OT: Sonics?

[RiverDog]

The owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves said this week that the NBA plans to put a team in Seattle that would replace the Sonics.

“It’s in the NBA’s interest that in Seattle a new team is formed,” (Timberwolves owner Glen) Taylor said. “It’s an economic decision that’s in the interest of all of the owners.”

“We’ve already had the discussion as owners,” Taylor said during the radio interview. “I’m on the committee, I know that. We’ve had the discussion within the owners group of what we’re going to do and what the future holds for those franchises.”

So why is Taylor talking about this now? Well, he’s looking to sell his franchise, and he’s nearing an agreement with an ownership group that includes ex-baseball All-Star Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, a former Wal-Mart executive. Rodriguez’s major-league career began in Seattle, which caused some to speculate maybe he would look to move the franchise to that city and become a hero in a city where he was resoundingly booed after leaving for Texas as a free agent.

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1365344/ ... nJBLwMG1xE

Interesting article. With a new arena that can accommodate an NBA team scheduled to open this fall, it seems very possible if not likely that the NBA may be returning soon...although I can't say that I'd be thrilled to see Alex Rodriguez as our owner.

[trents]

There's not already an NBA class arena in place yet in Seattle is there? That was part of the issue that resulted in losing our NBA team several years ago. City leadership was not willing. But I realize there were extenuating circumstances at that time and it seemed like ownership was determined to move the team to OKC anyway.

[RiverDog]

There's not already an NBA class arena in place yet in Seattle is there? That was part of the issue that resulted in losing our NBA team several years ago. City leadership was not willing. But I realize there were extenuating circumstances at that time and it seemed like ownership was determined to move the team to OKC anyway.

Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena (the old Key Arena) will be “100% ready” to house an NBA franchise, should the league formally announce expansion plans, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke told The Seattle Times

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba/re ... the%20city.

It's expected to open this fall as the home arena of the NHL Seattle Kraken.

[obiken]

There's a lot of us in PDX that never understood the flatting of the Sonics and would like to see them back. I am one of them, I guess I could google it but how did the Sonics end up in OKC??

[jshawaii22]

The NBA (meaning the Commish - David Stern -) arranged (forced) the sale when the Seattle City Council wouldn't fork up a few hundred million $$$ for a new Arena. The same threat they made to Sacramento (to sell and move the team to Seattle) that got the Kings their new arena a few years later.

Now that the Arena renovation is almost done, I guess it's time to try it again. The question is: Is Seattle ready for A-Rod to own the team?

[RiverDog]

There's a lot of us in PDX that never understood the flatting of the Sonics and would like to see them back. I am one of them, I guess I could google it but how did the Sonics end up in OKC??

It depends on who you ask. Here's my take:

Howard Schultz, the former Sonics owner, had tried unsuccessfully to get a new arena deal done. Since it wasn't that long ago that the city had remodeled Key Arena and since public financing for professional sporting venues had in general become more unpopular, they were in no mood to fork over more hundreds of millions of dollars for a new arena or another remodel.

My opinion is that Stern had always wanted his good friend Clay Bennett in the good ole boy's club, so he pressured Schultz to sell the team to him rather than making an effort to find a local buyer. Bennett made a half hearted attempt to build a new arena by making a proposal to the state legislature that was sure to fail, giving him a pretense to move the team.

[trents]

River's take is what I remember.

I guess I just don't sympathize with the pressure put on franchises by the NBA/NFL/MLB to build "state of the art modern facilities" in order to keep teams in cities. What was wrong with the Key Arena and the Kingdome? As long as they seat a sufficient number of people to turn a nice profit, have concessions, bathrooms, locker rooms, press boxes, meet codes, etc. what more do you need?

[govandals]

The whole thing was a bad look for the NBA and the city of Seattle.
It's sad they could not come to a resolution.
The NBA and Shultz said the Key Arena lease deal was the "worst in the NBA" Now, I'm not exactly sure what that meant although I know they complained of the lack of luxury boxes/suites at the Key.
Towards the end Shultz somewhat tried to save face by saying he rejected a higher offer from a buyer in San Diego who made it clear he was moving the team there.
Stern pressured Shultz into selling? Never heard that before. Who knows, I wouldn't put it past him.
Aubrey McClendon (Clay Bennett's right hand man and minority owner) later said "We didn't buy the Seattle SuperSonics with the intention of keeping them in Seattle"
interesting that McClendon was indicted on violating anti-trust laws for rigging bids for prices of oil and natural gas and the next day he drove his SUV into a concrete bridge pier and killed himself. Sounds like a stand up guy.

[RiverDog]

The NBA and Shultz said the Key Arena lease deal was the "worst in the NBA" Now, I'm not exactly sure what that meant although I know they complained of the lack of luxury boxes/suites at the Key.

The stated problem with Key Arena was that it was a little short on seating capacity, about 14,000 vs. the 17-20,000 capacities of other arenas. However, this is a bit disingenuous as it was the Sonics ownership at the time they did the remodel, back in the mid-90's, that wanted to keep the venue relatively small so as to discourage competition from a potential NHL franchise. They also bragged that the Key was the best venue in the league with regards to viewing angles. They hadn't even paid off the bonds they sold to finance the remodel.