Driving > Disco

So after 41 years and one championship (1979), David Stern seems content to allow the Seattle Sonics, the only major league team in the city's history to win a championship in the big four, to leave town and relocate in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City served as the "home" site for the New Orleans Hornets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The 2007-08 season was the first season that the Hornets were back in New Orleans for all 41 of their home games. David Stern swore up and down that the NBA was committed to New Orleans. He even went as far as to move the All-Star game for this season to the Big Easy and hosted the NBA Day of Service there, where NBA personnel helped out with reconstruction efforts.

As profound as the damage (and recovery efforts) that affected New Orleans were/are, I certainly do not think it would be appropriate to take away their NBA team, regardless of financial support at the moment. I just find it odd that team Stern is so adamant about keeping a team in New Orleans (even though they did let one leave before and let them take the most obvious and appropriate name in pro sports history with it), but will turn around and sell out the franchise in Seattle that started 7 years before New Orleans had any team (and has stuck it out through thick and thin for 41 years, while the Jazz left after 5 years and the Hornets did not arrive until about 6 years ago).

I guess I have always assumed that the Grizzlies will one day leave Memphis, and its not like we have some rich basketball heritage to begin with, but if a team that has grown 41 years worth of roots in a city can be snatched away for the right price, then what hope does any team have? I can't see the Celtics, Knicks or Lakers moving under any circumstances, but outside of those three...whats to say that your home team won't be next? (that last statement was directed at the 18 or so NBA fans that are left in the country) I'll be the first in line at the "pro-sport athletes are paid too much" (but not before the same argument is made towards Hollywood actors, though both are subjects for later posts), but as long as we are forgetting the money for a moment, I feel the need to fight for the Sonics.

Bill Simmons is much more eloquent on the subject than myself, so I'll leave you with his comments and those of his readers.

Also, I just found out that a group headed by Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer, Costco's CEO & President Jim Sinegal and wireless entrepreneur John Stanton, are attempting to foot half the bill for renovations to the Sonic's Key Arena as well as purchase a stake in professional basketball for Seattle. Read more.

Updated: 9:15 pm - OK, forgot to post this awesome Seattle Sonics blog that I found. Its called Supersonicsoul.com and has some great material in regards to the seemingly inevitable pillaging of the Sonics. The most recent post has a link to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer's coverage of David Stern (who is rapidly climbing the leaderboard of my most hated people) saying that the latest move to keep the Sonics in Seattle is a "PR stunt." Classy! Why is it I still like the NBA?