On October 24, 2006, the NBA approved the sale of the Seattle Supersonics and Storm to Oklahoma City businessman Clay Bennet. This means one thing to the NBA and Seattle — Bennett and his partners are about to drop a boom of their own on the Sonic faithful.
In the weeks and months after September 11, 2001, when tragedy and sorrow filled American hearts, one distraction captured millions. Americans finally started to get sick of reading the ticker on various news sites, deciding instead to turn to the simple subject of sports to get through the terrible ordeal. The Yankees' trip to the World Series proved cathartic to the nation, including those directly involved with 9/11.
Sports are able to take people away from their current troubles or misfortunes and take them to a place of euphoria. Ask any Boston Red Sox fan after 2004 what sports means to them.
This year it's the New Orleans Saints. After Hurricane Katrina hit, and the Gulf Coast, specifically New Orleans, looked like a scene from "Waterworld," everything that made New Orleans vibrant, original, and, well, New Orleans, was lost, but not forever.
In the wake of Katrina, federal and state government negligence led to an even greater wide spread panic. Unlike 9/11, the people of New Orleans were not able to turn to sports in their hometown, because unlike anything else that has ever happened in the United States, the New Orleans people were shipped out, along with its two professional franchises.
Now, a year later, it's almost impossible for the Saints to lose at home. It's New Orleans' one chance to revert back to normalcy, to exorcise all those feelings of despair, for three hours. They have the whole Gulf Coast weight on their shoulders. No other team can grasp the emotion the Saints reach during a home game. It is literally Mardi Gras every time the Superdome opens its doors for a football game.
The Saints are back in New Orleans to stay, the Hornets, on the other hand, are not. The NBA franchise is scheduled to return to New Orleans in the 2007-2008 season, and when that day comes, you can bet the beads will be out, the band will be striking up jazz throughout the stadium and the streets outside, and New Orleans will finally be heading towards permanent normalcy.
In the wake of the Hornets' triumphant return to New Orleans, there is one forgotten son, so to speak. Right now, the Hornets call Oklahoma City home. The only thing Oklahoma City has done in the one year they've occupied an NBA franchise is show everybody this is a basketball town.
In NBA circles, the Ford Center, where the Hornets temporarily play, is considered the Arco Arena of the Heartland — in other words, they blow the roof off every time an opponent steps on the court. NBA commissioner David Stern loves the atmosphere, loves the arena, and now, more than ever, Oklahoma City has moved to the forefront as the next city to get a team.
Now, that team looks to be the Seattle Supersonics. A Seattle switch seems almost inevitable with Bennet, an Oklahoma City native, purchasing the team.
At this current moment, Bennet has said all the right things. Seattle's new majority owner has repeatedly said he does not plan to move. However, the new majority owner of Seattle's basketball franchises has said in the past his ultimate goal is having a professional team in Oklahoma City.
If this is the case, why did Bennet choose the Sonics, why not wait for the NBA commissioner to award Oklahoma City, a city Stern has grown to love, an NBA team?
Business savvy.
Stern is tired of the city of Seattle's ineptness to change things in Seattle. Stern has complained about the Sonics' working conditions even louder than the Sonics' Boom that echoes through Key Arena. On a media conference call before the playoffs began in April, Stern bluntly voiced his frustrations about the Sonics' inability to make progress on a new arena lease or funding for a new building, saying: "They are not interested in having the NBA there."
In the last decade, two different stadiums have been built for the other professional franchises in Seattle. It seems inconceivable to think the one team who brought a championship to Seattle is the one left out in the cold.
The Sonics are celebrating 40 years in the NBA this year. All 40 years were spent in Seattle, making them the oldest franchise in Seattle. This may be the only saving grace for Seattle's diehard fans. Does David Stern have the gall to move a team full of history? If the city refuses to comply with his request, the answer is simple — yes.
It has been done in other sports, including the NBA. Some of the most prominent teams in the NBA started elsewhere. The Lakers started in Minneapolis and the Jazz started in New Orleans. Ironically, the last team to move cities because of arena issues was the Hornets. The former Charlotte residents moved to New Orleans, for a better fan base, a newer arena, and more money. Sound familiar?
At this point, it seems as just speculation. If the city of Seattle were to build a new arena, Bennet would no longer have the loophole to get his wish of an NBA franchise in Oklahoma City. However, if the city continues to show opposition to the NBA's requests for better facilities, the Oklahoma City Sonics seem like a logical step.
If you don't think it's possible, and don't have the ability to see both teams play live, watch on television both teams play at home. Seattle rarely plays in front of a sold-out crowd, and even when they do, most fans are too busy drinking lattes to realize they have one of the best shooting guards ever, Ray Allen, on their team.
The days of Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton dominating the West are gone. What's remaining in Seattle now is a mess. The last two years are a perfect example. In the 2004-05 season, the Sonics won the Northwest division with 52 wins and were the third seed in the playoffs, losing to the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in six games. Last year, they finished with 35 wins and missed the playoffs.
If there's any solace, Seattle's lease on Key Arena doesn't end until the '09-'10 season, giving Seattle three years to get their act together and keep the senior franchise of the northwest, well, in the northwest.
If Seattle continues to follow its same path of opposition, Bennet will have no choice, much to the chagrin of the Sonic faithful, but to move the team. What better place to move the team, than to a city proven to bring in a bountiful amount of revenue for the NBA.
Let's be honest, what else does Oklahoma City have going for it? I researched the city on Wikipedia and besides the plethora of skyscrapers lining downtown (yes, this is actually something featured on their site), and the University of Oklahoma, they have nothing. Yes, OKC has various minor league franchises there and a beautiful Myriad Botanical Garden designed by I.M. Pei, which is impressive. There's no doubt, however, the OKC Sonics would not only sell-out every night, but the Ford Center would be filled by people who would cheer with every dribble as if their life depended on it, and considering what else is around Oklahoma City, how can you blame them?
You can't blame Clay Bennet, either, if the Sonics head from the northwest to the southwest. His lifelong dream is to have a professional franchise in Oklahoma City, and as long as he does anything less than sabotage Seattle's attempts to keep the Sonics home, he is just a man following his dream.
Seattle named their team the SuperSonics in 1967 to represent the area's aerospace industry. If, and when, the team moves, the team name should stick, because its quite possible the Sonics will take OKC into orbit and change Wikipedia's description of Oklahoma City forever.
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