Most Seattleites were jumping up and down when the Sonics received the second overall pick and selected one of the best collegiate players ever, Kevin Durant. And with the dismantlement of the franchise by trading away the stars, aren’t the younger players rightfully ours?
If somebody trades cash (buys) a car, and that car gets stolen from them, aren’t they still the rightful owner? Or isn’t the insurance supposed to help provide them an immediate team? But the latter case is a different story.
The fans of the Supersonics have a right to follow this team, no matter the location. Those in Seattle have just as much of a right to this team as Oklahoma City does, possibly more.
The other option for the fan is to adopt another NBA franchise, which is completely acceptable under Bill Simmons’ Rules for Being a True Fan.
The most plausible of choices is the Portland Trailblazers, as they are geographically the closest, have hometown stars (Martell Webster, Brandon Roy, and coach Nate McMillan), and are owned by Paul Allen, the same man who led the more popular Seattle Seahawks to glory after buying the team in 1997.
Yet the Trailblazers and Sonics shared the “I-5 Rivalry,” named after the interstate highway that connects the two, for the entirety of their coexistence. Sure, it isn’t Yankees-Red Sox, but it is one of the biggest professional sport rivalries the city has.
Other than that, because Simmons permits it, former Sonic fans shouldn’t be blamed for taking a team as far away from the city as possible. On a map, that is the Miami Heat, which are a viable option. They have a “big three” similar to the Celtics. Sure, they are much younger, but in that way we can pull for a team that is developing, much as our Sonics were.
If we can pick a team, why not get away from it all and go for broke? Heck, they had the number two draft pick this year—isn’t that close enough?
Or we could go for broke and pick the closest team to Oklahoma City, in hopes of a good rivalry in which we can see Bennett bleed. And what does luck bring upon us? The Dallas Mavericks.
They only have a couple more years of talent, but by that point we might have a team of our own. I cannot wait to see Kidd line up against Russell Westbrook and show Bennett that he shouldn’t have traded away Ray Allen.
But the more I think about it, the more I can’t. I cannot just give up this team. Yet I cannot just follow this team like an abused puppy.
I am lost, and to be honest, I have absolutely no idea what path I am going to take.
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