How could this happen?, The NBA now has stooped down to an all time new level with this one. I am HEARTBROKEN.
I am a lifelong Seattle Supersonics fan who has watched the glory years unfold from the likes of the Glove, The Reignman, Sam Perkins, Hershey Hawkins, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, and many other players that made the franchise a recognizable cog in the structure of the NBA.
As a lonely fan here in the state of New York and untouched by the reality of not having a local team in my town to root for anymore, I understand how it's really hard for me to understand the loss of a franchise.
But if there's any Sonics fans out there reading this, I am with you in grief. We all thought and knew this could happen two years ago when the idiot—yes, idiot—Howard Schultz sold the team to majority owners TPC inc. from OKLAHOMA CITY. It was like the writing was on the wall once that happened.
There are too many villains to name ranging from Seattle Mayor George Nickels, the governor of Washington, Clay Bennett and especially the scum of David Stern.
We watched it unfold, Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis' trades for basically nothing. We watched at the trade deadline as Sam Presti, the GM of the team, made every trade he could to dump salary and replace it with expiring contracts and watched the Sonics win an all time low 20 games last season.
We've been lied to on so many levels that I feel like we've been raped of our basketball team Sonics fans.
This team was above the caliber of the Charlotte Hornets and Vancouver Grizzlies. We won a championship in 1979. Look at the list of teams that won a championship in a city, then relocated. It's not impressive.
I applaud the efforts of the "Save our Sonics" group based in Seattle because at least it showed how some people in general could forge an effort and voice their opinions in a public form. Although I was unable to partake in the effort to protest, I would have been there front and center to voice my opinion to save the team.
So Sonics fans, I ask you this. Go to any venue in the NBA where the new Oklahoma City joke of a team visits and make signs, band together, and make sure the players such as Kevin Durant remember that SEATTLE is his home.
The NBA can no longer call me a fan or count on my dollars. No more will I buy jerseys and apparel. No longer will I watch the countless NBA games and coverage that goes on from night to night.
I say: Boycott the NBA, Seattle. We dont want it back ever again. No new team, no expansion franchise. It won't be the same as the real Sonics team now playing in OKC, as hard as that is to say.
The Oklahoma City Thunder sounds like a minor league baseball team to me.
Have fun OKC fans. Eight years from now, David Stern will find the Ford Center unsuitable for the NBA and you'll have your team ripped from your hearts as well.
Hope your marriage continues well David and Clay, the two villians who just broke my heart. Thank you Paul Allen and Mark Cuban for having the decency to vote against the relocation. I concede you'd attempted to stop the NBA from making the worst decision --- closing down the NBA franchise in the 12th largest media market of United States! The other 28 owners, what were you thinking I ask.
Oh well, what's done is done, farewell to the NBA in Seattle. We'll never be able to see Gary Payton have his number retired, or watch the greats be welcomed back into the Key. I, for one, will no longer be able to watch my favorite team play in the Garden or in New Jersey for their once-a-year visit in the Green and Gold.
Don't put this on the taxpayers, either. Shame on you, City of Seattle leaders, for allowing this to happen.
RIP The real SEATTLE SUPERSONICS ...
By KDaly
I hate David Stern --- he ruined NBA, because while being commisioner, he allowed a lot of things that is done to destroy support from the basic grassroot level.
David Stern, in the pursuit of profits, did a lot of things to earn short-term money --- which causes long-term consequences that rips the league apart!
First, Stern tore up the Supersonics franchise can asked them to move to Oklahoma City. In Singapore slang, Oklahoma City is simply 'ulu', or inaccessible to anywhere. There's no nothing there, and the fan support for Oklahoma City teams seems thin to me, as they can't even fill up a relatively small arena when the Hornets come in. This is worse than their situation in Seattle, which is a large-sized city with a market of more than 5 million or so (in Washington state plus British Columbia --- where another team called the Grizzles moved to another 'ulu' place). Yeah, the Trailblazers finally gained a monopoly on the Pacific Northwest, but they lost even more support and won't be revered anywhere --- thanks to their nickname which is true, 'Jailblazers'.
Then, Stern killed the Supersonics... through forcing the Celtics (which is near New York City and well-supported by long-time NBA fans since the Bird era) to snap up the Sonics' star player, Ray Allen. Stern later allowed the Celtics to kill the Timberwolves by slaughtering a franchise player by the name of Kevin Garnett in Minnesota to come to Boston, by the 'twin city' connection. Boston and Charleston in South Carolina are considered closely related cities in trade as well as wealth, and Garnett, playing in the Twin City (Minneapolis-St Paul) metroplex itself, hailed from South Carolina.
Then, Stern wanted to set up a dream finals. He found a star franchise, Los Angeles Lakers, which is popular throughout Asia thanks to Kobe Bryant (as well as location). This is much better than boring, boring San Antonio (NBA's defending champions in 2007-8, that had lower television ratings ever in all its finals appearances on average than any other team), isn't it? Kobe can attack and dunk while no Spur could attack and dunk like Kobe... Kobe, through his Italian early schooldays, also gained considerable European American support. Then he masterminded a move by Pau Gasol, a popular European player from Spain, to Spainish-speaking (gaining Hispanic markets?) Los Angeles. A point to add: Gasol's last team was hapless Memphis Grizzles, which came from Vancouver. Does Stern wants to kill off all the small franchises --- even San Antonio Spurs (which won 4 titles but gave boring ratings from all)???
In the Conference Finals, Spurs and Detroit Pistons each entered their respective Conference finals with the Celtics and Lakers. Spurs are, of course, tipped and fixed to lose, which may alienate them from casual NBA supporters further. Pistons, hailing from Detroit, are the most pathetic market of all. Their market is big! They have 6 million people in their market, spanning two countries (United States and Canada). But Stern thought it may not be big enough for viewership purposes. Los Angeles has a market of at least 20 million on United States and Boston, 30 million (including New York, which had two currently struggling teams that rotate with the Celtics to increase viewership). There are no better pair of media markets --- Boston/New York vs Los Angeles that can spark fan interest, albeit casual fan interests, to the Tube/Cable. Hence even good ol' Pistons are eliminated by Stern's hands.
In the finals, wary of Bryant's controversies, Stern used dirty tactics again to fix the finals. They purposely posted 6 consecutive freak results... So that Stern could see the better and cleaner team in his eyes to win in their Garden. Kobe had been charged for sexual assault, so it's not that favoured. In contrast, Garnett and Allen and Celtics' mainstay, Pierce, are all relatively free of controversy. Where's my favourite Answer (Allen Iverson, to protect Philadelphia's emerging market which is, again, near New York, he has to be dumped in the mountains of Denver) or Sheed (star of the Pistons) doing???
"It takes thirty good moves to win a game of chess, but one bad move to lose." Losing even one struggling franchise and failure to win the title may cost NBA. If MLB can save all its teams from contradiction, and NFL can ensure all teams make profits, I suppose... If NBA has to make all small market teams die on their own and only allow a few markets like New York and Los Angeles to thrive... Do you want to see a bland 8-team NBA in only a few states, or seeing the smallest franchise (Grizzles) earning the respect of all basketball fans??? NBA must be in a suicidal mode now...
By Ruennsheng
