Seattlle Sonics Sold

[pscot]

The Seattle Times is reporting that the Seattle Sonics basketball club has been sold to an investment group from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003135221_websonicssold18.html

[jobycom]

1. Only two things come out of Oklahoma...

Sorry, I was thinking of Officer and A Gentleman last night. That line kind of lingers...

[LisaM]

2. WHAT????

Just like that, willy nilly? Who would have thought that Howard Schultz would be such a terrible owner?

[megatherium]

3. What? The Oklahoma City Sonics? Yikes. nt

[RobertSeattle]

4. I'm pretty sure Boeing has a plant there

So they could spin it as a "Sonic" city...

Although I'm a Seattleite, I won't miss them much.

[anotherdrew]

16. wasn't a huge area razed to make way for their stadium a few years back?

[Nicole]

17. It's already a Sonic City

Sonic Drive In is headquarted in OKC. Sonic is the largest chain of drive-in restaurants in America.



Looks like Washington doesn't have one, yet. They are in all of the yellow states on that map.

[democraticinsurgent]

5. yeah they could move the team there

and call 'em the Bombers.

[Mabus]

6. OKC is currently hosting the NO Hornets

and according to the article the Sonics will remain in Seattle.

[pscot]

7. The Hornets owner

wanted to keep the team in Oklahoma City. A caller to a local sports talk show today said he was told by a friend close to the New Orleans Hornets organization that there was no way the Hornets could stay in OKC, since the Sonics would be moving in. He said he was told this weeks ago, but discounted it as rumor. This has apparently been a done deal for a long time. You don't put together a business plan and scrape together $350 mil overnight.

[Mabus]

8. Interesting

A lot of my family still live in and around OKC. I need to call my brother and see what he's heard on the local radio down there. He went to a lot of Hornet games this year.

[blonndee]

9. They were talking about it earlier on a local station

but not a lot of info out on it yet...just the reported sale, and also that the OKC group is getting the city's WNBA team, the Seattle Storm, as well.

Well, now the local TV station has the following:

An article SPECULATING that the Hornets will leave and the Sonics will come here. http://www.newsok.com/article/2773972

And another on the future of the Hornets and OKC:

<snip>
"The effect on the Hornets, who temporarily relocated from New Orleans to Oklahoma City last year and will play 35 games at the Ford Center next season, was not immediately known. NBA and team officials have said the plan is for the Hornets to return to New Orleans for the 2007-08 season.

<snip>

The agreement in Seattle also includes the Seattle Storm of the WNBA. Oklahoma City made its first venture into major professional sports last fall when the New Orleans Hornets relocated to the Ford Center following Hurricane Katrina. The team worked out a deal with the city to host the team for one year, with an option for another. Attendence for the Hornets, which had been last in the league during its full season in New Orleans, shot up to 11th.

The Sonics had been pursuing a $220 million renovation of Key Arena and a new lease. On July 7, a petition with more than 20,000 signatures was submitted by a citizens group in Seattle aiming to block taxpayer spending for Key Arena renovations.

story at http://www.newsok.com/article/2773971

[Mabus]

10. Thanks

My brother invited us down for a couple of games this past season but we never got a chance to go. I'll keep checking the newsok.com link for updates.

[pscot]

11. What is the Ford Center Like?

Is it new? Does it have luxury suites? The big issue here is the Seattle Center Arena AKA Key Arena. It was renovated about 10 years ago, but it's an old building and needs major upgrades. The Sonics asked for public funding, but In the last 10 years the Mariners and Seahawks have raided the public till to the tune of almost a Billion. Public response to the Sonics has been "No mas".

The new ownership group says it is committed to keeping the franchise here in Seattle, subject to a deal for a new arena. Fans don't believe a word of it. The feeling is that the owners, led by coffee magnate Howard Schultz, have stabbed us in the back, and that the Seattle city council and the mayor held their coats while they did it.

[blonndee]

12. I've only been to the Ford Center once

for a hockey game. Maybe some would disagree but I honestly thought it was a bit run-down and uncomfortable, but maybe it was just our seats. It's not that it sucked or anything. But it claims to be "state of the art" and does host a large number and variety of events.

Here's a link if you're interested in reading about it. Pictures, too.

http://www.okfordcenter.com/

[pscot]

13. Thanks

I was looking for something like this. Not really sure why. Guess I just want to twist the knife a little.

[blonndee]

14. I'm sorry. FWIW, I hope the team will stay in Seattle

because I love Seattle. I have a friend from there who is going to be very upset at this news.

[pscot]

15. The chance of the Sonics remaining

in Seattle is slim to none. There was a joint press conference with all the expected blather about the great Seattle fans and we really have the fans interest at heart, but the consensus on the local boards was that they were all lying up a storm, and not very artfully at that. I would guess that by this time nest year you all will have a new basketball team. Enjoy.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

18. Rebuild the Coliseum!

-snip-

"We love Seattle," Price said. "To come to Seattle more frequently would not be a bad thing. Obviously, the people of Oklahoma City really fell in love with NBA basketball. The people of Seattle have to make a decision about how important NBA basketball is to them. We're excited about owning an NBA franchise. Anybody that has been a longtime NBA fan, they know they've got a great tradition in Seattle. There's a lot of people in Oklahoma that would be excited to have this team in Oklahoma City as well."

Does not look good. Fuck!