Right now, Oklahoma is Sooners country.

Would that still be the case once the 2008-09 NBA basketball season gets here? Now that the team once called the Seattle SuperSonics have moved to Oklahoma City, you just know that the franchise will hope to do just that.

And just in case you haven’t heard, the team once known as the Seattle SuperSonics has now moved to Oklahoma City courtesy of business tycoon Clay Bennett after paying the $45 million settlement, which leaves Seattle with the Sonics’ name and history.

In addition to that, Seattle will receive an additional $30 million from Clay Bennett if the Legislature approves funding for a new arena or KeyArena remodel in its next session and if a new NBA team does not move into that facility by 2013. Nevertheless, it’s still a victory for Bennett, who purchased the Sonics in 2006 from Starbucks Corp. chairman Howard Schultz for $350 million, as he moves the franchise to his hometown.

Bennett initially faced harsh criticism in Seattle for his efforts in trying to build a new arena as a replacement for KeyArena, and the presumption he wanted to move the franchise all along. So the big question now is, what can this NBA team do to a football crazy city where the Oklahoma Sooners call home?

The Oklahoma Sooners possess seven national championships in college football. This ties Alabama for the most national titles of any Division I college football team after the end of World War II, which is commonly used as the division between eras in college football.

Oklahoma City’s future in the NBA depends on budding rookies Kevin Durant and the 2008 fourth overall draft pick, UCLA guard Russell Westbrook. Westbrook is a great defender who can bring energy and toughness and should anchor the point guard position in the organization for a long time.

Westbrook does need to improve on the offensive end of the court but has gone from not even being the star on his high school team to leading the Bruins to the NCAA final four.

Overall, the Sonics had a pretty successful draft in getting a point guard who can anchor a tough defense and orchestrate the offense for many years to come. Having a core of young talent, Oklahoma City has a bright future in the NBA indeed but seeing that to fruition already once they make their debut in Oklahoma City in the coming 2008-09 NBA basketball season remains to be seen.

Who will win the 2009 NBA Finals? Bodog sportsbook has the EARLY odds.

Boston Celtics 4.00

Los Angeles Lakers 4.50

Detroit Pistons 9.00

San Antonio Spurs 9.00

Want more odds? Visit Bodog for more basketball betting odds and the best betting lines on some of today’s biggest sporting events.

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