Can I do an OT: Sonics, Balmer?

[gowazzu02]

So with nowhere else really to talk about this from a seattle perspective. Does Balmer buying the Clippers eliminate Seattle from ever getting a team again?

Or can he use the playbook that the backwoods oaky dude used in Seattle "Im not sharing staples center anymore. I want my own 4 billion dollar arena paid for entirely with tax payer money or im leaving?"

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

So with nowhere else really to talk about this from a seattle perspective. Does Balmer buying the Clippers eliminate Seattle from ever getting a team again?

Or can he use the playbook that the backwoods oaky dude used in Seattle "Im not sharing staples center anymore. I want my own 4 billion dollar arena paid for entirely with tax payer money or im leaving?"

No, Seattle is not eliminated. After David "dip shit" Stern voided the sale of the Kings to the Seattle group, Adam Silver did say that Seattle would be next in line for a team wether it was through expansion or another franchise being moved there.

I was kind of hoping the Clips would get moved to Seattle cause they are Champoinship contenders and it would be funny if they won a title before OKC, plus another kick to Clay Bennet's nuts would be Kevin Durant leaving OKC to come back to Seattle and win a title. Yes it's a pipe dream but they do come true at times.

 

[kcden]

I think there is no chance of the Clippers moving to Seattle.
It just doesn't make business sense, and Ballmer has said as much. Even if that was his plan, I don't think there is any way the other owners would vote for moving a team OUT of LA.

I think him buying the Clippers for so much money means two things:

- He didn't care quite as much about bringing basketball back to Seattle as some of us thought (I do think he wanted to do it, just being an NBA owner was a lot more important to him than that aspect).​

-There isn't much hope on the near-horizon of a team coming back to Seattle.​

If he was getting into the investment at a $ value that made sense fiscally (meaning at an amount that if he sold the team in 3 years he would make a profit, or at least break even), I could see it being a way of killing two birds with one stone for him: Owning a team and getting into the club where he has real influence on getting a team moved to Seattle.

But buying the team for $2 Billion, it doesn't seem like there would be any way for him not to take a huge loss if he sold his interests in the Clippers when a legitimate opportunity to own a team in Seattle came-up.

Unfortunate to say, but I think it will be a very long time before an NBA team returns, if ever

 

[kcden]

The other bad part of him buying the Clippers for as much as he did is how much it will push the price of the next franchise up (be-it an existing or an expansion franchise).

They won't be selling for close to that insane number, but it will be much higher than what the Bucks sold for, and I wonder if Hansen has the financial wherewithal to get a team without Ballmer's backing at those numbers.

 

[Banned 10x]

Message from Hansen

First I would like to congratulate Steve Ballmer on his apparent successful bid for the Los Angeles Clippers. Steve's passion for basketball and commitment to the NBA will make him a great owner and strong asset for the league.
I would also like to assure Seattle fans that my remaining partners and I remain committed to bringing the NBA back to Seattle. The environmental review process for the Seattle Arena is nearing completion and we will soon be in a strong position to attract a franchise back to the Emerald City.​


A Message to Seattle Fans



I personally think this is a pretty big blow to the chances of the NBA coming back here.

 

[Tech_God]

I can't fault Balmer for doing what he did. After Stern bent us over for the second time by his stealth cock block of the Kings sale, Balmer realized that he would be in his late 70's in age before a team makes it to Seattle.

 

[RegentDenali]

The days of new owners buying a team and announcing they will move within months are over. It creates way to much bad PR for the leagues.

The process now lasts 1-2 years. They create a plan to divide the fanbase and get fingers pointing in a million directions. Then while all that chaos is being created, they're getting everything ready in the new location.

The signs will be clear by this time next year what Steve plans to do.

 

[kcden]

The days of new owners buying a team and announcing they will move within months are over. It creates way to much bad PR for the leagues.

The process now lasts 1-2 years. They create a plan to divide the fanbase and get fingers pointing in a million directions. Then while all that chaos is being created, they're getting everything ready in the new location.

The signs will be clear by this time next year what Steve plans to do.

I sincerely hope you're right.

I just think you are 100% wrong.

 

[Banned 10x]

The days of new owners buying a team and announcing they will move within months are over. It creates way to much bad PR for the leagues.

The process now lasts 1-2 years. They create a plan to divide the fanbase and get fingers pointing in a million directions. Then while all that chaos is being created, they're getting everything ready in the new location.

The signs will be clear by this time next year what Steve plans to do.

your optimism is encouraging, but there is no way in hell he is moving the team to Seattle.

 

[RegentDenali]

your optimism is encouraging, but there is no way in hell he is moving the team to Seattle.

Why not? Yes, the numbers seem grossly high, but they were also willing to grossly overpay for the Kings at 625 million. The Bucks which are heavily floundering as a NBA team was just sold for $550 million.

Maybe Ballmer keeps the Clips in L.A.. The guy is soo obscenely wealthy, he can do whatever he wants in this world.

All I'm saying is as finally an owner of the team and joining Paul Allen as one of the richest owners in U.S. pro-sports, he quickly gains a boatload of power. We'll see.

 

[NinerSickness]

The owner of the Seattle Supersonicas...
Cel-e-brates Hanukkah!

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Once the board gives approval of building the new NBA/NHL arena, then Seattle will be in line for expansion or Ballmer pulls the Clips out of LA.

 

[octagondd]

As much as I would like another team in Seattle, I sincerely hope he does not move the Clips. I live in LA and many of my friends have supported the Clippers since well before Griffin. I even have a signed Baron Davis jersey I won when I got one of their tickets on a fan appreciation night a few years back. These fans have waited, and waited for success for so long, I would hate to see some of the crap pulled that Bennett did to Seattle.

Because they are currently successful, and the Los Angeles Kobes are bad, I think they will stay here for quite some time. The only hope for Seattle is if some crappy team just cannot get its act together for many, many years. I think that will be the only way.

 

[SeattleCoug]

Ballmer is not moving the Clippers. Its not happening. The Bucks have a better chance of moving here then the Clippers. Ballmer's dream is to own an NBA team, not own an NBA team in Seattle. Its just rough seeing Ballmer and Paul Allen both owning NBA teams and neither of them in Seattle.

 

[Uhsplit]

The homer in me is sure Ballmer is buying the team to move it North and become a Seattle hero, you know, like his buddies.

 

[RegentDenali]

The NBA was soo run into the ground by Stern for years now, who really knows.

It seems like NBA loves to use Seattle as leverage against other teams and owners, but we've become their tool for this. It's pretty sad. But I'm just glad we'll never have to deal with a Stern run league again if we get a team back here.

I'd like to be optimistic about Ballmer, but the more you look at it, the more you sit there and go 2 billion? WTF???? So many questions get raised.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

IMO the deck is stacked against Seattle getting a NBA team for a long time. It's a shame, but with no expansion for the foreseeable future, I just don't see a NBA back here in Seattle for some time.

 

[Destroydacre]

So if Ballmer is willing to massively overpay to the tune of $2B for an NBA franchise, why couldn't he put down $200M to build the arena. All this bullshit could have been avoided if the arena was privately funded. I don't get it.

 

[Tech_God]

So if Ballmer is willing to massively overpay to the tune of $2B for an NBA franchise, why couldn't he put down $200M to build the arena. All this bullshit could have been avoided if the arena was privately funded. I don't get it.

Because the arena in Seattle is not the issue. It didn't matter if an arena was built out of gold, encrusted with diamonds all around. David (douchebag) Stern still would have worked behind the scenes to make sure that Seattle would not get a team. Also, the NBA frowns on any idea that the owners pay 100% of an arena. Another Stern legacy. It doesn't matter how rich you are, make the public pay for it.

 

[SeattleCoug]

As much as I want to hate Stern and blame it all on him, I still blame Howard Schultz the most. First he ran the franchise into the toilet so hard that he had to sell the team. Botched the Gary Payton situation horribly and drove Nate McMillan away. Then the coward and his overpriced coffee didn't care who he sold the team to or if they moved or not. He just wanted to make a quick sale and get the hell out of there. He is still public enemy number 1 for me.