Woeful Sonics won’t be missed all that much

THE NEWS TRIBUNE
Last updated: July 5th, 2008 01:22 AM (PDT)

Whether or not Seattle gets another NBA franchise – which seems a remote possibility right now – the city will survive.

True, some diehard Sonics fans are threatening to slash their wrists because a truly putrid basketball team – to borrow a felicitous adjective from News Tribune sports columnist John McGrath – is leaving town.

Yes, there are Seattle politicians calling it “a sad day” because this week’s settlement between the city and the Sonics’ Oklahoma City owners means the club can pack its bags immediately, instead of being forced to play two more money-losing years in Seattle.

But so what? The fate of the Sonics was sealed when former owner Howard Schultz, the Starbucks magnate, sold the team to Clay Bennett’s Oklahoma group.

Anyone who actually believed Bennett wanted to keep the team in Seattle also believes in the Easter Bunny – and that includes Schultz, who is suing Bennett’s group for breaking that promise.

Unhappy Sonics fans can blame state lawmakers for failing to go along with Bennett’s demand for a new $500 million sports palace in Renton. But they won’t get much sympathy from at least 99 percent of the state’s taxpayers.

The Legislature could have gone along with a late-session proposal from a local group including Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, who made an offer for the Sonics contingent on a $75 million contribution from Seattle or King County.

Lawmakers shrugged it off, but there was no guarantee that Bennett would be willing to sell the team. That man wanted to bring home the bacon for Oklahoma City.

The City of Seattle did get something crucial out of the settlement – a $45 million payment that will cover all the costs the city is still paying for its most recent renovation of Key Arena. Seattle taxpayers should be happy about that.

To keep Seattle’s hopes of getting another NBA team alive, next year’s Legislature needs to authorize Seattle and/or King County to raise $75 million in local taxes to renovate Key Arena to current NBA standards.

As long as voters get the final say, there’s no good reason lawmakers should refuse. If the Legislature OKs the taxing authority, Seattle stands to pocket another $30 million from Bennett’s group if the NBA fails to provide Seattle a team within five years. Legislators should be happy to drain more from Bennett’s wallet.

If the Sonics had somewhat resembled an NBA-quality basketball team in recent years, perhaps there would be more widespread angst in these parts. But the Sonics have been so bad for so long – really, it’s hard to care.

Originally published: July 5th, 2008 01:22 AM (PDT)