Caught the Sonics-Blazers game on the tube Wednesday night, an atrocity that struck me as a reflection of what’s been going on with this formerly proud local NBA franchise the past three months.
You know. Clay Bennett and Co. from Oklahoma City relieve Howard Schultz of the Sonics for $350 million, triggering instant and rapid-fire assertions that the team is bound for the land of oil wells, tumbleweeds and Boomer Sooners.
Bennett spends the rest of his time trying to persuade season-ticket holders, the media, area politicians, businesses and everyone else who doesn’t have a telephone with an Oklahoma area code that he and the boys are trying to wrangle a deal for a state-of-the-art arena in the immediate area – without, of course, the niggling technicality of a public vote on the matter.
Oh, and can they have 30 acres of land on which to build it, please?
Ed Evans, who brokered the deal, bails out of the ownership group, leaving a desperate Bennett to quickly gather up more investors from Oklahoma City because he reportedly is shy of cash among the leftover investors.
Wally Walker resigns after 12 years as Sonics president, but not before he blasts the media and elected officials (especially Seattle City Council President and chronic Sonic cynic Nick Licata) at the team’s tip-off luncheon in front of a horrified Bennett.
Then the Sonics blow a nine-point lead with five minutes left and lose their season-opener to the Blazers. Thanks much to ex-Washington Huskies star Brandon Roy’s 20 points, Portland pulled the rug out from under the Sonics in what was supposed to be a very carefully crafted reminder that, yes, the team is here and by golly, the new owners intend to keep it here.
The celebration turned into a disaster, which, considering the fragile health and uncertain future of the franchise, seems fitting.
The punch line: The Sonics approached the NBA shortly after they discovered Roy would go to the Blazers and requested they start the season at home against Portland, coached by former Sonic player and coach Nate McMillan, as a celebration of the team’s 40 years in Seattle.
Happy Anniversary.
Can anything else go haywire with this outfit? Oh, yes. They lose their starting center, the 21-year-old Robert Swift, for the year with a torn ACL. They replace him with rookie Mouhamed Sene, 20, who was introduced to basketball about seven minutes ago. And now Sene has a sprained ankle.
Several days ago, All-Star forward Rashard Lewis withdrew his demand to negotiate a two-year extension, prompting speculation that the 27-year-old wants to explore the wild riches of unrestricted free agency and leave the team after this season.
On the court, the defense-challenged Sonics gave up 110 points to a team that won 21 games last season.
Remember when pro basketball in Seattle was fun and fans could keep their attention to what was happening on the court?
Remember when fans’ outrage was centered on Walker, and what he was thinking when he brought in the Calvin Booths, the Vin Bakers and the Jim McIlvaines and effectively booted the George Karls, the Nate McMillans and the Shawn Kemps?
Remember Fred Brown? Kemp? Jack Sikma? Spencer Haywood? Dennis Johnson? Gus Williams? Lonnie Shelton? John Johnson? Slick Watts? Xavier McDaniel? Gary Payton? Sam Perkins? Lenny Wilkens? Detlef Schrempf? Dick Snyder? Walt Hazzard? Bob Rule? Paul Silas? Marvin Webster? Tom Chambers? Tom Meschery? Derrick McKey? Hersey Hawkins? Eddie Johnson? Ricky Pierce? Desmond Mason?
It’s disheartening to believe that those players, richly memorable in both ability and character, once played for this broken franchise.
Happy Anniversary.
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