Seattle Sonics fans furious, heartbroken

The NBA has broken the hearts of Seattle basketball fans again after voting Wednesday to block the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle. And if fans disliked commissioner David Stern after the Sonics moved to Oklahoma in 2008, the NBA boss is the most hated man around after his news conference Wednesday in Dallas.

Rather than simply announcing the owners had blocked relocation, Stern seemed to take particular glee in taking a shot at Seattle when he began his comments “this is going to be short for me, I have a game to get to in Oklahoma City.”

Oklahoma City. The city that ended up with Seattle’s NBA team thanks in large part to Stern’s efforts. And that set KIRO Radio’s Ron Upshaw of the Ron and Don Show off.

“It’s one thing for the vote to not go your way. It’s another thing for the commissioner of the league to get up and just pour salt in the wound, rub it in with this stupid smirk on your face,” Ron said.

“That was a snarky comment, it was intentional, he doesn’t do those things unintentionally,” said Brian Robinson with Sonics Rising. Robinson, co-founder of the Save our Sonics movement, has worked tirelessly to bring the NBA back to Seattle ever since the Sonics left.

“It’s very clear David Stern remains very personally insulted by the situation in Seattle and it’s disappointing as a customer of his that he can’t be a bigger man,” Robinson said of Stern’s animosity towards the city after lawmakers rebuffed his efforts to secure a new Seattle NBA arena in 2007.

Twitter exploded with similar sentiments, many not printable here. Seattle Times columnist Jerry Brewer took similar insult.

“Still can’t get over David Stern’s opening dig at Seattle. He measures his words, always. That wasn’t a slip up. Poor taste,” Brewer tweeted.

710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave Grosby of The Bob and Groz Show was even more outraged.

“I cannot believe how sideways I am at David Stern mentioning that OKC playoff game right from the start. Can’t get past it,” he tweeted.

Stern can forget having any more NBA playoff games show around town, at least at Sorelli Pizza in Mountlake Terrace.

Even though the pizza place is a popular hangout to watch sports, owner Kelly Dugan has declared a basketball blackout because he’s sick and tired of the NBA’s treatment of Seattle.

“I don’t want their advertising dollars being broadcast on my televisions and I don’t want the NBA to be promoted,” Dougan told KING 5.

“He just comes across as a pompous, condescending a-hole,” Ron said.