Sonics Booming to OK City?
Are the Sonics as good as gone from Seattle?
Yesterday afternoon here in New York, the Seattle Sonics were officially raffled off to the venti-sized Oklahoma City ownership group. What does this mean? In the short term, nothing, but in the long term, it could mean very big things. ESPN’s Insider (and Linkstigator) Chris Sheridan attended the meetings and nabbed an interview with Clay Bennett, the guy who’s in charge of the Oklahoma City group. Sheridan writes that he believes Bennett has no intention of keeping the Sonics in Seattle, and he tells Bennett what he thinks. Writes Sheridan:
I came right out and told Bennett that’s what I believed, challenging him to make me change my mind.
He didn’t.
“Our objective is to stay in Seattle. We want to be successful, and we think we have great prospects in Seattle. It has a remarkable economy, it’s an emerging global city and it’s a marketplace that’s in need of the type of asset we’re proposing — a multi-purpose, world-class entertainment facility and related development, and we think we’ll get there,” he said.
Bennett and his ownership group have said they will spend the next year trying to secure a new arena, and all options will be on the table if they fail to get a new building. Bennett wouldn’t go so far as to list those options Tuesday, saying he hasn’t thought about what the endgame might be that far down the road — a statement I’m having a very hard time believing.
“Let me put it to you this way,” I told Bennett. “Everybody in your ownership group is from Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City has proven itself to be a great NBA city, not just viable, but a place where they’re really, really into it. Oklahoma City is not going to be abandoned by the NBA once the Hornets are out of there, so … ”
“You’re asking me to speculate on something I just can’t evaluate,” Bennett said, cutting me off. “Our absolute focus right now is to getting a building built in Seattle. If that gets off track, we’ll have to evaluate our options. And that’s where I am. I mean I understand the circumstances — we’re all from Oklahoma City, we’re civic leaders, we’ve long wanted the NBA, we have an available building, we can influence some sponsorship and sales, but that’s not the deal we’re in. We’re committed to Seattle and committed to the process, absolutely.”
I feel for you Seattle fans, I really do. Is there anything worse than that quote, “committed to the process”? Well of course you’re committed to the process, or you wouldn’t be rounding up millions of dollars. But at the same time, just be straight with the fans in Seattle. Either you’re staying or you’re leaving.
9 Responses to “Sonics Booming to OK City?”
Oct.25 at 11:35 am
kdubb says:
This sounds like Michael Heisley in Vancouver all over again… I can really empathize with Seattle.
Oct.25 at 1:01 pm
kingstuffs says:
this really suks shyt
if they leave then the northwest aint
got a team
we need a team up here
wut happened to the blazers comin 2 van city
Oct.25 at 2:02 pm
Dallas J. says:
Really depressing man.. I can’t imagine the Seattle Supersonics not existing anymore. And I’m not even a sonics fan.
Oct.25 at 2:06 pm
albie1kenobi says:
i’ll forever remember sonics as kemp & payton, and the team that actually had a 2 game win streak against that 72-wins Bulls team.
Oct.25 at 3:03 pm
Adam B says:
As a lifelong Sonics fan, I will organize a giant citywide burning of all Sonics memorobilia outside Key Arena if they actually do leave, but why would they from a business perspective? Seattle is the 11th largest market in the country, Jokelahoma City is the 45th. The only reason they’ve been so supportive of the Hornets is because they’ve recieved massive subsidies from the Katrina fallout. Our Mayor Nickles is partially to blame, and I encourage all to boycott Starbucks coffee because Shulz sold us out.
Oct.25 at 8:13 pm
Simply Turrible says:
Seattle without pro basketball is like LA without pro football, not gonna happen, can’t happen, impossible…oh wait. Shit. I wonder if this is part of Stern’s conspiracy to spread basketball in the red states and make it the next NASCAR. Seriously, this sucks!
Oct.26 at 5:44 am
FLUD says:
I’ve never drank starbucks and I never will. They’re starting to infect us over here in Dublin now. Like a mouldy-hooker-sex-disease. Dumbass politics.. ruins teams and depresses communities all over the world. No Supersonics is a disgrace. The Sonics man… ” ..and isn’t it ironic, the lakers beat the supersonics..pulled on the big fat f….” If nothin’ for else than that there Ice Cube line it should be illeagle to lose that team.(not a fan by the way. Kemp kemp kemp) I’d hate to be waiting on some fat fool in cityhall to get his finger outta his ass.
Oct.26 at 9:25 am
Creech says:
My wife won’t really let me boycott Starbucks, sadly. My only protest is to not give in to their “vendi, tall, grande” pompacity (yes, I made that up–I guess that makes me just as bad as them). If you just say medium, they’ll give you the corresponding size.
Oct.26 at 5:56 pm
Dudeman says:
Hey, Kingstuff, blazers in Vancouver? Not a chance. You better enjoy the Blazers being the only team in the PNW, even if it is the southern end of it. You will never get a team again. You blew your chance, and you blew it to Memphis. Memphis. Wow.