Sleepless in Seattle

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This isn't about our favorite movie years ago, when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan titillated us with their love story that ended up at New York's Empire State Building. This is about NBA, about the Oklahoma Thunder which may become this season's big winner and its predecessor, the Seattle Supersonics.

A few years ago, in 2008 , the Sonics folded up the Seattle franchise and moved to Oklahoma. The reason?  The Sonics team owners and the city of Seattle failed to agree on the expansion of Key Arena, the Sonics homecourt. So Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, stars of the 90's who battled the mighty Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls for the NBA crown in 1996 , Dale Ellis, Xavier McDaniel in the 80's, Dennis Johnson, Jack Sigma in the 70's, Ray Alllen, Rashard Lewis of the early 2000, and the people of Seattle are the ones who maybe are now having sleepless nights.

Consider this. Back then in 2008, Kevin Durant, the man responsible for the ascendancy of the Thunder now, was already with the Sonics team, coming out from a Rookie of the Year season. And the flamboyant, high flying Russel Westbrooke from UCLA, the flip side of the Thunder's dynamic duo, was already drafted. So, back then, the future already belonged to them. They could have been in this prestigious position right now. 41 long years and one NBA championship in 1979, that was their story. It could have been a green and gold (Sonics color) celebration; not the blue and white Thunder  color.And future Hall of Famer Gary Payton is terribly sad.

Many of my friends say Seattle is a beautiful city; and I believe them. This city, home of America's great names in business, among them,  Boeing ( that's why they were called Supersonics), Starbucks, Microsoft, and what more, deserves to have an NBA team.

Incidentally, last summer, I read from an old book of my father-in-law, the speech of an Indian tribal leader delivered during the turn-over of their sacred land to the "whites." It was a very beautiful speech, full of passion with a tinge of disappointment that they have to give up their hallowed ground, the home of their ancestors. It was about their culture, tradition, and bravery in fighting for what they rightfully claimed was theirs. But why am I relating this?

Because the name of this Indian tribal leader was Chief Seattle, and the city was named after him.