Seattle loses again - Kings to stay in Sacramento

[HOT ROD]

so much for the elitism that most Seattle Sonics fans showed the citizens of OKC and most recently Sacramento. I suppose Seattle isn't quite as big or elite as they think since there still is no arena, no NHL, and no NBA relocation despite big bucks from Steve Ballmer and initiative from Chris Hansen (from San Francisco).

Attached is the press release from the NBA: Kings to stay in Sacramento as owners reject Seattle move | NBA.com

Note the first line that Stern mentions: "this will be quick as I have a game to get to in OKLAHOMA CITY!". I was driving home from work when the sports news broke here with them pouting about that line. I suppose the NBA doesn't need Seattle so bad after all.

Thoughts?

[HOT ROD]

Gotta love it! Whine Whine Whine.

View forum - NBA in Seattle | The Seattle Times

Well, there's always the d-league.

[Dustin]

I feel sorry for the fans, honestly. It's a great sports city.

I'm also glad the fans in Sac get to keep their team.

[MonkeesFan]

Happy for the Kings fans, Seattle can get a expansion team

[Celebrator]

Not sad for Seattle. They are a bunch of pretentious, rude, and miserable people. Great city. Cruddy people.

[dankrutka]

Not sad for Seattle. They are a bunch of pretentious, rude, and miserable people. Great city. Cruddy people.

They are good fans and good people as long as you don't base your opinions on internet gossip. I hope Seattle gets a team soon. They have good fans.

[ljbab728]

They are good fans and good people as long as you don't base your opinions on internet gossip. I hope Seattle gets a team soon. They have good fans.

I agree. Seattle is a very nice city with lots of great people. It's hardly fair to base assumptions on a few jerks. OKC has their share of those also.

[zookeeper]

I agree. Seattle is a very nice city with lots of great people. It's hardly fair to base assumptions on a few jerks. OKC has their share of those also.

You got it!

[betts]

so much for the elitism that most Seattle Sonics fans showed the citizens of OKC and most recently Sacramento. I suppose Seattle isn't quite as big or elite as they think since there still is no arena, no NHL, and no NBA relocation despite big bucks from Steve Ballmer and initiative from Chris Hansen (from San Francisco).

Attached is the press release from the NBA: Kings to stay in Sacramento as owners reject Seattle move | NBA.com

Note the first line that Stern mentions: "this will be quick as I have a game to get to in OKLAHOMA CITY!". I was driving home from work when the sports news broke here with them pouting about that line. I suppose the NBA doesn't need Seattle so bad after all.

Thoughts?

My thoughts are that with that first line, Stern was sending a message to all NBA and NBA-hopeful cities: Its not about how much money your owners are willing to spend for a team. It's not about the relocation fee the owners would share if they allow a team to move. The difference between what happened in Seattle and Sacramento is that Sacramento, as a city and as a whole (finally!) stepped up to build an arena for their team. Stern doesn't want owners financing their own arenas. Having to do that would make it completely impossible financially for most owners in smaller markets. It would kill the NBA. By paying for all or part of the arena, in addition, the city has shown it is emotionally invested in the team, and that's critical for long-term success of the team as well.

I think Stern's first line was VERY carefully chosen. It was intended for Seattle and all of the rest of us as well.

[HOT ROD]

totally agree.

All, of course Seattle has great folks and fans just like OKC and other places. The disgust I have is with those who troll on the internet or in person and use half facts to support their opinion (as fact). These people don't want to hear any other side and if you offer an opinion then they cast you down as anti-Seattle or worse (such as hick, cesspool of a city, so on). That is uncalled for and shows just how ridiculous this city is. If Seattle was such a world class place then the Sonics wouldn't have left in the first place. People here like to blame Bennett for downgrading the team and then jumping ship but most FORGET that the previous owner offloaded Ray Allen (or was going to, I forget which happened first) and the previous ownerships prior to Bennett complained about KeyArena also. The Seattle Coliseum was retrofitted on the cheap and the fans thought it was world class - but a quick visit to even OKC much less Portland or Vancouver BC right down/up the street, shows just how inferior KeyArena was/is. Bennett lived up to his agreement by trying to get an arena built for MORE THAN the required ONE YEAR (which is why that lawsuit would have been invalidated anyway); he was the one who took most/all of the pot shots from people here who thought Seattle was all-that.

The truth is: Seattle pols/citizens cared more about MLB and NFL and they balked on the NBA, and the NBA had the last laugh. That is the truth and there's no way around it. For this reason, and this alone - is why I am so laughing inside at these people. They also thought just because Seattle has people like Ballmer that it made THEM special and elite.

I am a resident of Seattle but what they're saying is not true and how they acted is third world/backwater. It is ironic that they are calling OKC by those terms yet those same people are displaying that behavior instead of 1) working to build a new arena!!

I personally am glad this is over and I honestly hope Seattle never gets an NBA team (or NHL) to be honest. They thought they were in the same class as Chicago, New York and LA but the wake up call was too much for the crybabies to bare.

Why else would the NBA side with Sac and turn down all of that potential money from Seattle? Sac proved they wanted their team (something Seattle didn't do and still HASN'T done). You can't have your cake and eat it too, and this is the lesson that people around here NEEDED to be taught and the NBA obliged.

[warreng88]

AP Source: Maloofs reach agreement to sell Kings | News OK

[kelroy55]

They are good fans and good people as long as you don't base your opinions on internet gossip. I hope Seattle gets a team soon. They have good fans.

They may have good fans but they didn't go to the games like the OKC fans do. Isn't that why the team moved?

[OKCisOK4me]

Like they were laughing about on the sports animal yesterday, I love David Stern's opening line, no doubt AND I also do realize that if people lose interest in this team several years down the road, that the very same thing could happen to us, so I will laugh while I can!

[dankrutka]

They may have good fans but they didn't go to the games like the OKC fans do. Isn't that why the team moved?

From my understanding their fans were pretty good. Attendance wasn't tops the last couple years, but that was a result of performance. They had pretty good fans overall. We don't fully know how good OKC's fan base is just yet. While we're loud, get there early, and fill up the stadium, the true test will be when there's not much to cheer for. The first year doesn't count because the newness factor (even with the Hornets) was bound to help attendance. What happens if we're bad for 3-4 years straight? We've been very lucky to have an up and coming team that turned into an elite team. I personally think OKC fans will do well like other cities with just one major team (e.g., Utah, Portland), but we'll see....

[zookeeper]

They may have good fans but they didn't go to the games like the OKC fans do. Isn't that why the team moved?

I don't think that's right. I'll let someone who followed all that more closely speak, but I don't think it had anything to do with fan support. It was a lack of political support and failure to build a new arena. You really can't blame the fans.

[Bellaboo]

I don't think that's right. I'll let someone who followed all that more closely speak, but I don't think it had anything to do with fan support. It was a lack of political support and failure to build a new arena. You really can't blame the fans.

They did have poor attendance the last few years in Seattle, but the arena situation was the real issue on leaving....you're going to have 'low' attendance so to speak with a 14,000 seat arena.

[Dubya61]

I personally am glad this is over and I honestly hope Seattle never gets an NBA team (or NHL) to be honest. They thought they were in the same class as Chicago, New York and LA but the wake up call was too much for the crybabies to bare.

Although I think the NHL is over-expanded and in places it doesn't belong, I think it DOES belong in Seattle. Although not part of the Original Six, the Seattle Metropolitans were the first American hockey club to win the Stanley Cup (in 1917?). The NHL ought to find out how to relocate a team there and use their experience to make sure it's successful.

[HOT ROD]

it would suffer even worse than the nba. seattle doesn't even host a hockey team at all now, junior league 'seattle' tbirds is NOW in a suburb. JUNIOR HOCKEY, NOT AAA OR EVEN AA.