Sonics | Online, fans take aim in name game

Updating the popular old-school pastime of swapping "yo' momma" jokes, Seattle and Oklahoma City message-board fiends are in a heated battle.

As in, "Your state is full of so many hooligan businessmen you should call yo' NBA basketball team the 'Oklahoma Outlaws,' " says Erich, one poster on www.NewsOK.com.

Or this: "When all is said and done, the Sonics will be in Seattle, and the OKC team will be the Could-Have-Beens or the Should-Have-Beens," James pipes in.

NBA commissioner David Stern's remarks Thursday revived the daydreaming in Oklahoma City and fanned the flames in Seattle.

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett said he intends to relocate his organization to his native state next season, though he must first get out of the KeyArena lease before it expires in 2010. That prompted Stern to add that if Seattle loses its 41-year-old franchise, "There's not going to be another team there, not in any conceivable future plan that I could envision, and that would be too bad."

Like expectant parents, Oklahomans are gleefully researching the possibilities. Should it be "Thunderbirds" or "Roughnecks?" Or maybe the NBA team should be the "Twisters," referring to tornadoes — especially if Bennett decides to keep the WNBA's Storm.

And the dreamers aren't stopping with the nickname. There are color schemes, uniform designs and furry mascots to create. All under the careful design of not being too hillbilly-ish.

"Is that how you want people in the national media seeing us?" wrote Michael in disapproving of anything roughneck. "I'm not even a big fan of Thunderbolts. It just doesn't sound right for an NBA franchise. Personally I think we should get away from the hickish names and tie it into Chesapeake [Energy Corp.] or something along those lines.

"My suggestion is OKC Surge. It has a little to do with the company and we all know it can be absolutely electric in the Ford Center any given night. The uniforms could be dark blue, electric blue and white."

There's no NBA rule banning owners from changing the nickname of a franchise upon moving, or in general. The most recent makeover was in 1997, when Washington wanted to separate itself from the negative connotation of "Bullets" in the crime-ridden D.C. area, and became the "Wizards." In 1963, the team was called the Chicago Zephyrs.

Others retain the name. Vancouver's Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001 and the Charlotte Hornets became the New Orleans Hornets in 2002.

Although there's speculation that relinquishing the rights to the Sonics and Storm licensing could be a condition of the ownership breaking its KeyArena lease with Seattle, a spokesman for Bennett said any talk of whether the Sonics remain the Sonics in Oklahoma is "way, way, way too preliminary to even discuss."

Yet Bennett did tell his hometown newspaper that, "Everything is on the table. Clearly our partners, the other owners in the league and the league itself will be involved with this [potential move], as well as on issues such as that."

Apparently message-board posters from Washington aren't buying the hype, however, and figure Oklahomans also can fantasize about linking a team name to the Sonic drive-in restaurant chain, but it isn't going to happen. In the end, Seattle fans think their team will remain the Sonics.

In Seattle.

In the NFL, Browns fans in Cleveland in 1995 fought early to keep their naming rights, colors and records for a replacement team. There has been no such movement locally. Brian Robinson, co-founder of Save Our Sonics and Storm, didn't even want to broach the topic.

"I just don't want to talk about that yet," he said. "This is going to be really sad if it goes on for three years. It's going to be painful for everybody. And if you can look politically in our state, [Gov. Christine] Gregoire got a lot of mileage out of getting involved in the Seahawk stadium. [Former Sen.] Slade Gorton got us the Mariners.

"Politically, saving sports teams is really good business. Losing sports teams is not going to be good for them."

So, for now, the NBA name game remains just that.

Note

• Sonics guard Luke Ridnour practiced without his protective mask and thinks he will not need it again to protect the nose broken Oct. 9.

• Teammate Kurt Thomas (strained right hamstring) practiced for the first time in two weeks and could make his Sonics debut today if he's not feeling any pain in his leg.

• Center Robert Swift, who has started the past three games, missed one-fourth of practice because of his right knee and is questionable for today's game.

Jayda Evans: 206-464-2067 or jevans@seattletimes.com