While Seattle’s NBA franchise seems all but certain to relocate to Oklahoma City, there’s at least one NBA owner firmly opposed to the move writes the Post-Intelligencer’s Gary Washburn.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban refuses to write Seattle off as an NBA city, even if city and state leaders aren’t giving him any reason for his faithfulness.
Cuban, churning out miles on his Stairmaster, said Tuesday that he would vote against a Sonics’ relocation to Oklahoma City, even if it means he is the lone owner to support the Sonics remaining in Seattle.
Cuban said he believes market size is critical.
Seattle is the 14th-largest media market while Oklahoma City is 45th.
“I’m going to wait to get all the information,” he said before the Sonics’ game against the Mavericks. “(But) my preference is the Sonics stay in Seattle. My prejudice is against having a Dustbowl Division in this part of the country because I don’t think in the big picture that helps the NBA and I think the bigger market helps the NBA.”
If the Sonics were to relocate to Oklahoma City, the NBA could move the OKC team to the Southwest Division along with the Mavericks, Spurs, Rockets, Hornets and Grizzlies. Cuban has not wavered in his support for Seattle, despite being informed that the Steve Ballmer-led investment group has pulled back its offer to help renovate KeyArena.
“There could be information that sways me,” he said. “If they come back and said the Oklahoma City index is 200 when it comes to watching the NBA on TNT or ABC, and no one in Seattle watches, then OK maybe there’s information that goes beyond market size.
“My prejudice is to vote them in but like everything else in the NBA, (the vote) will be 29-1.”