This is a post I've been wanting to write since July 2008. Word broke late last night that the Maloofs, owners of the Sacramento Kings, sold their majority ownership interest to Chris Hansen and his group. With this sale, it begin the process of the return of the Seattle SuperSonics.
People who know me know my connection to that city. I wrote back in 2008 when Clay Bennett and his group moved the franchise to Oklahoma City and ripped the heart out of the city. The producers of Sonicsgate did a great job of telling the story. And they made sure the mantra was said "No city is safe."
Unfortunately Sacramento is one of those cities. I feel bad for Kings fans. They had bad ownership (like the Sonics had with Starbucks founder Howard Schultz) which led to bad management of the team. However, there are differences this time around. Chris Hansen's intentions were straightforward from the start. He and his group hasn't lied to the city of Sacramento, hasn't tried to make things difficult for the team by trying to get them to tank. They've been upfront, something that Clay Bennett and his group never were.
On the one hand, it's sad that what Clay Bennett and his group did inevitably cost Sacramento their franchise and gives another reason why I don't like that ownership group.
On the other hand, it'll be so great to see the green and gold, to hear Kevin Calabro doing play by play commentary, to see Squatch courtside. The Sonics are coming back, they're not just a regular team:
Showing posts with label supersonics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label supersonics. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2013
Monday, June 18, 2012
Random Sports Reflections
Some random sports reflections...
*I'm not really a big golf guy (that and tennis are probably the two sports that I enjoy the least watching) but this year has been interesting to say the least. So far in the two major tournaments (the Masters & the US Open) that have been played, the two winners (Bubba Watson & Webb Simpson) are strong & vocal followers of Jesus. Simpson's twitter profile describes himself as this: " *sinner* loved by a Savior". I really am encouraged that more and more athletes are vocal about their faith in Christ, and that they are using the platform that God is giving them to point back to Him. Very cool indeed.
*After my last post about Manny Ramirez, he recently asked for his release from the A's. It didn't seem like they were going to promote him from AAA and so he wanted to see if he can get back into the big leagues another way. I don't know if he will find another team but I do wish him the best.
*The NBA finals are going on and for the first time in my life I've not watched one game of the Finals, even though I am able to (I wasn't able to watch any back in '09 because I was in Poland and it's like a 7 hour time difference). The reason? Simply put Oklahoma City is in the finals. Anyone that knows me, knows that I lived in Seattle and did ministry work there for 3 years. I was there the final years that the Sonics were in town before they moved. So I know better than a lot of people how people in Seattle feel right now about the Thunder, because I saw a lot of what went down firsthand. I can't bring myself to root for the Thunder let alone watch the games. Because I remember what the ownership did. To me, they brought to light the ugly side of sports. As much as I didn't like LeBron James and how he handed "The Decision", that wasn't as bad as what the Thunder ownership group and David Stern did to the city of Seattle. Growing up I was a huge NBA fan. But now, the NBA is like 4th or 5th (behind NFL, MLB, NHL & soccer). I hope that someday Seattle gets a franchise back. But the consequences of what happened with the Thunder still continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
*Speaking of soccer, right now in Europe there's a major tournament going on called Euro 2012. The top 16 European countries are competing in a tournament to decide the top team in all of Europe. The tourney is held every four years and this year it's being held in Poland & the Ukraine. I'm happy that Poland is getting to co-host the tourney (sad that they got knocked out of the tourney a few days ago). I loved going over there a few years ago and spending the summer as an intern doing ministry work. I continue to pray for the people of Poland (specifically those in the city of Krakow) and major international tournaments like this are a great reminder to pray for countries.
*I'm not really a big golf guy (that and tennis are probably the two sports that I enjoy the least watching) but this year has been interesting to say the least. So far in the two major tournaments (the Masters & the US Open) that have been played, the two winners (Bubba Watson & Webb Simpson) are strong & vocal followers of Jesus. Simpson's twitter profile describes himself as this: " *sinner* loved by a Savior". I really am encouraged that more and more athletes are vocal about their faith in Christ, and that they are using the platform that God is giving them to point back to Him. Very cool indeed.
*After my last post about Manny Ramirez, he recently asked for his release from the A's. It didn't seem like they were going to promote him from AAA and so he wanted to see if he can get back into the big leagues another way. I don't know if he will find another team but I do wish him the best.
*The NBA finals are going on and for the first time in my life I've not watched one game of the Finals, even though I am able to (I wasn't able to watch any back in '09 because I was in Poland and it's like a 7 hour time difference). The reason? Simply put Oklahoma City is in the finals. Anyone that knows me, knows that I lived in Seattle and did ministry work there for 3 years. I was there the final years that the Sonics were in town before they moved. So I know better than a lot of people how people in Seattle feel right now about the Thunder, because I saw a lot of what went down firsthand. I can't bring myself to root for the Thunder let alone watch the games. Because I remember what the ownership did. To me, they brought to light the ugly side of sports. As much as I didn't like LeBron James and how he handed "The Decision", that wasn't as bad as what the Thunder ownership group and David Stern did to the city of Seattle. Growing up I was a huge NBA fan. But now, the NBA is like 4th or 5th (behind NFL, MLB, NHL & soccer). I hope that someday Seattle gets a franchise back. But the consequences of what happened with the Thunder still continue to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
*Speaking of soccer, right now in Europe there's a major tournament going on called Euro 2012. The top 16 European countries are competing in a tournament to decide the top team in all of Europe. The tourney is held every four years and this year it's being held in Poland & the Ukraine. I'm happy that Poland is getting to co-host the tourney (sad that they got knocked out of the tourney a few days ago). I loved going over there a few years ago and spending the summer as an intern doing ministry work. I continue to pray for the people of Poland (specifically those in the city of Krakow) and major international tournaments like this are a great reminder to pray for countries.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
If I Were in Charge Of.....the NBA
I was thinking yesterday about starting a new series on this blog (and hopefully sticking with it). This is the first post in a series on "If I were in charge of....". The basis for this series came from some thoughts I had about changes I would make in different sports organizations and leagues. So if there was a Department of Sports position in government (or in England a Ministry of Sports position, which I would prefer better, sounds cooler & is a nod to the Monty Python skit the Ministry of Silly Walks) and I was named the director and had the authority to make changes, in this series I would list some of those changes I would make.
The first league I would look at would be the National Baskeball Association, otherwise known as the NBA. Growing up, I was a big NBA fan but in recent years my fandom has diminished significantly. I think there can be some things the NBA can do to fix that. So with that in mind, if I were in charge of the NBA.
*Put an NBA team back in Seattle. My first priority would be to get a team back in Seattle. I would make David Stern publicly apologize for the way he and the NBA treated the fans in Seattle in allowing the franchise to leave and go to Oklahoma City. I would take the Hornets (which really should have stayed in Oklahoma City in the first place) and move that team to Seattle. I would essentially make it a three way deal. Deal 1) The Sonics name, championship and records would fully be Seattle's and not shared in any way shape or form with the Thunder. 2) The Thunder in essence would be like the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL when they moved from Cleveland, their own franchise with their own records not connected with Seattle. 3) The Hornets name & records would then be sent back to Charlotte and they can drop the Bobcats name and be the Charlotte Hornets again. I would also give exceptions to the salary cap to any member of the Thunder who was on the Sonics team before they moved if they sign with Seattle (i.e. Kevin Durant could come back to Seattle).
*Drop the one and done rule. In partnership with the NCAA in regards to college basketball (which I'll address in another post how I would change things there), I would get rid of the rule for basketball players to have to wait a year before they can declare for the draft. If guys want to declare right out of high school let them do it. Now those that know me know that this is a change in stance from probably a decade ago when I was all against guys going straight from high school to the pros. But after seeing the last few years of college basketball and the ridiculousness of the one and done players, something needs to change and so I am okay with dropping the rule. If NBA teams want to draft high school players, fine. But that leads me into my next change.
*Develop the baseball system. What do I mean by that? In baseball a player can declare for the draft out of high school or he can choose to go to college. If he chooses to go to college, he has to stay there at least three years. I would implement that system for basketball. No more John Walls or Derrick Roses or Kyrie Irvings. If you want to go to college, you go for three years minimum. At least try to get a degree. If you want to go straight to the pros fine. That also means a more developed minor league system. I would fully develop and fund the NBA D-League and expand it to 30 teams. That way each NBA franchise would have one team that could funnel players to and from. Those drafted out of high school would have to spend a minimum of one year in the D-League. If they're good enough to be a one and done in the D-League great. Otherwise, they're getting developed and not taking a roster spot from a veteran and just sitting on the bench (like a lot of guys drafted out of HS were like towards the end of that era of drafting HS players). If it works for MLB and college for baseball, I think it can work for the NBA and college for basketball.
*Have 4 nights each month called "family nights". That would mean prices from seats to concessions would be set at affordable prices so that a family of 4 could sit in really good seats and watch a game and not stuck in the nosebleed sections. The franchises can make more than enough money the rest of the season that it wouldn't hurt them to have these kind of nights and would help develop the fanbase so that everyone could enjoy the games.
*Have stars competing in the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend again. The fact that LeBron James has never competed in an All-Star game is ridiculous. He would compete at least once. If you're considered a superstar, you should compete in the Slam Dunk contest. All the greats back in the day did, it should be the same for today.
Well that's the first (in hopefully a continued) series on "If I were in charge of...". If you have changes that you would make if you were in charge of the NBA, feel free to leave a comment below.
The first league I would look at would be the National Baskeball Association, otherwise known as the NBA. Growing up, I was a big NBA fan but in recent years my fandom has diminished significantly. I think there can be some things the NBA can do to fix that. So with that in mind, if I were in charge of the NBA.
*Put an NBA team back in Seattle. My first priority would be to get a team back in Seattle. I would make David Stern publicly apologize for the way he and the NBA treated the fans in Seattle in allowing the franchise to leave and go to Oklahoma City. I would take the Hornets (which really should have stayed in Oklahoma City in the first place) and move that team to Seattle. I would essentially make it a three way deal. Deal 1) The Sonics name, championship and records would fully be Seattle's and not shared in any way shape or form with the Thunder. 2) The Thunder in essence would be like the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL when they moved from Cleveland, their own franchise with their own records not connected with Seattle. 3) The Hornets name & records would then be sent back to Charlotte and they can drop the Bobcats name and be the Charlotte Hornets again. I would also give exceptions to the salary cap to any member of the Thunder who was on the Sonics team before they moved if they sign with Seattle (i.e. Kevin Durant could come back to Seattle).
*Drop the one and done rule. In partnership with the NCAA in regards to college basketball (which I'll address in another post how I would change things there), I would get rid of the rule for basketball players to have to wait a year before they can declare for the draft. If guys want to declare right out of high school let them do it. Now those that know me know that this is a change in stance from probably a decade ago when I was all against guys going straight from high school to the pros. But after seeing the last few years of college basketball and the ridiculousness of the one and done players, something needs to change and so I am okay with dropping the rule. If NBA teams want to draft high school players, fine. But that leads me into my next change.
*Develop the baseball system. What do I mean by that? In baseball a player can declare for the draft out of high school or he can choose to go to college. If he chooses to go to college, he has to stay there at least three years. I would implement that system for basketball. No more John Walls or Derrick Roses or Kyrie Irvings. If you want to go to college, you go for three years minimum. At least try to get a degree. If you want to go straight to the pros fine. That also means a more developed minor league system. I would fully develop and fund the NBA D-League and expand it to 30 teams. That way each NBA franchise would have one team that could funnel players to and from. Those drafted out of high school would have to spend a minimum of one year in the D-League. If they're good enough to be a one and done in the D-League great. Otherwise, they're getting developed and not taking a roster spot from a veteran and just sitting on the bench (like a lot of guys drafted out of HS were like towards the end of that era of drafting HS players). If it works for MLB and college for baseball, I think it can work for the NBA and college for basketball.
*Have 4 nights each month called "family nights". That would mean prices from seats to concessions would be set at affordable prices so that a family of 4 could sit in really good seats and watch a game and not stuck in the nosebleed sections. The franchises can make more than enough money the rest of the season that it wouldn't hurt them to have these kind of nights and would help develop the fanbase so that everyone could enjoy the games.
*Have stars competing in the Slam Dunk contest at All-Star Weekend again. The fact that LeBron James has never competed in an All-Star game is ridiculous. He would compete at least once. If you're considered a superstar, you should compete in the Slam Dunk contest. All the greats back in the day did, it should be the same for today.
Well that's the first (in hopefully a continued) series on "If I were in charge of...". If you have changes that you would make if you were in charge of the NBA, feel free to leave a comment below.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The End of an Era
Last night, I heard the news that the team formerly the Seattle Supersonics was officially moving to Oklahoma City. The city reached a settlement with the ownership allowing the team to move next year.
It is a sad day in sports. There's so much I want to say that I don't even know where to begin. Growing up in Tennessee, we didn't have a NBA team but I did watch it all the time on TV. I would play basketball all the time, even had a hoop at my house. I grew up in the heydey of NBA with Bird, Magic and Jordan. And during that time, I saw the Supersonics. I liked their team and their players like Shawn Kemp aka "The Rain Man", Gary Payton, Nate McMillian. I still remember that Finals back in 96 when they played the Bulls.
Then when I moved to Seattle, I started really following the team and guys like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. I was living there when they got sold to Clay Bennett and his group from Oklahoma. And honestly, I felt they were going to move. There wasn't one point or time where I felt that Bennett wanted to keep the team there in Seattle. His whole intention of buying the team was to move it. I kept hoping through the losing that somehow he might see that tradition still means something, that fan loyalty means something, that honor meant something.
Yes, I know professional sports is a business. But it is also more than that. Unfortunately, that side of it was not shown by Clay Bennett or his associates or by David Stern and the NBA. I lost respect for David Stern because of this. That is something I never thought would happen.
I do hope that there is a team that is put in Seattle, hopefully soon. Maybe it'll be a situation like in the NFL when Art Modell moved his team from Cleveland to Baltimore and the Browns came back a few years later. Maybe Seattle will have its Sonics again. But there won't be Kevin Durant on that team. There won't be a 2008-2009 Seattle Supersonics team. But there will be a huge bruise on the image of the NBA in my book.
It is a sad day in sports. There's so much I want to say that I don't even know where to begin. Growing up in Tennessee, we didn't have a NBA team but I did watch it all the time on TV. I would play basketball all the time, even had a hoop at my house. I grew up in the heydey of NBA with Bird, Magic and Jordan. And during that time, I saw the Supersonics. I liked their team and their players like Shawn Kemp aka "The Rain Man", Gary Payton, Nate McMillian. I still remember that Finals back in 96 when they played the Bulls.
Then when I moved to Seattle, I started really following the team and guys like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. I was living there when they got sold to Clay Bennett and his group from Oklahoma. And honestly, I felt they were going to move. There wasn't one point or time where I felt that Bennett wanted to keep the team there in Seattle. His whole intention of buying the team was to move it. I kept hoping through the losing that somehow he might see that tradition still means something, that fan loyalty means something, that honor meant something.
Yes, I know professional sports is a business. But it is also more than that. Unfortunately, that side of it was not shown by Clay Bennett or his associates or by David Stern and the NBA. I lost respect for David Stern because of this. That is something I never thought would happen.
I do hope that there is a team that is put in Seattle, hopefully soon. Maybe it'll be a situation like in the NFL when Art Modell moved his team from Cleveland to Baltimore and the Browns came back a few years later. Maybe Seattle will have its Sonics again. But there won't be Kevin Durant on that team. There won't be a 2008-2009 Seattle Supersonics team. But there will be a huge bruise on the image of the NBA in my book.
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