John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
If the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle, as it appears will be the case, hopefully the new owners, hedge-fund manager Chris Hansen and Microsoft chairman Steve Ballmer, will bring back the name Seattle Supersonics.
The Seattle Kings just don’t sound right. The Seattle SuperSonics does.
Who cares that it’s not the original franchise, which is the Oklahoma City Thunder. The NBA needs a stronger presence in the northwest, besides just having Portland, and the Supersonics should not have left in the first place.
But, like in the case of Charlotte and the Charlotte Bobcats and the New Orleans Hornets, there are times you can’t save the franchise but you can always try to get another one.
For NBA players, playing in Seattle creates a better foundation for anyone wanting to establish a career in a major city. Sacramento never got out if its small-city atmosphere.
Owners have a right to go where they can to have a prosperous franchise, or to sell if their current franchise is not making money.
Going to Sacramento was a gamble in the first place for the NBA and it’s perhaps surprising the franchise lasted there as long as it did. Small markets have always been a gamble.
Seattle, on the other hand, should be strong in its support of the NBA. It’s likely that Seattle fans have learned their lesson and will make sure the NBA stays in the state of Washington for good. The glory days of Dennis and Gus Johnson are a distant memory but new ones can resurface.
But please, call them the SuperSonics, not the Kings.
