If they had built a new arena within a certain time frame, and I believe they just passed the funding for one.
With the Clips going for $2 billion I sure there will be a few owners inquiring about moving their franchises to Anaheim. One move and your franchise would instantly be worth at least a billion.
I just saw some Seattle fans on another forum talking about how PA should move the Blazers up there. Fuck them, i hope they never get a team now. Hopefully we get an NHL team before them too.
Could any real Seattle Basketball over the age of 20 bring themselves to root for a franchise that was the Blazers?
what is incredibly hilarious about their mindset (and I have no doubt it's a very small minority of Sonic fans who "believe" this is remotely happening)...if Paul Allen was going to do this, he is really going about it the stupid way. Unlike the Sonics back before they moved to OKC, the Blazers are actually investing in the arena, investing in creating a positive connection between the city and more importantly, state and the team AND they're doing things to improve the overall health and reputation OF the franchise (both business wise and basketball wise). So, in other words, Paul Allen is doing almost the exact opposite thing you'd want to do to justify and speed up the process of moving the franchise to another city.
Plus, he still owns the arena here, right? I mean, he moves away, he has to hope for a publicly funded building, and then sell a worthless building here.
Plus didn't/isn't he trying to buy an NHL team to move to the RG? Why would he burn that many bridges if he had another team here?
Re: The Blazers - The city of Portland has an iron-clad lease with them. The Blazers moving is a moot subject.
I never thought of Ballmer as being a basketball junky. So much of a junky that he would be willing to spend 1.2 billion of his riches to purchase a team that resides 1000 miles of where he lives and where he intended on bringing a team. Has to be more to this. The deal is signed, sealed and almost delivered. Pending league approval the team is his.
I still think Allen has the money to hire a good enough attorney to find the 'loophole' if he wanted to make this happen. I don't have that much confidence in Portland city politics to think otherwise. He is hounded constantly by those that adore him in Seattle to move the Blazers up there. He is a hero up there. He has to at least think about it every once in awhile.
And what does he do with the Moda Center? They can't make enough off of Winterhawks games and the occassional concert to justify owning such a place.
