Saving Seattle: A SuperSonics Dynasty

[trekfan]

System/Game: PC/NBA 2K14
Mod: UBR
Rosters: UBR Historical Roster (with a few edits by myself, here and there)
Sliders: Custom
Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Sim Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Draft Class: UBR
Season Length: 82 Games
Playoff Format: 7-7-7-7
Injuries: Off (will be randomly chosen as the sim engine makes them far too frequent)
Progressive Fatigue: On
Player Roles: Off
Team Chemistry: On
CPU Trades: Off
Trade Override: Off
Control: 30 Teams

Welcome to my new dynasty story. My last one, The Gold Standard: The Ronnie Gold Story, reached it's conclusion yesterday after 1.5 years of work.

This is going to be a different beast, of sorts. This dynasty will focus on the Seattle SuperSonics, the now defunct team that was tragically relocated to OKC about six years ago.

This dynasty was inspired by Sonicsgate (the documentary about the death of the Sonics, which is very good. I highly recommend it if you're an NBA history nerd like myself) and the questions that it made me ask myself at the end of it:

What could have kept the Sonics from relocating?


And then the next question that came immediately after that:

How would the NBA have changed?


From there, my mind began to spin and this story was born. As with my other dynasty stories, consider this a TV series. We'll have main characters, supporting characters, guest stars, and a few surprises along the way. We're diving into a world like ours, but with some very noticeable changes ... so buckle up.

As per usual, I'll be playing about a third of the regular season games (as to make it fair, though the sliders I'm using make it very challenging to win, which I like) and all the playoff games, should I make it with the Sonics.

As always, any and all comments are welcome: feedback of any kind (good, bad, ugly, super-critical, amusing, insulting, or gibberish) is encouraged. This is a story where you, the followers, can influence the series of events through anything you say: there's no telling what it might make me do.

Now, with all that out of the way ... let's get started.

[trekfan]

The Many-Worlds Theory of quantum mechanics states that any action that has more than one possible result produces a split in the universe, producing a whole new reality that coexists with all the others.

In early 2003, the Seattle SuperSonics were at a crossroads. Unbeknownst to anyone outside a select few, Howard Schultz and the Basketball Club of Seattle were deep in negotiations with a new potential owner for the franchise. In one reality, the negotiations fell through on a cold, stormy Seattle night, playing a role in the ultimate death of the franchise a few short years later.

In another reality, events unfolded differently … and the course of NBA history was forever changed.



January 7^th, 2003

He checked his watch and stared back at his boss, unsure what the deal could be. He’d been asked by him to drive him to Key Arena on this night, of all nights, when Seattle’s weather was being less than kind. It was unusual but he kept his mouth shut; after all, he was just the personal assistant. He got paid really well not to ask questions but this seemed wrong somehow.

“Joey, how old were you during the Finals run?” the older man asked, his eyes bright with energy. He stood up and began to move, something he did frequently, and made grand gestures with his hands. “I’ve never seen such inspired play … the city rocked like it hadn’t rocked for a long, long time.”

Joey Gustavo, his dark hair still a bit wet and matted from the all the rain outside, nodded. “It was really something, Mr. Ballmer.”

Steve Ballmer shot him a thousand-megawatt smile. “Damn straight it was.”

The moment lasted for mere seconds before the doors to the conference room burst open and the cool face of a man greeted them both. The man shot a look of mistrust and derision at Joey before locking eyes with Ballmer. “We agreed to bring no one else in on this.”

Ballmer face remained stretched into a smile, though there didn’t seem to be much warmth behind it. “Howard, good to see you too.”

It was then that Joey realized who he was looking at: Howard Schultz, the owner of the Sonics. The guy who had issues with the Glove, Gary Payton. The guy a lot of Seattle was losing faith in fast.

Schultz ignored the smile and the words. “I’m not making a deal with him in here.”

Ballmer cast a glance back at Joey and then shrugged at Schultz. “I trust him; I wouldn’t have given him the position otherwise. We’re here to negotiate, not hatch some top-secret plan.”

Schultz’s face scrunched up and he looked like he was going to bolt. He took a half-turn to the door before letting out an audible sigh. Shoulders slumping a little, he turned back around and walked to the conference room table. The large, circular glass table took up a lot of space in the room and made everything seem smaller.

Well, everything but Schultz and Ballmer. The two tycoons seemed to loom over Joey. Schultz took out a thick envelope from his pristine, black coat -- which didn’t look that wet at all -- and set it on the table. He tapped on it twice with his right index finger. “Those are the final papers, everything we agreed to.”

Ballmer walked over, sat down, and opened the envelope. He started scanning through the papers, slowly at first and then picking up speed as he went. After he got done with the last page, he shot out of his chair and looked like an eager child about to get taken to the park. “It’s perfect.” He shot Schultz a sly look. “Albeit, I think your people added a few million to the final price.”

Schultz rubbed his forehead, looking more uncomfortable with every passing second. “I want this over with. This entire thing has been a headache …” He stared at the papers and then shook his head. “Steve --”

Before he could finish the words, Ballmer had a pen in his hand and was quickly signing the papers. It took him only a minute before he was done. He emphatically set the pen on the table and slid it towards Schultz. “Come on, Howard. Don’t back out on me now.”

Schultz looked down at the papers and then back at Ballmer, before finally picking up the pen and signing. He took longer and he looked less than thrilled, but when it was done, it was done. He set the pen down and then took a deep breath. “It’s yours.” He sounded relieved.

Ballmer nodded and Schultz gathered up the papers, putting them back in the envelope. He extended his hand and Ballmer shook it excitedly. “We should go out and celebrate,” Ballmer suggested.

Schultz shook his head. “I have other plans. I’ll get these papers to the league office in the morning … the sale will have to be approved, of course, but with the amount you paid I think they’ll be little issue.” He took a long glance at the window outside, where the storm was letting up, and nodded once. “I’ll see you around.” With that, Schultz left the conference room.

Joey sat there for a long moment before working up the courage to ask, “What was all that about, sir?”

Ballmer’s chest puffed out and he stood tall. “I just bought the Seattle SuperSonics.”

Joey’s mouth hung open. Ballmer had done what? “But … you …” He couldn’t believe it. His boss was now the owner of the SuperSonics, Seattle’s lone championship winning franchise … it was incredible. Not only was it incredible, it was also unbelievable. “Sir, Schultz just bought the team!” Joey found himself saying despite how happy he was -- not only for the fact he was now working under the owner of the Sonics, but also for the fact that Schultz no longer owned the team. Joey had always been more of a Folgers man than a Starbucks one.


Ballmer grinned broadly. “Two years ago. His investment hasn’t paid off since.” Ballmer looked like he was about to burst and began to pace around the table, his arms moving almost as fast as his legs. “They lost money, more than they thought they would, and the city doesn’t want to deal with them.”

Joey had been following the news for months on this, much like everyone else he knew. The Sonics ownership wanted a new arena or funds to update Key Arena again; the city wasn’t going to budge. Time and time again Schultz had brought up the need for a new arena, but he wasn’t getting anywhere. Things were beginning to look ominous. “But, sir, how in the hell did you convince Schultz to sell?” Schultz was a lifelong basketball fan, a billionaire egomaniac. Selling the Sonics was the biggest admission of failure in the man’s life.

Ballmer stopped for a moment and shrugged. “I gave him four-hundred million dollars; that’s a substantial profit and a business win, no matter how you look at it.” Almost as soon as Ballmer switched into business mode did he switch back into the excited fan-state. “Joey, we’re on the cusp of something great here … I can feel it. I wanted this, something my family can call their own, a legacy for me, my children, and their grandchildren.” He stopped his pacing and stared outside the window, out into Seattle. “Think of it: we’re both on the ground floor of something grand.”

Joey stared out the window to and stood from his seat. “Both?” he asked even though he didn’t want to. He was a nobody. A nothing. He had landed this job out of pity or mercy, he wasn’t sure which. He had graduated four years ago with a degree in computer science and analytics. It wasn’t from a big school -- it was actually quite small -- and it hadn’t impressed any of the tech companies.

It was only by fate or luck Ballmer chose him as his personal assistant, someone young who could keep up with him. Ballmer burned out on assistants like Dan Snyder burned out on quarterbacks. Or head coaches. But, fresh out of college, Joey had been chosen as Ballmer’s guy.

That was four years ago. Now he was 26, making a decent pay, but seemingly stuck being Ballmer’s personal assistant for life. He worked for him and he technically worked for Microsoft, yes, but he had no real experience doing anything of note. In his mind, he was a disappointment.

But everything he ever thought about himself and about his job the last four years went out the window a moment ago.

Ballmer turned around with a sly look in his eyes. “Joey, you’ve been loyal to me for four years running. You’re the longest tenured personal assistant I’ve ever had.” He walked over to the table and placed his hands on it, his excitement tampered down into something Joey had rarely seen: somberness. “You’ve done everything I’ve asked of you, never once complaining, always tackling projects assigned with your best. It’s time you be rewarded for that.”

Joey felt his throat go dry. “Rewarded, sir?”

Ballmer nodded once. “I’m cleaning house. The team needs to be reassessed … this year is over for the Sonics, even I can see that. We need to start planning for next year. I’m hiring a new GM and I’m going to see to it that you get a spot in his staff … you’re going to be working for this team and for me.” A small smile played at his lips. “You’re a fast learner, Joey. There hasn’t been a project I’ve assigned to you that you haven’t excelled in. Your untapped potential is just itching to get out, to be unleashed … finding you the place to do that has been tough. You haven’t been my personal assistant all these years because you’re poor at your job; just the opposite, you’re too damned good. Anything I threw at it you adapted to pretty fast.”

Head swimming with compliments and the sale of the team and his life, Joey could only nod, his face vacant.

Ballmer went on, unaware or uncaring of Joey’s stunned silence. “You need a challenge; something that’ll make you rise to the occasion and tap into the greatness I know you have.” He repeatedly tapped his index finger into his chest, over and over. “You have heart, passion, but you don’t show it on anything I assign you … you do show it when the Sonics play.”

The Sonics. Images of Payton to Kemp flashed in his mind, George Karl pacing the sidelines and shaking his head, the celebration when the team made it back to the Finals for the first time in nearly two decades … “Sir, I … I don’t know what to say.”

Ballmer walked around the table and heartily slapped Joey on the back. “You say ‘YES’! You’re passionate about basketball, Joey. I hear you cheer for the Sonics when they’re playing on TV, I see you take down notes during the game, I’ve heard legendary stories from your fellow staff members -- past and present -- about how you launch into analytical tangents on the team when they lose.”

Joey’s face flushed. He was bad about the Sonics, everyone knew that … he couldn’t stop talking about them when he started. It was one of the reasons why everyone at the office came to him after big games; if they needed someone to break down why the Sonics won or loss, he was their man. “I … I didn’t realize it was that well known, sir.”

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of; in fact, be proud of it. Too many people go through life drowning in dullness, unwilling to let their passions show for fear of rejection.” He slapped him heartily on the back again. “You don’t hide your colors; the green and gold are part of you.”

Joey took a deep breath. “Sir, it’s too much to ask of you. I’m not qualified to be anything in an NBA organization … I’m a fan, a dedicated fan but still a fan.”

“We’re all fans,” Ballmer countered. “I’m one too. Look at me!” He stepped back and threw out his arms wide. “I just bought the SuperSonics for four-hundred million dollars! I’m a fan who paid twice as much as the last guy who bought the team and I’m not done spending money. Key Arena has to grow, it has to be able to compete with the rest of the NBA … and it will, because I’ll finance it. All of it if I have to.” He clapped his hands loudly against the sides of his legs. “I’d feel a lot better putting that money in if I had someone I trusted working in the organization; someone I could grow with.”

Joey felt lightheaded and he pulled out a chair from the conference table, collapsing into it. “Grow with?”

“I’m an owner now. But I’ve never owned a basketball team before, so, like anything else new, I’m going to have to grow into it. Learn. Adjust. Excel.” He pointed a big finger at Joey. “You have an advantage over me; you’re young. You can adjust faster, adapt quicker. You already know a lot about this team and that was before you were even offered a job with it!” He pounded his fist on the table. “Don’t shrink away from this opportunity because you think it’s too much! If you show your heart,” he said again as he tapped his chest once more, “then you can do anything.” He held out his hand, the implication clear.

Joey took a big breath and stood from his chair. Four years he’d been working under Steve Ballmer and never once had he been offered a promotion. Never once had he been cited for doing anything wrong. He had never asked why he was passed over, why he was still doing the same thing he was doing as a 22-year-old punk out of college.

He had always wondered why Ballmer had passed him up and now he knew.

“If you want passion …” Joey licked his lips and took Ballmer’s hand, gripping it as hard as he could. “You got it.”

Ballmer laughed loudly and shook his hand back, hard. “That’s it! All right, we’re going out to celebrate and talk strategy.” He hurriedly parted from Joey and headed to the door, his legs running almost. “There’s a lot to do and a lot to plan for.” He stopped at the doorway and turned to Joey, a gleam in his eye. “Congratulations Mr. Gustavo: you’ve just become my first hire.”

[trekfan]

Schultz Sells Supersonics
January 8, 2003
Vivian Marshall

In a surprise move, the Sonics were sold to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer for $400 million dollars in a move that is widely being met with relief by Sonics fans and players alike. The paperwork was submitted to the league office earlier this morning and, according to an inside source, the process should meet with “near-unanimous” approval.


The short ownership of Starbucks founder Howard Schultz has been fraught with questionable choices, but the benefit of the doubt was given to him by fans, at least for a little while, before those questions became louder. And louder. All the while the leader of the Sonics, Gary Payton, expressed his opinions on how the team was being run.


And the Glove wasn’t a big fan.


Schultz, in his first press conference, compared himself to Mark Cuban -- a new breed of owner who could bring instant success thanks to his business ventures. Instead, Schultz helped guide the team to two years of mediocrity, albeit his first year did include a playoff appearance. Despite this, Schultz’s connection with the team and the fans faded fast.


“He never got it,” said star Gary Payton on Schultz’s sale of the team. “He just didn’t understand what we were about here, what we had … he didn’t get it, so you know what? Good he got out. I won’t miss him.”


Fan sentiments have been similar so far. But with Schultz gone, what is Ballmer going to do different?


“I plan to build a winner,” Ballmer said in an afternoon press-conference. “In my years working at Microsoft, I’ve seen what it takes to build something that lasts; to build something that matters and will continue to matter for years to come. We have a chance to do this here in Seattle and I plan to make sure it happens.”


This season has been tough so far,” Ballmer continued, citing the Sonics near .500 record and lack of consistency, “but there will be a brighter future and it’ll be here sooner than anyone thinks. Bet on it; the SuperSonics will be back among the league’s best organizations sooner rather than later.”


Ballmer was animated, almost giddy, at the press conference which was a noticeable departure from the collected demeanor of Howard Schultz, who often seemed withdrawn to the press and petulant sitting in his home courtside seats. The NBA is expected to approve the sale at the next Board of Governors meeting in March.

NBA Quick Hits


Reports are coming out of Charlotte that says the ownership group for the expansion franchise awarded is experiencing “internal difficulties” that are “threatening to dissolve the group”. Both Robert Johnson and the NBA have denied these reports, but insiders speculate the surprise sale of the Sonics for $400 million dollars (not including Ballmer’s proposed $150 million in arena upgrades) has made some in the ownership group have second thoughts.


“The logic,” says a source, “is why waste $300 million dollars on an expansion team when you can find an owner willing to get out? Why settle for a lesser team that’ll take years to build when you can buy an established one?”

[BraedenG33]

Ahah! What a start. I love the story. I like the alternate universe angle you chose to take, because it opens so many doors for new possibilities.

Also, will you have the dynasty take place from 2003 on or will you fast forward to present day at some point? Will the NBA be changed in unexpected ways as a result of this altered timeline, a la a butterfly effect? What happens when (or if, I guess) the Sterling situation occurs? If Ballmer is already in seattle, who breaks the bank for the Clippers?

You definitely have a follower in me, can't wait for more.

[trekfan]

Thanks man! Yes, we're starting in 2003 ... early Spring is where the story takes place. We're going to follow along and set up our cast of characters till the end of the 2002-2003 season. Once we reach the offseason, HUGE things are going to go down.

Remember, the 2003 draft class is here ... I have every draft class in history made and the stats are very well done (thank you UBR). So, the 2003 draft will be happening and that draft class is what has made the league it is today. That's going to be a huge point in the story and we should reach it tomorrow, if I get everything posted before that.

The league is going to be a very different place. We'll be going season by season, year by year, watching things change and seeing a different history unfold. It's going to be really fun.

[BraedenG33]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Thanks man! Yes, we're starting in 2003 ... early Spring is where the story takes place. We're going to follow along and set up our cast of characters till the end of the 2002-2003 season. Once we reach the offseason, HUGE things are going to go down. Remember, the 2003 draft class is here ... I have every draft class in history made and the stats are very well done (thank you UBR). So, the 2003 draft will be happening and that draft class is what has made the league it is today. That's going to be a huge point in the story and we should reach it tomorrow, if I get everything posted before that. The league is going to be a very different place. We'll be going season by season, year by year, watching things change and seeing a different history unfold. It's going to be really fun.

I'm actually happier that you're starting in the past, I'd love to see a revision of history in the NBA. What a great start, with the best draft class in recent memory, if not ever. There are so many ways you could go with it, my mind is racing. Love the start, and yeah, it is going to be really fun.

[trekfan]

January 8^th, 2003

It wasn’t a good day. As David Stern read the headlines across the league, his head began to ache. Schultz, the owner of the Sonics, had gone behind his back and sold the team without any sort of indication that he was thinking of doing so. The two had been operating in tandem to try and secure a new arena in Seattle.

The Seattle media was hailing this as a victory for fans, which it may have been -- Schultz wasn’t a particularly good owner but he was young and David was sure he would grow into it with support from the other owners and his fanbase. Schultz got neither and now he was gone.

He was gone and Ballmer was in. Of course final approval had to be granted by the Board of Governors, but that was just a formality at this point; Ballmer was a billionaire, the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world and an avid basketball fan. It looked good for the league to have him as an owner.

It looked bad for David to have an owner sell the team like this, without any consultation with him or any sort of meeting to express the desire to sell. He supposed Schultz felt like he wasn’t wanted and many of the owners -- Mark Cuban especially -- disliked Schultz. But that’s what David was there for, to act as a representative for the entirety of the NBA, for all owners.

Worse, the sale of the Sonics had made the ownership group for the Charlotte expansion franchise edgy. The deal was already being questioned by some in that ownership group and with Schultz selling of the Sonics, the group was beginning to show cracks. Robert Johnson, the leader of the group, assured him that this was just jitters … but David had a feeling that there was more going on.

If Charlotte fell through it would be a problem for him and the plans he had for the future. But he put that aside for the moment; it would do little good to worry about things that might happen.

He carefully folded the newspaper he was reading and set it on his lap, his eyes scanning the TV ahead of him. Muted, the closed captioning appeared at the bottom of the screen at an increased rate. David preferred to read whenever he got the chance to … the silence was a nice reprieve to his usually loud day.

He was disappointed to see ESPN similarly hailing the SuperSonics sale as something good for the Seattle fans. They were running with Gary Payton’s quote on Schultz, which was unsurprising; Payton had a mouth that had gotten him into trouble in the past and would, undoubtedly, get him into trouble soon.

He could fine him for his comments but that would only embolden him at this point; he’d wait till later in the season when Payton’s temper would get the better of him. He reached over and buzzed his secretary. “Rose?”

“Yes, Mr. Stern,” she replied.

He leaned back in his chair. “Please call Steve Ballmer’s office and set up a meeting with him as soon as he's free. I’d like to meet our new owner.”

“Yes, sir.” The speaker clicked off.

David rubbed his fingers together, his eyes watching the TV before him. He didn’t know much about Steve Ballmer or what his plans for the team were. But by the time their meeting had concluded, he would. Ballmer was a new variable in an equation that was constantly changing.

But David was constantly changing too. It was the only way to stay atop this league.

[illWILL8455]

Following!

Great storyline! I agree with Braeden! You really will have a tremendous amount of possibilities to take this considering all of the new players that are stars now that will soon enter the league. Also, you can redo trades around and switch around some to change up the course of the NBA.

I'm beyond excited to see how you take this, I move for Danny Granger being Seattle's draft pick in 2005 lol!

Great dynasty idea! Good luck with it!