NBA has changed in some ways, but Seattle would embrace Sonics return | Commentary

You could make the case that players have never been better. But can the same be said of the game?

Never has basketball been played so efficiently. But can it engage audiences effectively?

This seems to be a lingering question as a Sonics return becomes increasingly likely. It’s still a long way from official, but next week’s vote by NBA owners to explore expansion in Seattle and Las Vegas marks the most encouraging step toward bringing the team back in 18 years.

No doubt this would sew up a wound that’s been bleeding in this city for nearly two decades. Passionate as a sports town as Seattle may be, it simply doesn’t feel complete without an NBA team.

But … the product? Is it what it once was?

The NBA’s ratings decline has been a prominent subject over the past few years. And the game’s own pundits haven’t been shy about voicing their opinions on why. Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Charles Barkley, for instance, has pointed to teams’ reliance on the three-point shot, “load management” and the not-so-subtle manner in which noncompetitive squads tank for a high draft pick.

The three-point theme is very real. In the 1999-2000 season there was an average of 13.7 deep balls attempted per game. Last season? 37.6.

Much of this can be attributed to one Steph Curry, who led the 2015-16 Warriors to a 73-9 record by sinking a whopping 402 threes that season. It confirmed the simple math that three is, indeed, more than two, leading to a longshot revolution.

But while Curry himself was a ratings bonanza, it’s fair to wonder if his influence has hurt the league’s broader appeal. The midrange days of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant — whose games were among the most aesthetically pleasing in history — are gone. A back-to-the-basket low-post center? Dinosaurs as well. These aren’t inherently bad things. And teams aren’t going to discard an efficient model of play for the sake of ratings. But the NBA is markedly different than when the Sonics were part of it in 2008.

Load management — which is basically players taking rest nights at random — is a problem, too. Jordan had nine seasons in which he played all 82 games. Gary Payton had five such seasons with the Sonics and another two in which he played 81. Numbers like that are unthinkable today. Coaches and players have seemingly figured that sitting more games out will better serve the team once the postseason rolls around, but fans aren’t going to tune in when elite players are missing in what may be sports’ most star-driven league.

This can be especially tough on people buying tickets. A lot of these healthy scratches come without warning. I went to a Nuggets game a few years ago the night before the University of Washington football team played at Colorado. No Nikola Jokić. A colleague of mine went to a Warriors game this year before the Seahawks played at the Niners. No Curry. The disappointment is real.

Then again, none of this seems to be having much of an impact on the league’s media deals. The NBA recently announced its new media-rights agreement, which is worth roughly $76 billion over 11 years. This is almost triple the previous contract. There is still a ton of money to be made, and that wouldn’t be possible if fans weren’t compelled.

More so, though ratings might be down, attendance isn’t. Folks are still cramming their way into arenas, and that wouldn’t be any different here. Remember how quickly Kraken season tickets sold out in the team’s first year? It took 12 minutes. I imagine the fervor for NBA hoops would at the very least match that of the NHL in Seattle, and would likely surpass it.

In short: Yes, the game has changed. And a lot of people aren’t happy about it. But Seattleites clamoring to get the Sonics back aren’t a nostalgic fringe. I believe they represent the average, rabid Emerald City sports fan longing for the green and gold’s return.

There might not be an MJ-esque player in the NBA captivating the nation’s attention three nights a week right now. There might be some stylistic changes unbecoming to the old-school hoops-watcher. There might be a multitude of platforms that make some games harder to find, and those missed games and tanking teams are a problem.

But the NBA is still healthy. And a Sonics return would be met with citywide joy. Locals have the right to be skeptical about whether that return would happen. They shouldn’t be skeptical about the delight it would bring.