This thing has become quite the cluster, and I'm not just talking about the "relocation" committee's unanimous recommendation.
No matter what anybody in the media says, here in Seattle, in Sacramento, or wherever, Washingtonians don't give two fucks about Sacramento. We don't. They have their city, and their politics, and their fanbase, and that's all grits and gravy, but we (as in the Chris Hansen/Steve Ballmer group and fans) only care about getting professional basketball back in Seattle. Over five painful years, we've had to accept that Clay Bennett, despite his dishonest treachery, felt the same way for Oklahoma City. It is what it is. Back in 2008, the city of Seattle and King County, anticipating a crippling recession and significant furloughs, were not about to negotiate an arena deal that would put any more strain on the region's essential services. All things considered, they did the right thing: basketball is not as important as growth and stability. The city's current economic boom, corporate presence, and relatively low unemployment speaks for itself.
And of course, the league didn't mind. The OKC move was hailed as best for all three parties. The NBA taps into a new market, the excited fans in OKC finally get a professional sports team, and Seattle doesn't have to worry about financing a new arena. Even after regional rich guys rammed lawsuits down Commissioner Stern's throat at the 11th hour to keep the Sonics in town, the writing was on the wall. Stern looked out for his butt buddy and guaranteed that any litigation would prevent the acquisition of any future franchise, leveraging Seattle into NBA dormancy. Fans rallied, then cried, then moped, then blamed Howard Schultz, then started pouring that hunger and devotion into the Sounders and Seahawks. Over the years documentaries have gotten made, the area has become exceedingly hostile towards Commissioner Stern, and the Schultz family are practically pariahs. Basketball fans so desperately want the NBA back, but they're exhausted with how the NBA does business.
So it was a breath of fresh air when Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer started making huge crashing waves in 2012, determined to use their immense wealth and connections to construct a case for Seattle's NBA future that couldn't be denied. In theory, they had the financial power to fund literally every aspect of a Sonics return and they championed (as they continue to champion) a total commitment to that end. The problem is, the NBA's cartel structure and profit sharing makes expansion unfeasible and generally unattractive to the 30 team ownership groups. The only way Seattle will once again have an NBA team is if an ownership group advocating Seattle can poach one from a weaker market. If you're somehow a Sacramento fan who stumbles on irrelevant blogs, or you're a PNW resident who found this post, toss the naivete and appreciate that last statement. THE NBA WILL NOT RETURN TO THE CITY OF SEATTLE UNLESS ANOTHER CITY LOSES THEIR TEAM. Enter the Sacramento Kings.
I want to reiterate that I don't give a fuck about Sacramento. Just like I don't give a fuck about stoplights in Norway. I get nothing from bashing them except looking like a dick. They have passionate fans just like every other NBA city and every prospective NBA city. I don't know if there's a metric for passion, and this isn't a passion dickmeasuring contest, but I don't think their fans are any more passionate than say the Green Bay Packers faithful or the Boston Bruins faithful. I don't think Seattlites are any less passionate than the fans in Sacramento, and especially aren't any less deserving of an NBA franchise. Subsequently, I don't believe the city of Seattle is any less deserving of a NBA franchise than Sacramento. And yet, when the media spin turned this whole thing into Seattle vs. Sacramento, it became clear to Sonics faithful that nobody was really going to win.
The Hansen-Ballmer-Nordstrom group features a handful of billionaires. These bros know how to make a dollar and keep it. They know how to build a business from the ground up, and how to compete in today's cut throat America. They aren't perfect, but the status of being a billionaire is really all the convincing you need. They saw what we all see in Sacramento's long term growth and health when it comes to arena financing (an honestly dire picture), saw owners in the Maloofs trying to get out while the getting was good, and saw a ripe opportunity to bring the NBA back to their city. They saw exactly what Clay Bennett saw when he looked at Seattle and the Sonics back in 2006. So with land set up, shovels all but ready to break ground, and signatures on contracts, why is the association working so hard to deny Hansen/Ballmer? Not only did Stern intervene in the transaction, but he's provided any and every resource to the supposed Sacramento ownership group to keep the Kings in town.
You can't argue with facts. Keeping that team in Sacramento when it could move to Seattle will cost the association and its owners big money. Probably tens of millions. I understand that Kevin Johnson is a basketball guy and as mayor he can pull strings to keep Sacramento's political backrooms working favorably for the NBA, but there's only so much a sick city can do. That's why this is such an incredible clusterfuck, and an utter heartbreak for basketball fans in Seattle. Hansen's group was honest about their intentions, could not have provided more impetus for the association to justify allowing the Kings to move (an expedited arena deal that hinges on what is effectively 100% private monies aka the arena will definitely get built), and most importantly, have cold hard cash in hand for the Maloofs. Sacramento may eventually come up with the money at the expense of public schools, police officers, and firefighters, but the only sure way their arena plan becomes a reality is through a private industry miracle (they don't have the land purchased or the proper avenues for financing at the time of this writing) or if the association fronts big bills to get the process rolling.
The whole thing makes no sense. I want to say I'm glad the Sacramento fans don't have to go through the ordeal of losing their team, but it's highly unlikely their arena plan is economically viable. Having a plan and having a sure thing are not the same, and if their final draft turns out as untenable as we in Seattle (and a handful of neutral observers) believe it is, Stern's machinations in this process will prove doubly frustrating for fans in both cities.
It's a damn shame.
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