Trail of tears follows Sonics to Oklahoma
By Josh Peter
PORTLAND, Ore. – Huddled in the safety of the visiting team’s locker room, Kevin Durant knew they were on their way. They were en route from Seattle, an untold number in cars, vans and buses, and they were angry. Very, very angry.
Livid that Clay Bennett had uprooted their team from Seattle and moved it to Oklahoma City after last season. Still incensed that David Stern, the NBA commissioner, had approved the move. And devastated that Durant, one of the league’s most promising young stars – their star – was wearing the powder-blue jersey of the Oklahoma City Thunder rather than the green-and-gold of the Seattle SuperSonics.
“I hope they don’t boo me, because I had nothing to do with it,” Durant said about an hour before tipoff.
He sounded like a U.N. peacekeeper caught in crossfire – and with no peace in sight based on the comments of Carolyn Bechtel, a self-described lifelong Sonics fan.
“My only disappointment is how many games they’ve won this year,” Bechtel said of the Thunder, which brought a 13-39 record into Portland. “I was hopeful they would lose them all.”
This night was about more than a game. This was a rendezvous with a jilted lover; a case study of the heartbroken sports fan.
With the Thunder playing the Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden, Durant and his teammates were making their first appearance in the Northwest since Bennett spirited the team to Oklahoma City. Only Bennett, the carpetbagger, was nowhere to be found. Neither was Stern. Or, for that matter, the politicians who dawdled as the Sonics’ old home, KeyArena, fell below league standards.
Down the hall from Durant, Nate McMillan fielded questions. Few know Seattle’s pro basketball fans better than McMillan. He’s in his fourth season as head coach of the Trail Blazers, but in Seattle he’s still “Mr. Sonic,” the former guard who played all 12 of his NBA seasons in green-and-gold and coached the team for five years. A replica of his retired jersey hangs from the rafters of KeyArena, which is now home to … the Rat City Rollergirls.
That’s right. Where McMillan and the Sonics once dribbled their way into Seattle’s heart, women in helmets and hip pads compete in roller derby.
“There are no more Sonics,” McMillan said, as if Seattle had lost a pair of socks rather than its beloved basketball team. “…What can you do about it?”
On Wednesday night, here’s what they did: They showed up by the hundreds, sporting green and gold. They wore T-shirts bearing the image of Bennett’s face and an unflattering slogan. They spared Durant boos but continued to fight.
Forget about the stages of grief. During one timeout, with the Trail Blazers pulling away from the Thunder in an eventual 106-92 victory and the home crowd on its feet, a pocket of Sonics joined the celebration. They jumped up and down and held a sign that read, “We’re In Denial.”
Save Our Sonics, a group established more than three years ago, hasn’t bothered to change its name even though Replace Our Sonics might be more appropriate. Andy Royer, clad in his Sonics jersey and cap, had to remind himself he was in the Rose Garden and not KeyArena when the crowd grew frenzied during the first quarter.
“Twice now, I’ve almost forgotten where I was and yelled, ‘Go, Supes!’ ”
No more Sonics. What can you do about it, Nate McMillan asked. Well, here’s what the Sonics faithful did, and are doing:
• Politicking. A private group has pledged $150 million toward a $300-million renovation plan that would bring KeyArena to NBA standards. But the deal hinges on the state legislature authorizing the city of Seattle to allocate $75 million from an existing hotel-motel tax. With the state facing a $6-billion shortfall, politicians could fear public backlash from taxpayers who might identify more important things to do with $75 million.
But there’s extra incentive for Sonics fans, who took small pleasure in Bennett having to fork over $45 million to break the arena lease in Seattle. If funding for the $300 million is in place and the NBA fails to provide a team by 2013, Bennett owes the city another $30 million. That seems particularly tantalizing for the dozens of fans wearing T-shirts with the slogan “Screw Clay.”
• Suing. Bechtel, the Sonics fan who hoped the Thunder would become the first NBA team to lose all 82 of its games, is still hoping for a big refund. She was one of two fans suing for a season-ticket refund from the 2007-08 season because Bennett promised fans they could renew tickets for the same price through the 2010 season. At the same time, emails later revealed, members of the ownership group already were plotting a move to Oklahoma City.
The matter could turn expensive for the Thunder’s owner. On Feb. 18, a judge will hear arguments to turn the case into a class-action suit.
• Gloating. Aubrey McClendon, part of Bennett’s ownership group, reportedly has put his 9,000-bottle wine collection up for sale because he’s in need of cash. He’s the CEO of Chesapeake Energy, and the company’s stock has plummeted.
• Reminiscing. In his mind’s eye, Sean Hoogen said he could see Gary Payton feeding lob passes to Shawn Kemp, and Hersey Hawkins drilling a 3-pointer from the corner, at which point he broke into the voice of play-by-play announcer Kevin Calabro. “Three-ball, corner pocket … right in the heart!” Right in the heart, indeed. Calabro refused to go to Oklahoma City, and now, in addition to his NBA duties for ESPN, will be announcing games for the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer.
Memories took Matt DeSpain back almost 30 years, to his first-grade class photo when he wore his Sonics jersey. “Now I’ve got a 2-year-old son with Sonic gear and no Sonic game to go to,” he said.
• Dishing dirt. Last year, TNT sent a camera crew to Seattle for a story on Save Our Sonics, whose co-founder, Steve Pyeatt, said he got an email from Charles Barkley. Seems Barkley wanted a “Save Our Sonics” T-shirt to wear in the studio when the segment aired. Pyeatt claims the NBA tried to kill the segment. The only thing he knows for sure is Barkley didn’t wear the shirt. Pyeatt said a TNT producer told him the NBA forbade it.
“You mean, Charles let somebody intimidate him?” wailed Pyeatt, still aghast.
Conspiracy theories are popular with Sonics fans. Shortly after Save Our Sonics was formed, it brought in Slick Watts, one of the team’s former players, to serve as a spokesman. Bennett promptly hired Watts.
Though Bennett remains Public Enemy No. 1, one group of Sonics fans said it spent the drive to Portland debating who deserved the most blame. They found plenty of candidates, starting with Howard Schultz. He’s the Starbucks founder who essentially dumped a hot cappuccino in Seattle’s face in 2006 when he sold the team to Bennett.
Politicians also contributed to the sale. The state legislature balked at helping finance a $220 million renovation plan for KeyArena. So you can imagine their dismay when Bennett promptly asked for a $500-million new arena, the bulk of it at taxpayers’ expense.
Greg Nickels, mayor of Seattle, vowed to enforce a lease that would have kept the Sonics in KeyArena into 2010. Then he freed Bennett from the lease for $45 million with the stipulation he contribute more if KeyArena is refurbished and the city still can’t land another NBA franchise.
The NBA blamed Seattle politicians. Seattle politicians blamed the NBA.
“That was a situation where I can understand both sides,” said McMillan, noting the closing schools and crumbling roads in a city where he spent almost two decades. “But now, it’s done.”
Or maybe not.
If Seattle secures money for the $300-million renovation by the end of this year, Bennett will be on the hook for another $30 million unless the city gets a team within five years. For that to happen, the state legislature must act during the ongoing session. The timing is almost eerie.
The Thunder return to Portland April 13, and hundreds of Seattle fans purchased tickets as part of a Save Our Sonics offer to “boo both teams.” At the same time, the legislative session will be drawing to a close. Sonics fans may know the outcome before they pile into their cars, climb into vans and board buses and head back here.
“We’re either going to have a victory party,” Pyeatt said, “or a wake.”
I lived in Seattle for many years - it's a bandwagoner town IMO.
Compared to the rabid following the Spurs have in SA, even before the les - there ain't no comparison.
Even during the Payton/Kemp glory days, I never felt there was real connection between the team and the fans. Sure, everyone loves a winner, but I think Payton alienated a lot of people. Something about him just ain't right.
Seattle would never follow a basketball team like SA. They have two other franchises, and plus... it's Seattle. Entertainment options are not in short supply.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
