Category: Seattle Supersonics

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Seattle Supersonics

So long, Seattle SuperSonics

You shall be missed

A lot of people have a lot of problems with the way David Stern is running the NBA. Basically, they think he’s letting the league go straight down the drain while becoming a laughingstock in the process. Between the referee gambling scandal, the end of an era in Seattle and the drafting of Joakim Noah, some fans are simply fed up with the situation and they’re not going to take it anymore. Here’s one of the thousands of fan resignation letters currently flooding the NBA’s home office in New York.

Dear Commissioner Stern,

I have been an NBA fan since birth, rooting the majority for my home state team, the Chicago Bulls through thick and thin times.

But the news coming from Seattle is disheartening. I am through with these games, in which owners of professional sports franchises hang cities like Seattle by the balls until they scream ‘uncle’ on a new arena. That’s not how it was growing up watching Jordan and Pippen play. Jordan himself said the old Chicago Stadium was a better venue than the United Center, to which he compared it to a shopping mall.

And so in situations like this, where Clay Bennett and Co., single handedly ripped the SuperSonics from Seattle, a 41-year old franchise; that I submit my fan resignation letter to the once proud National Basketball Association.

I no longer want to be involved with anything from or with this league.

I truly believe the NBA is making a grave, and arrogant, mistake shunning the Seattle market. The over/under for the Oklahoma City team is 3 years for me. Then they’ll turn into a Memphis organization, or a Charlotte Bobcats organization (sorry Mike).

You, Commissioner Stern turned a blind eye to the economics of Seattle, not even trying to cut a deal with the lawmakers. You just showed up to the capital, whining about a new stadium. You are a hazard to this league. I feel for the good of the game, you should leave the NBA with someone that knows how to run it.

This league hasn’t been the same since June 1998, when MJ made the shot over Bryon Russell in Utah.

I’m done.

Sincerely,

Ryan K.

Of course, there are plenty of pissed-off blowhards sending in video responses on the matter too. God bless modern technology.

Links:

[YardBarker.com]: NBA fan resignation letter

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Seattle Supersonics

Around the Rim: Sonic blast!


1. When it rains, it pours
Things just keep getting worse for the Spurs. The defending champs have been withering away before our eyes for close to two months now, but San Antonio hit rock bottom on Tuesday, first losing their point guard indefinitely and then losing a heartbreaker gutstomper soulcrusher to Seattle. Yup, Tony Parker is out for an unknown amount of time with a bone spur in his heel and, yup, they went on to lose 88-85 to 14-losses-in-a-row Seattle. It was the first win of 2008 for Seattle and the Spurs third consecutive defeat. Kevin Durant stepped up big for the Sonics with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists and Chris Wilcox had 16 points and 10 boards. San Antonio had a three point advantage entering the fourth quarter, but gave up big shots down the stretch, ruining perfectly good performances from Tim Duncan (27 pts, 12 reb) and Manu Ginobili (29 pts, 7 ast).

2. Kidd and play

Jason Kidd might want a trade, but the Nets sure like having him around. New Jersey was riding a nine-game losing streak into their contest against Milwaukee on Tuesday, but Kidd’s 11 assists helped the Nets to an 87-80 victory. Vince Carter finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Richard Jefferson scored a game-high 20 points. And it’s a good thing Jefferson was stroking it because Kidd and Carter combined to shoot 7-of-28 from the floor. But in the eyes of the Jersey faithful, Kidd can do no wrong. After telling the world that New Jersey basically doesn’t have a chance in hell of amounting to a hill of beans, he gets a standing ovation from the crowd. It might sound strange, but this is exactly what should happen for a guy who carried his team to NBA Finals…twice. Pat yourself on the back Jersey.

3. Antawn holds down the fort
No Gilbert Arenas, no Caron Butler, no chance; right? Wrong! Antawn Jamison shouldered the load usually distributed evenly among the big three and had to put in some overtime to get the job done but, after a long night’s work, the Wizards knocked off the Raptors 108-104. Jamison recorded 24 points and 20 rebounds, offsetting some Jurassic efforts from the Raptors. Chris Bosh had 37 points, 12 rebounds and three steals while Jose Calderon went bonkers, scoring 23, dishing 13 and grabbing six boards, but in the end it just wasn’t enough. Luckily for them, they get another crack at the Wizards tonight as the home-and-home series shifts to Toronto for part deux.

Tuesday’s Player of the Day: Yao Ming vs. Golden State 40 min, 36 pts (FG: 11-19, FT: 14-15), 19 reb, 1 ast, 1 blk

Wednesday’s Game to Watch: Golden State (27-19) @ New Orleans (32-12)
The Warriors are coming off a loss to Houston on Tuesday, but it’s no biggie; after all, they just inked C-Webb to a contract through the end of the season. So, all is good in the Albaland. And even though New Orleans is rolling like never before, the Warriors average 10 more points per game than the Bugs and they have a pretty decent point guard in Baron Davis who should put on a show against his counterpart Chris Paul.

Buzzer Beater: Some great quotes came out of Tuesday’s game between the Celtics and the Heat. It’s a good thing too because Miami certainly didn’t give the home fans a reason to be interested in the 117-87 spanking.

When asked how long Kevin Garnett’s strained abdominal muscle could keep him sidelined, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers didn’t have an exact answer.

“You know Doc’s a nickname, correct?” deadpanned the coach, whose given name is Glenn.

But Rivers wasn’t the only Glen with nickname news.

With Garnett — “The Big Ticket,” as he’s known — sidelined, [Paul] Pierce gave Glen “Big Baby” Davis a new nickname before the game. “He’s ticket stub now,” Pierce said.

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Seattle Supersonics

Kevin Durant might not stay in Washington for long


For all you northwestern NBA geeks out there who are thrilled over the prospects of a life-long rivalry between Portland’s Greg Oden and Seattle’s Kevin Durant, you had better enjoy these match-ups while you can (the first being on Christmas day) because if things don’t change you’ll start hearing about Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant.

The Sonics want a new arena and the threats of relocation continue to be the franchise’s main method of possible persuasion. In fact, a minority owner told an Oklahoma City paper that when the group of businessmen from Oklahoma City bought the franchise, their intentions were to move the club.

Aubrey McClendon told the Journal Record paper in Oklahoma City he knows the NBA franchise would make more money in Seattle, but if the city doesn’t help build a new arena the team will move.

However, now that Seattle has a cornerstone for the future and a serious chance to turn things around, the fans might be a little more accommodating and open to the idea of dishing out their share of the $500 million needed to fund a new arena. But you guys better think quick because those Okies are just itchin’ to take the greatest freshman to ever lace up a pair of sneakers out into the middle of nowhere.

McClendon told the Journal Record the Seattle leadership has 60 days to make some decisions, and if they don’t meet Bennett’s requirements the Sonics may be headed for Oklahoma.

Hey, no matter what, you’ve still got Nirvana and Starbucks to call all your own.

Links:

[KOTV.com]: Sonics Minority Owner Says Team Destined For Oklahoma City

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Seattle Supersonics

Kevin Durant almost made people forget Greg Oden wasn’t there


The top two picks from this year’s NBA Draft were supposed to hook up in the first of a career filled with battles on Sunday night when the Seattle Sonics played the Portland Trail Blazers in a summer league game. However, with Greg Oden out of commission thanks to the removal of his tonsils on Saturday, the stage was set for the kid who has been playing second fiddle to take center stage. And Kevin Durant didn’t disappoint in his solo performance.

Durant impressed the crowd with several monster dunks en route to putting up 28 points in the 84-78 loss that kept the Sonics winless in the summer league competition. But despite the team’s woes, Durant was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 23.7 points in his first four contests.

He’s a very special player that has a lot of skills,” Seattle summer coach Ralph Lewis. “Playing games is on the job training and he is growing as a player and we are growing as a team.

While Durant is undoubtedly the face of the franchise for the next decade, Seattle is still pretty excited about their other big catch on draft night. Jeff Green was Seattle’s high-scorer with 32 points. So, even with a 0-5 record, a 60 point outburst from the two kids expected to carry the Sonics out of the slums can brighten the outlook of any coach, GM or fan; even if it did little to impress Durant himself.

I wouldn’t say that this was my best game, but I got better,” Durant said.

Links:

[Chron.com]: Durant scores 28 against Oden-less Blazers

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Seattle Supersonics

Around the Rim: The Sonics continue to evolve


1. The sun is finally shinning in Seattle

The ever changing face of Seattle just got another nip and tuck as the Sonics finally filled their vacant head coaching spot with the ultra talented, yet blackballed, P.J. Carlesimo. Fans in Seattle have got to be ecstatic with their new, overhauled roster of young talent and now they have an experienced coach who knows what it takes to win. After all, the guy has spent the last five seasons with the Spurs as an assistant to Gregg Popovich, so he has probably picked up a couple of tricks from Pop that he’d be more than willing to use against him. And poor player relationships like the one that got his throat squeezed in a “Why I oughta…” type moment straight out of an episode of The Simpsons back in Golden State shouldn’t be an issue anymore. Not only has Carlesimo had ten years to become more player friendly, but he has a young sponge in Kevin Durant who would make any coach happy to roll out of bed in the morning. Nobody has had a better off-season than Seattle and the good times should continue coming for years to come with this new, young core of talent. Enjoy Sonics fans, enjoy.

2. Kobe’s mood swings keep on coming

The Kobe coaster continues to roll up and down through the peaks and valleys of La-La Land. The latest turn has taken us dead smack into another apology and backtrack by Bryant. Weeks after the whole, “I want out of Los Angeles…I love Los Angeles” radio talk kicked off the controversy, Bryant told the media that he apologized to GM Mitch Kupchak for his infamous on-air/video blasts. He said that he was sorry and that it all just came out wrong as he was venting. He also said that he hasn’t thought about being traded in a “long, long time.” We’re not buying it though; after all, hasn’t he been watching the TV this past week? It has got to be killing Kobe that all these teams are getting new franchise building faces via the draft, free agency or trades. Meanwhile, all the worthwhile opportunities for him to move on to a winning environment are simply dwindling away.

3. Phoenix gets even more talent
There was some talk for a while that Grant Hill could be joining the Spurs in order try and piggyback his way to the championship ring that has eluded him his entire career, but after San Antonio held onto Jacque Vaughn, Matt Bonner and Fabricio Oberto it became obvious that they weren’t going to have the funds to pay for Hill’s dream to come true. So, Hill did the next best thing: he joined the Suns roster in an attempt to become the missing piece that propels Phoenix past the Spurs in next year’s playoffs. It’s not like Mike D’Antoni really needed any more talent in the superstar diamond mine they call Phoenix, but there’s no way anyone could turn down putting Hill on their bench for a mere $2 million per season. If Hill can stay healthy and be just one-tenth of the mega talented All-Star that he was in Detroit then Phoenix could have their very own Robert Horry/Michael Finley as a nice compliment to their nucleus. Or, even better, they could get their very own Grant Hill; a potential 18ppg, 6rpg, 6apg type of guy.

Buzzer Beater: If you haven’t made your travel arrangements yet, you’re probably screwed because Tony Parker and Eva Longoria are going to be tying the knot on Saturday in France. We’re sure it will be a lovely ceremony with lots of glitz and glamour and big name celebrities. We can’t wait to hear all the great gossip about the dress and the cake and the church! Hopefully some photos will leak and we’ll get some embarrassing snap shots like the ones from A.J. Hawk’s wedding with, say, David Robinson playing the role of Brady Quinn.

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Seattle Supersonics

Seattle: Say goodbye to your Sonics

Yesterday, the Sonics were sold to a group of businessmen from Oklahoma lead by Clay Benett called Oklahoma Professional Sports whose sole goal was to lure a major franchise to Oklahoma City. Yet, during their press conference to announce the sale, the group maintained that it was not their intention to move the team out of Seattle. This is like a bunch of crackheads telling you they only want to look at the 50 vials of crack they just bought from the corner. Time to make your peace now, Seattle.

The provisions of the sale allow for the group to move the team after 12 months if no deal is made for a new arena with the city of Seattle. Despite the fact that the best offer the city could come up with was $198M for a new arena, Bennett is going to demand a $400M+ deal. To paraphrase Nick Hornby, that’s like making out with a girl, getting denied on second base and trying to steal third instead.

Despite all the denials (and there are plenty — Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz said during the press conference, “I believe strongly this new group has a commitment to staying, provided elected officials meet him halfway. I do not believe the team is moving.”), the Sonics will be in Oklahoma City by 2008.

Speaking of denials, Sonics Central is in serious denial. There’s even a new website called “Save Our Sonics“. Good luck folks but it’s really just good night.

Links:
[Yahoo]: Seattle’s Sonics, Storm sold to Oklahoma City group
[Seattle PI]: Sonics flight plan on file
[MSNBC]: Buyers’ roots suggest they’ll move Sonics