It’s official.

The Seattle Supersonics are no more.

I’d like to say this loss is affecting me less than when I heard of Tim Russert’s passing, but I can’t.

That’d be a lie.

Not to belittle the memory of Russert, he was a great man and an idol to a coulda-woulda-shoulda journalist like myself. But his passing was more of an intellectual loss. I know I should feel bad in my head, but I didn’t feel the loss in my heart.

As I read the headline in today’s Seattle P-I “Hoopless” I definitely felt the loss in my heart.

Along with the Sonics goes my a bit of my childhood; watching the Sonics play in the Kingdome, trying to perfect the X-Man’s fade-away jumper (I never did, BTW) and coming of age during a golden age in the NBA and watching legends like Gary Payton feed the Rain-Man into the NBA finals.

When I think of the Sonics, I think of happy times.

Maybe it’s a good thing the team has moved away. Even if they were “forced” to play the next 2 years at the Key Arena I am sure those happy memories would be further tarnished as the less-than-hospitable relationship between the City of Seattle and Clay Bennett had two more years to make the low-light reel.

Basketball is a business, my head knows this. The Sonics are a good, which can be bought and sold…and moved, at the discretion of the owner. As a firm believer in free market economics and the right of private property I support the move.

As a fan and someone the Sonics/NBA have profited from, I feel disregarded. I feel cheated. I feel insignificant.

For something that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, sports seem to be a big part of American life. Sure enough, Seattleites took the luxury of having an NBA team for granted and we lost it.

But on the flip-side, where is the sense of social responsibility on the part of the Sonics?

Even if you take the fact that they are a sports franchise out of the equation, doesn’t any business, owe the community it has thrived in (especially for 40+ years) some semblance of respect? The Sonics apparently thought not.

I agree that sports bring an intangible benefit to the cities lucky enough to host them. A civic pride, a sense of unity, a rallying point. Which is now gone.

I agree with civic officials who stood their ground with regards to using public funds to refurbish/build a new arena so that the NBA/Sonics owners could make more money. I find it ridiculous that Clay Bennett and David Stern would claim the Key Arena was not up to “NBA Standards.” It’s childish to hold the team hostage and threaten to move anytime the NBA doesn’t get it’s way.

If the venue was is so bad, why doesn’t the uber-profitable NBA put-up some money to build venues that are indeed “up to their standards?”

As an avid basketball player and fan, I am now at a crossroads.

Do I turn my back and boycott based on the blatant disregard shown to the City of Seattle by the NBA?

Or do I keep watching a league I no longer have a vested interest in?

Luckily I have a few months to ponder such a deep issue.

I think it’ll take a few beers and bar conversations to get my mind right.

But for the here and now, I am in mourning.

So long Seattle Supersonics, thanks for the memories.

Sonics, OK.

Seeing as the Sonics may have played thier final game at Key Arena, I thought I'd chime-in on the topic of relocation.

In case you are out of the loop or don’t care enough to pay attention I’ll get you up to speed.

It looks like Sonics owner Clay Bennett lied to NBA Commissioner David Stern regarding his intention to move the team to Oklahoma City. The lie came to light in email correspondence between Bennett's ownership group and Stern. The emails were obtained by The City of Seattle as part of a lawsuit to force the Sonics to play-out their lease (through 2010) at Key Arena.

Local folks still holding hope of keeping the Sonics in town see this as a possible break. Stern has been one of one Bennett’s biggest backers as he (Bennett) and the City of Seattle battle lease and re-location issues out in court. Local fans hope this breech of trust will sway Stern and possibly get him to back away from supporting Bennett.

I really don’t see that happening.

There is simply too much money to be made in Oklahoma City.

The NBA has been itching to get a team back into that market since they saw the reception the New Orleans Hornets received when they played there post-Hurricane Katrina. The games were sell-outs. The Key Arena hasn’t sold-out since the Clinton Administration. There aren’t too many entertainment options in Oklahoma City and the Sonics would be the prime sporting option.

NBA basketball isn’t just a game, it’s also big business.

I’ve got to hand it to Bennett, he played the “poor old country bumpkin” role to perfection. He managed to out-wit the City of Seattle and Sonic fans. His plan to save money and re-build the roster with cheaper/younger talent is pure genius. Not only is he saving money up-front, he’s also fielding a team so bad that no one in Seattle cares anymore. If he had his way, the team would get so bad that we’d offer to buy-out the lease to get rid of the losers.

I can’t blame Bennett for lying. He’s a savvy businessman and he knows how to play the game. I am not saying its ethical, but there is a reason the man is a millionaire.

At this point, the relationship with local government is beyond repair. Both sides are so entrenched that compromise is no longer an option. I think the City of Seattle is more embarrassed with being out-maneuvered by this ‘Yokel’ from Oklahoma, which has led to the steadfast refusal to listen to anything that comes to the table.

Trust is important when doing business and Bennett’s intentions have been suspect from the start. I don’t see how the City of Seattle could enter, in good faith, any negotiations with Bennett after he lied to the City and Stern: who was his most important ally.

Bennett has seemingly had one foot out of the door since he bought the team. How can the city enter into any agreements with a man who has clearly lied to everyone from the start?

I am a Sonics fan. I remember the Wheedle, Xavier McDaniel and the great run in the 90’s. I loved Nate McMillan’s last year as head coach. I really do not want to see the Sonics go.

But at this point I am just tired of hearing about this soap opera. I am a sports fan. I don’t care about back room deals, arena funding or the business side of basketball.

I just want a local team to root for.

Maybe life in post-Sonics Seattle won’t be too bad…I hope to never find out.