Oden or Durant

[ALinChainz]

Now that Greg Oden has decided to turn pro, who do you take to build your franchise with?

Most say you go with the 7-footer, although he didn't have the entire season to show case his game, injury held him back.

Durant was a freshman sensation who swept most post season awards and had giant all around numbers.

In a close pick, I take my chance on Oden, who will need to bulk up a little bit, but has the room to take the weight and be a force.

Durant would not be a bad consolation prize whatsoever.

Be interesting to see if Memphis or Boston get the #1, or if the Draft Gods have other ideas.

[chi-town324]

Oden ..most dominate center in college since Ewing....yea Durant will be a nice 2nd prize for sure

[ALinChainz]

Durant ... damn good player ... 6-9 and can bury it from downtown, boards well at least for the college game and didn't shy away from contact.

Very few guys are ready for the pros out of high school, but Oden was. He benefited from a year in college, but would have been #1 last season.

He needs some bulk, but when does put on that muscle, watch out.

[chi-town324]

yea in the long run i think Durant will be the better player but you have to take Oden now just because there are so few good centers

[Romeo Delight]

Oden is going to dominate.

[chi-town324]

Durant will dominate

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Al, you forgot the "who gives a fuck" option..... ;)

J/K, if I had to make a choice, I'd say Durant...

For as good as Oden appears to be, I don't see him as dominant in the NBA as he's been in college....

Durant fits today's playground NBA style...

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by Va Beach VH Fan
Al, you forgot the "who gives a fuck" option..... ;)

J/K, if I had to make a choice, I'd say Durant...

For as good as Oden appears to be, I don't see him as dominant in the NBA as he's been in college....

Durant fits today's playground NBA style... yep

[POJO_Risin]

People act like Durant is something new...sorry...

Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson...

freshman...averaged 24 and 9
soph...averaged 30 and 10

Carmello Anthony

averaged 22 and 10

Durant

averaged 25 and 11

Shaq averaged 14 and 12 as a freshman
Ewing averaged 13 and 8 as a freshman
DRobinson averaged 8 and 4 as a freshman...while he became really special the next season and averaged 25 and 12.
Hakeem averaged 8 and 6 his freshman year, and 13 and 11 his sophomore year.

Oden?

16 and 10...in 28 minutes...half the time with one hand.

Who do you want...

give me a break here.

Who do you want?

Any of those centers...or Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson?

Any of those centers...or Carmello Anthony?

Do you take a winner?

or a scorer?

Oden...

[POJO_Risin]

Fitting today's "style" doesn't mean a thing...

[Mr. Vengeance]

I'd take either one and be very happy. But because my idiot Sixers decided to trade Iverson for dogmeat, and then inexplicably decided to start winning meaningless games, we'll be likely picking around #12, and getting someone who'll merely make us as average as we ever have been for another 5 years.

And if they waste the pick on Hawes, who will be a BUST as a pro, I'll go postal!

[ALinChainz]

The one exception has to be Hakeem ... and it used to be Akeem, why I don't know. His stats bit as a frosh because he was a soccer player and had only played a year or two of high school ball. All he knew was swat and dunk, period.

What he became is truly remarkable, it really is.

I like Oden better, I think he needs a little more bulk but could be the guy that brings the Celtics back to being a factor.

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
The one exception has to be Hakeem ... and it used to be Akeem, why I don't know. His stats bit as a frosh because he was a soccer player and had only played a year or two of high school ball. All he knew was swat and dunk, period.

What he became is truly remarkable, it really is.

I like Oden better, I think he needs a little more bulk but could be the guy that brings the Celtics back to being a factor. the Celtics need more than a center...but he's a good start

[ALinChainz]

They have a few useful players in my opinion.

Green, Jefferson, Rondo, and Pierce.

They have some other young guys, alot of youth and had a lot of injury.

Perkins maybe, Gomes and Allan perhaps, but a tough road ahead even with Oden, I agree.

Memphis is better shape to land at #2 and Durant, providing they can keep Gasol. But even he is probably better suited at PF than C. Oden would move right into the middle there.

[chi-town324]

yea the Bulls were trying to get Gasol, before the trading deadline...i think he's a bit overrated, nit tough enough IMO

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Originally posted by POJO_Risin
Fitting today's "style" doesn't mean a thing...

You're right, I should've just stuck with my "who gives a fuck answer".... ;)

I'm sure they'll both be decent pros....

[chi-town324]

yep both will make their mark

[cMb]

How old is Oden?

He looks like he's about 30...

[Dave's PA Rental]

:D

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by cMb
How old is Oden?

He looks like he's about 30... just turned 19..yea HARD TO BELIEVE:D

[POJO_Risin]

30?

He looks at least 40...lmfao...

he's one old looking motherfucker...

[chi-town324]

dude was getting into bars at age 9

[cMb]

He looks like Robert 'Chief' Parrish did when he retired :D

[ALinChainz]

Oden, Durant are NBA lottery plums

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer

NEW YORK - After all those losses — some of them suspected on purpose — there's finally a payoff. Two of the NBA's worst teams will be rewarded at the draft lottery Tuesday, winning the chance to choose Greg Oden or Kevin Durant.

Representatives from 14 teams will be in Secaucus, N.J., hoping they earn the right to select another Tim Duncan or LeBron James, players who went No. 1 in the draft and now have their teams deep into the postseason.

"Someone is going to get very smart in a hurry," Nets president Rod Thorn said. "There is going to be a GM who all the sudden becomes a guru and a coach that is going to be very good."

The Memphis Grizzlies, after finishing with a league-worst 22-60 record, have a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick. The Boston Celtics have a nearly 20 percent chance, and the Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to turn the league's third-worst record into their second lottery win in three years.

The Bucks took Andrew Bogut with the No. 1 pick in the 2005 draft and made the playoffs the following season, so they know the impact one player can make. And general manager Larry Harris has hinted that player would be Oden if Milwaukee beats the odds to win again.

"One player solves a lot of problems for us defensively," said Harris, who will be carrying a stone submitted by a fan in a contest the team ran to find a lucky charm. "I mean, we were 29th in defense, 30th in rebounding, 30th in shot blocking. One guy solves a lot of those issues, and defense wins game."

Oden could have been the top pick last year if not for the league's age requirement, so instead helped Ohio State reach the national championship game with his shot blocking and rebounding. Durant, a forward who was the college player of the year in his lone season at Texas, is the more polished offensive player.

With two potential franchise players heading this year's draft, there is more attention on the lottery than any year since James was the big prize in 2003. And there sometimes seemed quite a desire to be a part of it.

Strange substitution patterns and curious injury absences convinced people that some teams were losing games on purpose. Boston coach Doc Rivers opened one postgame news conference by stressing that he wasn't trying to lose. But conspiracy theorists thought they found proof in the final week of the season after the Celtics sat forward Ryan Gomes in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Bucks that clinched the second-worst record.

"I probably (would have played), but since we were in the hunt for a high draft pick, of course things are different," Gomes said after the game. "I understand that. Hopefully things get better. Now that we clinched at least having the second-most balls in the lottery, the last three games we'll see what happens. We'll see if we can go out and finish some games."

Intentional or not, those losses can come in handy with a bit of luck — or a lot of it. Just ask Pat Williams, who won the lottery with Philadelphia and followed it with three more victories in Orlando, earning the right to draft Shaquille O'Neal in one of them.

"Those Ls, which are so gruesome during the season, they're beautiful in late May," the Magic's senior vice president said. "Those Ls are gorgeous come springtime in Secaucus."

The lottery determines the top three positions, with the rest of the 14 in inverse order of a team's record. So Memphis can do no worse than the No. 4 pick, but missing out on Oden or Durant would feel like another loss for a team that began the season without star Pau Gasol, is losing Jerry West after the draft and didn't have much to feel good about in between.

The Celtics are hoping for lottery luck after they missed out on Duncan 10 years ago. San Antonio won that lottery — and the Celtics didn't beat the Spurs from that moment until late this season. The Spurs, meanwhile, have won three titles and are seven victories from another, and coach Gregg Popovich knows that wouldn't have been possible without some luck.

"I'd be coaching a third-grade team someplace in America," he said.

A couple of teams already good are hoping to get even better. The Chicago Bulls got the right to swap spots with New York in the Eddy Curry trade, and the Phoenix Suns will take Atlanta's pick as a result of the Joe Johnson trade unless the Hawks move into the top three.

Williams has won when the odds were in his favor, and as a long shot. And he knows how much a victory means to a franchise.

"It just triggers your whole offseason," Williams said. "It triggers your sales, it triggers your imagination. Above all, it triggers hope. The hope that the lottery brings you, you can't put a price tag on it."

[tjvhou812]

I would'nt mind seeing the Celtics grab Oden

[Cult of Roth]

I think they'll both be pretty good pros, but my instinct would be to go with Oden. A dominant big man is a much rarer commodity than scorer. They're close enough in value though, that team need would be a heavy factor.


Originally posted by cMb
He looks like Robert 'Chief' Parrish did when he retired :D

LMAO!

[ALinChainz]

The Celts are still hurting over missing out on Duncan back in the day. The Sporting News did a "what-if" article where they did this whole scenario where they ended up with Duncan and Nash.

[chi-town324]

the Celtics are cursed...

[chi-town324]

as Dave would say tonight..."We have a winner for the big first prize"

[ALinChainz]

Blazers win draft lottery

By BRIAN MAHONEY, AP Basketball Writer

May 22, 2007

SECAUCUS, N.J. (AP) -- The Portland Trail Blazers beat the odds and won the right to settle the Greg Oden-Kevin Durant debate.

With just a 5.3 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, the Blazers won the NBA's draft lottery Tuesday night, earning the right to draft a potential franchise player from what's considered to be an excellent class.

Represented by Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, the Blazers got a head start on landing next year's top rookie. They will almost certainly choose between Oden, the Ohio State center, or Durant, Texas' high-scoring forward.

"They're going to help us right away," Roy said. "They can come into the NBA right away and play. I'm just excited about sitting back and knowing our general manager has the choice of drafting either Kevin Durant or Greg Oden. Either one, you can't go wrong. So I'm excited we have the opportunity to choose between the two."

The 7-foot Oden is the likely top pick, because dominant centers are harder to find. But general manager Kevin Pritchard said he wants to talk to both players, saying the interview last year with Roy was a determining factor in wanting him.

Regardless of who goes No. 1, both players are likely headed to the Northwest, as Seattle also moved up into the second spot. Atlanta got the third pick -- and needed it. Falling out of the top three would have meant sending the pick to Phoenix.

The lottery determined the top three spots, with the rest of the teams going in reverse order of a team's finish.

Memphis and Boston, which had the worst records in the league and the best chance of landing in the top two, slipped to fourth and fifth, respectively.

Milwaukee will go sixth, followed by Minnesota, Charlotte and Chicago, which had the rights to New York's pick through the Eddy Curry trade.

Sacramento goes 10th, followed by the Hawks, Philadelphia, New Orleans and the Los Angeles Clippers.

With Oden and Durant highlighting a draft that includes the core of Florida's consecutive NCAA championship teams, the June 28 draft in New York is expected to be one of the NBA's best in years.

"Tonight we're looking at what's probably going to be the deepest draft in a couple of decades," commissioner David Stern said earlier Tuesday.

Portland had a great draft night in 2006, landing Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge through trades. They won't need a deal this time thanks to some lottery luck.

The SuperSonics will get a player that in many other years would have gone No. 1, and maybe whichever player it is can help save the NBA in Seattle. The Sonics haven't been able to get a new arena and aren't guaranteed to be in Seattle past next season.

The Hawks were the other big winner Tuesday. Moving up one spot saved them from having to send their pick to the Suns as a result of the Joe Johnson trade. And Atlanta also picked up Indiana's pick, No. 11, from the Al Harrington deal since the Pacers stayed put.

"This gives us a chance to look at what really need as far as helping us progress as a franchise," Hawks vice president and former star Dominique Wilkins said. "This is big for us. Everybody wants the No. 1, No. 2 picks. But any time you get in the top three picks, this is monumental for us."

The presence of the two freshmen superstars added more hype than usual to this year's lottery. There were nearly 100 media credential requests, far more than usual.

It also led to speculation that some teams didn't try their best to win games, hoping to improve their chances of landing a top-two pick. Because of all the tanking talk, Stern said he wants NBA owners to look at the lottery this summer to see if a new system is needed.

But the losing didn't pay off. The Grizzlies had a 25 percent chance of winning No. 1 after finishing with the league's worst record, but they will pick fourth in Jerry West's last draft with the team.

"It's about as disappointing as you could ever hope for," West said. "It's like pitching pennies. It's grossly unfair to the team, but I've said it before, I don't think the lottery is fair. I never liked it. I don't think it's a good system at all, period.

"There have been a lot of picks in the lottery that have (failed). There are two in the lottery this year that are not going to fail. There are two superstars in the draft. I think for the teams fortunate enough to get them, the fortunes of their franchises have changed forever."

Ten years after missing out on Tim Duncan, Boston had more lottery heartbreak, falling from the No. 2 spot. The Celtics, one of the teams most suspected of not always trying to win, sent former star and current broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn to the lottery in hopes of landing one of the top two spots.

"They brought me down because they thought I was lucky. Now they know," Heinsohn said. "I paid off the leprechaun this morning and the sucker lied to me."

Oden averaged 15.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.3 rebounds while leading Ohio State to the national championship game, even though he was limited for much of the season while recovering from right wrist surgery.

Durant was even better in his only season at Texas, becoming the first freshman in NCAA history to win player of the year honors. The 6-foot-9 forward led the Big 12 with 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds per game, and was the AP national player of the year.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-draftlottery&prov=ap&type=lgns

[seenbad]

:) <-------- Seenbad for the last 5 hours or so.

[Cult of Roth]

Fifth? Dammit, the C's are cursed! :anger:

[seenbad]

With this combined with 2006, I would think Portland has taken a little of that luck over to the left coast.

[chi-town324]

Oden will get lost in Portland...

[seenbad]

What the hell does that mean??

[Romeo Delight]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
The Celts are still hurting over missing out on Duncan back in the day. The Sporting News did a "what-if" article where they did this whole scenario where they ended up with Duncan and Nash.

Um yeaah, but it was a bad market...that's why the Grizzlies didn't succeed.:rolleyes:

I'm not aiming this at you AIC, but think about what they did to the Canadian franchises...essentially shooting their kneecaps from under them.

The Grizz could have had Duncan, if not for Mr. Stern's "Canadian Rule".

Nice to see the Grizz doing so well in Memphis.:D

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by seenbad
With this combined with 2006, I would think Portland has taken a little of that luck over to the left coast.

I'm hoping we opt for Oden...we could use a really good center to round things out a bit.

You know, we did have a pretty OK rebuilding year this past season - if we take on Oden, give him some time, put Roy into a more focal point, hell, we might actually have a team again...

Will wonders never cease...?

[WARF]

Celtics have no lottery luck

May 23, 2007
By Chris Bernucca
PA SportsTicker Pro Basketball Editor

Maybe 16 NBA championships have a price. Maybe it's karma. Or maybe it's just a market correction of the law of averages.

But it seems there is no amount of four-leaf clovers that can bring the Boston Celtics any lottery luck.

ADVERTISEMENT


Once every decade or so, the Celtics appear positioned to pick a franchise player, one who will spend his entire career in the green and white and whose number eventually will be hoisted to the rafters alongside Cooz and Russ and Hondo and Bird.

This time, it was supposed to be Greg Oden, or Kevin Durant - one of the stud freshmen who was supposed to resurrect the dynasty.

But at the NBA draft lottery, Havlicek doesn't steal the ball. Instead, the ping-pong balls steal the Celtics' hope.

On Tuesday night, it happened again. There were the Celtics, holding the second seat at NBA Entertainment Studios in that basketball hotbed of Secaucus, New Jersey.

They had earned that seat, rattling off 18 straight losses and being accused of - gasp! - tanking en route to a 24-58 record.

Intentionally losing games? Ol' Red never would have stood for that. There's no cigars for losing, especially when you're doing it on purpose.

Only the Memphis Grizzlies had better odds of getting the top pick. And even if they did and grabbed the monstrous Oden as their franchise cornerstone, the consolation prize was Durant, who - when scouts have stopped drooling long enough to offer an opinion - has been labeled as a hybrid of Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady.

One thing was certain - someone wicked good was Beantown-bound.

And perhaps someone still is. After all, this is a very deep talent pool, almost two drafts in one because Oden, Durant and their fellow freshmen friends were forced to wait until they were all of 19 before becoming zillionaires.

It just won't be Oden or Durant.

Continuing a run of bad luck that began before Oden or Durant were even born, the Celtics somehow ended up with the fifth pick in the draft, the lowest possible selection they could have received.

They - and the woebegone Grizzlies, who have more relocations than playoff wins - were passed in the pecking order by Portland, home of the league's work-release program; Seattle, which isn't sure where its future home is; and Atlanta, which has a home crowd disguised as empty seats.

Has Paul Pierce asked for a trade yet?

Actually, no one should be surprised that the Celtics won the Jeff Green Sweepstakes. The lottery never has acknowledged the luck of the Irish.

It was 10 years ago this month that the Celtics had a 36 percent chance of getting the top pick in the draft and nabbing Tim Duncan. The odds were so good that Rick Pitino left the most powerful program in college hoops at Kentucky to return to the NBA, kicking Ol' Red upstairs in the process.

But a funny thing happened on the way to rebuilding the dynasty at 150 Causeway Street. The Spurs, making a one-time visit to Secaucus, came away with the grand prize.

While the Celtics collectively held their mouths agape wondering how that happened, the balls were drawn for the second pick - which also came up Spurs, reassuring all involved that what had transpired was much more than a bad dream.

The Celtics ended up with the third and sixth picks, settling for Chauncey Billups and Ron Mercer. Pitino's patience punctured months later when he traded away Billups, who would look pretty good right now alongside Pierce in the green and white.

And believe it or not, the Celtics have had worse lottery luck. Much worse.

The year was 1986, and Gang Green was coming off its 16th title. It also had the second pick, courtesy of a shrewd trade by Red Auerbach that sent point guard Gerald Henderson to Seattle.

The first pick belonged to the rival Philadelphia 76ers, who took Brad Daugherty - and promptly traded him to Cleveland for creaky-kneed Roy Hinson. They compounded matters by trading Moses Malone to Washington for Jeff Ruland.

The Celtics were able to stop their snickering long enough to select Len Bias, the combo forward who would step right in and prolong the careers of Bird and Kevin McHale. But no one was laughing two days later, when Bias was dead of a cocaine overdose.

Glee quickly became gloom, and some of the overtly provincial Boston media said the Celtics should petition the league for another pick - a do-over, for dynasty's sake.

Sorry, there are no do-overs in the NBA. Oden and Durant are going to Pacific Northwest, further widening the gap between the conferences. The Celtics again are going nowhere.

But there are make-up calls. And the Celtics - with their 16 championships and endless retired numbers - now appear to be on the wrong end of a prolonged whistle.

It's as plain as green and white.

[chi-town324]

lots of pissed executives regarding the lottery system

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by chi-town324
lots of pissed executives regarding the lottery system

Oh well. Portland's as deserving as anybody else.

There's always next year...trust me, that's a song Seenbad and myself have been singing for a LOOOOONG time now...

;)

[seenbad]

Dude, way too long. We've paid the dues.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by seenbad
Dude, way too long. We've paid the dues.

I kind of wondered when you'd be showing up here ... still basking in the glow of the #1.

:D

Be intersting to say the least. In a year or so ... maybe 3 ... look out.

[ALinChainz]

Originally posted by DavidFlamma
Um yeaah, but it was a bad market...that's why the Grizzlies didn't succeed.:rolleyes:

I'm not aiming this at you AIC, but think about what they did to the Canadian franchises...essentially shooting their kneecaps from under them.

The Grizz could have had Duncan, if not for Mr. Stern's "Canadian Rule".

Nice to see the Grizz doing so well in Memphis.:D

What a free fall the Grizzlies had.

50 wins and a bright future to the lottery and the worst team.

Gasol getting hurt killed them. But man, still ...

[Romeo Delight]

Best part of the Grizzlies story is the utterly abysmal attendance and $5 tickets. So sweet a story. Couldn't have happened to nicer people:D

Take that Stern, Heisley, Jackson.

How does that taste?

Apparently they were hinging the franchises success on renaming them the Express (Fed Express).

Nice try:p

[chi-town324]

There sure are some odd cities in the NBA...Salt Lake, Memphis, Sacramento??

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by bueno bob
Oh well. Portland's as deserving as anybody else.

There's always next year...trust me, that's a song Seenbad and myself have been singing for a LOOOOONG time now...

;) I grew up in Spokane...yea its been awhile since the '77 Blazers..

[seenbad]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
I kind of wondered when you'd be showing up here ... still basking in the glow of the #1.

:D

Be intersting to say the least. In a year or so ... maybe 3 ... look out.

Dude, I'm absolutely elated. The place that this puts the team is is absolutely incredible. We have the flexibility to do whatever we need to do. Trade Randolph for a point (c'mon over to portland mr. kidd)? Cool. Trade Randolph for Rashard Lewis? Cool. Trade Miles and any of our 4 second round picks for a solid backup at any position? Cool.

Number one pick in the draft, 4 second round picks, solid core with Roy, Aldridge, Randolph, Oden, solid trade material for a fantastic free agency market loaded with veteran talent......

Um, yes. You could say my day has been made and the future requires shades.

[chi-town324]

Fox sports mock draft has Portland taking Durant...WTF??

[seenbad]

It's totally possible man. We actually need a 3 more as far as positions go.

[Romeo Delight]

Not a chance

[chi-town324]

i dont think they would take Durant..but ya never know

[seenbad]

I think we should take Oden just to screw seattle because they need a center badly....and so we wouldn't have to compete with him within the same division.

[ALinChainz]

They should do just what you said. See if they can't move Randolph for some point help or whatever they can. I don't think they can move Miles, I think he shot his wad. Randolph might bring the value, if anyone wants a potential headcase.

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by seenbad
I think we should take Oden just to screw seattle because they need a center badly....and so we wouldn't have to compete with him within the same division.

I agree. On top of that, good centers are hard to come by anyway, and he's young yet...lots of room for flexibility, regardless of whether we keep him or trade him.

[Guitar Shark]

Originally posted by seenbad
I think we should take Oden just to screw seattle because they need a center badly....and so we wouldn't have to compete with him within the same division.

LOL... I'm deliriously happy no matter which one we get. It seems like a classic "can't lose" scenario.

Both Oden and Durant are talked about as that rare Lebron James / Tim Duncan can't-miss franchise superstar player. If the Sonics kept Rashard, then Oden would fill a bigger need. Durant is a SF and, to an extent, is cumulative with Rashard on the roster. But, I would be more than happy to watch them try to get Rashard/Ray Allen/Durant on the floor at the same time or do a sign-and-trade with Rashard and get back a PG.

The whole thing has made me insanely giddy. I'm also happy that Portland has the #1. I've never been one of those Sonics fans who hates the Trailblazers. I'm very happy for Nate MacMillan and Brandon Roy.

I think it's at least 90% likely, if not higher, that Portland takes Oden. No one is going to pass on a potential franchise center, even for someone as great as Durant.

Durant was unbelievably good in his freshman season. Clearly the best freshman college basketball player ever. Far better than Carmelo Anthony was for Syracuse in his one year there. Of course, freshmen weren't allowed to play at all until sometime in the 70s, I think, and they often were not given lead roles after that, so there's that.

Never has the #2 pick looked so good. :)

[bueno bob]

Originally posted by Guitar Shark
I've never been one of those Sonics fans who hates the Trailblazers.

I didn't think your kind existed...

:confused:

;)

[Romeo Delight]

Sonics owner should hold tight and stay. Buck up a little more cash for fuck sakes.

The way things are looking in the NHL, Nashville is going to the Eastern Conference in Southern Ontario (Waterloo). Rumor is Detroit is moving to the East - where they belong - although played in the western Conference for some unknown reason.

That would leave 2 slots to fill in the West. Seattle has to be a front-runner with a new stadium. Tons of hockey history there. Great fan support for hockey. And it ensures the Sonics will never leave.