Landon Buford
Last week, the NBA announced that the Minnesota Timberwolves were sold. Glen Taylor decided to sale his team to baseball legend Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore, a former Wal-Mart executive.
Rumors were flying after they might be relocating to Seattle because of Rodriguez’s connection to the city. However, the NBA will not let what happened to Seattle to other NBA cities.
Seattle Sonics legend Gary Payton was on this week’s episode of Scoop B Radio hosted by Brandon “Scoop B’ Robinson. Payton was asked what will it take to bring a team back to the Emerald City.
“I think it’s going to happen in about another three years. I think that all the people are waiting, and I think Adam Silver for the TV deal to come through and see if he can do the expansion. He’s not going to let another team leave another city. I don’t know if you heard about the rumor about Alex Rodriguez and them trying to buy a team and move them to Seattle, and then all of the sudden the NBA came in and said, ‘Nope,” said Payton.
“We’re not doing that…’ I don’t think that’s going to happen anymore. The only way that Seattle’s going to get a team is if a team goes broke and they gotta move or if we get a two-team expansion. It goes from 30 to 32, that’s going to take a lot, and it’s going to take a lot for those owners to agree about it, but I think they know that Seattle is ready, and they can be a first runner up in the West.”
Payton was also asked about would choose ownership or coaching.
“Ownership. I don’t even want ownership, really. I would rather be the president. I would rather rebuild the team the way that I know I can rebuild the team with what I know with what I went through with those Seattle Supersonic teams and bring in the dogs that I can get in.”
“That means I’m controlling everything; I’m bringing in the players, and I don’t want to put anything on the coach because if I’m giving the coach the players, he has to deal with it. He’s not the one out there playing. If I bring him Chihuahuas and don’t bring him Rottweilers, then he’s not going to win. So I want to bring him Rottweilers so when he gets out there, he has no other choice but to say, ‘Man, I messed up. I’m getting them to play how they want to play…’ so I’d rather be a president so I can make it the way I want it to be.”
Earlier this year, I spoke with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, he shared that the NBA is missing out a lot of corporate sponsors by not being in Seattle.
“A lot of corporate sponsorship and a lot of great fans,” said Cuban.
“Many people miss the NBA, so we are missing a lot by not being there.
Oklahoma City has been a great market; I can’t take anything from them. And I
am not saying anything that I have not already said before, but I think there
is a future where Seattle has a team. I just don’t know when.”
