Felt the Lightning, and Waited On The Thunder...

Reports were out as early as Sunday that the former Seattle Supersonics had chosen their new moniker - say hello to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Honestly, I don't think it's all that bad a name (this guy does, but anyone from Seattle will have a problem no matter what the name is), though my gut reaction was if they were going the extreme weather route, one would think that Cyclones would be a) more indicative of the region's climate, and b) more in keeping with the alliterative history of the franchise... whatever, anything's better than the Outlaws. Every time I heard that suggestion, I was horrified at the thought of what that logo might've looked like.

But if the consensus is that the name is finalized, why hasn't an official announcement made? It could be because T-shirts bearing the generic OKC NBA logo went on sale this week. That's right, the plain black jerseys the team debuted at a Summer League game in Orlando on July 7th, days after the team reached a settlement with the City of Seattle. The shirts are flying off the shelves - that report says it's because the shirts are a "collectors item," but I think it's more than that (more on that in a minute). The point is - why would you reveal the official name, logo and colors right now? You've got plenty of time to sell those jerseys and hats. People will only buy the generic t-shirts until they see the real logo. Clay Bennett and friends are showing once again that they know a thing or two about running a business. Whether you like him or not, Bennett proved in Seattle that he can talk the talk, and now there's no denying that these guys can walk the walk as well.

So that is why, to borrow from Bob Seger, we're waiting on the Thunder. Expect to see these shirts at OKC games for years to come - fans will wear them proudly as a symbol of being with the team since the very beginning. These, and the NO/OKC Hornets jerseys, and even old Sonics jerseys - every chapter of the city's NBA history will make its way into the seats of the Ford Center, regardless who the League and the courts think owns the franchise's history. I look over at my Beat LA t-shirt - I know I'm gonna be wearing that to Celtics events until it has wholes in it because of what it represents to me and to other fans. So sure, it's a business move for Bennett and friends - that $75 million for the City of Seattle has to come from somewhere - but I like the move from a fan standpoint as well. People of Oklahoma - go pick up one of those generic shirts while you can. In a couple of years, it'll be the ultimate throwback.

Seattle SuperSonics Trial Underway

Sonics owner Clay Bennett is due on the stand today in Day 2 of the Sonics vs. the City of Seattle. Follow along at the Seattle Times' excellent blog coverage of the trial.

For those who haven't been following the case, Bennett and a couple of other Oklahoma City businessmen partnered up to purchase the Sonics from Howard "Starbucks" Schultz. Schultz was fed up with trying to get a stadium deal done in the city (the city has financed new stadiums for the Seahawks and Mariners and even extensively renovated the Sonics' own KeyArena, all in the last 15 years). Bennett and friends claimed to be acting in good faith to get a deal done to keep the team in the city, but as more and more evidence comes out, it seems that that was never the plan.

Now the city of Seattle is suing the Sonics to force them to play out the last two years of their lease in KeyArena. Honestly, I don't think it looks good for Seattle at this point; the Sonics owners really slammed the city in their opening court brief, and I can't see two more "lame duck" years in Seattle as good for anyone - the city doesn't want to support these owners anymore, and I can't say I blame them.

While the Donaghy allegations have been the crisis stealing the most headlines from this amazing NBA Finals (really? Dick Bavetta is officiating in the Finals this year after he was a person of interest in the Donaghy investigation? Seriously?), I honestly think the situation out in Seattle should be the year's biggest embarrassment for the league. Just look at the emails that went back and forth between Bennett and Stern. Stern was

1. not very professional, typing in lowercase and scattered punctuation (though I guess that REDACTED could be a "Sent from my Blackberry" notice), and
2. completely buttered up by Bennett's smooth talking. He had the wool pulled over his eyes, and now he's trying to defend himself and his owners.

Now speaking of Blackberrys, it's worth mentioning that I was really strongly opposed to the way Gary Bettman kept the Predators in Nashville (or at least America) and out of a better situation in Hamilton (that's a post I still need to write). But the difference between that situation and this one is this: I don't think that a team with 40 years of history, a team that has won a Championship, should be forced out of town because they won't pay for the owner's new toy. That's what's happening now, and I don't think there's anything the court can do (especially when the Sonics effectively closed their brief with "If you make us stay, we'll make you wish we left,"). As J.A. Adande put it, there were a number of reasons to keep the Sonics in Seattle, and a number of other ways to work with the OKC market; but in all likelihood, there's nothing that can be done now. Now we're just waiting on the courts.

But while we wait, I'll be watching the Celtics go for Green 17 tonight. And before that, it's time for France-Italy in this amazing Euro 2008.

Just wanted to throw out there, fun fact, I wrote about this subject for my Microeconomics in Policy Decisions class. I never thought I could cite Bill Simmons in a paper for my major and get an A.