So yeah. That sucked.

Things didn't go our way . Damn. Even if some of us saw it coming, it most definitely hurts. I will not tell anyone to not be disappointed with what went down. We have absolutely every reason to be furious with David Stern for how he has played Seattle on two different occasions, each times on two different sides of the coin. I have nothing good to say to that man, and never will. Anyone able to point me to a good "I Hate David Stern" t-shirt?

But this isn't about David Stern. This isn't about Sacramento, either. This is about us, Sonics fans. It's about where we stand today, and what we intend to do tomorrow.


Grieving is healthy to a degree. It's nice to a have place to unleash your anger, sadness, hopelessness, self-pity, etc. But go read up on the 7 stages of grief. You have the initial stage of shock and denial. Then follow those of pain, anger, and depression. This is where it's very easy to get stuck. Something we as a fan base need to try to be careful of. Finally when you are ready to complete to the cycle, you come to reconstruction, acceptance, and hope. Like I said, there is most definitely a healthy way to work through these stages. All of us just need to be careful to not get stuck in any one for too long. At a certain point, as a community here, there is little to be gained from wallowing in anger or depression. It accomplishes nothing. At a certain point, we need to take new focus and go on with it.

I'm by no means telling any poster here to get over their anger or sadness. We all have our own speed at which we need to deal with the steps of grief. But at a certain point, everyone who frequents this site has a choice to make. Do you wish to continue fighting alongside Chris Hansen in an effort to see the return of our Seattle SuperSonics? If so, go ahead and grieve. But know that we are going to need you to jump back up on the saddle at some point. Grieve at your own speed. But know we are going to need you back fighting the fight. But if you are so mad and angry that you have had it? If this is one time too many for your liking? If you are an NHL fan who is fed up of fighting a battle you don't care enough about? I will by absolutely no means tell any fans to stop fighting along side with us. But if you honestly, genuinely are done with this process (as some feel the need to say over and over), it might be for the best to step aside. Best for you, best for the rest of us who have absolutely no desire to quit or give up.

This site joining SB Nation sure has been something, to say the very least. Sonics Central (the previous name of the old site) goes back a long time. Way back to when the point of a Sonics fan site was to talk basketball. As in basketball games. Crazy thought, eh? It was during an internet age where fan sites and blogs weren't all too common. If you wanted to talk Sonics, you only other choices were sub-forums on sites like ESPN or RealGM. Sonics Central was, IMO, the best Sonics site around.

And what should happen at the best Sonics site around when Howard Schultz sells the team to Clay Bennett and jeopardizes something we hold dear? It became the headquarters and rally point behind Save Our Sonics. Led by the creator of the site and some of the site's posters, it was our fox hole. We didn't have the biggest group in the world. But we had a strong core of die-hards. Die-hards who have fought for YEARS. We fought against Clay Bennett. We've fought against and for local politicians. Attended countless political hearings, protests, rallies, etc. Gone head to head with mistrustful public entities like the Seattle Times and Port of Seattle. It's crazy, but I don't know guys like Brian, Steve (Xteve), Jeremy (Speedcat), Kris (the Sonics Guy) or Jason & Adam (the SonicsGate guys) as fellow basketball fans. I didn't know them back when it was just about watching games. I now know them all personally as the guys I've attended political hearings and rallies with. The guys I've strategized with over how we're going to fight back. To even think that I might one day see them at a Sonics game. It almost doesn't even seem real.

With the introduction of Chris Hansen, our once small group of fans handing our Save Our Sonics flyers before Storm games and plastering courthouse rally posters all over town, was really able to take the message to the masses. It's no longer 20 or so guys on an old blog refusing to quit. No now it's a genuine movement. Seeing all the people around Seattle wearing Sonics gear has been so awesome. Seeing young kids, who were likely not old enough to remember too much when the team left, wearing new hats and shirts is the coolest. Fact, there is currently more SuperSonics gear worn around town on a daily basis than there is Mariners. And it's really not even close. We have more goodwill and pride for a team that currently does not exist than that of one playing games as we speak. That is truly something.

Some of you guys might be more recent to the cause. But let me tell you, where we are today is truly an accomplishment. Back when the team first left, you wore a Sonics shirt in public, and you either got a reaction of anger, pity, condescension, or indifference. Now? It's "Go Sonics!" and high fives. I wore my Gary Payton signed "Screw Clay" t-shirt out yesterday. I had at least 15 people make comments. All positive/positively negative in support of the Sonics. One guy didn't recognize it and asked, "Who is Clay?" I said, "The guy who bought the Sonics and moved them to Oklahoma," figuring him to be your standard non-sports loving Seattleite. Dude's reaction, "Oh, Clay Bennett?! Yeah. Screw him is right!" I'm telling you, we have come SO FAR as a movement. We were once viewed as just a bunch of delusional guys fighting a losing battle. But now we are an entire city fighting for what is rightfully ours.

As I said above, I'm not here to tell anyone how to feel. I'm not telling anyone how long to grieve. However you see fit is perfectly fine. But if you continue to frequent this site, please keep one thing in mind. You are hanging out at the home of the resistance. The den of the biggest die-hards. Fans who didn't give up 5 years ago when the team left, and most certainly aren't giving up now. The move to SB Nation brought us a lot of new fans and posters. That is super awesome. But in the process it also changed the makeup of fans just a tad. We have fans new the fight. Our NHL fan brothers who saw our fight as advantageous to theirs. And even just some other Seattle sports fans who might not be the biggest NBA fans, but who believe in Seattle. A very different mix from what we had back at the old Sonics Central during the SOS days, when it was just the never say die-hards.

Let me state it unequivocally. I welcome each and every fan who wants to post here and wants to help lend their voice to the fight to bring the Sonics back. To whatever degree they actually care, whatever. All that matters is they do care. But I will also say this. To any such fans who might not be in this fight as deep as those of us who've been around since the beginning and who are doing this because of our love of our 41 year old NBA team. At the very least please respect where you are and where we've come from. Respect that this is important to us. Respect that this is very personal. Respect that this is emotional. If you've had enough from the NBA and David Stern and are out, that's cool. But please respect that the core of this site isn't. If you want to give up and return to your focus of NHL hockey, that's fine. But please save the "Screw the NBA! Seattle needs to focus on the NHL instead!" We are Sonics fans. We are doing this because we are Sonics fans. If not for Sonics fans, and a couple very wealthy ones, we would not even be close to where we are today.

I received a bit of flak from a few posters on the site over the past month or so due to my lack of optimism over our chances with the Kings. Sorry if some didn't like it. But I'm not one to fake optimism when I don't have any. As was the case with the Kings and David Stern's involvement, we were playing a rigged game. If we were honest with ourselves, the writing was on the wall. Being hopelessly optimistic about such endeavors where the fans don't matter is really pointless. Blowing delusional smoke up our butts does none of us any good. So sorry if you are now reading this and saying, "But wait a sec. This guy has been all negative lately! What a hypocrite!" If you don't see the difference between having an honest opinion at our chances dealing with a meddling David Stern, and that of being optimistic about the cause and fight on the whole, I don't know what to say. If the words I'm typing right now are foreign to you coming from me, I'm guessing you are a newer poster and haven't been around long. This is the guy who has fought like hell for his team and his city the past 7 years. This is the fan who believe in the cause. And I'm far from the only one here. It's the spirit of Sonics Central, Save Our Sonics, SonicsGate, etc. It's what has taken us from the pit of despair of 2008 to hope of today.

Our once little group has been through a ton. At this point it feels like decades now. I realize that this last year and this whole Kings/Stern fiasco has been downright exhausting. It's been dragged out so long, I'm relieved it's over, quite frankly. But to anyone who joined the fight at the start of Hansen's involvement or more recently. TRUST ME ON THIS. When Hansen is telling you that this is just a speed bump, not a road block, he is telling you the truth. Sonics fans have been through a lot worse. We still have Chris Hansen and Steve Ballmer fighting for us. Trust me guys. We're nowhere near giving up. And I suggest you don't either.

It might not seem it right now. But what's the saying about it being the darkest before the dawn? This ride ain't over guys. I think you might want to stick around. Just as you stick by your team during the tough seasons, knowing that it will only make it that much sweeter when their times comes. Same is the case here. Whenever our time comes, the celebration is going to be awesome.

GO SONICS!