[Wizard of Os]

Has anyone seen this?

Mr. Stern is talking some serious smack, essentially telling the citizens of Seattle that their team's management has poohpoohed the league's desires for the last time.

A spokeswoman for the mayor said, "We're in discussions with the Sonics a lot about the situation, but we have a lease through 2010 and we fully expect that the lease will be honored." Let's face it, though: Commandant David Stern is not to be messed with.

It looks like Las Vegas may be getting their NBA team after all...

Any Seattle fans out there? I'm sorry for y'all, really -- it's a terrible situation which, i suspect, is a lot further along than Stern is (not) saying...

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Sonics owner Howard Schultz, the chairman of Starbucks Corp., has threatened to move or sell the team if state lawmakers don't approve a sales-tax package to pay for a new or renovated arena. But state lawmakers last month said there would be no deal this year.

It's a free market economy, and he should move the team where he pleases for whatever reason he wants to...but to expect a city to always pay for the arenas these days with tax payer money is insane...It's akin to me saying, I want to start a business...say a new theme park in Orlando (hey it works for others) and then saying, before I go ahead and put in the rides, I's like the city's tax payers to buy the land for me and give it to me...because...because in the long run, I will be good for the city's economy...any takers?...didn't think so....

[ThePundit]

No real MAJOR sport will ever move to Vegas.

Free Market argument doesn't work here. Because while these teams are competing, they're also partners. And if there's some sort of gambling scandal, it's bad for the 30 other teams. In reall business, if Apple screws up, it's good for other computer companies.

[Lefty Noob]

I disagree, Pundit. Somebody will eventually test the waters. It may well blow up in their faces, but if the NBA does move the Sonics to Vegas, you can rest assured that the other leagues will watch the experiment with a great deal of interest.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Doesn't keep college teams from playing in Vegas...or getting in to scandals there... ...

I don't think they would do it simply because there is too much competition for a buck there...its a smaller piece of the dollar pie that they will compete for...then again a lot of money flows into Vegas...

Personally, North Dakota, Wyoming or Idaho are screaming for a team...I'd move there...

[ThePundit]

I don't see David Stern ever allowing this. Or the NFL (Can't say Tagliabue anymore).... Maybe a bufoon like Selig will go for it.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by ThePundit

I don't see David Stern ever allowing this. Or the NFL (Can't say Tagliabue anymore).... Maybe a bufoon like Selig will go for it.

Hey now...Selig...the Las Vegas Brewers...mixes gambling and drinking...

[desertrat]

This is amazing to me. I lived in Seattle from 1994 to 1998 and remember them playing home games in the Tacoma Dome while they renovated Key Arena. Hard to believe that already this is outdated. Sonics fans were very passionate for their team when I was there, of course that included some pretty good years for the franchise including a trip to the NBA finals. I was unaware of the situation in Portland, that team was a goldmine for many years with a consecutive game sellout streak that I believe was the longest in NBA history. I thought Paul Allen owned the Rose Garden and the Blazers. Now they are talking about Portland losing their only pro sports franchise? Funny how quickly things can change.

[legend]

Being in the greyhound industry for half my life, I remember when a dog track opened in Vegas. It folded within a year, due to lack of attendence. Vegas is just being used as leverage to get the city to do what the NBA wants. No team would ever move there because they would not draw.

[desertrat]

Originally Posted by legend

Being in the greyhound industry for half my life, I remember when a dog track opened in Vegas. It folded within a year, due to lack of attendence. Vegas is just being used as leverage to get the city to do what the NBA wants. No team would ever move there because they would not draw.

Makes sense that a dog track would fail in Vegas. Why go there when you can bet on everything and anything at a local casino? As far as drawing sports fans, look back to the 90s when UNLV was dominant in basketball. They drew pretty well in those days. The population base in Vegas is booming and as it grows there will be more people interested in having a pro sports team there.

[Nitch]

Other Las vegas teams: portland, atlanta

[MJHMarc]

Isn't betting in New York illegal? I haven't really looked into those laws.


It would be a nice feature for the tourists to go to a casino and then go to an NBA game. But I don't think the "Las Vegas Sonics" will have season ticket-holders since most of the population who would go to NBA games are tourists. They would probably put it right next to a gigantic casino and since a deal to have them advertise together. That is actually a million dollar idea right there..

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by MJHMarc

Isn't betting in New York illegal? I haven't really looked into those laws.


It would be a nice feature for the tourists to go to a casino and then go to an NBA game. But I don't think the "Las Vegas Sonics" will have season ticket-holders since most of the population who would go to NBA games are tourists. They would probably put it right next to a gigantic casino and since a deal to have them advertise together. That is actually a million dollar idea right there..

Yeah it probably illegal (though there is lotto) cause you'd be cutting in on the Mobs territory...