Sonics decision today/Update: Oklahoma City Bound

[IsiahThomasJr]

Stern is a disgrace to the game of basketball. He needs to step down already. I'd rather see Adam Silver or Russ Granik as commish than this loser.

Seattle didn't deserve this. They have a great history and a great city and the team was stolen from them by jackass Bannett.

And for what? Oklahoma City? Oklahoma? All people do there is listen to country music and plow fields. This is a terrible move and it has robbed the NBA of its integrity (whatever it had left) and of its history.

Screw you Stern. I hope you get impeached from the league when it is found out that you had a hand in the fixed games with Donaghy.

[pr0wler]

At least we get to keep the team name/colours. If there is an expansion team it'll feel a lot like the Sonics unlike the Charlotte Bobcat situation.

[kombayn]

We won't have expansion. I won't be surprised if the Memphis Grizzlies will be sold to Matt Griffin's group that's interested in a NBA team. The City of Seattle now has $75 million to use for the renovations of Key Arena. Get a sweet naming rights deal with a company to help the renovations cost (personally I like WaMu Arena) and the Seattle SuperSonics will be back in the NBA and OKC will be in the division they belong... Southwest. What I hope though is the fans, residents and city push for small ownership in the actual team. That way you guys have a say.

[farzi]

Stern should abolish the Sonics franchise, then grant OKC an expansion team, bringing the total teams back up to 30.

Then have a huge drawing of all 30 teams, split up the Sonics players, then have each team fill out their protected list, and OKC gets to pick up the scraps.

There's no reason Bennett should get Westbrook/Durant/Green, especially since they don't (or atleast KD doesn't) want to move.

Some lucky team could grab Durant up, and Bennett would have to start from scratch

[Rah Fentons]

Horrible. I'm sorry Sonics fans. Sucks for everyone involved. Now I have to say I'm hoping for expansion just so you guys can get your team back in a couple years and, down the road, just pretend nothing happened. I bet Browns fans can do that now.

Two ridiculous statements in this thread:

1) A Hornets fan decrying a team moving.

2) Someone calling Las Vegas a real city as compared to OKC.

That's just typical of the vitriol that is south Louisiana.

[Roscoe Sheed]

Stern should abolish the Sonics franchise, then grant OKC an expansion team, bringing the total teams back up to 30.

Then have a huge drawing of all 30 teams, split up the Sonics players, then have each team fill out their protected list, and OKC gets to pick up the scraps.

There's no reason Bennett should get Westbrook/Durant/Green, especially since they don't (or atleast KD doesn't) want to move.

Some lucky team could grab Durant up, and Bennett would have to start from scratch

that is a great idea. Too bad Stern loves Bennett too much to force this

[Huskies1947]

http://thestar.blogs.com/raptors/2008/0 ... el-ex.html

[SabasRevenge!]

Oklahoma Republican Senator is blocking a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing investigations into older civil rights era crimes, like the murder of black teen Emmitt Till in 1957, which has never been solved.

I'm sure Coburn and Oklahoma's racist governor will be big hits with NBA players.

[tsherkin]

Stern made the wrong move during the Charlotte fiasco as well. I definitely want to see him replaced as soon as possible. Sonics fans, we know what you are going through. It sucks. And if you guys get an expansion team, it won't feel the same anyway. Its like the wife that you love divorced you and immediately is seen happy with another man.

Well, since another team went back to the city shortly enough, that's clearly the case, right? They were just angry with the owner and chased him and his team out of town. That makes sense.

Also, don't take any flack from OKC Sonics fans. The New Orleans Hornets fans in the beginning were arrogant ***holes and I enjoyed watching them play a year in OKC and hoping they would not go back to New Orleans. I hope OKC Sonics fans aren't the same.

They won't be the Sonics in OKC, though, from what I understand. And having seen the fans in OKC during the time the Hornets were there, I'm inclined to say they seemed like decent enough folk who probably won't be giant rags about this, they're more likely to be like "Hooray, we have a major sports franchise!" I mean, besides the Hornets now, they're big claim to fame is the Rangers' AAA baseball team, IIRC, so they've got to just be happy to have something at the peak professional level.

As to Seattle... I hope they get a team back at some point, even if it means expansion to 32 teams (we could always use a team in St. Louis or something... Oh, I've got it! Turn the Albany Patroons into an NBA team and really irritate everyone now that the Nets are going to Brooklyn! Three teams in New York State!! Seriously though, returning the Sonics to Seattle and adding another team for conference balance would be sensible; Seattle fans didn't chase their team out, they loved their team and fought for it but their scheming douche owner stole it away. Maybe Schultz will realize what an arse he was for allowing this to happen and bring basketball back to Seattle...

[nymets1]

Everybody is forgetting that there is an Nba team called the New Orleans Hornets who played in Oklahoma City for 1 year because of Hurricane Katrina and Oklahoma City gave Great support to the Hornets so I expect the same for the Sonics and Oklahoma City knows now that they have a permanent team.

[Narcist]

Everybody is forgetting that there is an Nba team called the New Orleans Hornets who played in Oklahoma City for 1 year because of Hurricane Katrina and Oklahoma City gave Great support to the Hornets so I expect the same for the Sonics and Oklahoma City knows now that they have a permanent team.

Nobody forgot. Just because they showed up to watch the hornets play doesen't mean a 41 year old franchise should be ripped away from them. I doubt they will have attendence issues thats not the problem here.

[PELICANSFAN]

Why are people talking as if New Orleans STOLE Charlotte's team?

Fans abandoned the team long before the team left. Discontent with George Shinn's dumb personnel moves and how he didn't agree to give MJ total control over personnel when he discussed joining the team in a management capacity... there was the rape trial... and then Shinn made an ultimatum to the city about a new stadium at no cost to him. It almost went through and was then blocked and then, with the NBA supporting the city's decision, the team moved to New Orleans.

So let's not start saying New Orleans "stole" anything.

George Shinn was a jack-ass and the city and fans had a large hand in sending the team away.

It was definitely different than what Clay Bennet just pulled.

Stern made the wrong move during the Charlotte fiasco as well. I definitely want to see him replaced as soon as possible. Sonics fans, we know what you are going through. It sucks. And if you guys get an expansion team, it won't feel the same anyway. Its like the wife that you love divorced you and immediately is seen happy with another man.

Also, don't take any flack from OKC Sonics fans. The New Orleans Hornets fans in the beginning were arrogant ***holes and I enjoyed watching them play a year in OKC and hoping they would not go back to New Orleans. I hope OKC Sonics fans aren't the same.

Arrogant ***holes? If anything it was the wonderful Charlotte fans wishing death to New Orleans fans for "taking their team" when it was their politicians that ran them off. It sucks for the fans to suffer in those situations (and we have had it in the past as well with the New Orleans Jazz). I love how you were hoping we would lose our team to the same thieves that tried to steal the Hornets after a terrible natural disaster and now were successful with the Sonics. However, it is the New Orleans' fans that you complain of rather than looking in the mirror at yourself. You really seem to be supporting the Bobcats. Stop your bitching and support your team that the NBA giftwrapped for you.

[PELICANSFAN]

Everybody is forgetting that there is an Nba team called the New Orleans Hornets who played in Oklahoma City for 1 year because of Hurricane Katrina and Oklahoma City gave Great support to the Hornets so I expect the same for the Sonics and Oklahoma City knows now that they have a permanent team.

They certainly have their chance now to prove it. When it was a short term deal with the Hornets, Bennett and his cronies formed a marketing group to buy thousands of tickets to give away (so that they would not look bad to the NBA as they were trying to steal the Hornets at the time, with the help of Paul Mott who was subsequently fired by Shinn when he found out). Now, with a permanent situation, it will be on the local businesses and fans to support the team. They have some exciting young talent that should excite the fans.

[Hardzy]

Exciting young talent that will bolt when they can.

[RTM]

The more I think about it, the more I think that Seattle will immediately upgrade KeyArena and then some Seattle based group (perhaps Schultz) will probably over Heisey some large sum of money and buy the Grizz (who he's been looking to sell), who will then become the new Sonics... Then OKC would move to the Southwest Division.

Seeing as the Grizz in Memphis haven't been a huge success, I could definitely see this happening if Seattle upgrades the arena fast enough.

I think they're much more likely to move than NOH - and for Seattle to get a team, it will have to be from moving another, as Stern seems happy at 30 and not wanting to expand.

[magicfan4life05]

memphis might move to seattle?



http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/vid ... Id=2459788