Seattle working to bring the NBA back

J.R. · Feb 6, 2012

SEATTLE (AP)—The city of Seattle has been working behind the scenes the past eight months with a hedge-fund manager to bring an NBA team back to town— possibly as early as next fall if the Sacramento Kings fail to get a satisfactory deal for a new arena, newly released documents show.

The city turned over the documents to The Seattle Times on Friday under a public records request (http://is.gd/PyQ06N ). The documents included the agenda for a meeting between the parties on Dec. 13, with topics including “Review of Basic Deal Structure,” “City Debt Capacity” and “Financing Issues.”

A Seattle native who now lives in San Francisco, 44-year-old hedge-fund manager Christopher Hansen, approached the city about his desire to buy an NBA team and build an arena south of Safeco Field, the documents show. Hansen told city officials an arena could be built with minimal impact on taxpayers.

“I really appreciate it and look forward to making this happen in Seattle. I genuinely mean that and am confident that with a little effort and creativity we can find a solution that meets our needs and the City’s/State’s desire to get a team back to Seattle without a large public outlay,” Hansen wrote in a June 16 email to Julie McCoy, chief of staff to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and Ethan Raup, the mayor’s director of policy and operations.

...

The Dec. 13 meeting was attended by McCoy and Raup and set up by Carl Hirsh, a New Jersey arena consultant hired by the city in July. The agenda also included discussion of KeyArena, where the Sonics played, and which could be used as a temporary home for a new team with the permission of the NBA. The league considered it an unsuitable even before the Sonics departed.

The documents don’t mention how Seattle would obtain a team, but the Times reported that they show the city has been following developments in Sacramento, which is under a March 1 deadline to come up with a proposal to build an arena for the Kings.

In addition, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed interest in placing a team in Seattle, leading to speculation the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes could move to the city and possibly share an arena with a basketball team.

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn said Saturday he is taking the proposal seriously, but doesn’t want the city left “holding the bag.”

“It’s a pretty substantial commitment that would have to be made by the investors,” McGinn said, emphasizing that the city budget can’t be tapped to fund an arena.

He added that any offer also must honor the will of Seattle voters, who in 2006 overwhelmingly approved an initiative that says the city must make a profit on any investment it makes in a sports arena.
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http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AuTdhwwxKIOxIRnEijzrC5u8vLYF?slug=ap-seattle-nba

apollo33 · Feb 6, 2012

Dooo itt, i want the super sonics back

Ricksmith · Feb 6, 2012

The Seattle SuperKings?

CCorn · Feb 6, 2012

Bye bye Hornets

da_juice · Feb 6, 2012

They won't get a team as long as the city refuses to fund it.

I'm sure the city will cave before an NBA owner does, public officals are elected, NBA owners aren't. The Maloofs don't lose much if they don't move to Seattle, but a mayor can lose his job if the masses don't get their bread and circuses.

Apps · Feb 6, 2012

I just came in here to say that there have also been murmurs about Seattle receiving an NHL team, but I see the article brought it up itself.

I think this is great news and Seattle deserves both the NBA and the NHL.

Seattle Supersonics
Seattle Totems

^^That would be a dream come true for somebody like me who loves the city. Seattle is an awesome city that deserves all that professional sports have to offer.

atomicanderz · Feb 6, 2012

Seattle is an excellent city. One of my favs. They seem to get behind their teams, hopefully they work something out.

arjun · Feb 6, 2012

I hope they get the Sonics back.

Gary Payton has NO home.

Clutch · Feb 6, 2012

Any chance they could get back the Sonics name/colors, etc.? I still feel ripped off the Texans weren't the "Oilers".

Carl Herrera · Feb 6, 2012

Wonder how much they'll offer Les Alexander for the Rockets.

J.R. · Feb 6, 2012

Carl Herrera said: ↑

Wonder how much they'll offer Les Alexander for the Rockets.
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What?!

- - - - - -

The Sonics name, logo, uniforms, etc are available if they get a replacement franchise.

Bennett said he and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels signed a binding agreement Wednesday, which would be formalized later, that keeps the SuperSonics' name, logo and colors available if Seattle gets a replacement franchise.
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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3471503

"It was a condition of the deal for us that we keep the history, the name, the logo and the memorabilia," (City attorney Tom) Carr said. "That was a demand from Day 1. To that extent, the paragraph was put in at our insistence. It got changed a lot in the end."

During negotiations, both parties learned the NBA owns the names and intellectual properties of teams and licenses them to owners. The league prohibits owners from giving away their team's names to anyone other than another owner.
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nba/2008035531_soni06.html

TheRealist137 · Feb 6, 2012

CCorn said: ↑

Bye bye Hornets
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this, hope it happens.

mr. 13 in 33 · Feb 6, 2012

bnb · Feb 6, 2012

come on home Thunder.

All is forgiven.

Kronos · Feb 6, 2012

Miss the Sonics green and yellow look...hated when they added red. Would love to see them return! Jordan should sell the Bobcats and let The Sonics come back to the west and the Hornets eventually move back to Charlotte =)

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9OPvh7jdeeo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

BleedRocketsRed · Feb 6, 2012

CCorn said: ↑

Bye bye Hornets
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http://mynorthwest.com/27/594545/Stern-says-he-wants-Hornets-to-stay-put

Cold water thrown on NBA team moving to Seattle

In the past two weeks, local television and newspapers have been raising hopes of an NBA franchise returning to Western Washington. We're told investors are ready to go on possible arena sights in Bellevue or south Seattle.
The best case scenario would be for the New Orleans Hornets to falter and be sold to a Seattle-area buyer. According to NBA Comissioner David Stern, that isn't happening.

The league owns the Hornets, and Stern made it clear Wednesday night he'll do everything in his power to make sure they're firmly entrenched in Louisiana.

"Our soul focus was and will remain, until we sell this team, hopefully which will be in the first half of 2012, to maintain and make the Hornets as attractive as we can, and ensure that we have a buyer who will keep them in New Orleans."

That statement certainly opens old wounds in Seattle, where Stern collided with local and state politicians, and ultimately approved the sale of the SuperSonics to Oklahoma businessman Clay Bennett. He promised to try to keep the Sonics in Seattle, but we all know where they went.

Stern's remarks came during a conference call after he and the NBA team owners authorized a three-team deal which sends Hornets star point guard Chris Paul to the Clippers. Los Angeles gives up guard Eric Gordon, center Chris Kaman, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota's unprotected 2012 first-round pick to the Hornets. The Clippers will also receive two future second-round picks.

The move puts an end to a tortured week in which the Hornets' season sat in limbo while the NBA took a public relations beating over everything from potential conflicts of interest, to stunting the Hornets' pursuit of free agents, to disrespecting the New Orleans fan base.

The Hornets at last have a measure of certainty about the roster they'll have when the regular season begins in less than two weeks. That should help New Orleans business leaders meet ticket sale and lease requirements.

So that leaves the Sacramento Kings as another franchise possibly moving. Anaheim is reportedly waiting with open arms if the Kings can't reach a deal on a new arena with the city of Sacramento.

Sorry Seattle, without a new state-of-the-art arena ready and waiting, landing another NBA franchise is still just on our Christmas wish list.

Follow Bill Swartz, 97.3 KIRO FM Sports
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J.R. · Feb 6, 2012

Go back to Seattle but not with those terrible colors

arjun · Feb 6, 2012

hsf09 said: ↑

Go back to Seattle but not with those terrible colors

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i'm sure they will go with a nice classic old school but modern look

not like that crap

DonnyMost · Feb 6, 2012

I'd love to see the Kings reborn in Seattle as the Sonics if it comes to that.

SuperBeeKay · Feb 6, 2012

seattle sushi

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