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Hey Sorry Seattle, just wanted to extend my heartfelt condolences. All the Sonics fans I've ever met were passionate goodnatured loudmouths with a deep knowledge of their team and Basketball in general. Respect due. I always remember my friend telling me about how the day after the S'nix were bounced by Dikembe every single Sonics fan in the world was out in the playground taking jumper after jumper after jumper and talking shxt just to prove they at least could hit a shot.

I hope y'all get another team eventually, and until then, peace gents, all I got is sympathy. This is a loss for the NBA.

-a Wizards fan.

I would like to add to this.

All Sonics fans I've ever met were the easiest fans to get along with. They respected their team and the NBA and I for one don't like the move. You guys have a great history, possibly having the best shooters in NBA history. From Freddie Brown, Dale Ellis, and Ray Allen great big men like Shawn Kemp, Spencer Haywood, and Marvin Webster with such great point guards like DJ and Wilkins, it will be sad to miss the yellow and green.

I don't know much about the situation and I rarely post on RealGM, but I have to say that I'm extremely disappointed to see the Sonics leaving Seattle. It feels so wrong both from an NBA history standpoint and from the fan's standpoint. I can't even imagine what it's like for some of you guys that have been lifelong Sonics fans. What's worse is that I heard they'll be changing the team name too? That's just salt in the wound. I really hope the NBA makes it's way back to Seattle.

A tip of the hat to you guys from a Hawks fan...

Wizards fan here I just wanted to say I'm sorry to see the Sonics leaving they had a great tradition there I remember watching the Bullets and the Sonics playing in 2 stright NBA finals in the late 70's when I was younger.They also had great players thought out the years like Dennis Johnson,Gus Williams, Jack Sikma, Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton and now Kevin Durant who were fun to watch. Hopefully it won't be too long before NBA basketball returns to Seattle.

I was deeply sorry to hear of Seattle’s loss, I can’t help but hate the owner for Lying to the community about wanting to keep it in Seattle. If Seattle Sonics fans can stand coming to Portland we will welcome those who were betrayed by a deceptive owner. I hope Seattle gets a new team and opportunity soon though. Sorry for the loss of the Sonics

This board feels like a wake. As well it should.

Just stopped in to pay my respects to the bereaved. It's been a long time coming.

when i saw the headline i actually felt a pang of pain in my stomach...so sorry you lost the team.

it's a good reminder though, at the end of the day, the nba is money first, all else second...don't invest too much of yourself into it, lest something like this happen to you

Wish you a speedy, or at least eventual, recovery from Toronto.

I'm a Cavs fan and I can say that I know how it feels. I remember how it felt when Art Modell took our Browns away. That was very tough. Luckily, we got our team back. Hopefully, you guys will get another team in the near future because your city deserves one. For all I'm concerned, Clay Bennett can go F*** himself. He's no better than Art Modell. It's a shame.

I feel it for you, as someone who grew up cheering for the winnipeg jets, montreal expos and then vancouver grizzlies/raptors I've been burnt more than once. I hope clay bennett loses money in oklahoma ala michael heisley

Pulls out a statistic

Vancouver grizzlies

Year Total Avg
2000-01 563,218 13,737
1999-00 569,864 13,899
1998-99 417,966 16,719
1997-98 660,457 16,109
1996-97 679,422 16,571
1995-96 704,489 17,183

memphis grizzlies
Year Total Avg
2006-07 600,836 14,654
2005-06 647,533 15,793
2004-05 691,362 16,862
2003-04 622,723 15,188
2002-03 614,301 14,983
2001-02 591,030 14,415

This truly is sad, I've always liked the Seattle area, team, and fanbase. It really is sad to see, I'm ashamed nobody tried to at least keep the team where it was at, its like nobody cared...

that which does not kill you makes you stronger....you guys will get yours...

Yeah, I live in the DC area, but before growing up in Hawaii - I was born in Washington (Ephrata). As any number of fellow Wizards board members have mentioned in this thread, Sonics fans have ALWAYS been among the best on these boards - and the NBA.

Sucks that the team is moving - and I really hate they way it all played out.

Hang in there. I understand that you'all kept rights to the Sonics name. So here's to the re-birth of the Sonics in just a few years.

Pine

(repost from the main)

Seattle was my second team in the early 90s, I was little and the Pistons were terrible then so I had no one to pull for back then in the playoffs. My uncle (god rest his soul) was a Sonics fan and turned me onto Kemp and co. By the mid 90s I was decidedly a Piston fan but I still had a soft spot for the Sonics. I can't know what Sonic fans are going through, I'm not even sure what I could equate this too without going too far, or not far enough to describe it. Hope you get a new franchise one way or another, hopefully some other fanbase won't have to suffer as much when it happens.

You know what, I really don't understand why do you guys blame Clay Bennett. You should really blame Howard Schultz. He is the guy who ran your franchise into the ground. The NBA is totally about money. If a team's arena is not large enough, it cannot make as much money on ticket sales/snacks/etc. as other teams. If Schultz were really committed to keeping the Sonics in Seattle as he said he was, why did he sell the team to an OKLAHOMA business man in the first place? He sold the team because HE was losing money on them and decided to get out of the situation to save his own skin. This is the problem with people. They are two much "what have you done for me now"? The terrible situation with the Sonics did not happen overnight. You guys are just as bad as the people who blame the Great Depression on Herbert Hoover. Hoover was the president when the stock market crashed and the United States economy collapsed. He had not been president that long. He was blamed for the problems because he was the guy in charge when it happened. The Great Depression was caused by the complete lack of business ethics and economic understanding that occurred during the 1920's after WWI. You guys blame Clay Bennett because he is the guy currently in charge. It's not like the team just suddenly decided to up and move overnight. How can Bennett be blamed for the loss of the Sonics? He is simply a business man who saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. He saw how much the Oklahoma public enjoyed basketball while the Hornets played there for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina hit. He was simply making an investment into an enterprise that he thought might be successful in his home town. If Schultz REALLY wanted to keep the team in Seattle, why did he not try to originally sell them to a SEATTLE business man/group? I have realized that most people are incredibly stupid, like unto sheep. The media is their sheep herder. They follow blindly who the media tells them to follow and end up lost because the media has their own agendas in which they are pursing, like a sheep herder. The sheep herder is not really interested in the welfare of the sheep, he just wants them to go to the place where they will be slaughtered so he can make his money. The scariest, most horrifying thing that I can think of is an uniformed, apathetic populace. When that happens, dictatorships rise to power. Most of the people in Seattle who basically want Clay Bennett dead are those who really don't understand or care about the ramifications that existed that were the proverbial "final straws" in the Sonics demise. All they care about is who they can blame for it. No wonder Washington is a predominantly Democratic state. You guys will listen to anything that is told to you by the Liberal-controlled media. Democrats are not really interested in solving problems. All they care about is finding a "scapegoat" to blame them on and using those problems to further their own political careers/agendas.

^^^ so what you are saying is Republicans are retards?

Seriously though, I blame all the f***ers involved and that includes Schultz. The day he sold the team to that ass monkey from OKC is the day I stopped dealing with Starbucks. It isn't much but it was my small way of chipping in for the cause.

BTW - I hate ALL politicians so...

I just wanted to say sorry to all the Sonics fans who were very loyal to their team. I am a huge Magic fan and know that it must be very difficult to deal with losing your team. I sure know it would be tough for me to get over. I hope you guys get a new team soon if you can figure out the whole new arena situation. It just is pretty ridiculous that a team that was in Seattle for 41 years gets moved just because they can't get a new arena. I am sure eventually you guys will and you can get a new team with the same name.

Good luck and sorry.

Pappyman wrote:You know what, I really don't understand

And I'll never understand people who rely on labels and buzzwords to drive their arguments, instead of actually engaging an issue.

My condolences to Seattle.

Wasn't sure where to put this question, but is your TV crew moving to OKC with the team? I'd love for Calabro/Snapper to replace our guys down here in Portland.