David Stern screws over the city of Seattle once again

By Kshell

In a stunning decision NBA dictator commissioner David Stern has chose to keep the Kings in Sacramento instead of moving them to Seattle. What makes this so hard to accept was Seattle behind Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer put in the work to bring a team here. The city passed a deal to allow them to build a new arena. The NBA which as of a few years ago had two-thirds of their owners bankrupt are saying no to these two is just crazy. The Kings offer was 125 million dollars less than the Seattle offer. The Kings still don't have a solid arena plan in place either. Stern acted a complete 180 from how he treated Seattle back in 2008. In 2008 the city wasn't allowed to match Bennett's offer. He didn't give us three chances(Sacramento has been threatening to move since 2010) to keep our team here. That's what is so terrible about all this is the hypocritical of a corrupt commissioner in David Stern.

I'm still in shock that the NBA would deny Chris Hansen who is a young energetic up and coming Mark Cuban. With Ballmer's money and Hansen's passion there is no doubt that Sonics would have had a top five ownership in the NBA. They would have made the league a profit and built a contender up in the great northwest. There was rumors they were going to throw a ton of money at Phil Jackson who has won 13 NBA titles(11 as a coach, two as a player) during his lifetime. They overpaid for a Kings franchise who hasn't made the postseason since 2006 and hasn't won a playoff series since 2004. They made an agreement with the Malouf's ownership to buy the team. They put up money for land which they had to fight the idiots from Port of Seattle on and the Mariners. Hansen has jumped through hoops and has never said a negative thing about this process. He is everything we want as an owner and a real asset to the NBA. Why I'm so puzzled on why the NBA would risk turning the backs on this man. Sacramento's problems that led to them almost moving aren't going away.

The facts are despite what Mayor Kevin Johnson has presented the Kings aren't as great of fans as he has portrayed. The Kings this past year finished dead last in attendance, 28th last year, 29th(out of 30 teams) in 2010-11, 29th in 2009-10, 29th in 2008-09. In fact 2006-07 when they finished only 16th was the last time they weren't in the bottom five in attendance. Seattle ranks as the 14th biggest market in the U.S. while Sacramento ranks as the 20th(Oklahoma City is 45th). They still have no viable arena plan in place or land yet. How is a city that is nearby Stockton(going bankrupt) able to function as a city and afford this mega arena? I have no ill-will towards Sacramento but again the league made a bad business decision. The Kings in Sacramento minus a few of the Chris Webber years have been a terrible franchise that has played in three different cities already.

The NBA didn't give Seattle a chance to match any offers in 2007 or 2008. Stern shut us down from the get go but stated once Seattle has an arena plan in place we'll get a team. Well Seattle had a willing owner, an arena plan in place, had the land and the fan base was passionate like it was 1996 all over again. Then Stern decided to still shut it down. I know this isn't over and we can still steal the Milwaukee Bucks who appear in danger, the Minnesota Wolves, Indiana Pacers, etc but will the fans be as charged up again? Will Hansen want to go through this process yet again? I think this was our last realistic chance. I don't see the same passion to try and get a team as long as Stern is commissioner. As of July 2nd, 2013 if Seattle didn't have a team we lose our history as well. So perhaps this is why Stern screwed the Sonics so his buddy Clay Bennett can keep the history despite Bennett himself not wanting it. Look at Oklahoma City new playoff slogan says "established 2008" while a few years back said "established 1967". With Stern breaking our hearts twice I doubt anyone of us will let our hearts get back into this league. I think we aren't going to have the NBA or NHL for a long time. As long as Stern is commissioner the NBA isn't coming to Seattle I'm convinced. This is a sad terrible day that brought back terrible memories of July of 2008 all over again.

Sonics fans should boycott these people!

By Kshell

Despite the great news of the arena deal being passed there are still those who are doing whatever they can to kill this plan last minute. Their voices don't matter as the NBA and NHL is coming to Seattle where they  like it or not. Chris Hansen bought the land in the SODO(south downtown Seattle for those who don't know) area with the intentions of building an arena there. The tax payers are getting the best deal in U.S. sports history and he will pay back all his debt. Hansen is doing whatever he can to get a team to Seattle even if it bankrupts himself. For that the city should praise this man instead he is met with some much difficulty. The port of Seattle continues to bring up useless points that aren't factual at all. The Seattle Times editorials are done by the same group of elderly people that nobody cares about what they say. Then lastly our Seattle Mariners led by dumb(Howard Lincoln) and dumber(Chuck Armstrong) are opposing the arena despite them bending the tax payers over with a highway robbery deal for Safeco Field in their favor.

I think all Sonics fans should never forget who is against this arena plan and do everything in their power legally to bring them down. The best way to hurt a man is in his pockets. The Seattle Mariners who have shit on their fans ever since 2004 with one last place finish after another are going out of their way to oppose this deal. Sure this arena could hurt their business but you don't see the Seattle Seahawks or Sounders openly protesting now do you? That is because both teams are committed to winning so they don't have to worry about lack of fan support unlike Chuck Armstrong and Howard Lincoln.

The Mariners appear to be building something special after they set a record for most wins by a minor league organization in baseball history. The Mariners should welcome this competition and realize this could help them. When the Sonics have a night game schedule a day game so you have a sports double header. The Mariners also caught a huge break that tax payers are still paying for Safeco Field. You would think a team who is going to finish last place for the third straight year and seventh time in the last nine years wouldn't be causing trouble. You would think a team who had the best stadium deal in their favor and worst for tax payers would keep their mouths shut. So I propose nobody go to their games anymore until these guys sell the team.

Now the port of Seattle people also need to shut up. They are just jealous because the port of Tacoma is killing their business due to better freeway access to their port unlike Seattle. The port of Seattle is also just trying to get some money out of Chris Hansen. It is sad that these greedy guys(who all make more money than most reading this post) are pretending to be upset only to extract money from Hansen.

The other villain in all this is the Seattle Times who has gone out of their way to not support this new arena. The Times who in the past did their best to destroy Husky football in 1993 with the backstabbing to the program. Then in 2007 the same Times who ran a piece focusing on some bad eggs on the 2000 Rose Bowl championship Husky team instead of the good guys on the team. If you haven't already I suggest quit reading the Times and never buy one of their newspapers again. All the editorials are from those who oppose the arena who never bring up any facts at all.

At the end of the day the arena is going to be built regardless of what these idiots say or do. Hansen will instantly become a million times more popular than Chuck and Howard ever were. The NHL will also be coming to Seattle for the first time ever which will give our fans another chance to experience a big time sport. I just hope fans remember this act of betrayal by these groups. I won't forget how big of babies the Mariners were in this situation since they haven't given us any reason to cheer since 2004. On the positive the NBA and NHL will be in Seattle soon which is a good thing. This city desperately needs good teams and the Mariners aren't providing that. I can't wait until the NBA and NHL are here as this arena is being built. For all those who fought for this arena a big thank you to you guys! Just remember if you are thinking about supporting the Mariners, Port of Seattle or the Seattle Times remember how they did their best to prevent the NBA and NHL coming here. For that those groups shouldn't receive any more money from our fans.

News of arena deal is Suuuuuuuuuuper!

By Kshell

The city council  has come to an agreement with the Chris Hansen ownership group to build a new arena. That means our Seattle Supersonics are finally coming home.  Not only will the NBA return to Seattle but with this new arena for the  first time in Seattle history we should be getting a new NHL team. The news couldn't have came at a better time given that the Seahawks opened the season with a loss, Huskies were embarrassed in a big game once again the Seattle Mariners are headed towards their third straight last place finish. A piece of my childhood is returning when the Sonics are here. I wrote last year in April of 2011 how much I missed the Sonics as they were the first ever sporting event I ever attended. There is one man who should drink for free for the rest of his life in Seattle and that is Chris Hansen who made this all happen.

Chris Hansen is doing his civic duty much like Paul Allen did with the Seahawks back in 1996. Hansen is a rich guy who gets it. He is a fan and although the city of Seattle put him through the ringer he never gave up. Hansen should be a legend in this city if not already. The joy he is going to bring to so many in this community cannot be measured. I wish there would be more rich people in this world like Mr. Hansen is willing to risk millions of his own dollars so his childhood team that he loves can finally return home. The NBA did the original Sonics wrong but never once has Hansen been negative in his campaign to bring the team back. That is what I like most about Hansen he seems to connect with the fans which is the opposite of how the Mariners ownership is.

During this whole ordeal the fans of Seattle have shown over and over again our love for the Sonics. During game two of the NBA Finals there was a rally held to bring the Sonics back. The rally was clean too there was no name calling of Oklahoma City it was all pro Sonics which is what I enjoyed the most. Sonics fans like myself have moved on from the terrible thing that happened in 2008 as we realized dwelling on the past won't do any good. This movement which was started by the Sonicsgate guys when they made this this wonderful movie documenting the Sonics leaving. For many of us the Sonics were the only consistent thing in our lives sports wise. They have the most tradition among our pro teams. For my dad(born in 1961) he remembers the Sonics going to the Finals his junior year in 1978 and then winning the title in 1979. For me(born in 1985) I remember growing up in the 1990's when the Sonics were winning 55+ games six years in a row.

Growing up in the 1990's it was so great watching the talents of Gary Payton throwing lobs to Shawn Kemp as he threw them down. Watching George Karl win four Pacific Division titles in a four year span was something special as well. Watching the three point shooting of Detlef Schrempf, Hersey Hawkins and Sam Perkins was a joy as well. I used to always wear Sonics stuff to school and like I said the first game I ever went to was a Sonics game in the Tacoma Dome.

Watching Wally Walker destroy this team was one of the saddest things to watch. Then seeing this team flea town was a horrific experience that I hope to never experience again far as sports go. I'm glad in this whole process these former players from those teams were so active in this. Payton, Kemp and Schrempf have been big fixtures in this community the past decade in post retirement. When the NBA finally returns to Seattle look for #20 and #40 to be retired together in a ceremony in a game which will sell out quickly. For now it doesn't matter how good our team will be as we'll have a team once again. The next generation of kids can find their new NBA heroes like my dad always references "Downtown" Freddy Brown, Dennis Johnson or Jack Sikma. How I bring up Payton, Kemp and Schrempf these kids will have their own guys to idolize growing up.

Just like my father I also get to experience a new sport in this city as the NHL will most likely come to Seattle as well. The city of Seattle will have NFL, MLB, D-1 college sports, NBA, NHL, MLS and WNBA meaning they will officially become a major sports city in the United States. This is a huge day for the city of Seattle as they'll experience a huge economic boom in the SODO market as that area will finally get cleaned up with some big time restaurants and hotels. This is a beautiful day for those in Seattle who haven't had much to cheer about in the last couple of years. The Sonics are coming back and so today everyone wear your green and gold. I know today I'll be feeling pretty suuuuuuuuper as my childhood is returning as the Sonics will be coming back!

SSB weekly rant: May 19th-25th edition

By Kshell

Happy memorial day weekend everyone! I hope everyone has a great memorial day weekend even though the traffic is a nightmare currently in Seattle. On this memorial day weekend there is plenty to talk about in the sports scene as I continue my weekly rant. The NBA postseason is providing some nice moments. In this following post I'll mainly be talking about the NBA postseason, why some fans in this area are against Chris Hansen's arena proposal and do a nice little rant on a certain Cougar fan on the Seattle Times who is bashing our Seattle Sounders. I honestly don't understand the sports fans in this town. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this following rant and be sure to remember your loved ones who have passed away this weekend by decorating their graves with flowers.

cougforlife2011 on seattletimes

"meredith is one of the worst if not the worst goalies i have ever seen in my life. The guy couldn't stop a shot from going into the back of the net if it was only 3 feet wide. Time to put him on the bench and start weber. Our front office has no clue on how to bring evaluate and bring in talent. Sounders are becoming the mariners of seattle. Oh wait the mariners have a youthfull team that actually tries and puts out effort, never mind."

I don't understand this rant at all by this dumb Coug fan. The Sounders have made the playoffs the last three seasons and are top 10 in the world in soccer attendance. While the Mariners rank 11th out of 14 teams in the American League in attendance. The Mariners haven't made the playoffs since 2001 as well. This was just a stupid overreaction by a dipshit fan who obviously hates soccer. I'm not a big soccer fan myself but to go off on the Sounders at least say something intelligent like complaining how they haven't reach the second round of the postseason. Sorry there Coug fan but the Sounders are not the Mariners, they actually win some games every now and then.

I don't get why fans are against Chris Hansen's arena proposal? See to my right is Hansen with  our good friends from Bring Back Our Sonics. This arena in the SoDo area will bring in the NBA and the NHL. This will also make the SoDo area a kickass area to be around in. Sure the Mariners will be jealous but you know what? Screw em! Win some damn games then you have a right to complain! I'll admit I wanted the team to be in the Seattle Center but it's looking like that isn't going to happen so time to join forces and rally behind Hansen. Hansen is doing what Steve Ballmer has claimed he'd do for four years now only Hansen is actually going through with it instead of blowing smoke up our asses like Ballmer. Hansen is paying for the arena too as the tax payers are getting off. The SoDo district will finally be cleaned up as well and we can have a kickass part of town basically dedicated to us sports junkies. I'm fired up over this plan and I suspect Hansen is going to make this happen regardless of what the longshoreman or Chuck Armstrong think.

Kevin Durant who should be for the Sonics will be playing in his second straight Western Conference finals for Oklahoma City as they take on the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan. For Duncan this is his seventh Western Conference Finals trip as he has won four NBA championships. While Durant is still looking to reach his first NBA Finals after losing last year to Dallas Mavericks in five games. Both teams have cruised in the playoffs as the Zombie Sonics are 9-1 after defeating the Lakers in five games. While the old Spurs are 8-0 this postseason including two comeback wins at Staples Center to sweep off the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. This should be a great playoff series which could set up for a good NBA finals. You have the battle of the up and comers(Zombie Sonics) against the old consistent team since 1999(the Spurs). These are the type of matchups the NBA dreams about.

What a difference a week makes for Dwyane Wade and Lebron James? This time last week they were trailing 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers.  Now they are resting to see who they host in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals starting this Monday. Lebron James had a historic performance in game four scoring 40 points, grabbing 18 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists becoming the first player to do that since Elgin Baylor back in 1961. Lebron in the last three games averaged 32.7 PPG, 11.3 RPG and 8.0 APG with 2.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Wade since his horrific game three responded as well in game six scoring 41 points on 17-25(68.0%) shooting with 20 points in the second quarter alone. In the last three games Wade averaged 33.0 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 3.8 APG. He is averaging 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game as well. The Heat proved they can win a tough playoff series and this was without seven-time all-star power forward Chris Bosh who should return this series. When James and Wade are clicking like they were this series they are impossible to beat. If the Heat advance past the winner of the Celtics-76ers that should make for another great highly rated NBA Finals.

This has been another fun week in the sports scene and this weekly rant ran a little bit longer than most. I must admit I probably left off a few things like I always do. Next week my rant will be taking place in Boise, Idaho as I'll be there next week the home of two-time Fiesta Bowl champions Boise State Broncos. These NBA playoffs have been great and I'm back into the fold as a NBA fan once again which is good since our Sonics are coming home very shortly. The NHL playoffs is compelling as well with the L.A. Kings making the Stanley Cup Finals while the New York Rangers-New Jersey Devils are battling it out in a hard fought series. Well guys have a fun and safe memorial day weekend and hope you enjoyed my weekly rant!