Post-Sonics Watch
Feeling lost without your Seattle SuperSonics? Seattle-area NBA fans face their first season without an NBA team in 41 years. Primarily, our coverage here will focus on the City of Seattle’s attempt to bring the NBA back to Seattle. But we also will provide updates on the Portland Trail Blazers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and area players plying their trade for other teams in the NBA.

Eric Williams covered the Sonics' last season in Seattle. A Tacoma native, Eric graduated from Mount Tahoma High and the University of Puget Sound.

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Hoopshype.com

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Post-Sonics Watch
Keeping an eye on the NBA and Seattle's efforts to get back into the game
Monday, September 17th, 2007
Muckleshoots estimate cost for new arena at $452 M
Posted by Eric Williams @ 03:32:23 pm

The Muckelshoot Indian Tribe hosted a press briefing this morning headed by Jason Thompson, a senior associate with Washington, D.C. firm Brailsford & Dunlavey, the company that performed the feasibility study.

Thompson said the study confirmed that an events center at the proposed site adjacent from Emerald Downs in Auburn could successfully house an arena with the Sonics as the main tenant.

The study also projected a preliminary construction cost for the arena and surrounding parking at $452 million, with a start date of 2009.

The tribe also said it would be willing to gift the 26.5-acres of land it owns toward the construction of the project, and is now waiting for word from Gov. Chris Gregoire or Sonics Chairman Clay Bennett before making their next move.

Read my full story about the meeting here.

However you see it, the Muckleshoots announcement is another piece of good news for Seattle Soniics fans who want to see the team stay.

In other news, Paul Westhead apparently remains a possibility to join the Sonics coaching staff. After leading the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA championship, Westhead is mulling the possibility of joining Seattle.

Categories: NBA • 10 comments

COMMENTS:

moo @ 17:17 - Monday, September 17th, 2007 Email
Be interesting how Bennett responds to this. On the one hand I'm not sure if Auburn is realistic, but I think we're going to find out once & for all if CB is at all serious about staying in Washington.
DoctorEvil @ 18:28 - Monday, September 17th, 2007 Email
Bennett is probably agonizing over how to get out of this and make it look like he has no viable options here. My guess is that he'll somewhat play along with the idea of the Auburn location (while focusing on the negatives- too far from Seattle, etc), and then demand too much in the way of funding, and thus cause any arena plan to fail.

What? Too harsh?

I don't see any reason not to play at the Auburn site. Close access to 2 hiways and I-5, no Seattle downtown traffic to contend with, lots of parking, and probably feel safer. They'll pick up lots of south sound fans to make up for any losses.
DoctorEvil @ 18:39 - Monday, September 17th, 2007 Email
Just to clarify, I don't equate the Seattle Center with downtown OR the higher crime there. I've always felt safe around that end of the Monorail.
dawgprospect @ 20:55 - Monday, September 17th, 2007 Email
Just get it done, I can't lose out on watching Durant and Green win a championship. Believe it or not, the Sonics now have the best shot out of any other Seattle team to win the championship in the next five years.
Jefgcn @ 00:26 - Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 Email
I still believe the Seahawks are the closest Seattle team to potentially win a championship in the next few years (despite what transpired last Sunday).

However in about 4 - 5 years, when some of the NBA power houses (San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas) may have fallen off by then. The Sonics may have a legitimate chance to become a good playoff team and you never know after that.

This news is definitely encouraging though! The more support we can get for the team and proposals and offers will really make things impossible for Clay Bennett to move the team. I mean David Stern would have to approve the relocation, and I can't really see that happening if private companies, business partners, and the local government are all acting to keep the team here in Washington.

Go Sonics! ~ Let the Durant era begin and reign in Seattle! (or Auburn) :)
hermann22 @ 08:19 - Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 Email
I think this is perfect BUT...big BUT...They need to do some road work to around that area to make it not a mess. Its a mess around there WITHOUT the Sonics there.

Get it done Oakies...
DoctorEvil @ 09:01 - Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 Email
The report probably contains some traffic evaluation, but certainly 167 needs to be about twice as wide from I405 to 512 (or at least 410), regardless of what happens in Auburn. That pavement is additional parking during "rush" hour.
hermann22 @ 13:15 - Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 Email
No kidding!!! I remember having to see a girlfriend down there and I HATED going 167.
DoctorEvil @ 12:19 - Wednesday, September 19th, 2007 Email
Now that I've read the report, it does contain a ton of traffic evaluation broken down into 30, 45, and 60 minute drive times, and evaluates the income and age of people within those areas.

One thing I would have liked to see is the combination of 20-34 year olds who make over $50k within those drive times. They compared each, but not together.

Another thing I would have loved to see is how those demographics compared with the Oklahoma City area. We already know it's a much smaller market, but I'd have liked to see HOW MUCH smaller/worse it is.

One other note to those who aren't going to read it: that $450 pricetag is in 2009 dollars. Today the cost would only be $415...
pika @ 10:30 - Friday, September 21st, 2007
If Auburn ends up getting serous consideration, maybe Tacoma should get into the game oto -- the T-Dome is certainly more outdated than Key Arena -- why not rebuild it as a basketball arena?

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