I'm against expansion and would support contracting the league by a couple of teams, but despite that, I'd love to see Seattle get back their NBA team, whatever team that ends up being. I wish them luck. They have a long road to travel before that can happen, if it ever does.
I'm not a Seattle native, but I've been here for the past five years so I saw how it unfolded. Truth be told, Sonicsgate tells the story with a little rosier glow to the average Seattle citizen, but they got the gist of it right. The city's fans should have been more vocal, and the city's elected officials could have fought a lot harder. I really don't think people believed the Sonics could leave until they did. As to Baqui's point vis-a-vis Kansas City and San Antonio, all I can say is that Seattle is a different monster altogether. Besides having a much higher population, than either town, you've already got a devoted fan base for the NBA in Seattle (as opposed to KC). You also have a significant hockey fan base with two professional teams (Everett & Seattle), as well as a ton of people (including Canadians) who would commute down for NHL (anyone who thinks that Vancouver's constant DIVING makes it hard to root for them). Support for an NHL team will grow more slowly but organically; a new NBA team with the Sonics name will have HUGE support (at least in the first few years, while the team inevitably struggles to become relevant). I hope that Hansen sticks it out. The City of Seattle has made numerous promises to the Port and others that they would improve the infrastructure in the area, and they didn't have the money to do it. While Hansen has already paid to have traffic studies done out of his own pocket (as well as pledging at least five million for renovations to Key Arena, which is currently bleeding money as we speak), I have the feeling that the city is going to try to hit him up for as many of the infrastructural improvements that they can. Politics are what they are - and many would love to be seen as the one that got the unbelievable deal for Seattle's citizens and got as many freebies as they could out of Hansen. You can become mayor that way. LITTLE KNOWN FACT: Seattle actually had a team on the Stanley Cup, way back in the day (Seattle Metropolitans). If they get an NHL team, they really ought to keep that name.
Move the Thunder back to Seattle. OKC hasn't suffered long enough to deserve that team they have. If OKC has to have a team, send em the Bobcats or Kings.
So even though as an Oiler fan you wanted to keep the Oiler name and history, you think Sonics fans should NOT want to keep the Sonics name and history. Gotcha. Makes perfect sense.
Good for Seattle I guess.. If anything the NBA needs to get rid of a couple teams.. All the expansion and relocation of teams is bad for the leagues stability..
Break it down Well I'm sorry you are confused and don't understand what I typed. Let me try to break it down for you then. Seattle loses SuperSonics roster. That EXACT roster moves to Oklahoma and is renamed the Thunder. Seattle keeps history of all things SuperSonic. Seattle wants new team. I see two ways of this happening. Choice 1 is Seattle could take some other city's team like Oklahoma did to them. They would have the EXACT roster of some other city's team of a year ago. Hopefully they let that city keep the history of that team and just rename the team the SuperSonics. If they didn't then I think it complicates what to name the franchise being that now a city "owns" two team histories at the same time. If the Kings move to Seattle and retain the Kings history what do you name the team? Seattle SuperSonics or Seattle Kings? The rafters would look really weird with two team banners that COINCIDE with one another. I wonder if there is a rule for this type of situation? Oh well. Choice 2 is Seattle go the route of Magic, Heat, Raptors, Grizzlies, Bobcats, and all the other expansion teams of history and get a "brand new" roster through an expansion draft. This team will be unique being different players "taken" from all teams in the league that don't have protection. The Texans didn't have a choice in using their Oilers' history since those rights departed to Tennessee. We would be the Houston Oilers and not Texans if we had that choice. Seattle retains that choice. They can name their "new" team the SuperSonics and that legacy carries on. I as a hypothetical SuperSonics fan want Choice 2. Hope you understand now.
They just got Paul and Griffin's up-and-coming while Kobe's in the twilight of his career. They'll be the main show soon enough.
Really hope that everybody suggesting Oklahoma City relocate back to Seattle is trolling. That would never, ever, happen. If any team needs to move, it's Charlotte. Despite having a new arena, the franchise makes no sense, has no local support and no discernable identity after 10 years. Other than that, only clubs with ownership/arena issues (Sacramento, Memphis) are likely to relocate.
Okay, this time I really do get it. You're saying that after the Texans got ramped up, you were glad they weren't able to retain the Oilers name and background. I grew up in Houston but live in Seattle now, and it seems to me like the city wants to have their Sonics again, as opposed to their Seattle Kings or Seattle Bobcats or even some new name. These people think their franchise was stolen from them and want the Sonics back, even if the players have all changed by now and it's not even the same franchise who left town a few years ago.
The Hornets should move to Seattle (not that it would happen) and become the Supersonics, giving all their history to the Bobcats. Who would change their name to to the Hornets and keep all their records and such. That way, we can pretend that OKC has had an expansion team all this time.
Umm...close. I wanted the city of Houston to KEEP the rights to the Oilers so that when we got a new team we could continue the legacy like how I suggested in Choice 2. Well...they aren't getting the Thunder back. They need to let that go. We had to let go of that Titans team. Luckily we got a new team. It depends on which team and ownership decides to come to Seattle. Do the people of Seattle really want the Bobcats with their roster AND Michael Jordan making the decisions? Or the Kings with the Maloofs losing money and making bad personal moves to save money? Seattle would be better off with new ownership with a fresh team that uses the SuperSonics name.
You don't think it would be weird that a city has the history of TWO franchises that COINCIDE with one another?
What history? The Bobcats have nothing to show for their short, pitiful existence. They would just merge them when applicable.
As much as I disliked the Sonics back in the early 90s for killing the Rockets...I'm really excited for Seattle. They should've done this five years ago and kept the OKC team. They really did support the Sonics pretty well and, unfortunately, will end up snaking another team from a city that will probably hate to lose their NBA team. My guess, in order of probability, would be Sacramento then Minnesota. I keep hearing Milwaukee, but am not familiar with any issues they've been having.
It be a shame if Milwaukee left, they've been there for awhile. I think the Kings should move to Seattle as the Supersonics, but play a few games at ARCO every year.
Sacramento fans are one of the best in the league. They definitely do not deserve to lose the team. The Maloofs should give up owning that team, if you ask me. From the fan enthusiasm point of view, I think some cities should not have teams. Atlanta is one of them. LA should let the Clippers go. I know my view is not totally rational in terms of business viability. But to hell with business. This is supposed to be FANtastic.
Yeah, the Clippers should really be in their own city- or at least in their own arena like the Nets are. Bobcats should move to Seattle (and have their history whitewashed in favour of adopting the sonic's history, logo etc.). Move the Hornets to the Southeast division, OKC to the Southwest, and the new Sonics (bobcats) to the Northwest. That way the old portland-sonics rivalry is revived, OKC is more geographically aligned, and Seattle has a team.
