How do you steal a storied franchise from a proven basketball city? Just ask Clay Bennett.
Pardon me if I seem unsympathetic to Mr. Bennett's cause. I'm not a Sonics fan, but I am a basketball fan and a human being and both of things lead me to side with Seattle's fans on this one. This isn't the case of the Vancouver Grizzlies being moved to Memphis - a failed experiment corrected by common sense. This is the case of a long-standing, storied franchise being stolen from its city, a child being kidnapped from a devoted family. I blame James Dolan for the downfall of the Knicks, but at least I can still go watch them play in New York. Sonics fans have no such ability - unless they're willing to ignore this gut-punch of a move and journey to Oklahoma City, where they can see their exciting, young team play unhappy ball in the desert.
The Sonics have as rich a history as most teams in the League and with Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook anchoring a young squad, Seattle fans were poised to embrace a new era of stars. Not anymore. Clay Bennett, with the NBA as a willing accomplice, has robbed Seattleans of a basketball future. A new team might eventually come and it might even be called the Sonics, but it won't be this team and it certainly won't be the same. The 1979 NBA Championship. Lenny Wilkens. Gary Payton. Shawn Kemp. Ray Allen. Kevin Durant. That history ends here.
Any chance of keeping the Sonics in Seattle ended last night, when the city settled for a $75 million payoff from the team and the rights to keep the "SuperSonics" name and colors in case a future team joins the city. That's like being shot and getting to keep the bullet. Was I surprised by the move, by some carpetbagger coming to town and hijacking a team with the League's help? Yeah, I have to say I was. After all, isn't this the NBA? Where amazing happens?
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