“One Man’s Opinion” by Gordon Curvey

 Listened to a interview the other day with former Seattle Sonic star “The Wizard” Gus Williams on sports radio KJR. During the interview with host Dave Mahler, he asked Gus how he felt about David Stern after reports have come out that Stern might have helped change some of the NBA owners minds when it came to the relocation vote that came out 22-8.

Yes 22-8 to keep the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. Gus said he can understand why we here in Seattle feel the way we do about Stern. But he also said that as a whole Stern has done a great job in running the NBA over his long term. Which in reality sorry to say is kind of true. TV ratings are good. The NBA is very popular all over the world in countries like China, Russia, Germany and many other countries overseas.

NBA players are doing commercials all over TV and radio. Unlike MLB and even the NFL. Even retired players like Shaq, Dr. J and Bill Russell and Magic Johnson and Kareem and Barkley, Larry Bird and others are featured in commercials on TV with current players like D-Wade, Durent, Griffin and others. But we here in Seattle feel another way about Stern and can’t wait until he leaves his office early next year. We are counting down the days!!

It starts with Stern and his friendship with Clay Bennett who bought the Sonics from the sellout Howard “Mr. Starbucks” Schultz in 2008. At first Bennett said he was going to keep the Sonics here in Seattle. But it seems with the help of Stern, our Sonics left after 41 years was gone to OKC. We are STILL very very hurt as sports fans with the departure of our NBA team and we feel Stern has something to do with it.  So now four years later billionaire Chris Hansen and billionaire Steve Ballmer came to the table to hopefully try to bring the NBA back to Seattle to play in a brand new state of the art arena about five minutes from where I stay in Seattle.

But to make a long story short readers, it seems David Stern has joined forces with former NBA point guard for 13 years “KJ” Kevin Johnson who happens to be the Mayor of Sacramento and this cat did what he had to do to try to keep his home town team in Sacramento.

If we had a Mayor like KJ our team would NOT have left Seattle. Our former Mayor whose name I will not put in my blog did ZERO to help keep the Sonics in Seattle. Nothing!! I will say that current Seattle Mayor McGinn joined in big time to help Hansen and Ballmer to try to get the NBA back in Seattle. But again, with the help of David Stern, the NBA will stay in Sacramento and I am very depressed as a sports fan about this.

To make matters worse David Stern started off his press conference the other day after the 22-8 vote to keep the Kings in town by saying “This will be kind of quick I have a plane to catch to Oklahoma City” WHAT A STUPID ASSHOLE!! How can this clown say such a thing after we learned the NBA will not return to Seattle. Did this fool know what he was saying? Saying he was on his way to watch a team that LEFT SEATTLE AFTER 41 YEARS WITH HIS HELP!!!  We Sonics fans will NEVER EVER forgive him for making that comment. It was like a stab in all our backs big time!!

It is time for Stern to retire NOW. He has a problem with the city of Seattle. Why we do not know. Maybe when Stern retires he will write a tell all book and let us know what is his problem with our city. I want to know. All Sonic fans want to know.

So as I said shout out to Mayor Johnson in Sacramento because this African American brotha put together a diverse group of people with money to keep the team in Sacramento. Even former NBA star and Kings player Mitch Richmond put in $1 million. This is impressive readers. We have to tell it like it is. I hope and pray that before I get to old, I can go to a NBA game here in Seattle. A new team from scratch or maybe the Bobcats or Bucks moving here. We here in Seattle just have to be depressed as NBA fans as we watch former Sonics great “The Glove” Gary Payton go into the Basketball Hall Of Fame in a few months as a Sonic. Will we see his jersey be retired in a event with my twenty year friend “The Reignman” Shawn Kemp joining Gus Williams, “The Voice” the late Bob Blackburn, the late NBA Hall Of Fame member “DJ” Dennis Johnson, Jack Sikma, another Hall Of Fame member Lenny Wilkens and “Downtown” Freddy Brown? Well I guess we have to sit and see.

Big thanks Adam Brown and Jason Reid, Brian Robinson, KJR and others for their time and effort to try to return our Sonics to Seattle.