One Shot

At a minimum, it takes 0.4 seconds to get a basketball shot off. Coincidentally, that’s about the time left for the Seattle Supersonics to have any chance at remaining in the best city they could ever possibly call home.

Even with a short term expiration date, the latest effort to keep the Sonics in Seattle is truly the final shot for this once proud franchise. Much credit is due to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, Costco CEO Jim Sinegal and other local big wigs for trying to take the final shot. Unlike former Sonics owner Howard “Sellout” Schultz, this potential ownership group understands what “civic duty” means.

When Schultz originally purchased the Sonics in 2001, he could be seen jumping around courtside like the cheerleader who’s getting nailed by the All-American point guard. But once Schultz determined he couldn’t make any money with the current Key Arena lease (something he knew about before buying the team), he decided to bitch and moan for a new arena. After Washington State legislators ignored Schultz’s cry baby routine, he turned around and sold the team to some white trash, oil rednecks from Oklahoma City.

Seattle helped Schultz build his nonfat double mocha latté empire and he repaid the city by pissing in its face. He tried to run the Sonics on the cheap. Schultz is directly responsible for letting the Sonics go from the number one attraction in Seattle, to being somewhere in between climbing that giant rock at the REI store and riding the 47-year-old roller coasters at the Seattle Center.

The Sonics current owner, the mumbling Clayton Bennett, claims the team isn’t for sale. Bennett continues to ignore the fact that he overpaid for the Supes by about $100 million. Moving them to Oklahoma City decreases their value by about another $100 million. Now that’s just poor business.

For some unknown reason, NBA commissioner David Stern feels compelled to publicly declare his support for the Sonics to rid Seattle. Meanwhile, Stern sees no problem in having teams in Memphis, New Orleans and Charlotte – cities that simply should have never been awarded NBA franchises.

The buzzer is about to sound on the Sonics. The final play has been drawn up. Who knows if it’s the right play, but the newfound support to keep the Sonics in Seattle and in the Key comes from people who genuinely want to give back to the city. That’s much more than this franchise has seen from its current and former owners.