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is any justice in the world, the Seattle Storm ownership will thrive in Key Arena! The only other professional team beside the Sonics to bring a championship to Seattle since 1909 is looking like a future wing in the WNBA Hall of Fame!

Added to MVP Lauren Jackson and all-world Sue Bird, are former MVP Yolanda Griffiths, all-star Swin Cash, and four-time champion Cheryle Swoopes! This team will be impossible to defend! Comparatively, the Celtics did not acquire this much talent in the off-season last year!

Key Arena works fine for WNBA games. Often the upper bowl is closed off leaving the available seating the best seats in the arena. The team that has been put together by local ownership deserves to sell out every game! If they do, then the extra attendance on those 16 games, and the likely playoff run, will offset some of the revenue losses! However, it will be deficient to compensate for the loss of the Sonics, not to mention that it could have happened with the Sonics here under local ownership.

WILL SEATTLE GET ANOTHER NBA TEAM?

The possibility of Seattle getting another NBA team was left open by David Stern, but he made it clear that it would take a new facility and public cooperation to get one. This is not something that is peculiar to the NBA. Stern mentioned Houston as one of the cities that passed tax legislation to enhance the team's facility. Houston previously had lost its Oilers, wanting to leave them in the Astrodome after building a stadium for the Astros.

Once people realize the impact the Sonics had on the local economy, there will be groups that come forward attempting to lure a franchise back to Seattle. Seattle would have needed to build a state-of-the-art facility to retain the Sonics. It will still need to build that facility.

The group will either attempt to buy a team from an owner in a weaker market, or will apply for an expansion franchise. Either way, it will cost significantly more for the group to obtain a team than it would have been to work with Howard and Wally when we had the chance to.

Howard Stern has threatened a lawsuit to get the team back alleging Clay Bennett did not act in good faith to keep the team in Seattle, but it has slim chances at best. Former Senator Slade Gorton, who settled a lawsuit against baseball over the Pilots for the expansion Mariners, will be representing the city over the lease issue on June 16th.

Key Arena is fine for the Seattle Storm of the WNBA! They will do well selling enough tickets to meet NBA standards, and probably will!

With still no support for funding an arena, though, the only issue is whether the Sonics move next year, or in 2011.

Learn more about this author, Tom Koecke.
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