For those of you following the Sonics to OKC thing

[royalfan5]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...sonics06e.html

New Sonic's arena in Washington plan to be unveiled next week. Bill to pay for it already introduced.

[OUDoc]

Cool. They're bringing a new arena with them?

[FaninAma]

So it appears tht the NBA just bent over OKC without K-Y. I don't think Stern and the league were ever very serious about helping OKC land a franchise.

I wouldn't be suprised to see the league use OKC as a homeless shelter for other troubled franachises until they can locate to a better situations.

OKC is the personal flop house of the NBA.

[achiro]

I thought the big question has always been whether or not they could get the money approved. They are asking for $300 million this time which is more than a bill that failed a year or two ago. If it doesn't go through, isn't the owner saying he will be moving the team?

[yermom]

yeah, until they pass that bill, i wouldn't worry all that much

i think the idea is that even if we don't end up with the Sonics we should have a shot the next time some team needs a permanent home

[BigRedJed]

So it appears tht the NBA just bent over OKC without K-Y. I don't think Stern and the league were ever very serious about helping OKC land a franchise.

I wouldn't be suprised to see the league use OKC as a homeless shelter for other troubled franachises until they can locate to a better situations.

OKC is the personal flop house of the NBA.

Well, you're wrong. If you were following my thread on this issue from back in July, this is exactly what I predicted. I still believe there is about a 50/50 chance the Sonics stay in the Seattle area. Bellevue and Renton, plus the state of Washington, have always wanted to make that happen. So has the NBA. It will be a far greater black eye for hoop to fail in Seattle than in NOLA.

It's the voters in Seattle proper that have been throwing up roadblocks. They have stadium fatigue, having just built palaces for the Seahawks and Mariners.

The OKC owner group are no dummies. That team is worth FAR, FAR more in Seattle than it is here. Sure, one of their motivations is to ultimately bring a team to OKC, but it's foolish to assume the only possibility is that team.

All of that said, I believe it will be more of an uphill climb in Washington now than I was thinking a few months ago, mostly based on some recent conversations that I've had.

Guys, you need to remember that the Hornets will almost certainly fail in NOLA. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point. The question then becomes: does the NBA let Shinn relocate back to OKC, or to KC or another market? Or is he forced to sell? If so, the NBA Board of Governors has final say over who he can sell to. If Clay and Co. make Seattle work, they can then sell, either to members of their own group or other Seattle buyers, including former owner Howard Schultz, who will then have a solvent position and a new arena. After they sell for a HUGE profit, they can then buy the beleaguered Hornets for a song, with the NBA's blessing.

Another scenario would be for them to be awarded an expansion franchise (worst-case) within about five years. This would only be in the unlikely event that the arena deal works in Seattle AND George Shinn stays solvent in NOLA (unlikely). Sure, the NBA doesn't have current plans to expand, but they also didn't plan to expand when they awarded the Bobcats to Charlotte to repay that city for the damage done by George Shinn.

So, at this point, I would say it's probably even money, maybe even a bit better than that, that the Sonics stay in Seattle. At that point, I would say it's an 80% chance that the Hornets end up back here to stay, with Clay and co. either as majority owners or with Shinn being forced into an agreement to to give them first right of refusal if he becomes incapacitated, dies or sells.

Of course, if the Bellevue arena falls through, all bets are off and the Sonics come here. This would be a worst-case for the league, who would lose Seattle and still have to deal with a failing franchise in NOLA.

Either way, OKC will almost certainly have a team within 3-5 years. One of the best indicators of this is how quickly city leaders told Bob Funk to back off of his posturing to bring an NHL team here.

OKC is NOT, I repeat NOT getting played here. If you realize that this thing will take a year or two (or even three or four) to play out, as I predicted in my thread, you can relax.

[BigRedJed]

And when you read my thread, keep in mind that everyone at that point was thinking that the Sonics were going to be here next season, based on news reports and guesses. Soon after that, some people started speculating that the Hornets would actually be here again next season. When I mentioned my (ahem) "theory" to most people, they thought I was off my rocker.

Well, so far I'm dead on, and will continue to be dead on regarding this issue. How do you like me now, bitches?

[BlondeSoonerGirl]

CECIL SAMAROWNED!!!!

[OUDoc]

How do you like me now, bitches?

I was going to spek you for the information. Now my feelings are just hurt.

[BigRedJed]

Hee hee. Sorry, Doc.

[sooneron]

I'm too lazy to click on your ****ing thread, so suck it!

[royalfan5]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basket...7_arena27.html

Renderings of the proposed new 500M Sonics Arena.

[Mjcpr]

Is it as nice as the Ford Center?

[FaninAma]

Big Red Jed,

If there is an NBA franchise in OKC within 5 years I will but you a case of whatever beer you designate...or something of equal value if you're not the imbibing type.

I don't doubt you for a minute but I just think that David Stern is a conniving, sneaky little Sh*t who runs a league built upon the gangsta mentality and OKC doesn't fit his mold of a possible Future NBA site..

[BigRedJed]

Sweet! Fat Tire, please.

And I'm hedging my bet against the Sonics being the franchise now, based on some things I've heard in the past couple of weeks. Clay and Co. aren't getting the cooperation they hoped for or expected from the Washington legislature. There have also been some noises made regarding the 2008 season.

Apparently, the owners group is now willing to call their plan DOA sooner than the one year deadline, provided it is obvious that there is no live plan still under consideration.

Their take now is that they can pick up and move to OKC and likely be sued for -- pick a number -- say, $10 million for breach of contract, or they can stay in Seattle as a lame duck and lose $30 million+ a year. It seems like an obvious choice at that point.

That's different than the original thinking (which I subscribed to) that there was no chance for the Sonics to be here in '08. I still think that's an outside shot, but it's becoming slightly more likely thanks to the resistance they're getting in the legislature.

Again, I think their preference and the preference of the league would be have a team in Seattle and one in OKC, and for George Shinn to be out of an ownership position. Shinn is pretty likely going to go bust in NOLA, and that team will once again be looking for a home. This all hinges on the Seattle-area arena. But the fallback if the arena craters would be for the Sonics to be here and the Hornets to be shopped to KC, Vegas or Fresno.

And Fanin, just curious, how does Salt Lake City fit into your theory about what kind of city the NBA wants to be in?

Those of you who think the NBA is about hip hop and thuggery are stuck a few years back in the timeline. These days, it's typically one of the most family-friendly entertainment options you can attend.

[Fugue]

Those of you who think the NBA is about hip hop and thuggery are stuck a few days back in Vegas. These days, it's typically one of the most family-friendly entertainment options you can attend.

[BigRedJed]

I'm not denying that thugs are drawn to some NBA games. The All-Star game, in Vegas, is not even CLOSE to what goes on at the Ford Center, or the AAC, etc., just like games at the FC or AAC don't have half of Hollywood courtside. That was an entirely different animal. I'd be willing to bet a lot of the people involved in that crap weren't even at the game, just like when there's a huge fight in Vegas.

Seriously... ...does the fact that people rioted in Columbus when the buckeyes won an MNC, or the brawl at the Miami/USF game mean that college football is a thug sport?

[Scott D]

forget it Jed, they won't admit that major league baseball is a thug sport either.

[Dio]

Meanwhile- get your butts to the Hornets games we have left.

[Mixer!]

or the brawl at the Miami/USF game

Florida International, BRJ.