Making it Official
Posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 4:50 pm by Brian Robinson
Here she is boys and girls. This will go out shortly. It’s under review for spelling, etc.
If you know of any businesses who are affected by the Sonics have them get a hold of me. for information on how to donate contact donate@adealisadeal.org. For volunteering send it to brian@adealisadeal.org.
Media Advisory: SOS&S Members form “A Deal is a Deal, PAC”
On June 27, 2007 Steven Pyeatt and Brian Robinson, founding members of Save Our Sonics and Storm, formally registered A Deal is a Deal Committee (DIAD) with the State of Washington with the intention of filing a citywide initiative relating to the lease status of the Seattle SuperSonics and Storm.
The Seattle City Charter, article IV clearly states that via the initiative process the people “shall have such powers as are provided for by this Charter; but the power to propose for themselves any ordinance dealing with any matter within the realm of local affairs or municipal business.”
As such, “A Deal is a Deal” will mandate that the city not be a partner to any agreement in which a professional sports team relocates prior to the expiration of their existing lease, effectively making binding the pre-existing Sonics lease through the 2009-2010 season.
Initial support for this action has been extremely broad-based. The initiative has been reviewed and endorsed by anti-arena activist Chris Van Dyk, co-chair of Citizens for More Important Things. Van Dyk, along with members of the Queen Anne Business Community, will join DIAD, PAC members to announce the formal submittal of the initiative later this week. At that time the text of the initiative, as well as volunteer and contributor information will be released. Media members will be given a statement regarding this action, as well as engage in question and answer sessions with legal council, supporters, and affected Seattle Area business owners.
Press Conference: Thursday, July 26, 2007, 3:00 pm
The Mainstage Comedy Club
315 First Avenue, Seattle
Contact: Brian Robinson, Director
Phone: 206.349.6447
E-mail: brian@adealisadeal.org
Statement from Brian Robinson, Director: A Deal is a Deal, Committee
“We are confident that this imitative is legally viable and – more importantly – that it will send a clear message to the Mayor’s office that engaging in conversations regarding a lease buyout are against the wishes of his constituency.
“This issue is about more than basketball and we expect it to appeal even to those who are not sports fans. When cities make significant investments in any type of public/private partnership there must be an understanding that both parties, as well as their successors, adhere to the terms of the contract. In the case of the Seattle SuperSonics, that means they should remain in the KeyArena until the completion of the lease in 2010.
“It is our strong hope that conversations will continue regarding a long-term solution for both the Sonics and Storm in this region. It is our contention that any conversation regarding an early exit will undermine this negotiation process and significantly decrease the chances of finding an amenable solution. As such it must be summarily dismissed.
“It is our hope that the city will recognize the need to hold firm in their negotiations and publicly adopt this policy in advance of our initiatives passage.”
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Good work Brian!
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
As such it mussed be summarily dismissed.
Am I reading that correctly Brian? Is that word supposed to be “mussed” or is it suppose to be “must”?
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:15 pm
“Press Conference: Thursday, July 27, 2007, 3pm”
Thursady is the 26th.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
Good stuff Brian.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:16 pm
as stated it is out for review. We’ll correct that. Funny mistake though.
I’m tired. Lots of phone time…
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:19 pm
….negotiations and publicly adopt this policy in advance of our initiative’s passage.”
I’m pretty sure there is suppose to be an apostrophe in there, but someone else with better gramar skills may want to chime in.
Just wanted to help out…but it sounds great!
Good work!
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:28 pm
I don’t know what mistakes you guys are pointing out. I read the article and it looks fine…
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:29 pm
Is this PAC limited to the single stated purpose by its founding documents or pledged to that by public statements or does it leave the option open to do other things later as it sees fits, including the possibility of donations to candidates or issue advertisements associated with an election?
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:35 pm
You sneaky dog!
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:36 pm
“iniitiative” is spelled “imitative” in your release. since imitative is a word, that won’t get picked up by spellcheck.
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:38 pm
This is terrific, but can it be amended to nullify any deal between Nickels and Bennett prior to November in case they decide to try speed things up and bail before election?
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:40 pm
We are confident that this imitative [...]
Er, initiative?
July 23rd, 2007 at 5:57 pm
When all is said and done Brian… however it ends up, We had a fighting chance because of you.
Thanks.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:14 pm
Terrific work Brian!! This may be our only, and best hope of keeping the Sonics in Seattle!!
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:16 pm
“We are confident that this imitative is legally viable and…”
should be “initiative”
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Don’t get discourage Brian! Keep Going!
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Funny how chris van dyk is on our side and we’re fighting for the samething now… makes me hate him a little less.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:41 pm
I think what you are doing is a waste of time. Bennett went out of his way to try and get a deal done and the City of Seattle and the State of Washington ignored him. If Bennett wants to negotiate a deal to buy out the lease he has every right to do so. How many of you would keep a job if it was costing you money to work at that job? The Mayor of Seattle has to do what’s best for the City and if Bennett offers a fair deal then he has no choice but to take it. There are many tax payers in the City of Seattle that would jump and cry foul if the Mayor did something foolish just to appease a few fans like yourself. His job is to make the best deal he can to help retire the debt on the arena. If you continue with your efforts here you are only hurting the common tax payer of Seattle. Think about that for a second and try not to be so selfish.
Thanks for your time.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:49 pm
Chris Van Dyke is not on your side IMO. He wants what’s best for the tax payers. Trying to force the Sonics to stay in Seattle is not in the best interest of the tax payers. The City of Seattle will make more money if Bennett negotiates a buyout. A buyout of the lease is a win win situation for the tax payers of Seattle.
July 23rd, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Brain, you are the kind of people that make me, a Washington native, proud. Thanks for doing all you can to keep the Sonics in Seattle for all of us.
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Applause to Brian for going the extra mile and effort to attempt to keep the Sonics and Storm in Seattle. Thanks for the information. Keep the upto date on everything you know.
July 23rd, 2007 at 7:55 pm
Applause to Brian for going the extra mile and effort to attempt to keep the Sonics and Storm in Seattle. Thanks for the information. Keep the public upto date on everything you know.
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:00 pm
Brian, Your efforts are just amazing, if everyone would get behind the Sonics the way you have then Clay will have a really hard time achieving his goals. I think he may be a name from the past when this is all over!!!
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:01 pm
P.S. As for the spelling errors, I don’t think that matters, the focus is on the Sonics and we know what you mean even when there are typo’s. They will get fixed, come on people, focus on the issue here!!
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Keep fighting the good fight. But why you need an endorsement from a Horse’s patoot like Van Dyk?
July 23rd, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Great work! Amazing how you can build alliances with Van Dyk and work to get things done to help our community. I’m excited to see how this plays out.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
I think what you are doing is a waste of time. Bennett went out of his way to try and get a deal done and the City of Seattle and the State of Washington ignored him. If Bennett wants to negotiate a deal to buy out the lease he has every right to do so.
no, he doesnt, the sonics hold a legally binding lease to play 41 home games and playoff games through 2010. when he paid for this team, he inherited everything that comes with it, including the lease
How many of you would keep a job if it was costing you money to work at that job? The Mayor of Seattle has to do what’s best for the City and if Bennett offers a fair deal then he has no choice but to take it.
no, he doesnt. there is no buyout clause in the lease, he doesnt HAVE to do anything, he can say no and let cry baby clay spend millions on legal fees in an attempt to wiggle his way out
There are many tax payers in the City of Seattle that would jump and cry foul if the Mayor did something foolish just to appease a few fans like yourself. His job is to make the best deal he can to help retire the debt on the arena. If you continue with your efforts here you are only hurting the common tax payer of Seattle. Think about that for a second and try not to be so selfish.
and there are many tax payers in the city of seattle who wish people like you would end your complete and utter ignorance towards the issue and stop with your elitest attitude. Why don’t you ask every business owner within a 5 mile radius how it “hurts them” if the sonics are forced to stay at key arena through 2010. fact is it doesn’t hurt them, it hurts them if they leave. there are bigger issues at stake in this entire ordeal then you and your ignorant thought process, there is a sizeable portion of the economy in this city that is dependent on the sonics and the activity at key arena. If the sonics and storm leave, key arena dies. If you honestly think that Nickels accepting a buyout is going to solve key arena’s problems then you’ve got another thing coming.
There are many people who want this team to stay, think about that for a second and try not to be so selfish.
Chris Van Dyke is not on your side IMO. He wants what’s best for the tax payers. Trying to force the Sonics to stay in Seattle is not in the best interest of the tax payers. The City of Seattle will make more money if Bennett negotiates a buyout. A buyout of the lease is a win win situation for the tax payers of Seattle.
once again your ignorance is showing, chris van dyke understands what’s best for this city economically is to hold the sonics to their lease as long as humanly possible. The buyout of the lease is only a win in the eyes who hold a bias grudge towards pro sports and just flat out are too ignorant to understand the underlying issues regarding a pro sports franchises’ impact on a city culturally and economically.
The economic impact might not be some huge earth shattering figure, but it is sure as hell better than the economic impact of a big empty building that is left to rot with no leasees, think about that for a second and try not to be so selfish.
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:43 pm
Awesome Brian! Can’t tell you how much we appreciate all the time & effort you & everyone else at SOS&S have put into this.
Thanks!
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Brian,
Please be very careful and get expert legal help in writing the initiative. Remember how easy it is to declare an initiative as non-conforming and therefore easy to throw out in court. Case in point: various of Tim Eyman’s early initiative attempts. Similarly, it is very easy to write an initiative that does NOT, after actual application, have the intended effect. Again, Tim Eyman’s early initiatives are good examples. Not that I support Eyman or anything, quite the opposite.
Thanks for your great work!
Cheers,
Speed
July 23rd, 2007 at 9:53 pm
“How many of you would keep a job if it was costing you money to work at that job?”
Gee, Not A Tax Fan, I never thought of that. Maybe Bennett should have considered the possiblity that he could actually LOSE money before he purchased the team. Maybe he should have questioned his own devotion to our community. As they say to entrepeneurs, sometimes you’ve got to spend money to make money. Contributing private money (instead of tax dollars) toward an arena might be the way to go…wouldn’t you agree?
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:08 pm
i bet if clay bennett was holding the aquarium hostage saying he needed a new 400 million dollar facility or he was taking it to oklahoma city. Not a Tax Fan would just gush about how we need to dump tax dollars onto clay’s feet.
f*ck this city pisses me off
July 23rd, 2007 at 10:31 pm
“f*ck this city pisses me off”
You’re not the only one Brice.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:28 pm
Great job Brian.
Legally speaking, if the lease contains a specific performance clause, then the court should be able to issue an injunction to stop the team from moving. The value of having the game played at Key Arena is greater than just the lease value. The City entered the contract and made improvements in detrimental reliance upon the representation that the team would stay in Seattle until the end of the lease. There is substantial secondary value to Seattle including hotels, restaurants, parking, taxis, rental car companies, branded apparel and a variety of vendors.
It has been well documented that Bennett has not sought an alternative in good faith. This is america, said to be a nation of laws, so Bennett can do what he wants with the team provided he acts lawfully. The Sonics must honor the lease contract, to which the team remains subject, regardless of the team’s change of ownership. When the lease ends, Bennett can move the team.
If he is a smart businessman, he won’t move. The Sonics will stay put. But if his goal is to cut commuting time for his clavicle of investors, there is nothing we can do about it, after 2010. In the meantime, if Brian’s group succeeds, the team will stay here. Hopefully, the time gained will let Bennett cool his heels about moving the team to a small market, that won’t have a big enough revenue base to support the free agent salaries of Durant and Jeff Green in the same year.
In a small market like OKC, the Sonics will become a perennial losing team like the 1990’s Clippers (under Don Sterling, until the last couple of years). The Clippers kept cutting veteran stars so it could save money by putting out a team of minimum salaried players and rookie scale contracts. Besides, can you imagine rich NBA stars wanting to live OKC?
Let’s give Brian all the support we can. And our thanks. Stand behind your team.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Force Bennett to stay three extra years without a new arena and you’ve set up an adversarial situation. He might not spend money or support the team and it’ll end up not being worth watching. It will be an embarrassment to the city. Who wins? The city of Seattle will then have lost all the revenue they might have gotten by negotiating with the Sonics’ owners right from the start. They Key Arena lease is over soon anyway, and there could be a rift between the team, owners and the city that a lifetime won’t fix. The best idea is to build him the new arena he wants. All will then be well. If not, better to bow out graciously and hope a couple of years without a team makes the pols more willing to pay for sports construction. In the meantime, Paul Allen will have a pack of lawyers looking at his contract with Portland.
July 23rd, 2007 at 11:57 pm
This must have took an incredible amount of time and effort. Much thanks to all involved.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:08 am
- Very good news Brian…although I have to admit I actually enjoyed the verbal smack down to “Not a Tax Fan” better. Its really odd…I just don’t think I would randomly show up on a message board discussing another tax that is going into place and try to make an argument when I knew very little of the facts.
- Brian (and all), I was wondering if you guys have discussed if this refereeing point shaving scandel had any impact on the future of the Sonics. Our favorite sports commentators (Groz w/ Gas) claimed today that they felt that if anything was the final nail in the coffin this would be it.
However, I sort of look at this in a different light. The NBA is already now teatering on the brink of disaster when it comes to public relations and what not. Would moving one if its longest running teams just make the team look even more short sighted? Personally (and maybe this is just my bias), if I was David Stern I would be moving in a direction to lock down all the existing fan bases in the league as opposed to trying to create an entire new fanbase around a sport who’s very integrity is now into question.
As sad as it sounds I am very happy that this who situation happened. Over the last few years I have found it harder and harder for me to justify being an NBA fan. If I had not found this site and participated in a few (maybe more) I probably would’ve turned my back on the league as a whole. However, the Leauge now has the chance to attack some if its problems head on and with force. Lets hope they do so…and that one of their first moves is to ensure one of their oldest franchises stays put.
Am I just trying to look for a silver lining?
July 24th, 2007 at 12:09 am
This must have took an incredible amount of time and effort. Much thanks to all involved.
- Well if you have The People behind you…what more do you need?
July 24th, 2007 at 12:28 am
Yeah thanks to Brian R(and SOS) for all the work, and good lookin’ out on behalf of ALL Sonics fans(I think it’s safe to assume).
On a side note, NBA TV showed a replay of the 1st summer league game in SLC against the Jazz. Jeff Green is looking better, and better each time I see him, and Olu Famutimi still looks like a solid prospect(to me at least).
The play of the game so far was an inbounds pass to KD that he caught in the air from behind 3, and banked it in to beat the shot clock. The more I see of this guy the more I think that any tax I might have to pay for a new arena, might actually be worth it.
Finally, I think NBA TV is also going to show a replay of the Chicago game from SLC in which Sene, and Petro showed up. No Durant, but I’d like to see Sene start, and play well.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:37 am
“Am I just trying to look for a silver lining? ”
I don’t think so.
Immediately when I heard about the Ref scandal, I thought “this could be good for the Sonics” - for the same reasons Myk mentions. I don’t understand how it could possibly hurt the future of the Sonics in Seattle.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:57 am
Everything I wanted to respond to “Not a Tax Fan” was already summerized by Brice.
There’s NOTHING good coming out of the Sonics relocation. NOTHING, ZIP, NADA people.
Just because you don’t care about basketball, please don’t p!ss on our efforts.
Ian on KJR said it well.. THe Sonics are gone. Clay Bennett has absolutely ZERO intention on keeping this team. If he’s for real, why has he not talked to the Muckleshoot or Sabey since their initial meeting? What has he done since the last fail attempt at the legislature? And now he wants to talk to Nickels when he already said the Key is not an option?? Its obvious the dude has no intention to entertain alternatives allowing the Sonics to stay. TIME TO FIGHT y’all.
I”m buying you a beer BROB if the sonics stays because of your effort.. HELL I might even buy you two…
July 24th, 2007 at 1:02 am
OH and I also find this twist of irony a bit… ironic.
CVD is now working with us… I know we still come from very different angle that will never be converged, but still…
If Irony is made up of Strawberry, we will be having ourselves a $hit load of smoothies right now.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:47 am
All right, there are two options here.
1. The Washington State Legislature completely funds the building of a $500,000,000 state-of-the-art multi-purpose facility (i.e., the King County Events Center) somewhere in the Puget Sound, which would thereby allow The Professional Basketball Club, LLC to flip the Seattle Supersonics for a huge profit to a local buyer (e.g., Steve Ballmer).
2. After negotiating a buyout of the Key Arena lease with City of Seattle officials, the Professional Basketball Club, LLC relocates the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; consequently, Clayton Bennett becomes a renowned civic leader — as well as somewhat of a philanthropist — within his hometown community, which thereby offsets any financial losses that are incurred.
Since the first option is an imprudent use of taxpayer monies — yes, folks, I’m still a fiscally illiberal tightwad — and a far-fetched solution in light of the current political climate, there’s not one unbiased fan who should consider it to be a viable proposition.
Unfortunately, though, that spells doom and gloom.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Solid post there, Rock. I concur with your logic…
I try to avoid the buzz-kill of the relocation issue as much as possible, but here’s how I see this thing unfolding:
1. Bennett wants nothing to do with a remodel/rebuild of Key Arena, but he can’t get a new venue in Renton, and he won’t go south to join with the Muckleshoots.
2. Nickels just wants the team at the Key, regardless of who the owner is, and is willing to sweeten the pot for a remodel/rebuild and a new longterm lease.
3. John Q. Public wants the team to stay, but hates Bennett, and won’t pay for a new venue anywhere for non-local ownership. I-91 makes it almost impossible to build a new arena with public $ even for local owners.
So, Bennett will file to leave town, and try to buy out the lease early. Nickels will refuse the buyout and sue to enforce the lease. A lengthy court battle will ensue, and an injunction prevents the team from moving until 2010. Bennett will see lots of money going to lawyers and not much coming in. Quietly, behind the scenes, private meetings and discussions will begin…
Meanwhile, Durant captivates fans with his spectacular play, and the young team slowly develops an exciting brand of ball…Nickels quietly searches for a local buyer who’s willing to stay at the Key, while other potential buyers try to figure out if they can get a new arena built elsewhere in the area. Bennett looks for a local buyer who will either accept a sweetheart deal to stay at the Key, or who can get a new venue elsewhere.
In the end I see 3 possibilities for resolution, and none of them feature Clay Bennett continuing on as owner.
1) Nickels finds a local owner to rebuild at the Key. This is the least likely solution, because it requires another short-term venue while the Key is rebuilt.
2) Sabey comes back into the picture with some other partners and builds a new arena on his land in Seattle. I give this one a 40/60 chance.
3) Bellevue comes back into the mix, with Ballmer and others building a new arena in downtown Bellevue with a significant % of private money. This is the most likely outcome in my opinion…I think the relevant investors are just watching and waiting for Clay to twist awhile after the injunction comes down.
I can’t see Bennett being willing to wait until 2010 to move the team, and I can’t imagine the local money not stepping up and getting a new arena deal done. Bennett may get his team in OKC, but it won’t be the Sonics. There’s too much history here, and too much money to let the team go.
Either way, I think the Sonics stay and Bennett goes. He’ll still make some nice change by selling the team - they’ll be worth even more after Durant starts drawing raves around the league. There’s a lot of very wealthy and very active hoops fans on the Eastside - I believe they’ll step up when it counts.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:53 am
B-
thank you so much for your reports and passion about our seattle supersonics. the revelations about the officiating problems are the biggest issue in the game right now. the sonics spurs series with nate, we got ganked. that was a period at the end of that sentence because it is a fact! so many ramifications, so many thoughts about this game i love. when rodman held perkins down three jump balls in a row with no call. when duncan gets five minutes to shuck off contact and make free throws. we should have won the title that last year with nate. every thing that has happened in the nba in the last 20 years is open to scutiny now danny is vindicated in my book, right now. fortson should have a ring now instead of being out of the league. i could go on to list all the times that every one of us has seen our team get ganked, but you were there. we have been watching world wide wrestling? do you know the song “head creeps” by alice in chains? they gankd us so many times.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:59 am
While you made some so-so conjectures, courtsense, people such as yourselves fail to realize that City of Seattle officials will likely receive a heafty buyout offer of the Key Arena lease from the Professional Basketball Club, LLC.
In all likelihood, it’ll be tough for them to pass on that.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:04 am
Back to my sidenote from earlier(ha ha). I just finished watching the replay of the Sonics/Jazz summerleague game. Kevin Durant got to the free throw line at will, and was 14/15. For all u cats who are tripping on tax money, it may only be a matter of time before Kevin Durant’s got u thinking twice…
July 24th, 2007 at 2:04 am
what this initiative buys is time. And with that, the possibility of more options arising to keep the Sonics in Seattle. This also forces Bennett to consider more than the single option he has in mind (no doubt the only one he ever had) of moving the Sonics by ‘08. He could
A. pay more (not 100 million, more like 300 million) of his own group’s money to build a arena. BY THE WAY DOES IT HAVE TO BE A $500 MILLION DOLLAR ARENA? I mean, a 400 million arena would still have bathrooms and HVAC right?
B. pay to make Key Arena viable.
C. get off his lazy butt and create real relationships with the real intention of getting a private partnership with locals to make a new arena happen.
D. Sell.
E. Wait three years and move to OKC.
Please let it be “D”. Leave Presti and his crew and leave the lights on for Ballmer or any of a dozen other billionaires in Seattle to become the hero Shultz thought he was until he realized that being the head man at Starbucks doesn’t mean a hill of coffee beans in the NBA.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:23 am
If I were Bennett I would just honor the lease and double the ticket prices maybe triple some of them. He’ll still get to move the team in a couple more years. This way he can screw the city and the fans on the way out the door.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:05 am
The common ground with VanDyk is odd, and limited. We both understand that we have differing agendas but I think that the fact that we are so clearly in agreement on this one specific issue, the enforcement through 2010 adds major volume to the cry. A decision was made that this is important enough that it’s worth giving him some visibility on it.
From his perspective it seems like(this is my interpretation, his formal statement will be released on thursday) he is really most upset by the heavy handed negotiating tactics that pro sports teams owners use to negotiate extremely lopsided deals. As such he feels that the concept of sports owners who have made a deal with the community simply being able to back out of it at any time is offensive. He doesn’t see any conflict in this.
As for revising this to go back and cover any deal made in the meantime that is not feasible. What needs to happen is there needs to be extreme pressure put on the mayors office from a lot of sides to prevent the mayor from having this talk. Again reason for the aliance with CFMIT. Everybody we have talked to supports this, I think if we can get organizationally together enough to get it on the ballot it will pass overwhelmingly, maybe in the 85% range. The mayor has to understand that if he holds these conversations in the interum then blame for the Sonics departure is going to shift squarely onto his head. It would be a bad thing for him and his office.
We’ve had good, good attorneys look at this one. Again they will be at the press conference. Initiatives always are tricky in their legal enforcability but the key to any of them is that they offer any taxpayer the right to legally contest an action that is percieved as contrary to the initiative. So if this thing passes and the city works out a deal that circumvents it, or if Bennett identifies some loophole then any one of us who is a city resident and taxpayer can go to the city office to contest that deal and have the city attorney represent on our behalf. That legal process could take a year, maybe two to complete.
There is money and image at stake here. I do not believe that the NBA wants the public perception of its owners suing a municipality to break a lease. I believe that in professional sports in general there is a precedent that they don’t want to set. If a professional sports league approves a move after a team disputes a lease in an aggressive manner how can they ever ask for large municiple dollars again? Any departure prior to 2010 has to be mutually accepted and we’re going to ensure that they don’t get the city’s cooperation.
Lastly I’ll say that I think the concept of an early departure is really an obstacle to this deal getting done. There is an argument to be made that pushing the date back will remove the sense of urgency, but more than that we really need ownership to have a sense of consequence that will push them towards accepting a slightly better deal. They will face $70 million in additionall losses by staying those 2 years and there is a chance the OKC market gets claimed during that period. That has to factor into the negotiations somehow.
July 24th, 2007 at 6:58 am
You’re a smart man, Brian. $70 million in additional losses to complete the lease and the $50 million moving fees… Any prudent businessman is going to look at his wallet and reconsider moving. Don’t mess with Seattle.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:01 am
Myk - I agree with you about the whole ref scandal.
The very moment I heard It I thought 2 things:
- more fodder for anti-sports buttheads to use in mud slinging
- more reason for stern to work his butt off to keep the sonics in seattle
Right now, more than ever with low finals ratings, and now with this whole disaster, it is going to be very hard to gain new fans, especially entirely new fan bases in new cities.
His main focus right now should be to strengthen the bonds he currently has with existing fan bases, it shouldn’t be distancing millions of people in one of his top markets by tearing their team away from them, and then trying to replace those generations of fans with a bunch of new ones in an infinite smaller market.
I thought the time of clay saying “i want to talk with nickels ASAP” to the ref scandal surfacing was very intriguing.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:18 am
If the team manages to stay in the region, Brian deserves lifetime season tickets.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:26 am
Off topic a bit, but with relevant impact…..it sounds like the City of Orlando approved a new arena yesterday. It was part of a whole downtown renovation plan that is suppose to include a new arena for the Magic, a new performing arts center and renovations to the Citrus Bowl stadium. A $1.1 billion project.
No information regarding private investment or breakout of the financing figures.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orl-venues2407jul24,0,5280784.story?coll=orl_tab02_layout
July 24th, 2007 at 8:34 am
if this typo has already been pointed out, my apologies:
– Statement from Brian Robinson, Director: A Deal is a Deal, Committee
“We are confident that this imitative is legally viable and
initiative
great job Brian, as always, thanks for fighting the good fight.
July 24th, 2007 at 8:44 am
AK1984 Says:
“While you made some so-so conjectures, courtsense, people such as yourselves fail to realize that City of Seattle officials will likely receive a heafty buyout offer of the Key Arena lease from the Professional Basketball Club, LLC.
In all likelihood, it’ll be tough for them to pass on that.”
I do not believe that the city would pass on buyout either. Hence why Brian and his group formed the “A Deal Is A Deal” PAC to force the city of Seattle negotiate with PBC able buying out their lease with the Key Arena. It’s not much different than Van Dyke getting his group to pass I-91 to mandate the city to demand enough tax on any new stadium money that no team would want to build again in Seattle. It wasn’t directly anti-stadium initiative, however, it’s net effect neutralizes any new stadium from being built with public $$$.
Now, I’ve been down here in Bay Area for 9 years and I’ve seen another city that near lost it’s baseball team (SF Giants) and refused to authorize any public funds for the team. What happened? They found a group of investor would built what is now AT&T Ballpark, one of the most beautiful and picturesque stadiums in America. Could something like this happen in Seattle? HELL YES!!!
If uber liberal SF can muster up enough private investor support to build it’s own baseball stadium, then why can’t the Seattle region build it’s own arena. What needs to be done is PR make over for the Sonics and real willingness to want to stay in Seattle.
This were our blogs, message board, bar room discussions break down. We get so heated in the “Bennett is the Great Satan,” “Bennett is causing us to tank the season to move the team” bullshit, when what we should be doing is rallying all the civic leaders and private leaders of the city to want to save the team.
Brian keep up the great work with the ADIAD PAC. Hopefully by forcing the PBC to stay through the 09-10 season that we have enough time built up the private support to build our own stadium (which Van Dyke can do nothing about… by way f#@$ that guy).
July 24th, 2007 at 9:36 am
AK,
Bennett may well intend to make a substantial buyout offer to the city - but he’s still a businessman, which means there’s a point which he can’t or won’t go past. I’m saying I don’t think he would go high enough to get Nickels to bite…
Sure, Nickels might be tempted to take the money and turn the Key into a parking lot or a park or whatever. But if Nickels thinks he’s got problems now, wait until he lets the Sonics simply leave town - especially with 2 years to go on their lease, and in so doing he derails the possibility of finding a local solution - all for a pile of short-term cash.
He’d be a hero for about 2 seconds to a small portion of the ignorant non-sports community - and he’d be dead political meat to the media and everyone else.
A local buyer will be found by Bennett and other local leaders once he realizes he’s stuck with the lease and the Key until 2010.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:00 am
Ropers, the county has to vote on it too, on Thursday and it is still in some doubt there.
Magic I think were offering $50 million upfront and a total of $140-160 million over time in various payments. Some county commissioners have told the press they want deal to include close to $100 million upfront to be satisified but we’ll see what actually happens.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Public would manage the arena and keep all non-basketball revenues too I believe.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:15 am
With Vegas out, OKC is the place Bennett will move to, and it’s too small of a market, plus the NBA’s relocation fee, the lease buyout costs, the legal fight and the possibility of having to field a lame-duck team until 2010 with dwindling revenue from loss of fans who will not buy tix for a team that is moving. All this will make ownership of the Sonics unpalatable for the group of businessmen who overpaid for this franchise. We need local owners. The initiative will buy time and put pressure to accomplish that.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:27 am
“Rock Says:
July 24th, 2007 at 10:15 am
With Vegas out, OKC is the place Bennett will move to, and it’s too small of a market, plus the NBA’s relocation fee, the lease buyout costs, the legal fight and the possibility of having to field a lame-duck team until 2010 with dwindling revenue from loss of fans who will not buy tix for a team that is moving. All this will make ownership of the Sonics unpalatable for the group of businessmen who overpaid for this franchise. We need local owners. The initiative will buy time and put pressure to accomplish that.”
Great post, Rock - that’s what I was trying to say, but you put it much more succinctly.
I would only add this: with regard to the notion that the sheer cost and difficulty of the relocation process would make ownership of the Sonics “unpalatable” for the current group - keep in mind that this is a group that has already shown itself to be hyper-sensitive to criticism from the fans and the media alike.
How much more “unpalatable” might the situation be if and when the lame-duck franchise is getting blasted in the media for formally announcing its intent to buy out the lease and to move?
I can’t imagine that this group of guys could handle that sort of criticism and derision.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:31 am
“With Vegas out, OKC is the place Bennett will move to, and it’s too small of a market, plus the NBA’s relocation fee, the lease buyout costs, the legal fight and the possibility of having to field a lame-duck team until 2010 with dwindling revenue from loss of fans who will not buy tix for a team that is moving”
And the “existing arena” in OKC costed somewhere around $100 Million to build in 2001, from what I remember; it’s not any better than the Key.
So he’s going to be back to square one, in BF Middle-America.
Sounds enticing.
And to go along with Brian’s earlier statements, does anyone really think Stern wants another Memphis Griz, Atl Hawks, NO Hornets, Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats? Not a chance.
I’d like to know how much power David Stern has to keep Bennett from relocating.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:34 am
Two things:
1) Here an interesting note from this morning’s press conference with David Stern. I got this summary from Truehoop.com
“David Stern seemed to have Las Vegas’s back a little. He volunteered at a moment when it seemed a bit forced that it was his understanding that the bets Donaghy is said to have placed were not through Las Vegas. He also said that he canceled a scheduled meeting about relocating a team to Las Vegas because it seemed unseemly at this time.”
I wonder which team he was meeting in Vegas to talk about relocating? It’s either the Kings or the Sonics, neither of whom can get a stadium bill passed.
2) Rock said “…with dwindling revenue from loss of fans who will not buy tix for a team that is moving.” If I use Rock’s logic then the Tampa Bay Mariners and LA Seahawks would have happened to. Remember that both those teams sucked in the years leading up to their respective magic runs that got the city behind them. We just got our KEN GRIFFEY JR in KEVIN DURANT!!! Why don’t you see this? Why don’t you see that two years with Durant will be like watching the growth a Griffey and spur the fan base and local vestors into building a new stadium.
Here’s one idea. We could have a public/private mix in funding our own stadium. In that we would not have public tax money, but public investors like the Green Bay Packers have. For that matter why could we find another set pf local owners (remember we had local owners, including Sabey, that sold this team to Bennett and Co once already) that would be willing to make the team publicly own via stock (like the Cleveland Indians did right before they saved that franchise)?
July 24th, 2007 at 10:47 am
The Vegas Kings has a nice ring to it (”Viva Las Vegas”), plus there would be teams enough left in California for the fans.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Shinn got a minority share owner and his practice arena. Doesnt close the book on possible move interest in future completely but that takes two things he needed postive answers on to stay off the table.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Sounds committed to keeping team in family with a son brought into the business, saying he will never sell controlling interest, consistent with what he told Bennett when talks failed between them. Probably needs to be that firm to try to resist pressures.
But I don’t know if I believe “never” absolutely. Next year and really the next five still to unfold.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:50 am
I love the timing of this “A Deal is a Deal” press conference. I keep picturing Bennett, planing his move to OKC- thinking he’s pretty slick.
To make sure everthing goes smooth with the move after next season, he wants to make sure he’s negotiated a buyout of the lease before he files for relocation on October 31st. He thinks “I’ll tell them I want to resume talks about a new arena, but I’ll do it with the Mayor (even though key arena’s not an option) since that’s who can get me out of the lease. I’ll give him good sales job, & he’ll eccecpt a buyout. Then we’re home free”
Then BAM! SOS&S hit’s him with this inititive. There’s no way Bennett will stick it out if he’s forced to stay in Seattle for 3 years.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Good work Brian, thank you. I’ve called and emailed Mayor, legislators and Stern, and will donate shortly.
AK - Didn’t understand your earlier post - what about new private funding?
July 24th, 2007 at 12:54 pm
“I’d like to know how much power David Stern has to keep Bennett from relocating. ”
Very little real power. Stern works for Bennett, in a sense. It’s the relocation committee that has the power to block a move but nothing speaks like $$$.
One thing that I like about this initiative is that it shows the league that there is sincere interest in keeping the team here. I’m not sure that outside the Seattle area people really feel or know that.
July 24th, 2007 at 1:50 pm
“Very little real power. Stern works for Bennett, in a sense. It’s the relocation committee that has the power to block a move…”
That’s a bummer.
“but nothing speaks like $$$.”
So by this do you mean $$$, like Bennett buying out the lease, or paying a hefty relocation fee to the Committee? Or do you mean that the Committee might be reluctant to allow the move in consideration of financial risks they could incur?
Thanks for the insight.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:16 pm
Very little real power. Stern works for Bennett, in a sense. It’s the relocation committee that has the power to block a move but nothing speaks like $$$.
- I dont agree at all that he has “very little real power”. If he is as powerful as the media gives him credit for then he does have power. Sure he cannot just say “no you can’t move the team” and it is done. However, with him as an ally it would be very similar to the Seahawks situation where a group of owners (led by Tagliabue) basically said: no…you can’t move.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
“So by this do you mean $$$, like Bennett buying out the lease, or paying a hefty relocation fee to the Committee? Or do you mean that the Committee might be reluctant to allow the move in consideration of financial risks they could incur?”
The committee is just a group of owners. Typically a fellow owner isn’t going to block another owner from moving to a different market because you never know when you might need that same favor someday.
My nothing speaks like $$$ comment was a terribly inept attempt at shorthand…the initiative is the best move to make right now. If Bennett can’t legally extricate himself from the lease and is forced to stay at KeyArena through 2010 PLUS pay a franchise relocation fee he probably looks to sell.
In other words I’d expect a lot of lip service out of the commissioner’s office but in terms of real help just remember who pays his salary.
” I dont agree at all that he has “very little real power”. If he is as powerful as the media gives him credit for then he does have power.”
That’s because you forgot how to read (again). I never said Stern had very little real power in the sense you’re implying. I simply said in reply to “I’d like to know how much power David Stern has to keep Bennett from relocating. ”
I said very little real power. Which is true. If Bennett applies for relocation and the committee approves it Stern has no power to stop him. The only thing that will keep Bennett from moving is fear of taking some very substantial losses in court from breaking the lease due to the specific performance provisions.
He’s already had to make one capital call to his partners on this investment. They aren’t going to sit tight for three more years of capital calls before they bail.
“However, with him as an ally it would be very similar to the Seahawks situation where a group of owners (led by Tagliabue) basically said: no…you can’t move. ”
No, it wouldn’t. That was a totally different situation and the NFL is a much, much tighter group of owners than the NBA. Moving a franchise with a 40 year history into the smallest market in the league is not the same as breaking a lease, sneaking out of town and claiming the second largest media market in the country for yourself.
July 24th, 2007 at 2:57 pm
I could be wrong, but the mayor is a public official, and technically all meetings have to be public record. Even his meeting with Bennett. He can only have secret meetings with his staff. We should be able to get a transcript. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in government though.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Versio-
I you’re right. I’d love to see a transcipt of their meeting.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Versio-
I you’re right. I’d love to see a transcipt of their meeting.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
“I you’re right” should be “I hope you’re right”
July 24th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
“I could be wrong, but the mayor is a public official, and technically all meetings have to be public record. ”
Only if the public is present. That’s why full city council meetings are taped but some committee & closed sessions aren’t.
“He can only have secret meetings with his staff. We should be able to get a transcript. ”
He isn’t required to keep transcripts of his meetings. It will likely take place off-site anyways, like in a restaurant.
July 24th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
I do want all the best for all of us in term of peace, happiness and enjoyment. The Seattle Supersonics is a team in Seattle for so many years. We do carry our best in our heart for the team and giving our supreme support for the Sonics. We do have such a longing for the team to stay and wishing the best for our community. We ask for nothing in our pure heart with just the best for all in return for our joyfull fulfillment. We are giving out our best for unselfish motive and will receive fruitfull outcome in containment.
July 24th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
FYI we have a series of press releases scheduled for this week. Tomorrow will be the confirmation that we have filed public disclosure for a whole bunch of stuff.
Disclosure requests will be re-submitted weekly from here on out.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
The Chosen 1 has been delivered to Seattle to Save The Sonics.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:49 pm
Phenom, who? Durant or Brian?
July 24th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Myk says:
“However, I sort of look at this in a different light. The NBA is already now teatering on the brink of disaster when it comes to public relations and what not. Would moving one if its longest running teams just make the team look even more short sighted? Personally (and maybe this is just my bias), if I was David Stern I would be moving in a direction to lock down all the existing fan bases in the league as opposed to trying to create an entire new fanbase around a sport who’s very integrity is now into question.”
Myk, I would tend to agree with this take on events also. But then again, Stern has really not been very talented at handling negative media/public perception issues of the league lately. He doesn’t seem to care, sometimes, what the perceptions are. He comes off as quite aloof. I wonder if he’d be so smart as to manage this situation with the fan base in mind, or if he’ll just side with “those who pay his paycheck”.
July 24th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I hope Clay is still in Stern’s doghouse for openly talking about possible cities for relocation. Ufortunately, I don’t see the owners rejecting any potential move. Clay has been in their fraternity dating back to when I believe he was a minority owner of the Spurs franchise. The owners probably see things from his perspective and fear that they will be in his position one day.
It’s crunch time. It’s up to Nickels. I hope he has the fortitude to reject even a “fair” offer from Clay. I think it’s 50-50 now.
July 24th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I think your digging pretty deep to put any type of blame on David Stern. Stern isn’t trying to move this team. He just happens to be the commissioner at the time of this scandal as well. How is he supposed to handle it? How is any of this his fault at all?
July 24th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
“He just happens to be the commissioner at the time of this scandal as well. How is he supposed to handle it? How is any of this his fault at all?”
Wait a minue. Isnt Stern the one who called honest refereeing the ‘most sacred’ part of his sport? If that is true, why wouldnt he as comissioner be ultra careful and have a secure handle on the screening process? Is his stance that the Commissioner has no say in screening refs? It would seem odd to outsource the screening process and evaluation of ‘most sacred’ part of the game.
Stern is so shady on this subject IMO. Evry time he talks about it he wants to highlight his view of a single, rogue individual acting on his own. That is crazy.
July 24th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
“It’s crunch time. It’s up to Nickels. I hope he has the fortitude to reject even a “fair” offer from Clay. I think it’s 50-50 now. ”
Is there any amount that Nickels would legally have to accept?
July 24th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Stern is terrible and comes around to the mic to issue his bold and self-righteous declarations when it was he that didn’t take care of business. He’d have been replaced a long time ago if it weren’t for Michael Jordan.
July 24th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
Well considering all the facts aren’t out yet, really what more can he do? What more can you say? The ref in question hasn’t even turned himself in yet. Do you know more than we do?
“If that is true, why wouldnt he as comissioner be ultra careful and have a secure handle on the screening process? Is his stance that the Commissioner has no say in screening refs? It would seem odd to outsource the screening process and evaluation of ‘most sacred’ part of the game.”
Seems to me that wouldn’t be in the scope of his duties. Does the CEO personally interview every employee of a company? Not his job. Its not like he sends the referee human resources department to India.
“Stern is so shady on this subject IMO. Evry time he talks about it he wants to highlight his view of a single, rogue individual acting on his own.”
Is there some well accepted conspiracy theory that I haven’t heard yet?
July 25th, 2007 at 6:17 am
How do I vote?
July 25th, 2007 at 10:56 am
You don’t start negotiations by setting a deadline that is one year after your purchase of the team, and two years before the end of your lease. Bennett is not really interested in Seattle, and has all the charm of a horse’s ass. He is also a moron as a businessman. OK city can’t possibly generate the revenue that Seattle can. He overpaid on the team and now wants to spend possibly 100 million to move it, after only basic meet and greets with politicians and local leaders. He is a moronic businessman.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:01 am
Wait a minue. Isnt Stern the one who called honest refereeing the ‘most sacred’ part of his sport? If that is true, why wouldnt he as comissioner be ultra careful and have a secure handle on the screening process? Is his stance that the Commissioner has no say in screening refs? It would seem odd to outsource the screening process and evaluation of ‘most sacred’ part of the game.
- So are you implying that there is some sort of magical screening process that would ensure that not one bad official was ever hired?? If that’s the case I’d like to see it. The NBA goes through a very deep and thorough back ground check…its not like you just show up to work one day and walk on the court.
That’s because you forgot how to read (again). I never said Stern had very little real power in the sense you’re implying. I simply said in reply to “I’d like to know how much power David Stern has to keep Bennett from relocating. ”
- What I find funny about your little smart remark about not reading is that I basically said the same thing you said…so you didn’t read either. Sure David Stern does not have the ability to block a move on his own. However, he is still considered one of the men who saved the NBA (although his rep is beging to tarnish) so to say that he doesn’t have the ear of enough influential owners to be able to block a move is down right silly…obviously he would have to prove why it would be smart to keep the team in Seattle…but I think most of us agree that argument already exists.
July 25th, 2007 at 11:07 am
How do I vote?
Yes
July 25th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
“The NBA goes through a very deep and thorough back ground check…its not like you just show up to work one day and walk on the court.”
Have you read all of the allegations posted out there of his public temper tantrums and extremely unusaual behavior. How the hell was this guy a professional at anything? He acted like a fool too many times for the ‘thorough backgraound check’ to possibly miss, IMO. that screening process is flawed. That’s really my only point. And Stern should be head of writing those screening and evaluating guidelines.
And isnt it a little strange that 4 NBA refs come from the same High School in Philly as Donaghy? Is going to that Catholic school part of the thorough background check? Is the fact that Donaghy’s dad is a ‘FORMER’ NCAA official part of the thorough background check?
July 25th, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Wow. Are people really putting this on Stern? Sure its a black eye on the league during his leadership. But are you seriously blaming him? Does the CEO of your company/owner do personal interviews for all hires? Does he write the screening guidelines? Chances are he doesn’t and its not in the scope of his job. David Stern NBA Commissioner/Referee HR???
This is a stretch IMO. Didn’t you watch the press conference? Stern looks visibly shaken to me.
Is Roger Goodell to blame for the Michael Vick allegations? Maybe he should have animal control inspect all players homes.
When Pete Rose bet on baseball……was it the commissioner’s fault? I guess the commissioner should have done a psych eval/lie detector test personally right?
“He acted like a fool too many times for the ‘thorough backgraound check’ to possibly miss, IMO. that screening process is flawed.”
Well as long as you have never been convicted or caught doing anything…….its pretty easy to pass any background check.
July 25th, 2007 at 1:44 pm
Micah Says:
July 25th, 2007 at 10:56 am
OK city can’t possibly generate the revenue that Seattle can.
How big is Green Bay. Can that little town generate the revenues of Seattle? Yes they can. So can OKC, especially if it’s the only game in town. In OKC the Sonics won’t compete with the Mariners or Seahawks for selling Lux Suites. If you aren’t paying rent you can make a lot of money, especially if you control the tickets, concessions, parking and advertising. He’ll also get a local TV contract. Bennett will make money, remember Durant WILL be the 21st century Jordan. The Washington legislature needs to save the Sonics, or be voted out of office. Stopping the team from leaving early is just the first step.
July 25th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
“Didn’t you watch the press conference? Stern looks visibly shaken to me. ”
Feeling somewhat responsible has a way of shaking people up.
“Well as long as you have never been convicted or caught doing anything…….its pretty easy to pass any background check. ”
The Stern thing aside. …If I chased down a postal carrier and blocked him from delivering mail as Donaghy did, I would expect to be charged with some kind of disorderly conduct. The fact that he repeatedly went to the post office to apologize after the incident tells me he was not charged as long as he apologized. Deliberately stopping the mail from being delivered is a federal offense I believe. They cut him a break IMO. Wonder why?
“
July 25th, 2007 at 2:46 pm
“If I chased down a postal carrier and blocked him from delivering mail as Donaghy did, I would expect to be charged with some kind of disorderly conduct. The fact that he repeatedly went to the post office to apologize after the incident tells me he was not charged as long as he apologized. Deliberately stopping the mail from being delivered is a federal offense I believe. They cut him a break IMO. Wonder why?”
Is this fact or allegation? No charges = no record. How is anyone supposed to know this happened? I’m confident the NBA would have stepped in if they were aware of the situation. They stepped in when Donaghy had litigation issues with his neighbors didn’t they?
But if the postal service didn’t make it an issue…..why should the NBA? David Stern isn’t Shaq……..he doesn’t make citizens arrests.
On the other hand the postal worker may not have wanted to get whacked for turning in a connected guy. Donaghy is definitely dirty. No doubt about it. But lets be honest, nobody here cared or knew anything about this guy until a week ago. Then once the story comes out, people have come out of the wood work with tales about this guy.
The only guy that knows the truth is the accused. From my understanding, he hasn’t even been charged yet or turned himself in.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Sidenote: I’m sick of any reference to NBA officials being underpaid. They make 6 figures and work how many hours a night? How many days a year? I’ve seen in some Donaghy articles they allude that officials are underpaid so he had to try to supplement his income. Nonsense.
July 26th, 2007 at 12:25 am
The hater on the PI boards “Apostle” (who may likely be the same as “Not a Tax” here), argues that the city should take the settlement number Bennett offers if it goes beyond the 3 year damage estimate and pays off the debt. Would Nickels have incentive to do that? Do the lawyers know of any Plan B should that arise?
July 30th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
Did any of you guys ever stop to think that OKC has more people (1.35 mil.) in their metro area than Seattle had when the Sonics came to be? Or that in OKC the Sonics will be the king dog with no other prof. spots teams to compete with? Plus with all that Oil money they have floating around they will have all the support they would need to ensure sell out after sellout. Don’t you people realize that Bennett knows all this? Plus I just read where OKC is already in the early planning stages of a top flight arena for the Sonics.Also OKC is undergoing a big upgrade downtown where much land will become open for building after a major HWY (I-40) is being rerouted. Bennett wants the team in OKC because he knows he will make much more profit there than he can in Seattle and not face all the negativity.
August 28th, 2007 at 5:54 am
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Good post!