Linkage
A couple of interesting things around the Web worth noting. First, here is the entire piece TNT’s Inside the NBA did on the Save Our Sonics efforts out of Seattle. Part 1 and Part 2. It’s really a nice piece. That Jim Huber is something else.
Sticking with the Sonics theme, there was apparently a big controversy following the team’s home game last Friday against Houston when the players were supposed to give away their shoes. According to this story, several Sonics players didn’t want to be bothered.
There was also a good story in the Seattle Times last week about Kevin Durant and Jeff Green planning on going to summer school in the off-season to work toward their degrees. Durant obviously left Texas after his freshman year. Green left Georgetown following his junior season.
You can hear this new rock song that has been released about Seattle fan angst in the face of the potential relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City. It’s nearly seven minutes long and I can’t understand but about five words. But that’s just me. It’s worth noting that the song is called “Fortyone.” The lyrics can be found on the same page once you click on the above link. That’s the second Sonics song that I know of that has been penned throughout this whole saga.
Check out this South Florida Sun-Sentinel story about Memphis point guard Derrick Rose possibly being a good fit with the Miami Heat. The Heat currently have the NBA’s worst record, which means they’ll have the best chance to get the No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft. With the league’s second worst record, the Sonics have the second best chance. In this Sun-Sentinel piece, there is a line that says Dwyane Wade has already hinted that his preference is for the Heat to take Rose if the team lands the top selection.
Here, you can check out Yahoo Sports’ Johnny Ludden’s thorough breakdown of how the West might be won.
And here’s my story on the timeline for improvements to the Ford Center and the construction of the NBA practice facility.
-DM-
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Comments
that’s too bad. if you’re a long-time fan, and you’ve supported the team and voted yes, i feel really bad for you.
but, i wish the seattle people that populate this website had the same ‘no negativity’ policy that the fellows in the TNT piece had. bagging on clay (even if it’s deserved) or oklahoma won’t keep the team. it looks better for seattle if you take the high road (the road bennett and stern are avoiding….).
question: why did the starbucks dude sell? if i lived in seattle, i would as angry at him as bennett. they both screwed you over.
(From what I’ve seen, heard, read and gauged personally, I think a lot of Sonics fans in Seattle are indeed just as angry at Schultz as they are with Bennett. I think it’s just easier for fans to voice/show their resentment toward Bennett since he is now the front man whereas Schultz is gone and out of the picture. Seattle readers, correct me if I’m wrong. -DM-)
Bennett hasn’t screwed anyone over. He bought a team that was for sale with a written agreement that included a relocation provision that was approved by the NBA.
He agreed when he bought the team to attempt to get a new arena built. He hired one of the nations leading sports and entertainment design firms to develop the plan, hired a legendary Sonics fiqure as team president to lobby for it and got the Chairwoman of the House Ways and Means Comm. to introduce a bill to fund it the same way the other stadiums were financed and without raising taxes.
He was then cut off at the knees. Speaker of the house Frank Chopp announced the bill DOA and refused to even look at it. Bennett said at the time that he would be willing to look at other proposals but there has never been a counter proposal.
Many said that his 500 million dollar proposal was unreasonable but now the city is floating a Key remodel plan that Shultz turned down before he sold the team, that they say would cost 300 million. So……. 300 million to remodel the current arena, that would still leave it in the bottom tier of NBA arenas is reasonable but 500 million on a new arena that puts it to shame is unreasonable.
Without a new arena the Sonics have no choice but to leave Seattle. The team has lost money every year in this decade and it’s rumored that the previous ownership group had lost 60 million dollars over the last 5 years they owned the team.
A group of some of Seattles wealthiest civic leaders offered to put up half the money, 150 million, and accept a Key remodel that nobody else wanted and they still couldn’t get a funding compromise deal done, proving Bennett never stood a chance of getting a deal done.
To paint Bennett as someone who stole something or screwed somebody over is wrong and unfair.
If it was Bennett’s intention to relocate the Sonics to OKC all along and was in no way looking keep the Sonics in Seattle as proven by his behavior (refusing to negotiate or even speak to city officials, proposing a tax payer funded arena as the state legislature session was ending, refusing to sell to local buyers if he doesn’t plan on operating the team in Seattle), how is he NOT the villian?
You are correct DM. Shultz is also considered a villian in Seattle, but what good does it do to direct attention on someone who is in the rear view mirror. Shultz is not trying rip the team from the city it belongs in. Shultz was not exactly a local owner either, he’s a New Yorker that wanted a toy to play with. He doesn’t bleed Sonic blood, he wasn’t here for the 41 year history of the franchise and is not a part of it. Ballmer is exactly the kind of owner the Sonics need and the NBA should welcome to maintain its relationship in a proven market.
spot on, darnell! i actually hate schultz worse than bennett! i would never hope for the demise of a seattle company. with one large exception. STARBUCKS!! starbucks is actually struggling, and i love it!
oh and darnell, you were right about chubby checker. to a certain extent. i looked up some old pics of him. he has aged very nicely.
DM,
i haven’t had enough time to research you or your credentials. someone just sent me this site as an example of how delusional okc fans are. you might just be some dude who posts as a hobby and enjoys talking about sports. maybe your kid taught you about the internet and what a blog is and you’re trying your hand at it in free time with your dial-up internet connection and netscape navigator. if so, i apologize.
but seriously??? these are your posts and insights into the nba and sports. hahaha. DM, comparing bennett to shultz is like comparing your boy to the devil. it’s pretty easy to come up short. if you had some real integrity you would apologize for your chairman’s sketchy actions. i understand this is the real world and die-hard capitalism is the american way…i get it, you have to pay the bills so you dont have time to worry about where your favorite wallmart gets their sick new sweatsuits. you are a homer and you get paid to be. but if you ever want to move yourself out of that hurt little town to a real newspaper, you might want to work toward an idea harped on in journalism school: “credibility”. good luck bro.
sincerely,
your daddy aka Harriet Beecher Stowe
(You’ve made three posts that I know of and all three have included some sort of reference to race. It seems to me that your sole goal on this site is to be obscene, rude and vile. If that’s the case, yes, your posts will continue to be deleted. Harriet Beecher Stowe is a woman. But I do appreciate the “dial-up internet connection and Netscape navigator” line. If you wish to insult, do us all a favor and keep creative, witty lines like those coming. Not the simple-minded, unoriginal verbiage that so far have defined your comments. -DM-)
If there was a villian in Washington, his name would be Frank Chopp. He has and is preventing any kind of arena deal from getting done……but is he really a villian?
All indications are that the majority Seattle and Washington citizens are against their tax dollars going towards building a new arena…..so with that being the case, Chopp and the other politicians who oppose funding for an arena are just upholding the will of the taxpayers.
Seattle doesn’t want the team to leave nor are they willing to spend the money on an arena to keep them.
They want to have their cake and eat it too and if Stern and Bennett won’t give it to them, then they’re thieves and liars.
yeah, well apparently you’re missing most of the references.
i.e. “Harriet Beecher Stowe is a woman.”
thanks genius. i have plenty of original fire and endless class time to drop posts for you and your small minded disciples. if historical events are “obscene, rude, and vile” maybe you’re getting a little too much foxnews. maybe books like a ‘people’s history’ should be burned because they offend most of the criminals/founding fathers. these racially motivated references are relevant to the nba issue. the nba is comprised of very diverse individuals (euphemistically speaking) and if you take the time to talk to any d-league players who are banished to places like bismark (i.e. see http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie?author=Rod+Benson), you would probably realize why moving a successful franchise from seattle to okc makes little to no sense. ihop is not a landmark. i think the big shaqtus’ humor flew over your head.
and to philip the business guru, i think six flags would build an amusement park if okc taxpayers voted to pay for it. public funded arenas is an obsolete business model. your like the fat girl who will pay for dinner, drinks, and the movie.
Hey Darnell,
Thanks as usual for your unbaised blogging. It’s quite refreshing!
And thanks for the link to my song. Sorry, I really didn’t mean it to be some damn long.
Cheers from Seattle,
Jeremy Ward
http://www.myspace.com/macrounit
sonicsfansunited@yahoo.com
that guy, saying darnell has no integrity, is far beyond the boundries of good taste. darnell is biased. but to say he lacks integrity! come on!
oh and phillip, you are right, at least a little bit. frank chopp is a scum bag!!
thats the first and only time, youve been right about anything!!
joey, you haven’t once been able to show that I’ve been wrong about anything.
It really has to make you Seattle trolls cringe when a complete idiot like “that guy” post’s and lowers your collective IQ by double digits.
The only thing we really know about him is…..he has no clue what he’s talking about and can’t back up anything he says and he takes advantage of lonely fat chicks because he’s got no job and no money.
i think you fellas got the market cornered on lonely fat chicks.
and phillip, you ramble on and on about things you know nothing about. thats a sign of tragic ignorance!!!
“i think you fellas got the market cornered on lonely fat chicks.”
Really joey….and just exactly what do you base that remark on?
well phillip, if take into account that oklahoma is one of the fattest states,and washington is one of the fittest.
its very simple and well known knowledge. they put out these lists all the time. washington is routinely in the top 5 or higher, for everything from physical fitness to intelligence. oklahoma is very low.
using the word lonely was a mistake. fat chicks dont get lonely in oklahoma. you get whatcha can get.
(Why’s everbody picking on “lonely fat chicks” all of a sudden? Big girls need love, too. -DM-)
So what your saying is you haven’t ever been here and you really have no idea what your talking about but you just wanted to take the opportunity to insult all the women in Oklahoma….is that right?
no insults. just facts.
and dont give me this im takin the high road bs. you were the first to bring up the differences between our ladies. i simply corrected you.
Sorry joey….I commented on the women that your fellow Seattlite made reference to and never said anything about the women of Seattle. You proceeded to insult hundreds of thousands of women you’ve never been around or seen.
Aren’t such remarks childish anyway? There are beautiful women everywhere, joey…….not that your ever gonna get close to one of them anyway.
Do you even like girls?
One thing that is undisputable is the statistical certainty that Seattle has three times as many fat, ugly women as OKC.
you have made comments about our ladies in the past.
statistical certainty?
i have confidence in my sexuality and manhood. thats something you obviously lack!!
phillip, you continue to amuse!!!
wow, the recent postings on this site would make a rational person think that NEITHER okc nor seattle’s fans deserve a team.
“One thing that is undisputable is the statistical certainty that Seattle has three times as many fat, ugly women as OKC.”
i’m from oklahoma, and this is a stupid thing to say.
“oklahoma is one of the fattest states,and washington is one of the fittest.”
this is what stern is concerned with in oklahoma city?
this is some of the most inane dialogue i have ever had the misfortune to read. ‘fans’ like this are why the NBA is becoming a joke. please, don’t punish me by bringing this mindset to the midwest. stay out of my hometown if it is going to turn my friendly town into a bunch of nutty obsessives who live their lives by bashing what they don’t like, to whoever will listen. go ballmer, cough up that 75 million, and keep it up, intellectual giants of oklahoma and washington alike.
donuteyes says, one thing that is undisputable is the statistical certainty that seattle has 3 times as many fat ugly chicks as okc.
thank you donuteyes for rising above the pettieness. your an inspiration!!!
p.s. if your gonna get dirty, know your facts!!
i think philip still rides the small bus. the use of ‘fat chicks’ was an analogy, philip. i used the analogy to symbolize desperation. okc=desperate. get it? in 10 years when the banks are foreclosing on your favorite pig or tracker you might look back and see what a financial disaster it was for your city.
sorry, i’m not trying to get between your little cyber-spork with your boy joey or anything, i’ll let you two keep flirting. but i got this page bookmarked now and i got my eyes on you DM. i’ll be sorting out you squares when need be.
‘that guy,’ you’re so amazing, i could read your self-indulgent ramblings all day… and you seem like you have plenty of original fire and endless class time to drop posts for us.
hey that guy. im sure you have darnell shakin in his boots.
geez, and i thought i was the biggest prick on here!!
HEY PHILLIP, IVE BEEN THERE. I HOOKED-UP WITH THE GM AT GOLDEN CORRAL. ALL SHE COULD SAY ALL NIGHT (UNTIL I STUFFED HER MOUTH), WAS WANTING TO GET OUT OF THE “DUSTBOWL”. THIS WAS ONE OF YOUR OWN CITIZENS. ALTHOUGH, SHE WAS NOT AT ALL FAT, BUT DEFINENTLY ALL THAT, HER POINT WAS MADE (CRYSTAL CLEAR). WE COME EVERY SUMMER FOR 4 DAYS TO PLAY SOFTBALL. ONLY BECAUSE WE KNOW WE WILL TROPHY THERE. I HAVE FRIENDS THERE (WHO ARE NOT ON YOUR SIDE AT ALL), WHO WANT CLAY TO GO AWAY AND FOR GM TO COME BACK, SO, YES WE HAVE BEEN THERE, BUT CAN GUARANTEE ONE THING, “WILL NEVER BE BACK”, ALONG WITH ALL THAT SOFTBALL MONEY. I FLY COAST TO COAST WITH MY COMPANY, AND, WE HAVE NOT HEARD ONE GOOD THING SAID ABOUT YOUR CITY, EXCEPT, “MAN, THEY BIT OFF MORE THAN THEY CAN CHEW”, AND, “THIS WHOLE SITUATION WILL EFFECT THEIR ECONOMY MORE THAN ALL THE EXTRAS A NBA TEAM WILL BRING. YOU SEE, THE NBA, IS JUST A FEW MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR. YOUR SOFTBALL TOURNEY’S AND OTHER CITY-LEAGUE ACTIVITIES IS WHAT BRINGS THE SERIOUS MONEY IN YOUR TOWN, AND, YOUR TOWN HAS ALIENATED ALOT OF THESE PEOPLE WHO WOULD COME AND SPEND MONEY IN YOUR TOWN. UNFORTUNATE, AND, I FEEL FOR ALL THOSE MOTEL AND RESTURAUNT OWNERS THAT ARE GOING TO SEE A DECLINE IN THIER BUSINESS’S THIS SUMMER, MEANWHILE, SEATTLE WILL HAVE ANOTHER GREAT CRUISE/TOURIST YEAR, THANKS TO MAYORS LIKE MICK WHO COME SPEND ALL YOUR TAX-PAYERS $$ UP HERE ON HIS VACATIONS. BUT PHILLIP, WE HAVE NEVER PROVED YOUR STATEMENTS WRONG??? HAHAHAHAHAHA.
SEE YA IN JUNE D.M.,
MIKE U.
Darnell, any speculation on where the practice facility might be located?
(Philip, not on my part. And I believe city officials when they say it hasn’t been considered yet. Although I do think some of the team owners, simply because they’re local, have an idea of where they’d like it to be located. -DM-)