Stern expects Sonics to leave Seattle

As someone who is openly rooting for the Sonics to come to OKC, today's press conference with David Stern was a welcome read. Stern's statements were extremely blunt (from espn.com)

"It's apparent to all who are watching that the Sonics are heading out of Seattle," Stern said during his annual All-Star Weekend news conference. "I accept that inevitability at this point. There is no miracle here."

While this is no shock to anyone who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the Sonics over the past year, that the commisioner of the NBA is so openly speaking about the Sonics future move speaks volumes about the likelihood of the Seattle working something out with the team. While Stern floated both next season and 2010 as potential future moving dates, its apparent that the franchise and perhaps the city of Seattle would be best served by a clean break as soon as possible.

The franchise will be stuck in neutral until they are able to relocate, and the uncertainty facing the players will likely be a hinderance in future (and hopefully more competitive) seasons. Imagine being a player and not knowing when or where you will be next year. How can the franchise expect to entice free agents without being able to tell them where they will be playing with 100% certainty?

For Seattle, the city would best be served by moving on so that they can lay the groundwork for the next team to move there. If the Sonics and Seattle have irreconcible differences (so to speak), why not move on and try to find the next match for a prospective NBA team? Seattle is a terrific market, a great basketball city, and can obviously support a NBA team (when the rug isn't being pulled out underneath them). There is eventually going to be another franchise in Seattle no matter what threats Stern makes. The sooner the Sonics are out of town and Seattle can start wooing a new franchise (the Grizzlies? the Hornets?), the sooner the NBA will return to Seattle.

The one thing I don't understand from the city of Seattle's viewpoint is this: at some point a new arena is going to have to be built if they want an NBA team. I know the Key Arena was just updated not that long ago, and I know the city is still paying the price. But there is no way a new team is going to come play at the Key, not after the Sonics washed out of there in the recent past. So the city can either man up and build another arena, and keep the beloved Sonics now, or they can wait 5 years, man up and build another arena, and host the Seattle Grizzlies. Or perhaps they'll change their name to the Seattle Rain at the point. The bottom line is that the NBA is going to require a new arena in Seattle. Either they can do it now and keep the Sonics or do it later and woo a new team, but they are going to have to do it if they want a team. Why not just do it now?

That's a rhetorical question. I know exactly why they won't do it. There is too much bad blood between the city and the Sonic's ownership even if the Key arena wasn't still bleeding money out of the city. But in a perfect world, that's what makes the most sense. And I want the Sonics to come to Oklahoma City.