Can the Portland Trail Blazers Fill the Void Left by the Seattle Supersonics?

In the ongoing pursuit of "marketing gold" by professional sports franchises, can the Portland Trail Blazers successfully claim the abandoned diggings of the Seattle Supersonics? With the Sonics—now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder—having vacated the area, it would appear the entire Northwest is now easy pickings for the up-and-coming Trail Blazers—especially since so many Sonics fans are feeling mule-kicked over the whole relocation fiasco. Indeed, a brief glance at some of the top Blazers and Sonics blog sites would indicate a rapid shifting of allegiances. One of the many negatives of the Sonics' departure will be the end of the I-5 rivalry with Portland. Even though the Thunder will apparently stay in the Northwest Division, the head-to-head match ups will not quite be the same. Some of the residue of that rivalry will be a resolute refusal by many Sonics fans to defer to anything Trail Blazer. For sure, some die-hard Seattle fans will continue to follow ... (link)