New Team Rumblings by 2010?????

[wiff]

So here is an article from the Seattle PI

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/384758_arena24.html

A new plan to divert a portion of hotel-tax money from the state convention center to a remodel of KeyArena could help Seattle begin pursuing a replacement NBA team as soon as 2010.

NBA Commissioner David Stern said Thursday "positive" talks have gone on between the league and a potential ownership group headed by Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who led an ill-fated plan to save the Sonics earlier this year.

Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis confirmed the talks, and said he was optimistic that this time around the city's request for state authorization will meet little resistance when the Legislature convenes in January.

"It should be noncontroversial, because it's a city-only tax that already exists and will not be an increase," Ceis said of the latest attempt to find a long-sought public portion of a proposed $300 million renovation for a building currently deemed financially obsolete by the National Basketball Association.

Honestly I actually find this whole thing annoying.

But looks like Memphis, Milwaukee and New Orleans are on the radar for being sniped by uber rich dudes.

[BigFlorida]

here's hoping they target New Orleans... since Seattle "sports fans" don't support loser teams.

[Sweezo]

here's hoping they target New Orleans... since Seattle "sports fans" don't support loser teams.

This seems perilious close to trolling, but upon rereading it...I think it was just clumsily worded...

Seattle has seen fit to support several losing teams, such as the Seattle Mariners and the Seattle Seahawks, for years. Seattle also supported the Sonics too, even when an ownership purchased the team and did everything they could to alienate.

[jenn_gp]

I tend to agree with BigFlorida. However, I only feel this way about what has recently happened with the Sonics. For several years there was threats that the team would move and no one cared. It made me sick to hear people say who cares about the Sonics, they suck anyways. It makes me baffled how this team was consistently the hottest ticket in town in all through the 90's and in a matter of several years, everyone except the true diehards fell off the bandwagon.

I will say that for the most part, the Seattle sports fan has been a supportive group of professional sports. However, I now view them all as bandwagoners simply because they gave up on the Sonics when the organization and players needed it the most. They bailed on them. You can call it crazy logic if you want, but that's how I feel.

If we get a new team, will people come in flocks right away to watch? I'm not sure. I think a lot of people are fed up with supporting pro sports financially. This includes our city and state government. The only way I see the Sonics part II being successful right away is if we get a good, competitive team. The best candidate for that is the Hornets. Everyone loves a winner.

[Dick Tate]

I read it as a troll post.

[Sweezo]

Yeah, but the poster's history is troll-free, and he's expressed support for Sonics faithful in the past. I think he was basically taking a shot at the non-fans in the region who didn't help keep the team.

[jenn_gp]

^I think so too.