Kevin Durant to GSW

[Webby]

Just imagine Chris Grant leaving the Dogs to join the Crows at the end of 1997.

Imagine Brad Johnson leaving the Dogs to join Geelong at the end of 2008...

Spare a thought for Oklahoma City fans..... It must be pretty galling!.... Free agency really can suck..

[AndrewP6]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

KD becomes public enemy #1 in OKC. Aussie Andrew Bogut makes way for Durant, shipped off to Dallas.

[Ozza]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Horrible, horrible trade.

I expected more from Kevin Durant frankly. Has always come across as a humble champion, who wouldn't take the easy way out like this.

Its worse than LeBron to Miami.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Spare a thought for Oklahoma City fans..... It must be pretty galling!.... Free agency really can suck..

Spare a thought for a city who stole a someone elses team. P-lease! Oh boo hoo, poor OKC, how horrible them for go through some hard times after being gifted a franchise with 2 cornerstones.

Durant choosing anyone but that horrible and disgusting team was wonderful.

[comrade]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Looks like we got a Seattle fan in the house!

[G-Mo77]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Looks like we got a Seattle fan in the house!

A very jaded and bitter one.

[Webby]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Spare a thought for a city who stole a someone elses team. P-lease! Oh boo hoo, poor OKC, how horrible them for go through some hard times after being gifted a franchise with 2 cornerstones.

Durant choosing anyone but that horrible and disgusting team was wonderful.

Interesting. How did all of that transpire? Did the owner decide to move his franchise and award to the best city stadium deal? Or did OC approach the owner first? Or did Seattle's council or government or whatever simply overplay their hand and dropped the ball?

[westdog54]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Owners weren't able to secure government funding for a new playing arena and tried to break their lease.

Ended up being settled in court with the owners paying compensation to the City of Seattle and agreeing not to use the team name or colours.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Owners weren't able to secure government funding for a new playing arena and tried to break their lease.

Ended up being settled in court with the owners paying compensation to the City of Seattle and agreeing not to use the team name or colours.

There is more to it than that. There was never any intent to keep the team where it was. Owners made unrealistic and almost impossible demands from the city post sale. There are a lot of villains in the story from both cities. Clay Bennet the current owner of the Thunder is vile scum.

[G-Mo77]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Interesting. How did all of that transpire? Did the owner decide to move his franchise and award to the best city stadium deal? Or did OC approach the owner first? Or did Seattle's council or government or whatever simply overplay their hand and dropped the ball?

Watch a doco called Sonicsgate Webby. Should be available for free on Youtube

Edit: Here ya go.

[Missing Dog]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

I don't care I'm a Cavs man so for the very first time in my life my team are the champs. Oh ans as an aside go Indians also along with the Dogs and the Storm on very happy sports fan here ��������

[Webby]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Watch a doco called Sonicsgate Webby. Should be available for free on Youtube

Edit: Here ya go.

Thanks, I like these types of docos. I'll give it a spin. Sad when towns lose their teams. I still feel sorry for Fitzroy fans.... Although not so sorry for Sean's fans anymore... Particularly after the sour grapes of one bloke in particular in the Vic Hotel, Brunswick last weekend!

[Webby]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Watched it. Interesting one. Seems to have been a culmination of stuff ups and some ruthless greedy b@stards on both sides. Also the fact that the baseball and football teams had sucked the public purse dry.

An interesting and blatant approach from the NBA. The Bernie Ecclestone model: " Give us public money or we'll pull out of your city" tact. In taking that tact, they have to follow through and make examples from time to time.

Seems similar to the Cleveland Browns. Interestingly, the Browns ended up back in Cleveland after they left (albeit a re-boot of sorts), when Charlotte lost the Hornets, they got the Bobcats (now renamed Hornets) soon after and when Houston lost the Oilers, they got the Texans soon after.

Even Seattle themselves got the Mariners after losing the Pilots - albeit some years later. I'd hope that Seattle can somehow buy back their history, get some backing and start up again - just like the Browns.

Unfortunately, the most likely backer, Steve Bulmer, bought the LA Clippers for a record price a couple of years back, didn't he? The Sonics just can't take a trick?! The fact that the Oklahoma buyers would've been skint post GFC had the Seattle City Council enforced the 2 year lease makes it even more tragic. The whole thing was a tragic, perfect storm!

When I think of it, we're lucky in Melbourne that we have several clubs to pool funding (via the AFL) and get some decent facilities. As much as Etihad is a bit of a cock up, the Sonics make the Etihad deal look like genius!

PS. I don't feel particularly sorry for OKC's ownership over the Kevin Durant move, that's for sure!

[G-Mo77]

Re: Kevin Durant to GSW

Yeah it's just a sad story. Since then Seattle tried to buy a team but the sale was blocked mainly due to David Stern finding buyers for Sacramento and moving goal posts at every deadline. It hurt but it also meant another team wasn't uprooted and destroyed another fanbase so, yeah. I just wish the NBA fought as hard for the Sonics as it did the Kings. Expansion doesn't look likely and on top of that the Seattle council continue to block any plans on building a new arena which not only hurt the chances of a team returning but has also hurt getting an NHL team there.

Seattle continues to be used as leverage to squeeze cities to throwdown all their money on new arenas.

Balmer was a huge loss. The NBA wanted him as an owner and he desperately wanted to won a teamso it could have really worked in the Sonics favour having him as part of the buyers group with an open check book.

I keep my fingers crossed but don't like the chances of a team returning any time soon.