Sonics are as good as gone?

SomethingClever · #1 08-13-2007, 12:37 PM

Saw this on Deadspin today. Apparently Aubrey McClendon revealed in an interview with the Oklahoma City Journal Record that the plan has always been to move the Supes to OK city.

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"We started to look around, and at that time the Sonics were going through some ownership challenges in Seattle,” McClendon said. “So Clay, very artfully and skillfully, put himself in the middle of those discussions and to the great amazement and surprise to everyone in Seattle, some rednecks from Oklahoma, which we’ve been called, made off with the team. At any rate I’m pleased to be part of the ownership group and Clay has done a terrific job of managing the process.”

McClendon said the team would probably make more money if it stayed in Seattle.

“But we didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here,” he said. “We know it’s a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it’s great for the community and if we could break even we’d be thrilled.”

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Full article

This is pretty weak. And that's coming from a Blazers fan.

TheNoodleMan · #2 08-13-2007, 12:51 PM

This has been a fairly open secret for a while now. Its going to be interesting to see what attendance is like at the lame duck home games this year.

It sucks for the Sonics fans but when the Mariners and Seahawks got new stadiums built with tax money it was pretty clear that the Sonics would expect something as well.

Dids · #3 08-13-2007, 12:54 PM

I actually think this might help them stay. It's going to make the OKC ownership group, and may be the catalyst to getting other owners/David Stern involved in trying to keep them in the place where they'll make the most money. I just have a hard time seeing people being cool with a team relocating from Seattle to OKC if somebody in Seattle can come up with a viable arena plan.

I'm a somewhat pathological optimist in this area.

MikeyPatriot · #4 08-13-2007, 01:05 PM

I lived in the Midwest, been a Bulls fan my whole life, and I would be pretty upset if the Sonics move to OKC.

stormstarter28 · #5 08-13-2007, 01:17 PM

What is so horrible about OKC having a team?

ThaSaltCracka · #6 08-13-2007, 01:19 PM

[ QUOTE ]
What is so horrible about OKC having a team?

[/ QUOTE ]its horrible financially and for the league. Look at the success Memphis is having. Awesome.

kidcolin · #7 08-13-2007, 01:17 PM

Good luck keeping Durant in OKC.

ThaSaltCracka · #8 08-13-2007, 01:18 PM

[ QUOTE ]

It sucks for the Sonics fans but when the Mariners and Seahawks got new stadiums built with tax money it was pretty clear that the Sonics would expect something as well.

[/ QUOTE ]
TBH, the people did not vote for the M's new stadium, we were FORCED to pay for it. I think the end product has been worth it, but most people didn't support it. Qwest field was paid by tax payers and Paul Allen (I believe).

I think its a joke anyways that public money has to be paid for new stadiums to be built. Then this [censored] think its THEIR stadium/arena. At least when the King Dome was built, it was built for, and owned by King County, so they used it for tons of things.

I realize that Key Arena wasn't profitable for the Sonics, but maybe the Sonics could have renogiated the lease with the city(?)

bernie · #9 08-14-2007, 12:20 AM

[ QUOTE ]
TBH, the people did not vote for the M's new stadium, we were FORCED to pay for it.

[/ QUOTE ]

We didn't vote for it twice.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Public schools went bankrupt because of it. Nice that they sacrificed the 'kids' for a few years on that one. But what the hell, we'll also have the kids do a bake sale for a tree that was supposed to be donated to them. The priority of the city is pretty effed up. Then to top it off, the Mariners "let us off the hook"(per Lincoln) for the cost overruns. Those same overruns that they said they'd pay for in the first place but then tried to force us to pay for. F*ck the mariners.

[ QUOTE ]
I think its a joke anyways that public money has to be paid for new stadiums to be built. Then this [censored] think its THEIR stadium/arena.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree.

But then everyone going to the game or buying their merchandise is sending a nice message that, even though you screw the public, the public will still support you. The dollar speaks more than someones opinion. Which is why I won't give one cent to the mariners directly. That's how I vote.

At least we voted for Qwest field. Even though the city paid, at least the people wanted it.

Let 'em go to Okl. One of these days fans will finally wise up and get some balls and make these owners pay for their own stuff.

I also agree that an owner should be able to move wherever they want. They own the team. If it's a bad market, he should feel it the most. The problem is the government, or governments of other cities, provides them with a safety net.

You get what you pay for. Most don't want to realize they're paying to screw themselves. The city not cowing down to the sonics is a step in the right direction.

b

ThaSaltCracka · #10 08-14-2007, 02:07 AM

Bernie, I don't hate the M's. In fact I love them. However the way that whole stadium thing went down was [censored].

I fear that if the Sonics move to OKC, they'll be moving 10 years after that to somewhere else. Sort of like Memphis, who will probably move in 5 years as well.