JSeahawks":eal4a3ek said:
So I have a basketball question for Sonics fans that i'm curious about, rather then a politics question. Assuming you get to start next season either way, would you rather inherit the Kings roster, or get an expansion team and start with a brand new roster?
For me that's a no brainer -- expansion team. I say that for a couple of different reasons:
1) As I've said repeatedly, I have no desire to do to another city and fanbase what was done to ours. Yes I understand that in the case of the Kings that they have moved around some in their history. They were the Cincinnati Royals, then the Kansas City Kings, and now the Sacramento Kings. However, they've been the Sacramento Kings since 1985 -- so it's going on 28 years that they've been there. Many in that community are attached to the Kings just like fans up here were attached to the Sonics for 41 years. That's one thing that I honestly don't get with many former Sonics fans I've talked to -- many seemingly feel absolutely no remorse at the prospect of ripping the Kings out of Sacramento. If there were honestly another way to get a franchise up here in Seattle again (other than relocation), I would jump at the opportunity. If the buzz in NBA circles is honestly that expansion might be an option in this case, I think that the ownership group in Seattle should seriously explore that.
2) Secondly, if the Kings were to be moved up here, I would have a really hard time thinking of them as the new Sonics. To me, there’s a part of me that would always think of them as the Kings. On Saturday, I was over at Alderwood Mall and happened to pass by Champs Sports there. In the window there of the store – right front and center – was an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey of Kevin Durant. To me, every time I see that jersey (and I see them every now and then from teens I work with) … it’s like a dagger in the heart. Every mention of the Thunder is a constant reminder of what we once had and how it was taken away from us. I personally will never be able to look at that Thunder team without thinking, “that’s our Sonics! That’s OUR team!” There’s a big piece of me that will always associate the Thunder with the Sonics. Likewise, if the Kings are relocated to Seattle, every time I look at them, I’m not going to see the new “Sonics” team … I’m going to see the Kings. And I personally think a lot of people will see the same thing. Do we really and truly want someone else’s team?
If expansion were honestly an option in this case for Seattle, then to me that’s the best case scenario for both cities. Yes, I understand that Seattle is far more along in the process than Sacramento – yada, yada, yada. I get all that. But if it means that we can get a team that’s totally free of any attachments, hard feelings/controversy, and is really and truly only Seattle’s … then sign me up.
And if expansion for Seattle means that we don’t get a team until the 2014-2015 season at the earliest … so what? What’s everybody in such a hurry for? It’s been 5 years since the Sonics have been gone … what’s another year or even two – IF this thing could potentially be done the right way?