Post by Miege22 (SONICS) on Sept 6, 2015 2:54:57 GMT
The Oklahoma City Thunder submit for the league's approval their request to move the franchise BACK to Seattle and be renamed the Seattle Supersonics.
By most measures, the Thunder have been a great success since moving to Oklahoma City. The franchise has won at a high level, they've had phenomenal fan support, and they've got two franchise players that every team in the league would love to have. However, when you look beneath the surface, you can see the cracks in the foundation. Despite being near the top of the league the last 4 years, the Thunder have consistently done whatever they could to avoid the luxury tax. Their ownership group, specifically Aubrey McClendon, took major financial hits due to the precipitous drop in oil and natural gas. As ridiculous as this sentence will sound, Clay Bennett, the majority owner of the Thunder, only has a net worth of $400 million, which is near the bottom of all owners.
The cost cutting measures the Thunder have taken has only increased the speculation that Kevin Durant is on the way out, with Russell Westbrook to follow. If one or both of those players leave, it would be a catastrophic blow to the Thunder and their owners. The value of the franchise would plummet with no relief in sight. Would the Thunder owners be up for a long rebuild? They may save money in terms of player salaries, but, at a certain point, the attitude of the fans will shift. The owners will become the enemy, much the same way Howard Schultz became the enemy in Seattle before he sold to Bennett.
It is with this nightmare scenario in mind that we envision the team being sold to hedge fund manager Chris Hansen for nearly $1 billion. The Thunder owners make a ton of money, and Seattle gets their team back. It is an unfortunate situation for the Oklahoma City fans, but life sucks then you die. The Thunder never managed to win a title in OKC, thus freeing the team up to clear hurdle #1.
While Seattle was home to the Sonics for over 40 years, the major knock on them has been their lackluster arena. Seattle is the 15th largest market in the United States, a clear upgrade over Oklahoma City (42nd), but Key Arena is no longer suitable for an NBA team. BUT DON'T WORRY! They won't be in Key Arena for long. While they will need to play there temporarily, a proposal for a new multi-purpose arena just south of CenturyLink and Safeco has been approved by the Seattle City and King County councils. The Seattle Design Commission approved the project just two days ago, meaning it only needs to go through one more vote for final approval. There has been no sense of urgency for the project to reach that final vote, but the knowledge that an NBA team is ready to move in the day it's completed should change all that (for more info on the new Seattle Arena: www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2015/09/03/seattle-arena-final-design-proposal-nba-nhl-final-vote/71646612/).
This new arena will not only be state-of-the-art, but it was also be completely green. With a new arena in place, 40+ years of successfully hosting an NBA team, and a built in rival in the Portland Trailblazers, Seattle is an absolute slam dunk to realistically host the new Sonics. Hurdle #2: cleared.
As is already common knowledge, Seattle IS STILL a part of the continental United States. While the Cascadia subduction zone is a ticking time bomb set to take out the entire Pacific Northwest (seriously, look it up), it could still be hundreds, if not thousands of years before that happens. Why not give the city of Seattle one last shot at winning another NBA title? So long hurdle #3.
Finally, our plans are to compete now and in the future. With Durant and Russell in tow, the new Sonics will be an instant contender. The franchise has three young players we believe have a ton of upside, despite the objections from the rest of the league regarding a certain wing player who shall remain nameless. While one can never guarantee a championship, especially in a league that will see a ton of parity, the Sonics plan to contend from day 1.
Without further ado, I would like to reveal the new and improved Seattle Supersonics...
As you can see, the old design greatly influenced the new logo and uniforms. The main difference here is the incorporation of the dark blue as a new alternate color. Alternates will be rolled out in the coming years and will feature the classic yellow jerseys the Sonics have used in the past. We look forward to hearing from the other owners on our proposal.