Comments on: Should Presti Have Traded Ray Allen & Rashard Lewis? You Betcha.

By: JP

JP — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:58:45 +0000

Bennett, overpaid for the team ($350 million) lost $30 million in his two lame duck seasons in Seattle and then dropped another $75 – $80 million on the relocation. $45 million went to the City of Seattle and $30 million to the NBA. All of the these expenses don’t just disappear. Amortize these costs over the first 5 years and it will be 2013 before the team will have any hope of even breaking even. Then The Blunder are sure to demand a new arena.

When assessing whether it was wise to blow up the team by getting rid of Ray and Rashard, you have to look at the total cost of that decision. It killed attendance in Seattle exacerbating the losses and ensured the owners had to move or sell. Now the team must absorb the startup costs by restricting their payroll expenses to below league averages. The OKC fans pay the price in a below NBA quality team on the court and higher ticket prices. A playoff caliber team is far off in the future.

By: TJ

TJ — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:13:39 +0000

Orlando’s arena opening in 2010 cost $500 million. The Ford Center will be outdated as soon as it opens.

By: TJ

TJ — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:10:22 +0000

Half the teams in the league are losing money, rob. The point is if you actually field a competitive team there is a lot more money to be made in a larger market. Check out how OKC is near the bottom in TV ratings, and your “phenomenal support” still only equates to middle of the pack in terms of attendance. It will be less when the Ford renovation creates less seats. You want to believe a 100 million upgrade to a 79 million building is “state of the art”? hahaha

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:23:59 +0000

And about Durant and Mason saying they don't want to leave OKC, add to that Cleveland Cavalier PF Joe Smith, who played for the Thunder the majority of this year. He said in HoopsWorld he missed OKC as well.

By: rob

rob — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:40:01 +0000

That larger market resulted in $20 million a-year losses. I think I’d prefer, like the NBA and Bennett, a smaller market with phenomenal support and the ability to make a profit (in a city with a state-of-the art arena) than a larger market with inferior support (without a suitable NBA arena) and continued monetary deficits. What was that NBA BOG vote again?

By: Sonics forever

Sonics forever — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 09:08:49 +0000

You idiots in OKC will believe anything won’t you? Seattle got screwed by Bennett. This article is a bunch of crap. It was OBVIOUS that Bennett was gutting the team to move them. Leaving the 11th largest TV market in the nation for the 41st? That makes so much sense. Tearing apart 40 some odd years of history and pissing on it, then lighting it on fire…thanks OKC fans. Thanks a lot. Had Durant been on a team with Ray Allen (future HOF’er), Rashard Lewis (bona fide Allstar talent), and the rest of those guys, SEATTLE would have made the playoffs. Instead the fans in SEATTLE got screwed. Your pathetic Thunder is at least 3 years from cracking the playoffs. I hope Bennett chokes on his cigar.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 02:11:30 +0000

Westbrook is way better than Ridnour, Allen and Lewis are not stars by themselves, and the Thunder realize this year, Collison is inferior playing at center. And there are only two years since Presti traded Allen and Lewis, and the most we will have to wait is one more year before the Thunder will make the playoffs (I think next year will be the year, like Miami a year earlier, and our stars are still young). And both Durant and Mason already said publicly they don’t want to leave OKC.

By: Juan Jonez

Juan Jonez — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:53:33 +0000

He’s right.. Keep it 100

By: surge

surge — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:22:21 +0000

Ricky Rubio. Off topic, I know.

To my knowledge, he’s the only one in this draft who has actually beat Jason Kidd of the dribble and has thrown an alley-oop to Pau Gasol.

By: gunndawg

gunndawg — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 17:01:53 +0000

Poor analysis. Seattle had Durant coming on board. A line up of Ridnour, Allen, Durant, Lewis and Collison would have been a lot of fun. They wouldn’t have played much defense, but would have scored a ton of points. It would have been like Phoenix a few years back. The Thunder are in a four year rebuilding process, which is too long, considering Durant and Green can leave in two years. Who wants to live in Oklahoma from October through April?