The idea that the Sonics faring better in Oklahoma City's Ford Center or Kansas City's Sprint Center over Seattle's Key Arena is ludicrous and at best, idle threats to attain a better lease agreement from the city by 2010. Comparing these three venues side-by-side, I'd take the Key and Seattle's far superior basketball fanbase and T.V. market any day of the week. OKC can't even be seriously considered until after their lease with the N.O. Hornets expires in late 2012, and [more obsurdity] their arena is also inferior. The Sprint Center in K.C. is a beautiful new palace, but their market potential is arguably inferior to Seattle's even before considering another franchise.

i'd be willing to bet seattle holds on to their nba team...commish stern has even said this week he holds out a lot of hope they'll stay in seattle--he's not stupid; he knows the league is better having the team in seattle than a much smaller city like okc/kc...the seattle sports columnists are saying nobody cares if the sonics go--that they're just not important the way the m's/'hawks/fuskies are to puget sounders, but i still think they're important enough to get an arena built sooner or later...i think there's a proposal, in its infancy, by something called the muckleshoot tribe, to more or less build an arena--probably similar to what the grand ronde tribe proposed for our would-be mlb park...

As much as it would be "good" for the Blazers to be the only NBA team in the NW, it'd be as bad for the team to be the only team in the NW. I think the current owner of the Sonics does want to move, but knows that he can get a better deal (in the long run) by staying in Seattle.

If they get a new arena, and have Kevin Durant, that makes the team worth more and he can sell it and try to get an expansion team in OK City.

Hap - not to be argumentative, but I can't think of a single reason why it would be "good" to have the Blazers as the only team in PNW... can you? The Blazers would not generate a dime in revenue out of the Seattle market if the Sonics were to flee... then you'd have all the other teams complaining about their trips all the way out to the PNW for a single game against the Blazers.

Well,

I think the Sonics WOULD fair better in the Sprint or Ford center than Key Arena.

but...

the markets are tremendously inferior in virtually every way.

Key is a dump. It is no exxageration to say it only a minor step up from Memorial Coliseum.

If they can get a new arena up there, then this whole topic dies. They would be crazy to leave. I hope they stay put. In the end, I bet they do stay.

Funny, Cactus Leaguer points out that the Blazers "would not generate a dime out of the Seattle market if the sonics were to flee" yet we Portlander's are supposed to jump up and down and love the Mariners and Seahawks?

Never, ever, ever will I support a Seattle franchise, unless it is to watch the Blazers thump the Supersonics over the next decade.

and thankfully more and more people are feeling the same.

I knowhutchamean, Awl Can: a lady told me she went to the Police concert in Key (why you no play in PDX, Sting?) Arena...I go great--good for you; then she equated Key Arena w/the Rose Garden--I bit my tongue, choosing not to share that the Gahden is a vastly superior facility to Key, instead opting to share w/her that skiers used to zoom down the roof of Key Arena (before its 1995 makeover)...I don't know if that's true or not, but it sounded sort of cool/interesting

OCK - if it makes you feel better, for the past two years, I usually cheer for the M's opponent (unless it's a division rival of the Indians).

quote:

Originally posted by The Cactus Leaguer:
Hap - not to be argumentative, but I can't think of a single reason why it would be "good" to have the Blazers as the only team in PNW... can you? The Blazers would not generate a dime in revenue out of the Seattle market if the Sonics were to flee... then you'd have all the other teams complaining about their trips all the way out to the PNW for a single game against the Blazers.

For me personally, I can't either. But as far as a business standpoint, if there was only 1 NBA team in the region, it could be forced down Seattles throats much like the Mariners and Seahawks are crapped down our throats in Portland.

Much is being made of the Sonics' impending move to OKC, and rightly so I suppose, but there is still a strong possibility they will be returned to sender, come Fall '09, should Schultz win his suit vs. Bennett, a likely outcome IMO...OKC can enjoy the team formerly known as the Sonics this upcoming year, but I have a funny feeling that Sooner or later (I'd bet on sooner/about 12 months from now), they'll return to the Emerald City...