SEATTLE - Sonics Arena (18,500)

[mrakbaseball]

Originally Posted by JJG

Who would you want to leave?

Well, how many teams are truly relevant? Truly have a shot at a title? That are legitimate destinations for top free agents? How many teams are embraced by Turner and ESPN? Remember when LeBron took his talents to Salt Lake? Me neither. Using that criteria, the NBA would have maybe 4 or 6 teams. Not a healthy league. You certainly could easily lop off 4 teams without anyone blinking an eye.

[KingmanIII]

Originally Posted by mrakbaseball

The last thing the NBA needs to do is expand. Of the 3 sports, the NBA should really look into downsizing, contracting and leaving some markets for good.

The NBA doesn't need to contract, they need to stop pricing the average fan out of the arena.

[KingmanIII]

Originally Posted by mrakbaseball

Well, how many teams are truly relevant? Truly have a shot at a title? That are legitimate destinations for top free agents? How many teams are embraced by Turner and ESPN? Remember when LeBron took his talents to Salt Lake? Me neither. Using that criteria, the NBA would have maybe 4 or 6 teams. Not a healthy league. You certainly could easily lop off 4 teams without anyone blinking an eye.

OKC?

[mrakbaseball]

Originally Posted by KingmanIII

The NBA doesn't need to contract, they need to stop pricing the average fan out of the arena.

That happened a long time ago and there's no turning back.

You could contract Toronto, Washington, Cleveland, New Orleans, Sacramento and nobody would lose any sleep. I want to embrace the league but there are so many dead franchises and you have a "dynasty" forfeiting games, it's difficult to take today's NBA seriously.

[RMB2007]

http://nba.si.com/2012/12/12/seattle-arena-design/

[JJG]

Originally Posted by RMB2007

http://nba.si.com/2012/12/12/seattle-arena-design/

... is this an NBA/NHL quality arena or an art museum?

[BoulderGrad]

Originally Posted by JJG

... is this an NBA/NHL quality arena or an art museum?

... Yes..... Also a volcano...

[DimitriB]

What with the Key Arena?

[RMB2007]

More renders from the PDF file:







PDF file:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/G...endaID4179.pdf

[JJG]

I gotta say, it's a very.... unique design.

[mrakbaseball]

the response to the latest design seems to be overwhelmingly negative.

[mrakbaseball]

When the Sonics are reborn, I hope that these will be the style jersey they wear. The last season they wore these uniforms was '94-'95.

[natsfan2004]

Originally Posted by RMB2007

More renders from the PDF file:

I know Seattle is a progressive, modern city but this is just ridiculously ugly. Hope they wind up building something more like the one that was proposed for Renton:

[Marckymarc]

[mrakbaseball]

Miami's American Airlines Arena placed in the SoDo site for comparison's sake.

[Teddy94]

Report: NBA pressuring Maloofs to sell Sacramento Kings to Seattle group
http://nba.si.com/2012/10/26/maloofs...e-david-stern/

Between now and his departure, Stern is determined to get a franchise back into Seattle, league sources said, and has become a strong ally of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s group to bring back the NBA there. Ballmer’s group has been trying to get the Maloof family to sell the Sacramento Kings, so that the franchise can eventually play in a new arena in Seattle.

From the league office, pressure on the Maloofs to sell has been growing, sources said — just as hopes for a new Sacramento arena have been fading. Seattle Sonics fans will never forgive Stern for his complicit role in Clay Bennett’s deception to move that franchise to Oklahoma City, but make no mistake: Stern desperately wants to return the NBA to one of its great markets and wants it for his own measure of vindication before he leaves office.

As one source involved in the process said, “Stern has enough time to get a team back to Seattle, but he’ll let Silver deal with the crowd [booing] on opening night.”

http://blog.sonicsrising.com/chris-gets-it/

In this design he has managed to almost completely separate the “in game” component of the bowl with the “destination” feel of the concourse. So while the bowl experience will be 100% game oriented it looks like the “destination” experience will be one that maximizes the feeling of being out in Seattle with views of the water and the city. In the dead of winter you will be able to wander through this glass castle and feel like you are outdoors.

I expect to see more efforts to take the things that Seattle sports fans love about our region and venues incorporated into the building. . I expect some very cool designs replicating the center field experience at Safeco Field and the intimacy of games at the Key. Look for stuff like standing room options, high tech approaches to amazing sight lines and innovative ways to bring the crowd closer to the players and the game.

He’s going to do it like we would do it because he cares about the same thing. This building will be an amazing experience.

[Teddy94]

Originally Posted by DimitriB

What with the Key Arena?

If the Kings move to Seattle they will probably play there until this arena is built. After that who knows.

[wukikimonkey]

ok bear with me, but this is what this looks like to me:



and



barnacles and that stuff the Fraggles ate. Instant basketball heaven.

[Darloeye]

Don't know what to say about this design.

[JJG]

It's not final, is it...?