NBA approves Sonics move to Oklahoma City

[RB TexLa]

NBA owners vote to approve the SuperSonics’ relocation

NEW YORK (AP)—NBA owners have approved the Seattle SuperSonics’ move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season, pending the resolution of litigation between the team and the city of Seattle.

The Sonics could begin playing in owner Clay Bennett’s hometown as early as next season if they can get out of the remaining two years of their lease at Key Arena.

Seattle has filed suit trying to force the Sonics to remain in the city until the lease expires in 2010, while Bennett wants to buy out the remainder. The city already has rejected Bennett’s $26 million to settle the lease dispute. A trial is set to begin in federal court June 16.

“It really doesn’t feel like it’s over here yet,” Sonics forward Nick Collison, who owns a home up the hill from KeyArena, said before the vote was taken. “There’s still a lot of things to do.”

The city’s hope is to keep the Sonics in town for what would appear to be two lame duck seasons, to buy time for a group led by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to find an arena solution and eventually purchase the team from Bennett to keep them in town.

Ballmer’s group already has proposed paying for half of a $300 million expansion of KeyArena, with the other half coming from the city and from county tax revenues.

“We know the longer they are in the Seattle, the better the chance they will stay,” Mayor Greg Nickels said Thursday of the Sonics.





http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AiZI9VA8oJtViYsR1lKOLzG8vLYF?slug=ap-supersonicsfuture&prov=ap&type=lgns

[rucky]

1. When I think Oklahoma, I think Supersonic.

:wtf:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proud2BlibKansan]

11. Oklahoma Gay Bashers

Oklahoma Mexican Haters

or there is always

Oklahoma Global Warming Deniars (in honor of Inhofe)

[fishwax]

22. hey now, should people in east kansas really be casting such stones?

;)

Besides, if they name a team in honor of Inhofe, it should be the Oklahoma Outrage (because of his "I'm outraged at the outrage" comment in reference to Abu-Graib. In my years in Oklahoma, I'm not sure I was ever more embarrassed by that worthless excuse for a senator than I was with that comment :puke:)

:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

25. Well we could name our teams here

Kansas Creationists.

Is that better? :)

[brentspeak]

34. Runner-up for Stupid Post of the Day

[proud2BlibKansan]

37. And yours is the prize winner!

Congratulations.

[limit18]

36. Oklahoma Chicken Pluckers!

[brentspeak]

32. Congrats. Stupid Bigoted Post Of The Day.

[izquierdista]

20. Just a regular Sonic for me, thanks

Basketball and hamburgers, what a great combination!

[rucky]

23. now THAT'S Oklahoma

I think they're actually based in Tulsa

[Drunken Irishman]

2. Fuck David Stern and the NBA.

:(

I'm not a Sonics fan, but they've been a staple in the Western Conference for decades. It'd be like the Blazers, Lakers or Jazz relocating. Bullshit!

[RB TexLa]

3. The Jazz relocating? Yes, Utah is known for jazz, surely the team was named for something in Utah

Couldn't have that team relocated.


:crazy:

[rucky]

12. The Tabernacle Choir does some wicked scat!

can you dig?

[MuseRider]

27. Gee thanks rucky

:spray:

Duzy!

[Cant trust em]

17. The Jazz used to be based in New Orleans

They should switch team names/mascots with the hornets if there were any justice in the world.

[RB TexLa]

19. When they Hornets came to town, many wanted to get the name Jazz back, but the ownership in Utah

when asked what name they would use if they were to sell the name, said "Utah is the land of the saints and no one is using black and gold in the NBA." That put an end to anyone in New Orleans asking for "jazz" back.

[Drunken Irishman]

26. Point taken, however, the Jazz have history.

Seattle has history. Yeah the Jazz relocated from New Orleans, but most of their tradition was built in Utah. They spent five years in New Orleans and the past 30 years in Utah.

[guyanakoolaid]

5. The Lakers and Jazz HAVE relocated...

Hence why "Lakers" makes sense in Minnesota but not LA, and "Jazz" makes sense in their original New Orleans but certainly not in Utah

But you're right, it should be much harder to move a sports team. Hopefully Seattle at least gets their hands in the owner's tight pockets before having their team stolen from them.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. Like the Dodgers moving from Brooklyn to LA

or the Giants moving from NY to SF.

Or the Cardinals from St Louis to Arizona.

Yes, hard to imagine, isn't it?

[Drunken Irishman]

28. It is.

I know you're being sarcastic, but imagine if the Knicks moved to St. Louis and the Bulls to Kansas City.

Then the Lakers decided to head on down to San Diego and the Blazers bolted for Peoria.

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Hey watch it; I live in Kansas City

and some here are still mad about losing the Kings to Sacramento.

But if you know any city interested in the Royals, bring em on. LOL

[Drunken Irishman]

30. hah!

Nothin against Kansas City, I actually think they should get a team, but I'm a traditionalist. Had the Jazz played 30 years in New Orleans, it'd be pretty hard for me to accept that move.

I mean, the Jazz-Rockets rivalry is HUGE and do people really believe, if they were to move, it'd have the same feel?

[LeftyMom]

35. Eh. The Maloofs want to move them to Vegas now.

:(

[NJSecularist]

4. Stern should have known this was going to be a possibility before he sold to Bennett.

The blame for this falls on nobody but David Stern.

[flamingyouth]

10. Oh, he knew all right.

He and Clay Bennett go way back. He inducted Bennett into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, in fact.

[AlCzervik]

7. hmm, how long until The Sucramento Kings relocate?

i live in norcal but i'm a Laker/Raiders fan girl.

[flamingyouth]

8. It's bullshit.

David Stern is the worst commissioner in the history of sports. He's let his buddy Clay run away with the team, knowing full well that he bought it just to move it.

[Fenris]

9. Finally Bennett has something to show for his (wife's) investment!

I've dealt with a lot of shit-kicking assholes like Bennett. He waltzed into Seattle thinking he could pull a fast one over on a city full of left-coast godless homosexuals. No one, with the exception of Howard Schultz, thought Bennett had any interest in keeping the team here. Bennett's miscalculation is that our supposedly limp-wristed liberal urban environment breeds something that he and OKC don't have - an army of well-educated, cutthroat lawyers and an ocean of hyper-rich executives. He's right about one thing - he got his NBA approval, but we have every intention of bleeding his lying ass of all of that money he didn't earn.

[puddy2131]

16. Oh well

I definately understand the frustration of Seattle fans having their team leave, but this stuff happens all the time. Many hockey teams have relocated in the past few years (Winnegeg, Quebec, Minnesota, Hartford, etc, the expos left montreal in baseball, the oilers left houston, etc. It sucks, but it's not like no-one saw this coming. It's been in the works for a long time.

[fishwax]

24. Welcome to DU! How is it that you have zero posts?

I've never seen anyone have zero posts after so obviously having posted :shrug:



At any rate, welcome! :toast:

[TankLV]

14. How soon till Buffalo can kiss their "Bills" goodbye?

I strongly believe that if a city puts in HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars in for something, then the LOCALITY should dictate when and if a team leaves. Otherwise, make the WEALTHY OWNERS who reap MILLIONS at the EXPENSE of the locality, shoulder the ENTIRE BURDEN of buying, building and running the stadiums and PAY the city for extra cops and utilities.

OKC can enjoy it for now, but how soon before IT will become a pawn.

If large, wealthy cities like Seattle, LA, Houston, and the rest and lose teams, then why should ANYBODY expect things to be different until they CHANGE THE RULES to make sure the cities aren't played over like suckers...

[LisaM]

15. Such BS. The owners blatantly lied about their intentions.

It all came out in emails in the last couple of weeks.

I intensely dislike how municipalities and fans have no right. We provide the city name, the arenas, the revenue, and we get - nothing.

I intended to call the NBA commissioner's office this morning! I'll do it now.

[NashVegas]

18. Major League Sports Is Extorting From Municipalities

While local businesses that cater to the crowds make millions.

Nashville's Predators new owners just got a sweetheart deal for keeping the team in town.

[BlooInBloo]

21. Of course - Stern works for the owners. Fuck em....

EDIT: BTW, Zirin had an excellent suggestion a few months back.

http://www.edgeofsports.com/2007-11-13-295/index.html

[SalmonChantedEvening]

31. Ah yes, the Oklahoma City Scared of Phonics. n/t

[jackson_dem]

33. That is sad and bad for the NBA, which has only one Pacific Northwest team now