex, according to reports. The news conference is scheduled for 2 p.m.Read the rest here. 

Zoinks! Stayed tuned, true believers!

Blake Griffin's Swift Dunk of Justice

I don't know if Blake Griffin was a Seattle Supersonics fan growing up. Maybe he had a Shawn Kemp poster over his bed or a Jack Sikma growth chart on the back of his door. Maybe he reenacted Terence Stanbury's Statue of Liberty Dunk on his nerf hoop. 

I'd like to think all of these things are true, and the bone-crushing, soul-stomping dunk Griffin threw down on Kendrick Perkins of the Oklahoma Atrocities last night was a strike against injustice. A mighty blow against evil. A smack-down against all that is wrong with the NBA.

It wasn't, of course, but for an instant it was nice to imagine. If nothing else, at least I have a new team to root for.

Stern softens on Key Arena?

According to the Bring Back Our Sonics Facebook page, David Stern may be changing his tune (at least in the short-term) about Key Arena:

Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times was on with Ian Furness during @FurnessShow Kelley said he's heard talks that David Stern has said he's willing to let a team play in Key Arena for 2 years, if a new arena is being built for the future. - Jeff

So what does this mean for our beloved Sonics? Is Stern offering an olive branch to the heartbroken, discarded fans of Seattle or just more smoke and mirrors from The Wizard of Blahs?  No one knows for certain, but longtime Sonics fans will recall that not long ago Stern was a big fan of Key Arena, so anything is possible.