I think the answer is to move all of those teams to Oklahoma City.

“New Orleans, 15,533, more than 1,500 shy of capacity for a team that Oklahoma City would sell its soul for.”

Too late! OKC already sold it’s soul for the Sonics, I mean… Thunder?

OKC is a football town, not an NBA city. Seattle gives 41 years of loyalty and pride while OKC fans don’t show up simply because they’re not playing the Celtics or Hornets.

Tough times, eh? Try being a Sonics fan.

Give back Seattle’s team.

Refresh my memory….What was the capacity of Key Arena? Don’t think it was 18,000…A bad Thunder crowd is more than that building could hold.

Enjoy your long winter…The Mariners go to spring training in less than three months.

Why didn’t Clay go after the Hornets? The Sonics were terrible and the fact that Clay didn’t know squat about basketball made things worse. Now we have the worst team in the league and will be eliminated from the playoffs by December. More than that the Thunder will be bad for several years. Nobody who is a decent player is going to want to move here. We can count on zero free agents.

Now I hear the big bucks boys up in Seattle are going to make a pitch for the Hornets to move there. That would truly be ironic. We should have been going after the Hornets from the get-go. The Thunder is not as good as an expansion team would have been.

You can say you heard it here first: The Thunder will be terrible for five years and then Clay will start twisting our arms to give him money for a new arena. What a crummy deal.

Comparing crowds at this time is foolish. Yes SA only drew 16 K fans. But they have been playing there for thirty years. They have generated excitement over time and become a part of the community.

Let’s face it. The Thunder is the worst team in the NBA and will be like that for some time. Let’s take a look at the situation in a year when they will likely once again be the worst team in basketball for the second consecutive year. People are not going to pay to watch a team stink year after year, unless of course your team is the Clippers. But the Thunder is a long ways off from being that good.

I propose a trade of the entire Thunder franchise to NO for the Hornets and an undisclosed amount of cash.

THIS IS YOUR TEAM!!! ….NOT!! The owners only want your money, for a very bad team. The big tatooed red head could not even play on a decent college team. These guys are a farce and by the time 3 years roll around Durant will be gone to a high profile city. Wise up and keep on booing

Clay did a great job of gutting the team, way too good. Imagine if the Thunder had Ray Allen and Rashad Lewis in addition to Westbrook, Durant and Green.

I think they’ll get better but boy, if they don’t, if they don’t make the right moves, OKC is going to be looking at the same attendance totals as the rest of the league (and the totals from Seattle last year) because this team is HARD to watch and to get behind. One thing they ain’t is lovable losers.

Ed n,
I know that it’s tough to comprehend, or even remember back that far. (two seasons) but it was the trading of Ray Allen that got us Jeff Green. You can pick one, but not both. IMO, Presti got the best deal he could for an aging veteran on a team that was clearly rebuilding.
As far as Rashard Lewis was concerned, he absolutely hated Seattle, and being so far away from his native Houston. No amount of pandering to him would’ve kept him in a Sonics/Thunder jersey.
That being said, I’ve watched all of their games, and I’m not seeing the growth and progression that could be expected from a team with so many high draft picks. P.J. is the problem pure and simple, and until he goes, the team is not going to be a contender.

Joe,

Where did you get the information that Rashard hated Seattle? Did you speak to Rashard himself?

I don’t know if you guys read what happened to Rashard but he met with Presti and Clay Clay in Houston before free agency hit.

Presti and Clay Clay did not make him an OFFER!

Since they did not make him an offer, the first day of free agency he went to Orlando. Orlando made him a max offer.

How was he supposed to turn that down when Presti and Clay Clay did not even give him any numbers on a contract proposal?

He loved Seattle and he would help in anyway he can to get Seattle another team.

If he hated Seattle he would have left to Dallas when he was a free agent the first time around.

Not a Clay fan: It was well reported that Bennett DID go after the Hornets. As the man behind the local group that helped finance the Hornets temp relocation here, he tried to buy a controlling interest but Shinn wouldn’t sell. Bennett hoped to keep the Hornets here (but supposedly due to the really bad PR they would get, Stern was against that…Shinn said he wanted to stay, but also said he wanted to go back). When Shinn wouldn’t sell, Bennett went and bought a team he could control and move.

When the Sonics were good and popular in the late 70′s to early 90′s. They played in the Kingdome.
years’79-80 avg. attendance 21,725.

Single playoff game in 1978 39,457 and ’79 40,172

Regular season game 1991 38,067

A lot of Seattle-area fans are fairweather fans like me. We don’t pay to see teams play bad and lose. Too many other activities to do

TEN: your memory is correct, here are the numbers

Key 17,098
Ford 19,163

Interesting to note, Bennett’s proposed $500 million arena would be larger than the Key (why do you need more seats when you cant fill the ones you have) but smaller than the Ford…it was going to seat 18,000. Still not big enough to hold the current Ford crowds.

Currently the Ford is #14 in NBA seating capacity (according to the NBA database on this site. After the improvements are made (taking out 500 seats, it drops us down 10 spots to #24. Dangerously close to the bottom. But since, on average, we are just 500 seats shy of sellout….

Mr. Tramel wrote: “…would have had a sellout had management not made the still-strange decision to cap season-ticket sales.”

Don’t disagree since it was reported that they could have sold about 1,000 more season tickets than the Ford holds.

Haven’t seen it in an article anywhere, but more than one person has said in the feedback threads there is a league mandated rule that a certain number of seats are reserved for walk-up etc. Know there is a rule that at least 500 seats are priced at $10 or less but hadn’t heard of this rule. Just as they exceeded the minimum cheap seats rule, maybe they overshot the walk-up rule too.

Think the only mistake they made was over estimating how many they were going to need for walk-ups etc. This is the 1st year so they didn’t have much to base it on. They just took their best educated guess (if anyone had Hornets data, that would have helped). But also have to take into account this all happened before the economic downturn.

Will be interesting to see next year, if season ticket sales hold up (is there still a waiting list?) because of the economy and “worst team in the NBA” status the Thunder currently holds. Yes, those conditions can both change, but if they are still in place when next year’s tickets go on sale….

Did I talk to Lewis? No, of course not. However, I do remember him crying on draft day after he got picked, and it wasn’t because he was happy. Perhaps hate was a little too strong, but the only reason he re-upped was because Seattle could offer max money, (which they did) and that was it. There was never going to be a “hometown discount” for Seattle, something that players who love their current teams have done.

I’m all for Seattle getting a new team, but I suppose that’s more for selfish reasons. I don’t believe that this team can have much success playing in the Pacific Northwest division, and until a team comes in to replace them (Please Memphis!) the schedule is going to kill them.

Dateline: 2010

The Thunder have their 3rd losing season and reported attendance is 11,000 even though the builing is obviously more empty on game night. Maybe they are counting the NBA players and coaches that attend each game? The history of this losing team and low attendance can be traced back to 2003 when Starbuck Shultz bought the team and didn’t have a clue that a double dribble was different than a double shot. He left a manager in training (aka Walker) to run the team who knew even less. In 2006, in walks Money Bags Bunnet who said the sky is the limit and overpaid for a team at $375 million to mister espresso. Of course he took it. Who wouldn’t? Then the piliging and plundering began: Bunnett brought in a crappy coach, sold out the players (Ray Allen who), and drove away the fan base by putting a really crappy team on the court. What Bunnett doesn’t realize is that once the honeymoon is over fans aren’t going to pay $50 for a seat and $10 for a Bud to see a losing team.

I wish OKC luck. The team will suck it up for years and Bunnett will sell it out when he gets a chance.

I have just watched the first half of the OKC v. NO game, it was the most miserable half of basketball I’ve seen in decades. Lousy shooting, no defense and plenty of dumb turnovers. This team will not get better just because they are young…look at the coaching. Players either don’t know what to do or get black line fever, that’s where the coach is talking to the player on the sideline and the player says yeah coach I got it, steps over the black line on to the playing court and promptly forgets what to do & what he’s been told! Chris Wilcox was incompetent tonight, the 3 shooting was ridiculous and defense invisible. No matter how many #1′s OKC stock piles they will lose and get booed at home because they are not playing basketball!! Coaching change or else! When they were the Sonics we loved them now they are the Thunder now you love them.

Good luck with this team. You guys have just another Clippers on your hands. A team that before every season people will ooooh and ahhh over, but then they never amount to much to much. Just cause you get good draft picks year after year doesnt mean youre team will ever be good. And to the person who made the comment bout Rashard Lewis…you need to get your facts straight before you pop off at the mouth. Sure he was dissappointed to be drafted away from home…..who wouldnt be.But he would have stayed if the money would have been there. No loyalty from management so why should he stay? And please gicve me an example of players who have taken pay cuts to stay in the city they love so much? Certain players knew the team was gettin blown up….thats why they left. Bottom line is that OKC Thunder is not going to be good antime soon. I still think our politicians arent sports fans and did us in….but they sure came out on the winning end..especially if we get another team back next year.(I mean even the Key Arena debt is paid and we wil get a new arena)Life is looking beautiful. Sports in this region are horrible right now…but it will turn around. Its a cycle…everyone goes through it. We got Mariners with new manager now startin up soon…Jim Mora will be our ned head coach next year….might have the Hornets aka New Sonics next year. We came out alright..just gotta be patient.

Joe, you’re an idiot. No other way to say it. Rashard hated Seattle? The reason he left the Supes was because the team was moving….

“If I could lend a hand and they called and asked, I wouldn’t mind helping at all because I feel like my legacy is in Seattle,” Lewis said.

http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5h2Sgi0pZRihM4Qq3YW1_SyqKIyuQ

Idiot owner = losing team always. Clueless Clay fall’s into this catergory. Can’t believe after ONLY a half-dozen games OKC and we’re already talking about attendence problems, but even a THOUSAND-TIMES WORSE the FANS are already BOOING the TEAM!!!

How pathetic.

This has all the makings of a ugly plane crash. For FORTY YEARS the plane was flying just fine in Seattle, until dumbass Clueless Clay takes over the pilot seat. And now here we go ALREADY. I’m just gonna sit back and watch bigger horrifying moments unfold. It won’t be pretty. And, just like a bad plane crash, Clueless Clay will steer this franchise right into the side of a mountain, leaving the wreckage on the taxpayers and fans of OKC to cleanup.

Can’t wait to see the finger pointing start in OKC and sounds to me that it is already happening. HEHEHE.

I believe maybe OKC deserved a NBA franchise. But, it also deserved a much better owner and a better / more proper way obtaining a NBA franchise. David Sterns a complete moron!

CLUELESS CLAY-CLAY = Idiot owner = losing team. Sorry OKC.

What you guys don’t seem to realize is that your NBA franchise profits on TV ratings and advertisements way more than attendance. The problem isn’t filling an arena, it’s getting people to tune in. And by the way, Seattle’s market dwarfs OKC’s market.

But yea, brand new team, can’t sell out games. Good sign.

Go THUNDER! Good name, right?

Go OKC Potatoes!!!

Berry, the crowds are fine. Good grief. You’re disappointed with 894 shy of capacity? Average out the Hornets attendance for both seasons here, and I bet you get about what we’re doing now. I’m getting sick of the media over-scrutinizing every aspect of the crowd. Were they loud enough? Were they plentiful enough? Was that a groan, or a boo? Do they use the new bathrooms? Did they wash their hands?

Give us a break! We’re there. And we’re ready to go nuts for a team that at least makes it harder on the opposition than expected. We greet good, hustling effort with a huge ovation every time, even if we’re down thirty! We’re ready to believe in the Presti plan. We just want to grow with the team along the way. People didn’t fall in love with the Hornets, but with CP3, Chandler, Mason, Pargo, et al. Even in a losing season, the same is happening here. The hometown favorites are emerging. And the Thunder are ours. We know the difference. So stop judging this history as it’s being written. The fans are fine!

Tramel, you guys did try to sell your souls for the Hornets already, was once not enough? Thanks for re-confirming what we have known all along. You idiots in OKC tried to steal our team after a major disaster blew through town. Government, business, media, and some fans that bought all the BS and were taken for a ride. Sure, we have a crappy hillbilly owner, and I recognize that he played a part in it as well, but don’t you find it repugnant that you idiots did try to sell your “soul” for a freaking basketball team? How ridiculous is that? And you ended up stealing one from another city anyway, and you people cannot be made happy? The fact that you people continue to talk about wanting the Hornets is simply astounding. You people are losers with some real life issues there.

Not a clay fan, are you serious? Clay did go after the Hornets, but Clay wanted control of the team. Shinn didn’t want to give up control. Clay played games to try to get Shinn to sell the team to him. Shinn didn’t go for it and that was that. The two, despite what you saw on TV the other night, do not like each other. Shinn is probably too stupid to realize it, but he is better off in NOLA. Clay Bennett, running the good ol’ boy network he does in OKC, could have shut off Shinn’s corporate support almost in an instant. Instead of Shinn selling, he would have had to pull up stakes yet again for another market. Shinn is lucky because in NOLA, we don’t give him any crap. He pretty much has free reign to do what he wants with his club in the city. Too bad he is too stupid to recognize that. New Orleans has more celebrities in the South than any other city with the possible exception of Miami. I guess this causes Shinn pain as he can’t be “the big man” in town. We like to watch our team without having to hear from him. When he opens his mouth, we just want to cover our ears. I hope Chouest is able to get majority control one day, that way we can get rid of that hillbilly for good without losing the team.

Rashard Lewis cried on draft night because, despite being projected as a first rounder (thus earning an invite to sit in the green room), he was passed over 31 times and fell to the Sonics with the 3rd pick in the second round.

OKC got exactly what they deserved based on Bennett’s ignorance and arrogance. He outed the two best players and made wholesale changes in the staff in order to alienate as many Seattle fans as he could to make thier leaving easy for us to handle. The Ford Center is far from being anything close to the KeyArena (I have been to both) which is proven by the need to build or upgrade the facility in OKC. Yes OKC, you were an NBA town when you had a borrowed team that was winning. Now you have your own team that ownership decimated with poor moves.

Bennett got exactly what he deserved for all the tampering, lying and stealing he did in Seattle. I hope you finish 1-81.

Meanwhile, we have successfully switched our new loyalty to the Portland Trail Blazers…..at least they are 11-6 and are very fun to watch….oh, and averaging over 20,000 per night for real!!!

How are those Thunder jersey’s selling around the world? Nothing yet, eh? Maybe in 41 years…………….

Not a Clay fan is probably right. A better effort to secure the Hornets would have made much more sense. But we also have to remember that Clay Bennett was not acting completely on his own. The NBA is somewhat culpable in that they have a history of pushing government entity for every dime they can out of the taxpayers pocket. Because they could not squeeze an extra 300 million out of Seattle/King County/Washington, they allowed the events to take place that gave Mr. Bennett the opportunity to move the Sonics. Not to offend the people in the Northwest

Not a Clay fan is probably right. A better effort to secure the Hornets would have made much more sense. But we also have to remember that Clay Bennett was not acting completely on his own. The NBA is somewhat culpable in that they have a history of pushing government entity for every dime they can out of the taxpayers pocket. Because they could not squeeze an extra 300 million out of Seattle/King County/Washington, they allowed the events to take place that gave Mr. Bennett the opportunity to move the Sonics. Not to offend the people in the Northwest but the move had nothing to do with basketball or loyalty to a city that had held a franchise for 40 some years. It was strictly business and Mr. Bennett wanted the franchise. The NBA was simply not going to get in the way of a situation where they could have a better situation financially. As with most professional leagues, this type of negotiation is fairly normal. Occasionally a team has to be moved to set an example to the rest of the cities in the league as a warning that they could be next. This is a fear tactic used by the professional leagues to continue to milk tax dollars out of local populations. This too is simply business, but it certainly has been successful.

Now the reality for the people in Oklahoma City will soon become apparent. After a couple years the novelty of an NBA franchise will wear off. Then the barrage of ridiculous comments from various politicians and business owners will be poured on the population. Start planning on hearing things like, “Having an NBA effect franchise will bring great prestige to our city.” Or “the NBA in our city will generate a great deal of extra business for us.” You’ll get to hear all sorts of stupid statements from a variety of people that you might have at one time thought were intelligent. The fact is, the NBA doesn’t care about generating business for anyone except themselves. The NBA doesn’t care what city of franchise is in as long as it makes money for them. It really is just about business.

Oklahoma City is a small-market. Traditionally, small-market towns like that will have a tough time hanging on to a franchise long-term. The reason is very simple. There’s not enough people to support a team as they go through the ups and downs of competing in the NBA. The situation in Oklahoma City is complicated by the fact that ownership appears to have very little understanding of how to compete against other NBA franchises. It is possible that can be cured with turning over management to competent individuals. That seems unlikely at this time. But realistically, having the worst team in the NBA for any length of time is going to cause people to not want to attend. Right now it appears that the thunder has potential to be one of the worst teams in NBA history. Even if this continued or as little as a couple years, which is quite probable, the fan base well erode quickly and the demands of ownership upon the local population will quickly emerge. Once again it is only business but it does seem likely that while the franchise may not return to Seattle, it will relocate somewhere else. It does not appear that it makes any business sense to keep it in Oklahoma City.

Sorry about the split commenting.

B real – you are absolutely correct. The NBA is about greed. They have proven themselves to have little or no interest about the fans or the cities they represent. It’s about money. Unless Clay is willing to spring for the coming upgrades to the Fieldhouse from his own pocket, the Thunder will be playing somewhere else in five years.

Give us (Seattle) our team back!!

Why would Seattle want the Thunder back now? They should continue to pursue the Hornets.

In fairness to Mr. Bennett, I think he had a good strategy in order to secure the Sonics and bring them to OKC. Gutting the franchise and cutting loose the best players made it less tramatic to move a long established franchise out of that city. The problem is that this same strategy has made the Thunder nearly noncompetitive in the NBA. For anyone who has watched the NBA it is likely that we will see several years of bad basketball before this franchise is competitive again.

Durant is a legitimate star. But let’s be real. There is no way a top notch star is going to choose to make a lifelong career in OKC. When he can, he will leave. I did not think I would see the day when there would be an NBA team that would be viewed more unfavorably than the Los Angeles Clippers. I think we have found it.

the traffic is a lot better around the Space Needle…we don’t need NBA basketball….it’s kinda borring anyway….it’s not like we had lebron or kobe……

Like Sean Avery said…. OKC you got “SLOPPY SECONDS”. Sonics were not a great product but people still went until Benett made it clear they were leaving, and like the above comment, basketball is boring unless its the playoffs or 2 great teams which OKC will not have to worry about for a decade.

I actually think as bad as the thunder are, they’ve made some good draft picks and will have enough expiring contracts to trade for decent players in the near future (I’m from Seattle btw). That being said, if they don’t make the right moves, do you think Durant is gonna stay in Oklahoma City? I find that hard to believe, but i can’t read his mind.

The fact of the matter is, Oklahoma City can only sustain a team for so long. They may have good attendance, they may even have a playoff team in five years. But just look at all the other small market franchises in the history of the NBA (Spurs excluded). San Antonio is also a much nicer city than Oklahoma. Sorry Oklahoma City, your city sucks and is really depressing. No one not from the area would ever want to live there. FACT.

How about Memphis and their $250 million 18k seat arena, 4-year old arena that only sells 11k tickets a night?

Interesting fact:
Memphis metro area = 1.2 million people.
Oklahoma City metro area = 1.2 million people.

Both are far in a way the smallest markets in the NBA. Even Sacramento, San Antonio, Milwaukee have 2.0 million people.

Seattle metro area = 4.0 million people.

One thing that Bennetts group did take into consideration when moving the team to OKC, is that the players look at the market for local endorsements, they supplement their income that way. Seattle had a hard time with this part of the deal and lost several really good impact players over the years, not only in Basketball, but also Baseball and Football. OKC is in deep trouble, trying to get proven players that will turn your team around is going to be real tough. OKC is always going to be in a rebuilding mode any good player that got stuck in OKC will leave at their first chance. I have heard that Bennett is in big financial trouble, due to his Real Estate holdings, any truth to the rumor?

I do have to disagree with our friend Ron. Seattle has lost some players in their various sports over the years. But I would venture to say that most franchises suffered the same thing.

The Thunder have several challenges they will need to overcome in order to remain where they are. They really need some solid basketball people to take on the management of the team. The yes-men who allowed the dismemberment of the sonics are not going to be very effective. If you’re looking for a place to spend money than find a strong general manager who can negotiate a deal to keep the owners out of the decision-making process. If that happens there is a chance for success.

But unless something unusual happens OKC will remain a small market area and unless the people are completely different from the rest of the people in the country, in a short time they will grow bored with what is arguably one of the worst teams in the history of basketball.

Jake has correctly pointed out that there have been some good selections of draft choices. That is a promising step forward. But once again I must agree with Ron. Superstar athletes are not going to be likely to choose to go to Oklahoma City. A player like Durant will certainly be courted by teams on either coast. It will be very hard to keep top quality players in OKC.

Bennett seems to be an effective businessman. Someone earlier mentioned that he had a strategy and effectively destroyed the Seattle franchise to make the move easier. But he does not have the savvy to make an NBA franchise work. He is damaged and this one so bad that it will take years to recover. It looks like the Clippers, only worse. OKC will run out of time. If everything worked out perfectly they might contend for the title in 10 years. But that is highly unlikely. What the fans can expect is that our businessman Mr. Bennett will soon be coming to them with his hand out asking for tax money to create a better arena. Seattle said no to a $300 million request and the franchise moved because of that. His OKC ready to fork over 300 million or more? Well, maybe they will, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. There are too many other legitimate needs in the community to dump $300 million or more into a sports stadium that benefits exactly 1 tiny group of people. I am giving them three years tops. The honeymoon will be over as soon as they post the worst record in NBA history, which they are well on their way to setting.

As a former Vancouver Grizzly fan, I am saddened by what happened. Oklahoma City is only two months into their tenure and they are already having some problems? We had the worst team in NBA history for 6 years. In year 3 or 4, the team was in a 20 game losing streak. They came back after a long and disastrous road trip, and their first game was a sell-out. It was only when it became obvious that they were moving that the crowds started to dwindle.
The league dumped Vancouver and Seattle for Memphis and OKC? This is supposed to be the best run organization in sports! I have the same feelings of good will towards Michael Heisley that Sonics fans have for Bennett.

Guess what OKC. The reason the Sonics attendance was so low last year is because even though we all love the Sonics, and we still love the SONICS, nobody here wanted to give a penny to that shyster Bennett. He will be trying to get his $500 million basketball palace/mall/movie theatre/restaurants from you guys too. We rebuilt Key Arena back in the late 90′s, and David Stern commended our city on what a great arena it was. So I give your guy’s crappy arena about 5 more years before Bennett wants a new one. And he’s a real estate developer. His whole goal of bringing the Seattle Sloppy Seconds to your city is because he wants to jack up the property values and raise your cost of living to the point to where none of you morons can afford to live there. And speaking of living in OKC, no self respecting basketball player is ever going to want to live in OKLAHOMA, so unless your team is willing to shell out a 30% premium on every salary, you’ll never have any good players, the Seattle Sloppy Seconds are soon to be the Oklahoma City Used To Have Kevin Durant Basketball Club. So enjoy your years of mediocraty. I’d rather live in Seattle without the NBA than live in OKC and have a crappy basketball team that will eventually leave. Enjoy your winter of discontent douche bags.

P.S. Atleast we never booed our beloved team. To hear that you guys are booing your team makes me sick. Have a little pride, thats your team. You should all be ashamed.

Bennett is a scrub. But so is Shchultz. But so is OKC. At the end of the day I still live in the mighty Northwest, and the Sonics were a good franchise for majority of the 41 years. Bennett completely gutted the team intentionally to decrease attendance and increase his chances of relocating. The draft picks of Durant, Green, and Westbrook were all excellent picks…but it won’t matter, nobody wants to live in OKC and they will be a perennial bottom feeder. OK will always have Sooner football and thats it. Be content. The dream would be to become like a Portland or SA (which are both almost twice the population) but that won’t happen. I understand Bennett has pride in his hometown, but it was a terrible business decision, they’ll be lucky to last 10 years.

All you people need to shut the hell up. For 3 years now, a NBA team, which has had a losing season, has had over 18 k people for each game. only 7 other teams can say that. OKC doesnt suck, you hear things and never know personally. i lived in okc for many years and have lived in New Orleans and Costa Mesa(LA), CA. i couldnt wait to get back, like any other city in the center of this country. What do other large cities have to offer that we dont. Actually, are metro is larger than portland, Salt Lake City, Memphis, Charl. and its not about population, its about ratings. OKC market ranks 15 overall in major sports market for television, and top 10 for all other sports like the olimpics,etc. We also have top 5 radio sports broadcasting ratings in the country. that is what matters. that is where populations get their information and that is where businesses make their money, through advertisement. Dumbasses, look at Buffalo, Green Bay. They sell out every NFL game, and their market are not even in the top 75. So, b4 you start saying stuff about population, and what determines what makes a franchise successful. Read demographic books, business articles. Not espn, blogs, sports magazines. Another thing. CP3 and coach byron scott both fell in love with okc, and live here in the off season. ANd i think CP3 is a top notch star. Calm down. You can be upset that we have a team, but dont say things that are not accurate and could possibly make you look unintelligent. GO THUNDER!!!

I hate all of you people in oklahoma.
You guys have no idea what the sonics meant to Seattle…
And you guys are complaining about how you didn’t get a SELLOUT. I hope you lose every single game you guys play in and that Clay Bennet gets ran over by a tractor…

I don’t think it’s appropriate to say bad things the owner. You have to believe that he is an intelligent person who is trying to do his best for his community. It was probably not appropriate for him to indicate in any way that he was going to keep the Sonics in Seattle. He bought the team to move them, which happens in his professional sports.

This is the only professional sports team in their city. It is extremely unlikely that they will ever have any other kind of sports franchise. This is a very small market so I think the Seattle folks should be willing to cut them some slack. But the reality is that it will be extremely hard to recruit great athletes to come to Oklahoma City. You can look at it in any way that you want but Oklahoma City is still in the middle of nowhere and most professional athletes are just not going to be interested. The other part of this is that while they have been recruiting some good athletes, if Mr. Bennett is going to continue his involvement, then the franchise is probably in serious danger. I wish them the best.

Oklahoma city you reap what you sew! You deserve this from raping Seattle from their 41 year history and 13th largest marketplace. I hope you are all proud!

A big “F” you to you Oklahoma and to Clay Bennett!

Fans of NBA basketball:

This system is broke. David Stern is Clay Clay’s bitch. The NBA continues to lose money and fans in honest small town markets! History means nothing to David Stern.

I understand the NBA is a business and is all about making money, but how many lives and hearts have to broke before fans say enough!

ANY team in the NBA is vulnerable to be being violently ripped from their city and yes that does include LA and New York! Beware fans your town may be next!

I hope Clay Bennett and David Stern both get run over by a tractor! They are pieces of SHITE!

If you do not believe how evil Clay is then watch this documentary called SonicsGate!

http://vimeo.com/7030942

I am a sports fan but after going through the statements made here, I don’t see myself watching the Thunder. Certainly I am not going to pay to watch some team lose over half their games. If I’m to spend money on sporting events, it will be at OSU.