Saving Our Sonics: A Q&A with Brian Robinson

Brian Robinson is Director of Save Our Sonics & Storm. (He also runs a real estate company and owns the two Firehouse Coffees in Ballard). Robinson, along with longtime stadium opponent Chris Van Dyk, recently announced an initiative campaign to force the Sonics to stay in Seattle until their lease is up after the '09-'10 season.

We emailed Brian questions, he emailed back answers.

I think it's amazing that you've joined forces with Chris Van Dyk on this initiative--have you talked with him about what sort of stadium deal he'd be willing to support?
I've personally had a great deal of conversation with Chris in general and it is extremely encouraging that we have so much common ground. My hunch is that if you locked the two of us in a room for 10 hours we would have a deal done and both be convinced that we fleeced the other.

Certainly we have strong differences on the specifics of what a team is worth, if, and how much the public should contribute to keeping them here. We will probably be at odds over those issues in the future. However on this specific issue of lease enforcement it is great to have him on board. I also think it's fair to say that both of us have really benefited from the conversation. I hope that it makes other groups realize that we can get together to work out a deal that makes everybody happy.

How do you think this initiative's passage would help to keep the Sonics here after the lease is up? What's your rosy long-term scenario?
I think this will make a big difference. Taking a buyout off the table changes the tenor of negotiations. It lets everybody know that they're going to be here for a while and if ownership doesn't want to work at a solution during that time they will face tremendous losses. It could bring them back to the table, it could force the sale of the team, and if it passes overwhelmingly it sends a great message to the polititians of the area that there are people who value this team.

Do you think Clay Bennett ever did or ever will have any intention of going all out to keep the team here, or was this whole endeavor just a smoke screen?
It's hard to speculate on his original intentions and I don't really want to bother with it. What is important is where he goes from here. I think that Mr. Bennett was very put off by the local politics here and it may have soured him on the region. He needs to get over that and make another effort or sell the team. Whatever his intentions were I don't think you can say that a great effort was made. Every aspect of the campaign was rushed and detached from the community here as a whole. I always expected that he would look back this summer and realize that he had underestimated the challenge and that taking ownership October 31 created too short of a timeline to get it done. Whatever his intentions there was never enough time to truly evaluate the situation, develop a well thought out gameplan, and implement it. I've taken this step because I don't see any signs that he is going to follow up and take that approach this season.

Ok--enough politics. You think Durant will average 20/10 this year?
I think Durant will average 20 with his eyes closed. 10 rebounds may be tough given his frame and the fact that I expect him to play shooting guard for a big chunk of his minutes. Durant is the guy who will single-handedly resolve this situation and we deserve to have him here for a few years. I know this team is young and that they will struggle but I am more excited to watch them play than I have been any other team in years.

In the end staying passionate as fans is really important to the process. We should all be excited about Kevin Durant.