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March 04, 2008
OKC approves arena tax; Sonics move next?
The polls have closed, and the Oklahoma City referendum to spend $122 million in sales tax money to upgrade the five-year-old Ford Center has passed.
It now seems very likely that the Seattle Sonics will move to Oklahoma City, though when that will happen depends on the outcome of the city's lawsuit to hold the team to its lease through 2010. Though there is talk of Seattle business leaders putting together a last-ditch proposal to buy the team and go halfsies with the city on a renovation of KeyArena.
More likely is that Seattle, despite David Stern's threats, instantly becomes the preferred move target of other NBA teams no longer smitten with their current cities. (The Seattle Hornets?) King County Executive Ron Sims said last week that he's already spoken with wannabe ownership groups, adding, "What we should do is what I would call the Cleveland Browns strategy, which is to keep the name of the team here so if a new team comes here, they would become the Sonics.
Yeah, the switcheroo on Seattle and NO sorta makes sense, but I'd put my money on just one move: The Hornets to OKC. They've already hosted them in the Katrina aftermath, and I'm guessing that's where the final impetus to fund a stadium derives.
Posted by JohnW on March 5, 2008 12:28 AM
Oh, and there's been a flurry of stories about the lack of attendance at Hornets' games, despite having the best record in the West. (Although, I think they have a ways to go before they sink to the dismal depths of attendance at Pacers games this year.)
Posted by JohnW on March 5, 2008 12:31 AM
As vocal a critic as I am of these deals, I gotta say, scoreboard. The voters were given the opportunity to take or reject a tax hike, and they took it.
I think the bad guys won again, and in a few years, the NBA franchise they get will probably be back asking for more, but if the voters approved this, then you tip your hat and move on.
Posted by MikeM on March 6, 2008 07:25 PM