Oklahoma City fans adjust to Thunder's losing ways (1-15)
Turns out the answer to how bad could the Sonics get is spelled O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A!
The Oklahoma Thunder,
The object of a plunder,
Has proved a major blunder,
By heads described as “dunder.”
The heads, alleged boys wonder,
Though managing to sunder,
The team from former funder,
Were stuck fourteen games under.
— Anonymous
Schadenfreude (joy in others' misfortune) may soon be redefined as “Sonic-freude,” the fervent hope that the team legally sacked by Oklahoma businessmen suffers the fortunes of the damned. There may yet be Northwest hoop-lovers maintaining an affection for a team that once was the Seattle SuperSonics. Realists, however, know that, if the one-time Soops ever play here again the team may not even have any of the players who migrated eastward a few months ago.
Local National Basketball Association enthusiasts dream, of course, about the prospects of another basketball franchise (probably one from a distressed market) finding a new home in Seattle any year now. Many wouldn’t even want what the Sonics have become this season. The Oklahoma City Thunder, through the Nov. 26 loss to Cleveland, had lost 15 games and won just once (by three whole points) against Minnesota, itself a 3-9 team. Last week, after losing 10 straight, coach P.J. Carlesimo was replaced by an assistant, Scott Brooks, who then lost three more.
Despite having at least one sports attraction worthy of their attention (the Oklahoma Sooners football team, ranked near the top in the NCAA), a lot of apparent basketball fans within driving distance of OK City still are flocking to watch the Thunder lose. Attendance at the three most recent home tiffs averaged nearly 19,000, half again as high as the Sonics drew per night during their final season that ended last spring at KeyArena.
But a fan-forum exchange in the Daily Oklahoman newspaper Nov. 23 indicates that doubt and defensiveness are gradually replacing hope and happiness. Some of the random comments from various correspondents (lightly edited for spelling and punctuation):
“I keep hearing shots taken at the OKC fans and Thunder organization about the lack of sellouts this season. I did some (easy) research to find out how this year's attendance compares to the two years when the Hornets were in town: 2008 Thunder 18,472 (11th in NBA); 2006 Hornets 17,833 (15th in NBA); 2005 Hornets 18,168 (11th in NBA) I know that there were games played in N.O. (and one in Norman) that will bring down the average a little, but the Hornets made an effort to sell as many tickets as possible as soon as they could....creating sellout opportunities.”
“The Thunder organization seems content with giving fans the opportunity to walk up and buy a ticket every night. That is a great way to build a following but sellouts probably look better. Anybody taking shots at OKC (we’ve seen numerous shots in the national media) are a little off base. The numbers we are posting with the quality of the product on the floor to this point says a lot of positive things about OKC.”
“It is early in the season. The Thunder clearly have the most fans at the games. The other teams I see that aren't the elite ones have empty arenas. I am pleased with the attendance but it will go up now. No one wanted to see PJ and no one wants to see Earl Watson. When the young players get a few wins and get running and playing good basketball, we will start a streak of sell outs.”
“I’m not sure that they'll get too many wins, but I do believe that the Fans will show up if they are competitive and not getting blown out by 25.”
“I think the end-of-season average will be pretty high; there are (in my opinion) more exciting teams coming in the second half of the season. Lakers twice. San Antonio and Dallas will have big draws since people around here have been rooting for them for so long, although Boston, New Orleans, and Cleveland will be big sales for the first half.”
“I think that we can get 25 wins or so this year. Everyone in the west is a not as good as they were last year. Don't get me wrong. Much better than what we are but we need to stomp on the teams on our level: Timberwolves, Kings, Warriors, Grizzlies, Clippers and some of the low Eastern Conference teams. If we win these types of games then we can win 25 games or so. We might catch a few other teams off guard or underestimating us.”
“If we move the ball better and Scott Brooks can develop our young players and figure out how to use some of veterans and young players and we get a few trades, I could see us winning 25 games. With the team we have now I think we can win about 20 games or so. Maybe 25 if we over-achieve and 30 if we get some shooters and can keep everyone healthy.”
“When the young players get a few wins and get running and playing good basketball, we will start a streak of sell outs.”
“We also have to account for the size of our arena. The Clippers game was 872 seats shy of a sellout; that's a horrible team, too. I sat in the upper bowl in that and it sucked. The fans up there don't get that loud (except for the opponents' fans) The national media don't like us, remember, [so] don't expect any positive coverage.”
To win 20, the Thunder would have to go 19-47. Having started at a .062 clip, then, the Okies would need to play at a .288 pace the rest of the way. Oh, and, speaking of records, for the record: The national media don’t care much for the Sonics, either — possibly because the team doesn’t exist anymore.
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Comments:
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 10:13 a.m. Inappropriate
There was a chance that Clay Bennett was going to be "stuck" in Seattle for this season, and possibly next. So, Oklahoma City is being treated to the team that might have been in Seattle for two years.
He spent much of the past year stripping the cost of those pesky veteran players from the roster, and coaching staff, and offices.
Enjoy OKC, see how it is on the other side of Clay Bennett.
Now lucky us, we do not have to worry about the NBA keeping the lights on in a sub-par building. Not only is it not on par with other urban arenas that have NBA teams, it is not on par to draw acts and revenue from non-sports acts that are major league.
As I watched the DNC and RNC conventions this past summer it was clear that we will never be able to attract and host anything on that level, no matter the number of seats.
Any major acts that do bother do not generate the maximum amour of revenue for the city as it is, and that will not get better over time.
Hard to feel too "happy" about the Blunder losing games while we have a white elephant arena in a Seattle Center that is 570 million dollars short of the 570 million dollar cost of the master plan. The anchor building for the site does not have an anchor tenant, and the 38% of the site revenue generated for the site by the building is not going to go up in its current condition.
Hard to be happy.
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 10:49 a.m. Inappropriate
"Hard to be happy."
Don't worry, Mr. Baker. Remember, Nick Licata assured us that Key Arena will make just as much money without the Sonics, maybe even more.
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 11:06 a.m. Inappropriate
Mr Baker, please don't let fact interfere with fantasy. KeyArena has 'sold out' any number of times for major acts, including Al Gore. And Barack Obama. Not to speak of still being one of the best venues in the NBA to actually watch basketball. Just because it is not being torn down to subsidize construction jobs--and ancilliary revenue from restaurants and such--to the NBA should not break your heart.
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 11:07 a.m. Inappropriate
In a city council Seattle Center sub-committee meeting 2 months during the committees final acceptance of the Seattle Center master plan Director Nellams noted that Key Arena would go from 120 - 160 events a year to 80 - 120. Councilman Conlin was surprised at the drop in the number of events. The events that would be replacing some of the hockey and basketball dates would not be of the same caliber, but each even would not actually lose money since the debt was paid off by the settlement, yippie!
Only in a public building does having the lights off 80% of the time, with a reduction in revenue and jobs "pencil out".
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 12:34 p.m. Inappropriate
CVD, don't let the fantasy that selling out an event means that the city was able to gain as much revenue from the event as any other arena in the top 25 media markets in the country.
All you need to do is have Obama come back 3 or 12 times a year, every year, for the next 41 years to have a valid point CVD.
The increased anciliary revenue would be to the benefit of an NBA team 12% of the time, and to the other non-sports events the rest of the time (that's 88% Chris, you are having a hard time seeing the point here).. How do you think the city is covering its portion. The buildings ability to generate more revenue does not turn off and on depending on the sport vs non-sport event of similar caliber. But you know that, but never admit that.
Did Key Arena gain as much revenue for Seattle Center from any of those events that were not scheduled during the NBA season as they could and should have?
That is a no.
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 1:23 p.m. Inappropriate
If Steve Ballmer is willing to pay 150 million dollars to increasedrevenue the building draws 88% of the time, and his 12% he chooses to have a mass knitting, that's his problem, as long as that 12% generates enough revenue for the city to recover its portion, and the mass knitting pays 25 million in B&O; taxes to the state and 20 million in revenue over a 10 year period, this would not include the increased revenue from the other 88% of the time, which would go up.
Go Ballmer's Knitters!
75 million in state construction jobs makes 300 million in construction jobs, with the public portion recovered in user fees for 12% of the events and besiness occupation.
Not a fantasy.
Being stuck on prosports as a fan or antagonist is throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Never mind that the fund is not part of the general fund, and it exists for STADIUM and exhibition hall capital construction.
Have fun rewriting Senate Bill 6638 and at the same time deny 4Culture (same fund).
Have fun telling 4Culture that you are screwing them out of money.
I'll pop over to the stanger and let them know that you are against the funding purpose of Senate Bill 6638. You can tell them why.
Posted Fri, Nov 28, 1:26 p.m. Inappropriate
I'm not kidding.
Posted Sat, Nov 29, 9:45 a.m. Inappropriate
Not sure if it was clear, but my comment regarding Nick Licata's assurances was sarcastic. Nick doesn't strike me as having any sense for business or numbers.
Mr Baker, you should write an article for Crosscut that breaks down the financial and legal aspects of letting the Sonics go (no sarcasm there).
Posted Sat, Nov 29, 4:17 p.m. Inappropriate
from a basketball perspective, Presti made more good moves in the summer, aquiring Desmond Mason and Joe Smith for Ridnour. Firing PJ was good too, as he had lost the players and was like Bob Hill is showing too much faith in the Wally Walker trio of disappointing seven-footers (e.g., Petro, Swith, and Sene). Brooks has not played them much and moved Collision to center and is giving more minutes to Wilkins. They will improve this season. They will be serious about defense. White, the first round pick will begin playing at the new year.
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