That lineup looks good….....Welcome to Portland.

about brandon roy or say anything good about the L*akers,,and you are an official blazer fan!!! welcome aboard..you came at the right time

You will be one of many in the next few weeks and months. As a Blazer fan who lives in Seattle….I’m terribly sad to see the Sonics go, but excited to see excitement about the blazers!

but don’t get too attached to Sergio

I can certainly understand why you would want to cuss a blue streak that would make longshoremen blush in shame. Us fans in Portland (Or in my case, I’m no longer in Portland, but oh well.) really wanted the Sonics to stay. We enjoyed the rivalry, and look forward to another team going to Seattle as soon as possible.

In the meantime, we welcome you aboard, and it’s a good time to be a Blazers fan. There’s a lot of hope for the future in Portland, and the Rest of the league, from what I read, is really worried about us. I don’t have my hopes that high for next season. I think we win 45, and just squeak into the playoffs, but ‘09/’10 should be good and scary for teams not from Portland.

Him going to UW and being from Seattle makes him the obvious pick. Really the question is who shouldn’t you love?

The answer? Raef LaFrentz. Why? Expiring contract, you’ll be heartbroken when he leaves you like your former love the Sonics. Everyone else though is very lovable.

Darn it, I’m at work. I’m really sorry you’re losing your team.

That sucks.

I think you should love RLEC (Raef LaFrentz’s Expiring Contract). He… er, it rather, will probably be pretty involved for the next 8 months in many trade discussions.

In all seriousness, you can’t go wrong. Everyone on the team is very likeable.

Oh, and Honor Terry Porter. We need his jersey hanging in our rafters.

I’m sorry about what’s happened to your team. Can’t even imagine.
There’s no better team for you to cheer for then the Blazers. They’ll bring you a lot of joy and probably a few small heart attacks along the way. But it wiil be worth it in the end. And we have your local boy BRoy.

I here by pledge in solidarity to my down trodden North West brethern, that I will not rest until the Trailblazers beat the Oklahoma Rednecks by 40 points every time the two teams meet. Let us adopt the Seattle faithful into our family of Fanship, much as they have with us for baseball and football. Join us in the fight to make things right. Destroy Oklahoma. I think we can all hate this new division rival. Don’t mess with the North West.

Now, with that out of the way, it’s time for me to cheer on the Portland Trail Blazers.

I really believe this OKC franchise will be cursed. I’m not sure how all of the bad karma that Clay Bennett has been sowing will manifest itself, but he (and OKC by extension) will reap it, I’m sure, in more ways than one. My Dad and brother are Sonic refugees, we grew up in Oregon but my Dad grew up in Seattle. They made the jump a couple of years ago. He buys ticket packages for Blazer games every year, but he used to make special trips to Seattle to see the Sonics and they were always first in his heart. I remember two years ago when he said, “Noah, I think the Blazers are my team now. They’ve replaced the Sonics as the team I care most about.” He and my brother had finally seen the light, the Blazers had won their hearts. I said “It’s about time.” Welcome Sonic refugees. We will take all comers. You’ve been generous with your Seahawks and Mariners over the years. Thank you. On to my question.

Now that it’s over, I was wondering if anybody knows how the divisions will be setup. I can’t imagine OKC staying in the Northwest division, but I they can’t go to the East right? So it would be the Southwest division. But then who comes from the SW division to the NW division? None of those teams make sense, but I guess neither does Denver, or Minnesota, heck Utah isn’t really NW either. But Memphis, no. The texas teams, no. New Orleans, no. Do you move OKC to the southwest and then move somebody from the southwest to the pacific and then somebody from the pacific to the nw? I need answers!

that blazers could move to seattle?

i hope not

I do that when I see some one write something I like or to see how brilliant the people who dare to chastise my love for the blazers or my intelligence. you are die hard fan..im sorry to see you lose your squad man..im truly sorry…. but the sonics loss is our gain…once again welcome aboard

when I saw Seattle settle. I hoped, and thought, they’d fight till the end. I was stronly in support of the Sonics staying in Seattle. Last season, when Stern was in Portland for the game, I even tried to get a Save the Sonics chant going in the second quarter. That didn’t work out too well. But anyway, the scariest thing about this is that now there is precedent for any owner that wants to move a team for no good reason. And that’s scary.

So, Seattle fans, I’m sorry. And the Blazers are gonna be a great team to follow if you want to jump aboard. And, for those fans, I have a question: When that team comes to Portland next season would it be better to start chanting, “Seattle Supersonics” or just boo? Would the chant be too painful? Because I’ll do one or the other. The Bedge should start that movement right now.

Say 3 Hail Mary’s, 2 Our Fathers, hug someone…..done!
Welcome Aboard! You are in for an exciting ride!

Your presence here negates the idea (that I’ve read elsewhere) that there were no Sonics fans left. Others have suggested that no way would Sonics fans become Blazer fans since we’ve always been rivals.

I grew up in Seattle and the Sonics were my first NBA love (back in the Lenny Wilkins era) but I’ve been here for years, Even so I hate the thought that they are leaving … and I am so proud of Paul Allen for voting NO in the owner’s vote.

Anyway, you have come to the right place and I hope you stay and have fun with us.

Keith, all these posts to you are quite informative, and the sardonic team names mentioned for OKC provoke questions. Thanks for being a catalyst. Seeing that the hijacked team is not taking it colors or name, seriously, who gets to make the decision on those options? “Sooner” or later, Oklahoma culture will be entwined. What about the GM and Coach, are they staying with the players? If Carlisemo stays, Presto, you got to think Sprewell for GM.

I live in Seattle and listening to all these fans suffer saddens me. The Sonics and Blazers had a special rivalry and Seattle losing the Sonics feels like the Blazers lost a part of themselves. My only wish this year is when the Okies come to the Rose Garden, the fans will cheer as if the hated Lakers are playing.

.............................. That would be awesome.

t

I can’t even pretend that I can imagine what it is like to lose your team – especially to a bunch of low-life, scum-sucking, grit-eating bunch of dirt bags like the trash that has stolen your beloved Sonics. We can only hope that their eternally bad kharma will get the best of them someday. Meanwhile, please consider Bedge and the Blazers your new home for NBA action and excitement.

hope this works…..

http://www.wintrest.com/if-celebs-moved-to-oklahoma/

I don’t have much to add that hasn’t been said already, but I hope the Blazers (and Blazer’s Edge) can fill the hole in your heart.

P.S. I’ve been boycotting Starbucks too. Not only in Portland, but also when I visit family in West Nowheresville, Michigan, where Starbucks is the only option.

For that I am sorry. Even though Mr. Sonic is our coach, it still feels wrong.

GD it all, this is the worst feeling. I hate the NBA.

if the NBA were to take the Blazers from me I don’t know if I could watch another game. I would be so put off. I love this game so much and I wouldnt be able to enjoy it the same way ever again. DOWN WITH STERN!

That would get you used to rooting for the Blazers.

...I think this is one of the lowest moments in the history of the league, to reward 41 years of loyalty with this nonsense. One wonders why any smaller-market fan base in the NBA should show the league the slightest bit of support knowing full well that the league holds them, quite openly, in contempt. Bennett and company are swine, but I hold David Stern equally responsible for this mess. This is his message-give us what we want, entirely at taxpayer’s expense, or we’ll be gone. One longs for the dignity and grace of Larry O’Brien.

I’ve often thought, ever since Bennett and Stern’s intentions became clear, that it would be poetic justice if King County or the greater Puget Sound area were to launch a sustained and widespread boycott of NBA merchandise. Hit them where it counts (not that anyone would be missing much-I can attest that much league merch is simply Chinese-made junk these days, having paid sixty bucks for a jacket that began to fray less than a week after its purchase). Just a notion.

Anyway, I hope those Sonics fans looking south feel free to adopt their former rivals as a worthy proxy. What you’ve gone through could very well have been the case here had the Rose Garden not been constructed when it was, or had Paul Allen’s passion for the team not been rekindled in the past two years. I know I’ll be looking for the Blazers to humiliate OKC with regularity, and if this offers any small consolation, I’ve heard rumors that those Sonics players making this move have indicated privately that they aren’t very happy with it. Let us hope that the OKC Carpetbaggers challenge and break the league mark for futility, and that this and further events conspire to drive Clay Bennett into bankruptcy, and David Stern to resignation and oblivion.

After you get over you’re loss, you’ll find that it’s not too difficult to be a fan of the Blazers as well as the M’s. You soon be like me and wasting your time at work with both BE and LL up and trying to keep up with comments on both at the same time.

I, for one, get my venti nonfat halfcalf 2 pump sugar free vanilla/hazlenut latte w/ no room from a lil jenxie cafe down the street. They dont even offer lids because it’s bad for the environment and kills baby seals in the ocean! How Portland!

So F Starbucks.. i’ve shed a tear for you Keith. :-)

It’s a great idea about the green and gold badges—I was even thinking that the Blazers’ unis would look awesome in green and gold for just one game AT THE KEY ARENA…except that it would completely freak out all Blazers-to-Seattle conspiracy theorists.

What about a public ceremony at a game where Sonics fans were officially temporarily welcomed into Blazermania? Or an official mayors’ ceremony wherein it was explained that the Northwest has to stick together for now, and that we look forward to having a great rival again someday?

I was on yahoo.com and I told a few fans in OKC they need not to act so happy and smug about there new team…..funny thing is I have not seen a post after that all day….my work is done…....Go Blazers….

We accept anyone who is willing to cheer the red and black.

It’s so hard to believe this is really happening. I must say, my excitement for the future of the Blazers makes this whole thing even harder to swallow. Why? Because we all know rumors were swirling only a couple years ago that the Blazers could be moved, jacked, or a bit better, sold at any time.

Fast forward and here we are. Seattle, a much more major league city than Portland is left with their jaws dropped without a team. And to boot, Portland is the talk of the league now for the up and coming and Seattle is moving to freakin’ Oklahoma!
It’s just so hard to believe how much the tables have turned so quickly. We talk about how much time, experience, preparation, and commitment it takes to get your team to the finals and a championship. Yet it may only take two years to sink the whole ship.

I feel so bad for Seattle right now because I remember how bade those rumors hurt a couple years ago. I have a new love for Paul Allen for keeping the faith and sticking with a team he is so passionate about. We are all very lucky to have him. If that situation carried out much longer, perhaps Pay Bennett buys the Blazers and rips them out of our sole. That is what has happened. Seattle has lost part of it’s sole, identity. I mourn for them, mostly for how bad it must feel.

With that being said, I welcome all of you up North to join us in NBA heaven as we watch this epic group of youngsters grow together to redeem this city from the brink of losing it’s only franchise to full throttled ecstasy. We have the passion here that can soak up all that pain. Join us. Join us the way we root on the Mariners and the Seahawks. I know it wont be easy, but the best remedy for a hard break up, is a fine, sexy, young, talented, replacement who looks good in whatever she’s wearing….red, white, or black.

Pay Bennett will get his karmic return, and eventually so will Seattle (and Starbucks guy) but for now join us in beating the Lakers and representing the Northwest’s only NBA team. We are RIP CITY!!!!

What do you think we are? A bunch of evangelists? Just like Jesus, the Blazers don’t need no salesmen. Truth and goodness and beauty speak for themselves. Kinda like democracy. Don’t need to evangelize or take pains to export it. The people will steal it if it’s really something good. So help yourself buddy. Help yourself to a giant heaping portion of Blazermania. We ain’t got no monopoly on it and there’s an endless supply.