Groz: Could Timberwolves become the Sonics? That’s not Seattle’s style
Apr 13, 2021, 11:41 AM
Former Mariners star Alex Rodriguez is set to become an owner of the NBA's Timberwolves. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, Storm, Sounders and Kraken all have something in common. In fact, that same thing they have in common also extends to Seattle’s two defunct major pro teams – the Pilots and, of course, the Sonics.
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Every single one of those franchises came to the city through expansion. The Seahawks, Mariners, Storm and Sounders have all stuck, and there’s a lot of excitement for the Kraken’s debut NHL season next fall, but when it comes to the SuperSonics, the pain of having the team ripped out of the city remains all too real.
So when news broke over the weekend that a group led by former Mariners superstar Alex Rodriguez has agreed to buy the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, it quickly got people thinking maybe there’s a plan to move that struggling franchise to Seattle to fill the Sonics-shaped hole that has been here for a decade.
That’s not what 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave “The Groz” Grosby wants to see, however.
Some cities have been plenty comfortable taking pro teams away from other markets. Take Los Angeles, for example. The Lakers were originally in Minneapolis. The Dodgers came from Brooklyn. The Clippers and Chargers both moved up from San Diego. LA has taken the Rams twice – first from Cleveland, then St. Louis. When they had the Raiders, it was because of a stadium dispute in Oakland. Of the four major pro sports leagues in America, the NHL’s Kings stand alone as an expansion franchise given to LA.
Seattle is the opposite, and The Groz wants it to stay that way.
“It’s going to be hard enough calling an expansion team the Sonics when we know the originals are in Oklahoma City,” he said, “but Cleveland did it when Baltimore took the Browns and made them the Ravens. Even though they play the original Browns twice a year, they seem to have gotten over it. But if Seattle steals say the Timberwolves and tries to call them the Sonics, I don’t think I can take that step.”
You can hear Groz’s full point in the latest Just a Minute segment in the video in this post. And to make sure you don’t miss any of Groz’s videos, subscribe to 710 ESPN Seattle’s YouTube channel here.
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