Sonics Sold to Oklahoma Group

[SaveThePigs]

http://www.insidehoops.com/sonics-sold-okc-group-071806.shtml

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003135221_websonicssold18.html

Summary

-News Conference at 3pm
-Don't know if team will be moved to Oklahoma.

[SCY]

Seattle fans deserve a team...it's a shame if they move. OKC should get the Hornets.

[Rab]

That would be weird to have the Sonics in Seattle anymore. They have some great fans up there.

[Timmeh]

Seattle fans deserve a team...it's a shame if they move. OKC should get the Hornets. I highly doubt that OKC will get the Hornets. They just moved to NO and I'm sure Stern wnats to keep the team there.

[SCY]

New Orleans didn't support the team for whatever reason before the hurricane, and now I don't think they're capable. You're probably right though, because it wouldn't be the greatest PR move.

[Timmeh]

You're right, they didn't really support it. But look at the new Charlotte team, not too much support going on there either.

[ihatekobenjordan]

Wow, just wow. Sonics should always be in Seattle, but OKC deserves a team (yes, the Hornets). Last time NO had the Jazz, the Jazz moved out. This time they have the Hornets and even without the hurricane, the Hornets weren't doing good business. NO is just not a basketball city at all.

[Inspector Rick]

Oh God no! The NBA has already taken my Grizzlies away from me, now they might take the next best thing, the SONICS!

Despite all of that, Seattle is a fantastic city and they deserve an NBA team.

[TonyJones]

The Oklahoma Sonics:roll: :roll: :roll:

[Rab]

The city isn't doing much to support their stay though. The fans yes, but not the city officials. Isn't this whole mess about a new arena, or renavating the Key Arena or something?

[Maestro33]

Worst news of the off season. Now we gotta drive to Portland to see a mf'ing game. Thats it, Im moving to the states. Anyone wanna get married so I can get me a green card? Im a good cook.....

[Maestro33]

Disregard this one....weird glitch

[DoubleTech]

sucks for seattle... but even if they do move to OKC... they'll get another team eventually... Seattle is a much more NBA worthy city than charlotte or new orleans.

[adamcz]

This is bull****. Pisses me off so much that Stern allows teams to hold taxpayers hostage. Build your own damn stadium, and if you can't afford it, don't buy an NBA franchise. Why can't that be how things work?

[JinTheWindMaster]

They're still staying in the seattle region.

[Kobe24]

Why not move the team? The fans cheer for the opposing team and they have to support only jump shooters and players with huge egos.

[ZHAKIDD532]

I think that the Hornets need to stay in NO, so do the Saints. Chris Paul and Reggie Bush can put help put that city back together...

[SCY]

This is bull****. Pisses me off so much that Stern allows teams to hold taxpayers hostage. Build your own damn stadium, and if you can't afford it, don't buy an NBA franchise. Why can't that be how things work?

Agreed, it's terrible.

[ZHAKIDD532]

^definetly

[ShawnieMac06]

The city isn't doing much to support their stay though. The fans yes, but not the city officials. Isn't this whole mess about a new arena, or renavating the Key Arena or something?

I think it had more to do with the lease situation between the city of Seattle (which owns KeyArena) and the Supersonics. Starbucks Schultz was crying poor in saying that the Sonics are losing money on the lease on KeyArena. I think since the city and the state of Washington, who already spent about a billion dollars building new stadiums for the Mariners and Seahawks, didn't want to spend anymore money for an arena that was just renovated 12 years ago and still looks in fine shape. But then again, it is the oldest arena in the NBA (opened in 1962) and eventually they might have to build a new facility anyway.

It would be a shame if the Sonics did move, they were the team that made Seattle a major professional sports city--they were the first franchise there, a team that gave Seattle its first and only major league sports championship, and have a near 40-year history of good basketball teams and players.

[adamcz]

The answer that would end this problem forever, is to make it illegal for governments to award free stadiums to teams. All of the sudden, teams would have to build their own stadiums, and cut player salaries to come up with the money. If you need a new stadium with better revenue generating capabilities, you build it.

[Young HkM]

The city isn't doing much to support their stay though. The fans yes, but not the city officials. Isn't this whole mess about a new arena, or renavating the Key Arena or something?

It pretty much nobody but the Sonics and some others want to build the stadium, very few want to pay any more taxes since we have payed for Safeco (Mariners), Qwest Field (Seahawks), and we're currently paying a lot of money for the construction on a lightrail that travels all through the city. The city of Bellevue wants to build a stadium for the Sonics and that'd be good if they can take care of the Sonics once the lease it up, but we'll see what happens.

[Young HkM]

I think it had more to do with the lease situation between the city of Seattle (which owns KeyArena) and the Supersonics. Starbucks Schultz was crying poor in saying that the Sonics are losing money on the lease on KeyArena. I think since the city and the state of Washington, who already spent about a billion dollars building new stadiums for the Mariners and Seahawks, didn't want to spend anymore money for an arena that was just renovated 12 years ago and still looks in fine shape. But then again, it is the oldest arena in the NBA (opened in 1962) and eventually they might have to build a new facility anyway.

It would be a shame if the Sonics did move, they were the team that made Seattle a major professional sports city--they were the first franchise there, a team that gave Seattle its first and only major league sports championship, and have a near 40-year history of good basketball teams and players.

It's not from '62. In that lot used to be the Coliseum, but they tore it down and started from scratch. The Keyarena was opened in like '95. Just to clarify.

[ShawnieMac06]

It's not from '62. In that lot used to be the Coliseum, but they tore it down and started from scratch. The Keyarena was opened in like '95. Just to clarify.

Maybe so, but the exterior from the original Coliseum is still the same...all they did was gutted the inside and built a completely new facility, that's what I meant.

[Noob Saibot]

Have the Supersonics ever won a championship in Seattle? Seattle just has buzzard luck i guess. Should've listened to commander Stern and built a new arena in Bellevue.

Oklahoma Sonics, man that don't sound right. :confused:

[ShawnieMac06]

Have the Supersonics ever won a championship in Seattle? Seattle just has buzzard luck i guess. Should've listened to commander Stern and built a new arena in Bellevue.

Oklahoma Sonics, man that don't sound right. :confused:

They won a title in 1979 (beat Washington), but lost in '78 (to Washington) and '96 (to Chicago)

[Rab]

It pretty much nobody but the Sonics and some others want to build the stadium, very few want to pay any more taxes since we have payed for Safeco (Mariners), Qwest Field (Seahawks), and we're currently paying a lot of money for the construction on a lightrail that travels all through the city. The city of Bellevue wants to build a stadium for the Sonics and that'd be good if they can take care of the Sonics once the lease it up, but we'll see what happens.
Cool, thanks for the info.

[GoRapz]

good thing the Raptors didn't move.

But if the fans want the Sonics to stay in Seattle, every game next year better be sold out.

[kwajo]

damn, I was really pulling for Vancouver to regain a team

[insidehoops]

Bump

[Inspector Rick]

damn, I was really pulling for Vancouver to regain a team

Would of been nice to see some Vancouverites make a push for the Sonics, but the Blazers still look like a viable option.

[xxxSuperStar]

New Oreleans currently has less than 1/2 its original population (currently close to 200,000). For the Hornets to go back there, the NBA would have to fund them or something because there is no way they are drawing 20,000 to a game. It would be like 5,000-8,000.

BOLD PREDICTION:

Seattle's new owners will play hardball to get new stadium with a threat to move. If they don't get it they'll move to NOK.

The league will take over the Hornets (much like MLB did with the Expos and baseball) and find the right city and sell to owners:

Some possible choices:

Puerto Rico (David Stern would love this)
Mexico City (David Stern would love this too)
Las Vegas (All-Star game is there this year, steps are in place)
San Diego (top 10 city in population, NBA is missing)

Link to populations of U.S. cities: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html

[hawkfan]

Puerto Rico would be a cool place for a team, except that players would chafe living on the island.

Same thing with Mexico City.

That was one of the problems with Vancouver - some of the "brothers" didn't want to live there.

Montreal would be a good place for a team, if that team could pick up a lot of Euros and foreign players.

The only way the Hornets will be able to succeed in Louisiana is if they play 15 games or so in Baton Rouge, since it is almost the same size as New Orleans now. It really makes sense to keep the team in Oklahoma City.

[reppy]

The answer that would end this problem forever, is to make it illegal for governments to award free stadiums to teams. All of the sudden, teams would have to build their own stadiums, and cut player salaries to come up with the money. If you need a new stadium with better revenue generating capabilities, you build it.

But that's something a leftist pinko commie would do. No, wait.. Isn't that what giving money away is anyways? I'm confused. USA! USA!

[RainierBeachPoet]

the stadium is an issue only in light of the desire for total control of revenue that shultz wanted.

corporate welfare is what it amounted to and holding the team in ransom with the threat of moving it didnt work

i agree that if the owners want total revenue, they should build their own stadium

unfortunately, there are many other places that will fund their desires

kudos to local officials to not buckling under.

i have been a sonic fan for MANY years but i still think it was the right thing to do. i hope they stay in the area

bellevue sonics
renton sonics

still better than the ok sonics

we'll see how the drama develops; i havent read the details yet...

[KingofKings718]

They said they won't move the team, if Seattle builds a new arena, or renovates the current one. But I hope they don't move.

[Voice of Reason]

No one wanted to buy the Sonics and keep them here because they have the worst lease in the league. The team makes almost no money from their home games. Bill Gates is not the type to buy up 'toys'..he gives away more money than he keeps. Paul Allen would've bought them if he could've found a buyer for Trailblazers but his lease situation is almost as bad as the Sonics.

The ones who ****ed up is the local government. They making 30+ million a year off of the sonics but didn't want to help build a new arena or try to fix the lease of the current arena. They really didn't think Howard Schultz would sell the team to someone out of state. Now they about to lose a cash cow.

The fans are loyal but the politics f*cked them.

[Noob Saibot]

I guess Seattle ran outta room for another arena. They built 2 new stadium right next to each other anyways.

[RainierBeachPoet]

http://www.insidehoops.com/sonics-sold-okc-group-071806.shtml

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003135221_websonicssold18.html

Summary

-News Conference at 3pm
-Don't know if team will be moved to Oklahoma.

:banghead::cry::mad::rant:ohwell::hammerhead::viol in::banghead::(:sleeping

[1~Gibson~1]

Well the way i see it is, eventually Seattle will get another team and karma will bite Bennett or however you spell his name in the @$$ :lol so it's just a matter of waiting for you hungry Seattle fans

[Alex_SW]

Oklahoma phishhooker here Im in Texas quite a bit because the maority of my family still lives there.. but there are only 3 active Oklahoma phishhookers that I know of, and that includes myself. So whatever region OK is put into is fine with me..

[Ammiddeon]

I think its fantastic that the new SwishMax2 will support components... just like FLASH. How can I get involved in the Beta testing??? Please advise as Im very excited about this

[Faberg]

New Oreleans currently has less than 1/2 its original population (currently close to 200,000). For the Hornets to go back there, the NBA would have to fund them or something because there is no way they are drawing 20,000 to a game. It would be like 5,000-8,000.

BOLD PREDICTION:

Seattle's new owners will play hardball to get new stadium with a threat to move. If they don't get it they'll move to NOK.

The league will take over the Hornets (much like MLB did with the Expos and baseball) and find the right city and sell to owners:

Some possible choices:

Puerto Rico (David Stern would love this)
Mexico City (David Stern would love this too)
Las Vegas (All-Star game is there this year, steps are in place)
San Diego (top 10 city in population, NBA is missing)

Link to populations of U.S. cities: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0763098.html

Wow, you were right on with those predictions four years later.

[MikeBeas]

oklahoma is gud

[Chris Quinn]

oklahoma is gud
lol omg beasley

[Nova6]

mike beas don't you already have a couple other accounts?

[Nova6]

freakin spambots up in here

[Nova6]

and beta testing?

[Docs Orders]

we wuz kangz

[circletrans]

The city isn't doing much to support their stay though. The fans yes, but not the city officials. Isn't this whole mess about a new arena, or renavating the Key Arena or something?


https://circletranslations.com/content/subtitle-translation-agencies