When the music stops, Pac NW franchises please sit down

So Paul Allen is no longer looking to sell the Portland Trailblazers.

Allen pulls his 'for sale' sign off Blazers, spurning buyers

This announcement comes without a solution to the problem the billionaire was whining about.

But the decision to take the team off the market does not resolve that uncertainty, and in fact may create more. The team remains the same financial black hole it was five months ago, in which it receives none of the revenue from luxury suites, premium seating and other valuable income streams that normally flow to NBA franchises.

Allen's announcement came after the Seattle SuperSonics were sold to an Oklahoma City investment group.

As Church lady once said, "How con-veeen-ient!"

One question is whether Allen could seek to relocate the team to Seattle, despite contracts that require the Blazers to play at the Rose Garden until 2025. The owners of the Seattle SuperSonics, frustrated over efforts to win public financing for arena construction, announced two weeks ago they would sell the team to a group from Oklahoma City.

The Sonics' new owner wants a new arena in Seattle.
Bennett has visions of 'multipurpose entertainment complex' for Sonics

Let's say, just for fun, he doesn't get one.

The Sonics move to Oklahoma City.

Paul Allen and his band of dorks (hey, the investment firm is called "Vulcan", what else could they be?) move the Blazers to Seattle, where Allen already owns the NFL franchise.

The 23rd largest TV market, Portland, is left without a professional sports franchise.

With a beautiful, relatively new building, Portland is now in direct competition with KC for the next available NBA or NHL team.

A city without a professional sports franchise, Portland -- or -- KC which would be the smallest market with three professional sports franchises*.



*this does not include the Wizards, which it should. But, until they get a soccer-specific stadium ("SSS"), they don't count because...well..without an SSS they'll move.