Hello from NY
Posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pm by Brian Robinson
As some of you(those who watch the news anyway) may have figured out I made the trip at the last minute.
We came to a conclusion that while we will be unable or unlikely to influence the owners in any way have an obligation to be here so that someone can tell our side of the story to the assembled national media. I will make sure to say hello to Darnell Mayberry for all of you.
Crazy news today with Clay Bennett being the first one to claim collusion. I’ve spoken to a couple of people today who feel that he may have felt the need to make a statement to other owners. This is a good thing. It means that they are questioning him.
I fully expect a vote to relocate tomorrow. If we get a deferral it is a huge win and a sign that things are unraveling.
I am VERY tired. Will touch base tomorrow AM with anthing I hear.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
Good Luck. I’m glad you;re there. Spread the word all around
Save Our Sonics.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
For the longest time I consider myself the most hardcore sonics fan…
Yeah I think you deserve that title more…
HAVE FUN IN NYC!!!!! SPREAD THE SONICS LOVE SON!!
April 17th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
If you run into Stern or Bennett in an alley we got your bail covered
April 17th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Thank you Brian…noone has worked harder than you. I think we are all tired(again, you more so than anybody), but I don’t know of very many things that have taken such an emotional toll. It’s not over by a long shot…but good work guys….good work. Brian, thanks for being our Representative, your presence has made a huge difference…you and the rest of the SOS staff.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Laporbo Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
“If you run into Stern or Bennett in an alley we got your bail covered ”
Damn straight.
————-
Thanks Brian for being there for the rest of us! Keep up the awesome work, as always.
Cheers
-Jeremy
April 17th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Stern claims that Clay tried his hardest up to the last minute. Yet Clay back LAST MAY claimed to be out of ideas.
http://www.horsesass.org/?p=2973
April 17th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Clay threatens Oklahoma senators who dare stand up to him.
http://deadspin.com/380819/clay-bennett-is-happy-to-screw-oklahoma-too
April 17th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
My prespin: they grant his application, the question is if it is his team to move?
Injunction junction, what’s your function? Keeping a clay from moving what’s not his.
Good luck Brian, do not order a whole ruben at the Roxy in Times Square, it is too big for one person.
April 17th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
http://www.seattle.gov/news/detail.asp?ID=8372&Dept=40
April 17th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
My almost 4 year old son is wearing gold sweats and a green shirt. I told him he was all Sonic’d out. His reply? I am going to a Sonic game when I grow up. My response? Yes you will, and we have Brian Robinson amongst others to thank. Keep it up guys.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Wow Brian. Above and beyond, as always. Good luck with the media and thanks for being our spokesman. We couldn’t ask for better.
Have fun in NY!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:09 pm
When the Sonics end up staying in Seattle and Ballmer and co. become the owners, Brian Robinson deserves a free life-time court side seat.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Brian for Governor
April 17th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Brian, thanks for being in NY and representing all of us. I know there is nobody else on the planet who I would rather have to tell the media our side of the story than you. Thank you for making the trip and for all that you’re doing!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:19 pm
pbyrnes@byrneskeller.com
A local law firm is representing a group trying to steal OUR local team? Am I completly wrong on this?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:20 pm
“When the Sonics end up staying in Seattle and Ballmer and co. become the owners, Brian Robinson deserves a free life-time court side seat. ”
Brian, Steve and ALL the Key figures from SOS really do deserve life-time season tickets at the very least!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
front page on TSN.ca about Fridays Relocation vote:
http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=234564&lid=headline&lpos=secStory_main
April 17th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
“Brian, Steve and ALL the Key figures from SOS really do deserve life-time season tickets at the very least! ”
My bad. Didn’t mean to leave out Steve and the others.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
I have the most annoying feeling right now. Knowing that the relocation vote is going to pass tomorrow. I’m all prepared, know what to expect, have no expectations otherwise. Yet I know that regardless of all that, when I read the headline I am going to feel sick to my stomach.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Well, honestly, I have always had a feeling that “something is going to happen”….and something has always happened. While the relo vote is gonna pass, “something esle is going to happen”…it just doesn’t feel like this team will be gone when all is said and done. I just wish things would get to happening, because I am getting tired of hypotheticals and speculation.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Just saw Brian on King 5. Well said, my friend. I loved the dig at the NBA’s integrity
April 17th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
The thing thats bumming me out a bit, is that I know that once tomorrow is over, the tone of things is going to be very different. Besides us, EVERYBODY will assume they are gone and that it is final. That will be rough to get used to people talking in more that it’s over than they already are. I agree, it doesn’t feel over. Just not getting easier for us poor saps by any means.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
what time is the vote tomorrow?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:43 pm
Chris Daniels said mid morning Seattle time
April 17th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
has this been posted?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3352121
April 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Good Luck Brian, we are behind you!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:46 pm
The National media already think they are gone. Even Mitch Levy thinks they are gone, even wasting time on “The Bigger Dance” when he could be using his show in a productive manner. He obviously is not from this area.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
glennpdx Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Brian for Governor
Amen.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Thanks for this update BR and for being back there.
Be strong - give them the truth!
When you get a chance & think it is the right time - I’d really like to hear your thoughts on Gregoire’s efforts this week on arena funding & commitment to that etc. after your meeting with her last week.
Did she pull a “Webber”?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Roger Cossack was just on kjr, I missed the end of the interview. He said Howard’s case is for real, it will cost both parties a lot of money just in lawyers. Captains of industry don’t get to be that by wasting a lot of money in lawyer costs taking up meaningless court cases.
Then I had to get out of my car.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Wow…
Everytime Stern &/or Clay open their mouths they contradict previous statements and actions. I’m sure Slade & Schultz’s lawyers are just drooling to get a piece of these guys under oath. Stern can blow off the media & snow them - but a courtroom is a whole new deal and he & Clay will be in HUGE trouble if any of these cases get them on the stand.
This thing is a long way from over. Regardless of what the owners do tomorrow - If Nichols hangs tough and refuses to accept a buyout settlement on the lease the Sonics will be here at least 2 more years.
I’ll be encouraged if the vote is mixed - if the Sonics get 7-8+ “NO’s” it might indicate some decension in the ranks that could crack more later.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Cossack basically said is that the only way he sees the Sonics staying is that through all of the lawsuits if they are a made to bleed enough money and Ballmer were to come an offer a substantial amount, that he might say enough is enough. He said he thinks the Shultz lawsuit could tie it up for years but doesn’t see it going to trial.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
did anyone meet the Sonics at Boeing Field last night after their flight home from California?..
April 17th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Mr. B - I really do not think Howard is doing this just for PR - (Partially probably) I’m no lawyer but my instincts from looking at this is that the case has a shot and Howard is serious.
The greatest value of this case is it just puts a ton more pressure on the NBA owners to start feeling like….
“Screw this Clay & David, this is a mess and it is going to go on & on and we might lose. Let’s cut our losses in this whole thing and just recognize we can and need to keep this team in Seattle and then move on. This issue is just a huge pain and risk we don’t need.”
Along with this we need them to not have “What is best for Clay” or “What does King David want us to do” be their greatest value. We need then to think like Cuban… “What is really in the best interest of the whole league from a short & long term perspective.”
The obvious answer to that would be…. Get Clay to sell to Ballmer & keep the team in Seattle and move on.
April 17th, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Remember the Senate Steroid Hearings. You think Stern will answer truthfully, plead the 5th? How would that work. Can he Misremember?
April 17th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Cossack also kept saying that the NBA thinks that the team would make more money in OKC. I know that OKC has bent over alot for Clay, but I don’t think there’s anyway there making more money in OKC. Must have been an uninformed statement on his part.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Legal question… Cossack says the Shultz trial could be tied up for years. Would that mean even if the BOG approves the move, they would not be able to move until that trial is finished, or will that not matter?
April 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Thanks for your hard work Brian. Wish I was in New York as well. My father’s side of the family lives there and it’s been 14 years since I’ve seen any of them.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Can’t believe Ian Furnice on kjr didn’t convey what the fans of the Supes’ think about this whole fiasco when he had Jenny Carlson on from the Daily Oklahoman. She said it was posturing, comparing Clay’s accusations today to what Howey Shultz did last week. Ian let it go, basically agreeing. I just wonder when we the fans will get a chance to tell the World what WE think, instead of the talking heads and legislature.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
The truth is, I have already lost respect for Stern and the NBA altogether. Even if the Sonics do stay in Seattle, I’ll be a more casual Sonics fan than I was, and I will no longer be an NBA fan and revere the NBA like I used to knowing how corrupt the league itself and its owners are.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
I know the chances are almost zero that they will deny the move.
But just imagine… the trouble that Clay will be in if they deny it…
Oh, how I hope….
April 17th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
If Schultz keeps his lawsuit going, he could get an injunction to stop the move of the team at any point. That’s why I’ve been saying all week that the Schultz suit is our only real hope. Howie now claims, in effect, that he owns the Sonics. As long as his ownership claim lives so do the Seattle Supersonics…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Tell “Clayvid” I said “HI”…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I’ve kind of wondered what would happen if the city does in fact win the lawsuit, then the Okies somehow bleed through it, but the Shultz lawsuit is still pending…what happens then? If there is an injunction…but no lease in Seattle…where do they play?
Man, I don’t know about you all but all this speculation is getting tired.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
“Brian for Governor”
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
Brian’s in NY? Who would have ever thought….WWKD!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I agree with Glenn. I think Howie’s the ace in the hole here. If he wins his case, everything else is moot.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I’m tired of the speculation, too. Imagine how Bennett, Ward and McClendon are feeling. They don’t have as much control over this as they thought. I don’t think this will drag on for two years, but you never know…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:23 pm
all this speculation is hurting my brain, there are ssoooo many possible outcomes and surprises. thanks for the effort brian, stick it to em.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Remember Jenny Carlson? Who can forget. “I’m forty damnit.”
April 17th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
“Mr. B - I really do not think Howard is doing this just for PR - (Partially probably) I’m no lawyer but my instincts from looking at this is that the case has a shot and Howard is serious.”
Its a total PR move. What other motivation does he have to sue? This suit costs him money right off the bat. If they win it costs him more to regain control of a team that he already sold.
But who cares. Its about the bottom line. Save the team. I don’t care who or how.
However from what I’ve heard……”fraud” is extremely hard to prove in the court of law.
From ESPN:
“On Friday, NBA owners are set to approve the SuperSonics’ move to Oklahoma City. The last two votes on moves — the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans and the Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis — passed by a combined vote of 59-1.”
April 17th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
“Clayvid”
I enjoyed that one, NBAFAN.
Thanks for everything you’re doing for us Sonic Fans, Brian, Steve, and everyone else. Being in the Dallas area, I felt out of the loop on what was going on with the Sonics, until I started reading SC.com.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Howie threw a great big anchor in Elliot Bay. The Sonics aren’t going anywhere as long as he and Yarmuth can keep this going. I don’t really care what the owners say tomorrow…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
Correction: They will throw an anchor in the bay when they file the lawsuit. Wish they would do that soon…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Looks like Bennett’s been feeding his trolls again. Wish he would stop that…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
way to go Brian!!.Give em hell! WE could not have a better spokesman.Let them all know what’REALLY going on. They can be heroes!!
SAve our Sonics!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Hey Brian. Make sure to tell them you have support in and out of Seattle. The media needs to report that too.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Brian rules!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I know this is not a pr stunt, that was sort of the point.
when he said it would cost a lot of money, he said millions, and Howard has a real case to make.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I wonder why any more emails haven’t been released…seems like today would be a perfect day to release some more. What are they waiting for?
April 17th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
“OKCpride (15 minutes ago)
Report Violation | Ignore User
Dammit. Those people on the sonics central blog just wouldn’t roll over and die. Screw Seattle. We’ll continue to hack their website.
OKC SONICS FANS MUST UNITE!”
http://myespn.go.com/s/conversations/show/story/3352121
????
April 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
That’s awful. They’ve been hacking the site??? Oklahoma City Outlaws really does serve them right for a name. How about Oklahoma City Outlawed…I like that more.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Off ESPN site on story about vote not being the end of the saga comment #14
OKCpride (21 minutes ago)
Report Violation | Ignore User
Dammit. Those people on the sonics central blog just wouldn’t roll over and die. Screw Seattle. We’ll continue to hack their website.
OKC SONICS FANS MUST UNITE!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
new York times sports business reporter Richard Sandomir has a story up, sorry, can’t paste link with my phone, he included a quote from Mark Cuban, and Brian Robinson.
Glad he had Brian’s perspective.
The newspaper of record is covering the story. It is very important that the reporting is complete for near term historical record.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I’ve got a sincere question for a few of you guys.
Why did some of y’all trust Clay Bennett at the onset? I vividly recall being one of the few guys around here who claimed that giving Bennett the benefit of the doubt was a naïve, misguided idea. Although it was pessimistic of me to question Bennett’s intentions, I nevertheless hit the nail square on the head.
Hell, I called it from the get-go.
“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. 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.”
http://sonicscentral.com/blog/?p=1357
During the summer of 2006, I was also practically the only one who bashed Howard Schultz for his role in this mess.
“What does surprise me, though, is that Howard Schultz has been acquitted in the court of public opinion by some ’sonic fans.
Rather than wait another three years, so as to possibly garner an arena deal from the City of Bellevue, Schultz acted like a selfish, impatient New Yorker and sold the Seattle Supersonics to a duplicitous swindler from Oklahoma.
Okay, sure, if Schultz had waited three more years to sell the team, then he may have only broke even rather than have made a huge profit; however, it would’ve shown a lot of personal character and civic pride on his part had he done that. Of course, there’s no reason for me to expect someone who has a vacation home in the Hamptons, such as Schultz, to have any semblance of civic pride for the Pacific Northwest.”
http://sonicscentral.com/blog/?p=730
Where was the skepticism when we needed it?
April 17th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
“I wonder why any more emails haven’t been released…seems like today would be a perfect day to release some more. What are they waiting for?”
You’ve seen everything the times has. There’s 28 pages of information to read through on thier site if you want to read it all.
No one can release anything else because there’s court protections on them. Wait till the trial…
April 17th, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Brian- I respect you for your intelligence,passion and decency. I will pray for you and your safety( in more ways than one!!). Godspeed Warrior!
April 17th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Maybe we just need to get Clay arrested…
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20080417/D903RVIG0.html
April 17th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
“OKC SONICS FANS MUST UNITE!”
They’re so crazy that they are actually rooting for a team that doesn’t exsist.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
NY Times story:
http://tinyurl.com/5wjy7x
April 17th, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Scott Says:
You’ve seen everything the times has. There’s 28 pages of information to read through on thier site if you want to read it all.
Just curious, does anyone know if David Sabey has made any comments since last summer? There was an email mentioning his prelim land offer.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Tell Supreme Chancellor(Star Wars emporer(I mean Commish Stern) Hello!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
i like how that billionair dude in LA is going to build a new stadium with NO public money to try and get an nfl team there, the future of stadium building maybe? no public funding needed. would be nice if this hurt the nba too, but alas just wishfull thinking im afraid.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
“If Schultz keeps his lawsuit going, he could get an injunction to stop the move of the team at any point. ”
That’s what I think too. If he can make enough of a case to withstand early motions to dismiss (and it’s a very high standard that needs to be reached before a court grants that), then I think an injunction against the move is the logical step. Clearly, if the team moves to OKC, that is irreparable damage to Howard as owner of the Seattle-based b-ball team.
Don’t know that Howard’s case ultimately results in a recission of the deal (I am a lawyer, but can’t claim this is really my area of expertise), but it does feel like a pretty good 1-2 punch along with the lease-based suit. Neither of the lawsuits are frivolous ones, from the facts we know.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:11 pm
I think this vote has a different reasoning than the Vancouver and Charlotte relocations. Vancouver the team wasn’t making any money, only had 6 years of history, attendance was lackluster, and the Canadian dollar didn’t help business at all. Charlotte had the arena problem like us, but wouldn’t do anything as long as Shinn was the owner. We are willing to do something but Bennett just asks for the world and some using us as leverage against a free place in his home state.
Our case is different in the sense the most logical reason to move the team is the owner pleases to. If he wanted to work a deal out here he would have tried. Asking for a $500 Million Taj Mahal isn’t exactly showing a ton of effort. The thing that hurts us the most is the political landscape for the arena. If anything, but Olympia failing to do shit for Ballmer’s group gives them further reasoning to allow the relocation. It’s a bad spot those assholes like Chopp and Kessler led to the team to. If they would have just allowed the funds for Safeco Field re-allocated to Seattle Center arena the last few years of the deal it would be over with.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
As a JD, I’ll offer my two cents:
The Schultz case will rest very much on the judge’s discretion. If the judge cares at all about his image (and they often do…remember Ito?), he’ll grant the injunction. The opportunity to become a Seattle hero will be well worth it.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Re the last quote in the NY Times story - who the f— is Marc Ganis, and why are all his opinions so dreadfully anti-Seattle? He is always listed as “sports consultant”, but I wonder if his bills are paid by the NBA, b/c his opinions seem to be pretty one-sided (or at least they seem that way to this completely unbiased, lifelong sonics fan).
April 17th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Z4EC says:
The truth is, I have already lost respect for Stern and the NBA altogether. Even if the Sonics do stay in Seattle, I’ll be a more casual Sonics fan than I was, and I will no longer be an NBA fan and revere the NBA like I used to knowing how corrupt the league itself and its owners are.
I considered that, but if Stern and Bennett get their comeuppance, it might improve the NBA.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
Cossack had some pretty interesting things to say on KJR.
If I were attempting to convince Ballmer to offer enough money to purchase the team, I think I’d try to get him to understand that there are some things you will get a chance to do in your life that you will never get another chance to do.
For a guy as rich as Ballmer, I’ll bet he has had the opportunity to do nearly everything that he has ever wanted to do.
This is one of those times where he may never get this opportunity again, so it might make sense for him to commit substantially to a package to buy the Sonics back- if that’s actually an option as Cossack said on KJR.
Of course, I’m talking about someone else’s money, but if I were trying to convince him, that’s where I’d start.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
king5.com has more documents than the Seattle Times, including the 5 pdf files that include the text of the side letter that the league got as a condition of approval of sale. They are in the file with the exhibits, referenced in the brief. 126 pages in the exhibits. The brief is actually a good read, it is pretty short.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
pdway, thanks for chipping in on the Schultz possibilities. I think people who aren’t too keen on Howard (that includes a lot of us) have underestimated what this lawsuit might mean. It’s potentially far more potent a weapon that just enforcement of the lease. And it could be litigated for a unknown number of years. It is Bennett and company’s worst nightmare come true. They ‘own’ a team but can’t do anything with it…
April 17th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Anyone know where Shultz’s case is going to take place? Is it Seattle?
April 17th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Gentlepeople:
Clay’s motion, as a late litigator friend of mine would say, is pretty much “wah wah wah wah wah.”
Put your favorite beverage on ice. The response brief from the good guys should be a joy to read.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
I have a draft-related question that’s a little off topic that I’ve posed a few times but have yet to receive any feedback on.
With the second-worst record in the league, we all know Seattle is guaranteed at least a top 5 pick, maybe higher. We also have Phoenix’s first round pick this year as a result of the Kurt Thomas trade. Unless the Sonics land the #1 pick in the lottery, I’m starting to feel like there’s a chance D. Rose may be gone. We still need a point guard, and after reading several draft analysis sites, I’m starting to warm to the idea of picking up DJ Augustin if he’s still around later in the draft. He played alongside Durant at Texas, so there would be built-in chemistry, and aside from questions about his size, I hear he’s a solid PG prospect. Of course if he’s a legit NBA PG, there will be demand for his services although some boards have him going as late as the high teens.
Does anyone know based on the final regular season standings what the highest possible pick we could get from Phoenix is? I see they’re up against San Antonio first round, and I could see them getting dispatched in round 1.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
“Does anyone know based on the final regular season standings what the highest possible pick we could get from Phoenix is?”
I believe that unless they win the NBA title, we’d have the 23rd pick in the draft.
NBAdraft.net has DJ Augustin being the player chosen in that spot.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
There is speculation in the newsok.com site that the meeting didnt go well and they expect a NO vote?…..
Dont know for sure where they are getting their info…
April 17th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
don’t play with my emotions
April 17th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
AD…link to the newsok.com site you’re referring to?
April 17th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
what Matt said. If you got more info, spill it.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Where are you seeing that AD? I can’t find anything like that on the site.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
Forgive me if I don’t rush to believe anything I hear from OKC AD…
April 17th, 2008 at 8:55 pm
I call B.S. If they did have a bad meeting, newsok would be the last place in the world you would expect to see a report of that.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Brian, we’re all behind you. Smart move getting an SOS rep there to tell the real story. Can we take up a collection to help you out with your plane ticket? There’s a lot of $10 and $20 donors here that could help you out if you need it.
April 17th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Apparently TV News 9 in OKC is reporting that according to the comments below the article.
http://newsok.com/article/3231097
April 17th, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Seattle you had nothing to worry about, and I kept saying that to you, but did you listen? NOOOOO! News 9 in OKC reported after a day of meetings OKC chances of getting a team ever, let alone an approval for the Sonics is slim. Oklahomans jumped the gun, but common sense prevailed. Seattle you may proceed to lay into us nobodys, who aren’t fortunate enough to have as much as you do. Take your jabs. david, oklahoma city
This comment specifically…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
while i am from OK…
as stated before i would rather have the Hornets…
nothing against the Sonics…
the report apparently aired on local TV…
I didnt see it personally so i’m trying to find info as best i can.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
AD we don’t need to be played with man. If u have something concrete to add that’s fine I guess, but we’re going through enough of a rollercoaster ride here, and not bcuz it’s “fun”, but bcuz we’re forced to. Please don’t add to it as we’ve been through enough thanks to people from OKC…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
That would be amazing news, but I can’t imagine some guy with just a first name posting on a blog wold have insight like this. I’m sure if this is true, it will start popping up around the web within the hour. We’ll see, but I won’t hold my breath.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
Thank you AD for being reasonable enough to realize that we want to keep our team.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
That news happened this morning. I thought you were talking about recently within few hours ago. OK is the last place to admit defeat if BOG actually will vote against the relocation.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:08 pm
Unfortunately the News 9 TV Channel’s website is also newsok.com.
I have full google powers going now…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
AD seems to be mentioning comments from “David in Oklahoma City” who has been predicting a No vote for at least a week.
To claim proof, he appears to be referencing the following from a News9 report:
“But Washington governor Christine Gregoire said the move to Oklahoma won’t happen soon, if ever.”
April 17th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Here’s the news station that this anonymous poster claims he heard report that the BOG meetings did not go well…I don’t see anything right off the bat, but you guys can look around and see if I missed something:
http://www.9online.com
April 17th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
It’s could be some kind of plot to make Play Play look like more of a “hero” if it does indeed pass…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
They say News 9 is reporting that but the News 9 website says nothing.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Yeah, I call BS on that comment posted.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I think Howard will tack on millions more to Bennett’s cost of ownership and provide the only plausible exit for the league next year after the City of Seattle wins, Howard files an injunction that keeps them from just leaving and eating fines, and the case against the league starts to get federal attention.
Howard is the exit out if this mess.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Interesting on what AD has to say. I will wait to see if he can find something concrete.
For numerous of times I have tried to get into SC.com and it won’t come out. I am beginning to wonder if you guys meant Sonicscentral.com is same as SC.com? If so I must be an idiot for trying several times. LOL
Can not wait for tomorrow as I expected the vote will rule in favor for Clay but it does not mean anything. What I am really hoping a huge surprise coming out tomorrow. I can even picture if that scenario comes out that we were not expecting. I am going to hold that thought.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
We’ll all find out tomorrow.
In the next 24 hours we’re going to hear lots of different things, don’t jump on someone who is just trying to give some info. He’s fully admitted that he heard the information second hand and is from OKC. Its not like he’s trying to mess with anyone.
Word is that the meetings are still going on take it for what you will.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:20 pm
Who jumped on him?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
A little bit of bad news….Elise on KJR earlier tonight said she had heard from a credible source that Paul Allen is going to abstain tomorrow. If we can’t even get a “no” from him, I think the writing is on the wall…
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THE FIGHT IS OVER!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Menace says…
“Its a total PR move. What other motivation does he have to sue? This suit costs him money right off the bat. If they win it costs him more to regain control of a team that he already sold.”
Yes - PR is part of it but not all of it. It is not just about “Winning the case” but about using the case as a huge pressure point against Stern & Clay - a key part of wearing htem down so hopefully they will say - and other NBA owners will say…. “We need to get away from this.” Also - Howard may or may notbe worried about how much it will cost him because he may be in touch with Balmmer & would simply pass/sell the team over to him.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
Paul Allen deciding to abstain isn’t bad as long as 15 other owners do the same. They don’t want to vote against their own but we could dream that a majority will abstain.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Christopher–Is that true? My take was that there just needed to be more yes than no votes. So even if twenty abstained it could still pass. Is this wrong?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
By the way…
I am not a OKC Troll hoping to steal YOUR Sonics…
Emphasis on YOUR…
I have been nothing but impressed and amazed by you guys…
(for what thats worth)
and no this is not some Clay/David lovefest thing…
talk about embarrased hes from my state…
anyway… it appears they were discussing the situation all together… the lawsuits, the lease, and the relocation vote tomorrow… saying “if” the vote didnt go well… or “if” Howard’s lawsuit and legs… or “if” the lease drug out…
then the chances would be slim that OKC could ever get a team…
Sorry if i got everybody all worked up… not my intention…
for whats its worth… i’m routing for you guys…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
Mostly just an assumption based on politics. You need a majority of everyone and not just the ones who vote.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:28 pm
ab·stain (b-stn, b-)
intr.v. ab·stained, ab·stain·ing, ab·stains
1. To refrain from something by one’s own choice: abstain from traditional political rhetoric. See Synonyms at refrain1.
2. To refrain from voting: Forty senators voted in favor of the bill, 45 voted against it, and 15 abstained.
I think that sort of good to me. That way if more owners do that way then it will likely “fail”? That is my interpretation. What is your thought of this?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I emailed Dean Blevins, the sports reporter who allegedly made the comments on the news in OKC about the possible shift in the attitudes at the BOG meetings. If I hear anything from him, I’ll post it right away.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
Brian and the Sonic made tomorrow’s (April 18) NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/sports/basketball/18sandomir.html?ref=basketball
No new info there, but it does put all the emails and mess into a major national publication. Can’t hurt the cause…especially with the Cuban quote.
Great quote from our very own Brian half way through:
“David Stern is obviously committed to this scoundrel,” said Brian Robinson, of the fan group Save Our Sonics.
Way to go Brian!!! Go get them.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
“Who jumped on him?”
No one, I just wanted to get that out early because over the next day or so we’re going to hear lots of stuff that ‘people hear’. Some of it will be right, some will be wrong but you learn something from all of it.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Paul Allen abstaining????
If that happens that sucks. We’ll see.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Fair enough…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
TJKK… Thanks for checking - I doubt this report is anything more the BS coming out of OKC.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
What about quorum? If 15 owners did not show up. Then supposedly Clay got 13 votes and One for Seattle Sonics and that does not mean it is passing. Because it requires 15 majority votes. With quorum in all organization are like 2/3. I may be wrong but if there is 15 abstain. I think that is a good news to us. It’s probably Even better than defer the vote.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
Here’s what the PI says:
“A simple majority of 16 votes is needed to approve a move, though any such decision likely will be contingent on the Sonics first getting out of their current lease dispute with the city of Seattle.”
If this is the case, abstaining is practically as good as a “no” and I take back my comments about Paul Allen.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
“So even if twenty abstained it could still pass. Is this wrong? ”
while not passing would be ideal, I think so many abstaining would be just as good. shows a rift with the owners and stern. won’t go on record to vote against to protect themselves… but still voicing their dissent
April 17th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
I don’t think I’m going to sleep tonight.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
If Allen abstains, he’s a toast in this house. Coward. Hope the Blazer staff are ready for the trash talk they are going to hear from me…
April 17th, 2008 at 9:42 pm
Allen is a tool. Jacks McMillan and now this. If the Sonics leave, I am done will all pro sports, Seahawks too.
Allen owes us a no vote. Flood the Seahawks with comments now!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
What is it with you and flooding shit?
Abstaining is as good as a no, anything but a yes is all that matters.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
EJ:
“Knowing that the relocation vote is going to pass tomorrow. I’m all prepared, know what to expect, have no expectations otherwise. Yet I know that regardless of all that, when I read the headline I am going to feel sick to my stomach. ”
thank god for this board. While my wife tries to be supportive, at times I feel like I am on an island with my emotions on the sonics. Sometimes I feel like this is just crazy to feel like this…
and then to see someone on this board who feels EXACTLY how I feel makes me feel better.
THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE for everything and sharing parts of yourselves here.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
If Allen abstains or votes yes, boycott the Blazers, Seahawks, Sounders, EMP, and the South Lake Union neighborhood! If Allen is the civic good guy he thinks he is, he will not only vote no, he will lobby on Seattle’s behalf!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Brian, if you’re reading this in NY, do you know the ramifications of vote abstention? If over half of the owners abstain, and 16 “yes” votes are not garnered, what happens then?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:50 pm
Kingdome: Abstain is a good as NO. He is smart to do that. He must know something behind the door that is going to happen in Seattle with Slade. Obviously! If other owners follow his step then that will send a strong message to Clay and Stern to fix the problem.
I read the seattletime forum and the guy in New Orleans says the hottest topic another than their rally playoff is Seattle Sonics issue as they got our attention!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
a majority of owners, not voters, must approve. The applicant, Bennett, does not vote, he needs 15 owners to vote to approve.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
I hate professional sports. If the Sonics stay great, but all of this has taught me a lesson that these teams attached to your hometown are nothing more than a business that just happens to be in your area trying to make a buck, just like the McDonalds on teh corner. Fuck it all at this point.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
“Kingdome: Abstain is a good as NO.”
Abstaining is not as good as doing your civic duty by lobbying fellow owners to vote no.
Allen probably started some of this mess by jacking Nate, he owes it to us to help save the Sonics. His role is to not only vote no, but urge others to also vote no. This is Paul Allen’s time to stand up. If he doesn’t, he deserves the thrashing he is going to get from the public.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:59 pm
how do you say no while not adding to the court case against one of your fellow owners? Abstain.
Or, he is in a Microsoft state of mind. Basketball is one thing, being one of the richest on the planet is quite another.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
“Allen probably started some of this mess by jacking Nate, he owes it to us to help save the Sonics. His role is to not only vote no, but urge others to also vote no. This is Paul Allen’s time to stand up. If he doesn’t, he deserves the thrashing he is going to get from the public.” {Kingdome}
It’s in Paul Allen’s best interest to abstain from voting tomorrow, so I don’t blame him one bit for making that choice.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Ballmer should have been challenging/baiting him this whole time.
“Come on Paul, you afraid my team will beat your team?”
“Paully boy, time for the apprentice to beat the master.”
Stuff like that.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Two comments:
1. I think it would behoove all of us on the pro-Seattle side to be respectful to OKC posters who show empathy for the situation. The anger should be directed at Clay and Stern, not someone like that.
2. You guys have me going crazy too…insomnia crazy. I can’t remember my heart being in my throat like this. I feel like I did the night of the 2000 and 2004 elections.
No matter what happens, you guys deserve a major major major pat on the back. All of you have represented Seattle with tremendous pride. We have immense admiration for you.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
If there is anytime to say your prayers before bed tonight is the night to do it. This is not a joke.
“God Please help the BOG to realize they should vote NO for relocation of the Sonics, Amen”
If you think flooding a website is helpful give this a shot. Everything it takes to save this TEAM.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
If abstaining gets the same result as a no vote, it seems like a great middle ground to me. This is just my non-legal point of view, but an abstain vote would not communicate an air of divisiveness (which none of the owners want to be tagged with), but more of an air of caution in light of the recent national outcry. As long as the net result is the same, I think it serves our purposes well, and allows any owners who don’t want to align with a questionable issue an avenue to not actively support it and still save some face.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
“It’s in Paul Allen’s best interest to abstain from voting tomorrow, so I don’t blame him one bit for making that choice.”
Completely agree. Heck, I’ll still be suprised if it doesn’t end up being voted overwhelmingly for. Allen’s definately in a position where voting no doesn’t help him at all, while abstaining has the same effect but without having to open himself up. It’s probably the smart move for Cuban and Larry Miller also if they so choose.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
“Abstaining is not as good as doing your civic duty by lobbying fellow owners to vote no.”
I disagree. Whatever helps Seattle keep the Sonics is fine with me. I can’t read the owners’ minds, but I would guess that several of them might be willing to join Allen in abstaining because this reduces the appearance of an all-out rift in the NBA; whereas Allen’s voting no along with Cuban might force other potential abstainers to vote “Yes.”
Again, I don’t know, but several abstentions might preserve the illusion of collegiality and make it possible for the abstaining owners to make deals with each other in the future–such as letting Schulz or Ballmer into the owners’ club, approving the resale of the Sonics, or putting an expansion club in Seattle or OKC.
I don’t know if either of the above speculations are correct, but please, please, don’t antagonize Paul Allen without knowing the reason for his abstention! He might be doing MORE to help us than if he voted no–and I don’t think he’s doing Seattle any particular harm.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I think Allen took the right road. Certainly as the Blazers owner his market would open up but he lives in Seattle and owns the Seahawks so thier is a sense of loyalty to the other sports in a city. He puts himself in a postion where he does not have to say he voted the Sonics out of Seattle but also does not have to say he was totally against it like Mark Cuban. I give credit to Paul Allen
April 17th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Much of this vote will be about PR. Any abstaining shows indecision on the part of the owners, which shakes up the situation even more. Stern may be good buddies with Clay, but he’s smart enough to pick up on signals like that.
If Stern begins to believe legal battles will tie this up, he’ll bail on OKC. I’m convinced.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:13 pm
I know this is on our minds… a lot. But we are over analyzing every single angle of this thing. We should all just take a qualude and find out what happens in the morning.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
If that’s right about Allen abstaining — that’s a very good piece of news. Makes Cuban not the only crazy one on an island by himself, of course Allen has all kinds of ties to Seattle so it makes sense too, but anything better than 29-1 or whatever, makes it a different story than the past two relocations.
I’ve always assumed that owners will not vote in favor of anything that in any way reduces their ability as owners to do whatever they want. Bennett may be an obsequious tool, but he’s one of them now, and reducing his power arguably reduces all of theirs, and who would vote to do that? But maybe I’m wrong here.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
that’s funny
How about a slap-fight, smacking him in the face, “come on, chicken, come in”
Look, nothing against basketball and all this Bennett talk, Allen has Ballmer that he has been connected with for DECADES. His vote would have more to do with Ballmer than anything. Abstain is as good as saying no.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
Interesting question for you guys:
If the roles were reversed, what would you do if you were OKC?
My feeling is that there have to be some OKC people who feel horrible about this. Getting a group from there on board would reeaaally solidify our efforts.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
The owners are going to vote yes to relocate. They are a joke.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:30 pm
South Florida: Getting OKC people on board is a great idea! Question is, what can we offer sympathetic OKC people in return other than a clear conscience or undying gratitude? I’d love to return the favor by helping them get a pro team of their own, but that probably means robbing Memphis or N.O, which isn’t acceptable–and there isn’t much any of us could do on that score, anyway.
Any brainstorms about how we can help Okies do something for their city in return for them helping us do something for Seattle? If they can’t gain status for their city with an NBA franchise anytime soon, maybe there’s something else?
April 17th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
“I think it would behoove all of us on the pro-Seattle side to be respectful to OKC posters who show empathy for the situation. The anger should be directed at Clay and Stern, not someone like that.”
i dont blame them though…
i would be no different if the tables were turned…
and i’ve seen some of the remarks some OK posters have made on this site and others… definetly not a true representation of the people of my state… maybe Texas… But not Oklahoma…
i will say this thing is like a sports “soap opera”….
it drags you in and makes you crazy… waiting for more information… waiting for more of the plot to be revealed…
the only problem is for you guys the pain is real… the team is real… and the outcome has real meaning…
I believe OKC and the State of Oklahoma are ready for a NBA team… I just dont think it ought be your team… Unfortunately I dont have a vote tomorrow…
April 17th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Have they released the contents of the letter from Bennett (or PBC) to Schultz?
Can someone please link to it?
Thanks!
April 17th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
With regards to the rumor that an OKC news station reported earlier tonight that the vote was in question…sounds like it was just misinterpretation. Another blogger on the thread had this to say:
“I watched 10pm news coverage by all three major local stations and dind’t hear anything about a “No” vote being expected. ”
http://newsok.com/article/3231097
I’m going to bed.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
I would support some other local billionaire to get a team that did not have fan support, and was in a market that is simply not large enough to support the NBA, like okc in 2017.
Maybe that is not an option in okc.
All of the teams here originated here. Here’s an idea, how about they wait there turn. This might come as a shock for some, but Seattle was crazy for basketball in the late 1950’s, early 1960’s, but they did not get a pro franchise until the late 1960’s, not for the lack of wanting.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
the schultz letter has not been released yet, as far as I know. He will have to include it when he files his case withing the next couple weeks.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Stern basically said “NO” to expansion right?…
Was that just to Seattle or a motivator to OKC as well?…
Would expanding the league by a team or two really dilute the talent pool that much?…
Believe me… we would love to have an expansion team… one we didnt steal… one thats our own… one we could be proud to say started here…
April 17th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
Save Our Sonics!!! Hopefully Mark Cuban can persuade the majority of the owners and Save Our Sonics. Go Sonics!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Durant just said on local news (Northwest Sports Tonight), “I love this place”, talking about Seattle.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
SupersonicBruin & AD:
Great great points. The real key would be pushing for expansion to OKC. I know the league wants to expand to Europe, but what about adding teams in OKC and Kansas City.
I have no doubt that Oklahoma City can support a team. Maybe we could all launch a unified campaign for expansion into Oklahoma City? I’m sure every Sonics fan would go for that 100% if they still had their team.
I’m trying to think what else could be offered. Any more ideas?
April 17th, 2008 at 10:59 pm
If the NBA gets an expansion team it won’t be in this country. Thats for sure. Stern is set on “going international”. Doesn’t anyone remember what he said about the flight from miami to paris being shorter than portland.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
expansion for okc is the way to go, add another in san diego, and move memphis to the east conference. then is an even 32 teams, memphis might win a few more games in the east, 2 cities that want teams get them and seattle keeps their team. thats what should happpen in a perfect world. just my 2 cents.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Something else about owners. Just look at the Marlins history. I’ll give you our timeline:
1993: Wayne Huizenga is town hero for pulling off a huge upset to get Miami a team.
1998: Huizenga is the biggest villain for having a fire sale right after a World Series and selling.
1998-2002: John Henry “claims” to be a fan-friendly owner, then proceeds to do nothing.
2002: In a complete crock situation, the Expos lose ownership, John Henry gets the Red Sox, and Jeffrey Loria the Marlins.
Since then? The cheap John Henry is considered such a great Red Sox owner. What a joke. He was the biggest crook with the Marlins.
My point? Save for a few rare exceptions like Cuban and Steinbrenner (yes, he’s crazy, but he owns to win), these guys are all just after the bottom line.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
I don’t know if anyone has posted a link to the Sacramento Examiner’s poll asking if the Maloofs should vote yes or no on the move, but check out the results. There’s only 600 or so votes so I doubt we’ve stacked the voting… good to know we are getting super strong support from our peeps in Sacto:
http://www.sactownroyalty.com/2008/4/16/411347/dear-maloofs-re-seattle
I for one will remember which cities supported us when we our on our way to a Championship for the SEATTTLE SuperSonics in a few years.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Allen refusing to vote seems good to me. Unless of course that means 15 yeses are needed for approval instead of 16.
This is one helluva a ride guys, just stay strapped.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
It’s hard to stay strapped, Eric E. Who knows? Maybe it will be like 12 Angry Men, and Mark Cuban will persuade all the owners to have a heart.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
LOL I meant strapped in like on a roller coaster. Not strapped as in holding a gun. HAHA
April 17th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
60 days until the court case.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
We should start a countdown to the court case on the homepage. Something LARGE that counts down but also has a few scary points the NBA should be afraid of in court.
Make it a widget so that tons of other sites can put it up. Get the radio/tv stations to put it up.
Just make it scary and shove it in the NBAs face everywhere they turn.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
My thanks to Brian for taking the bullet on this one. We went back and forth for days about which one of us should go, if both of us should go, of if neither one of us should go.
The decision was made that only one should be there so we were not both traveling for 14 hours over a three day span and being unreachable “just in case” something happened. Brian being a “city dude” seemed to be the right choice since I am a “burbs” kinda guy.
It seems to have been the right choice but I know that Brian had regrets just before takeoff and I spent the day thinking I should have been on the plane with him. I guess that just shows what a good team we make.
I like to take the chance once in a while to remind everyone of all the people that work so hard to make this all happen. Brian gets all the attention here since this is his blog but this really is a team effort.
Paul and Aaron are great legal minds and without them I have no doubt that we would have lost the team already.
Denise has been great and bless her heart there is a happy ending already for her Storm. I couldn’t be happier and thankful for her hard work.
Griff is a workhorse. If you need him he is there and can do so many things (including blowing up half the planet if he isn’t careful
) .
We have lots of new folks coming on board and working their tails off, some pretty high profile people, and we are very grateful for the help but the “old crew” just keeps on plugging and they have my undying appreciation.
I have made some new friends for life that I never would have met had it not been for this cause and they deserve so much more credit than they get.
So, Brian, thanks again guy, next one i’ll take the hit.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
international expansion is completely ridiculous. it’s the NATIONAL basketball association. There’s no international teams in the NFL. Nor in MLB. Major League Soccer? USA. The “World’s Game” has it’s Major Leagues in the USA. all the more reason for Stern to step down.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Excellent idea, Laporbo
April 17th, 2008 at 11:32 pm
Silvervan83 Says:
We should all just take a qualude and find out what happens in the morning.
Sign me up!
April 17th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Thanks SFF. Now, do you know how to do that?
April 17th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Free Countdown Generator
April 17th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
BTW: I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but KJR was reporting earlier that the vote should be taking place about 9:30am our time.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
If the NBA is so scare of the lawsuit, then why aren’t they trying to get Bennett another team and for us to keep the Sonics?
April 17th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
I know this is old but here’s david stern blasting media about being so “american”. He is obviously focused on international games.
http://www.withleather.com/post.phtml?pk=5379
April 17th, 2008 at 11:50 pm
Guys,
Here’s a quick countdown I created. The code is below. SC Webmaster, this should be pretty easy to put up on this site.
Create Your Custom Message
April 17th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
Damn… the code didn’t get posted. Sorry, I tried.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:52 pm
That website is a business for me.
April 17th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
We will certainly take Allen’s absention vote over a no vote, but Allen needs to understand that the Seattle community has done a lot for him, he made is big money in the Seattle area, he got his Seahawks Stadium built here, the Seattle community… bottlom line, has been very good to Mr. Paul Allen.
The result remains: Allen should have done more to stop the other owners from voting for a relocation. Schultz obviously knows that he has some responsbilty in this whole mess. Paul Allen could face some backlash in the aftermath if the NBA leaves Seattle. Allen has apparently done little to stand up for Seattle as a NBA city. He should and still do some more.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:04 am
Did Stern just say Paris is closer to Miami than Portland is? That’s not true at all. Right?
April 18th, 2008 at 12:04 am
“BTW: I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but KJR was reporting earlier that the vote should be taking place about 9:30am our time.”
Thanks for the info- I’ve been wondering about that.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:08 am
I have a question and if somebody could clear it up for me I’d really appreciate it.
When the owners cast their votes, do they do it anonymously? Or does the NBA reveal who votes YES and who votes NO?
My assumption is that the votes will be cast anoymously (although I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t given how corrupt NBA is), and if that’s indeed the case, wouldn’t the fact that Paul Allen decides to abstain and makes this known publically speak even more volumn?
April 18th, 2008 at 12:09 am
“Did Stern just say Paris is closer to Miami than Portland is? That’s not true at all. Right? ”
They’re both long flights, but it’s OK. They don’t do it all in one strecth. On they way to Portland, they’ll have games in Texas California. On they way to Paris… I’m sure they can put an expansion team on some island in the Atlantic Ocean.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Should be Teaxs & California
April 18th, 2008 at 12:13 am
lol kman. It’s so absurd Stern just might be considering it.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:21 am
Atlantis has a wonderful arena but you have to take a sub to get to it, not a flight.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Oops, that quaalude must be kicking in.
April 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
lets win this war against a rich asshole. i would love to say hi to mr bennett
April 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
lets win this war against a rich asshole. i would love to say hi to mr bennett
April 18th, 2008 at 12:52 am
lets win this war against a rich asshole. i would love to say hi to mr bennett
April 18th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Tha SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPES!
April 18th, 2008 at 1:32 am
This site was just down again at least for a few minutes when I tried to come here to post about 15 minutes ago. I have no idea how long it was down this time as I hadn’t logged on for about an hour or so, but I see posts up until almost 1:00AM - about the same time it went down yesterday. Hmmmm.
April 18th, 2008 at 1:51 am
David M. Brown: The site was down from around 12:50am. I checked in around 1:18anm and it was down so I checked again and it is back now. I would say 45 to 1 hour like you said. It must have to do something with David Stern trying to shut it down LOL.
I love what Cries says about Bennett in Seattle time newspaper.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sonics/2004357448_sonics18m.html
It is a fact that Mayor is trying to keep the Sonics in Seattle. I have read and heard that Bennett’s complaint is more of outcry. Like Brian said that Clay has claimed collusion at BOG meeting and cause some questions. I think that is good thing…I can’t sleep tonight as I went out to the store to buy myself some beers to help me to sleep easier. I hope I wake up and things will be better. I know beers does not solve anything but it can help me to sleep better.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:09 am
Brian, I think that it’s great that you decided to go to New York. I hope you get to talk to a lot of media people and at least some owners while you’re there. See if you can enlist the support of some of our local media like Eric Williams from The News Tribune and the King 5 guy (I forget his name, but I saw that he interviewed you for King 5 Sports - was it Chris?) to ask the owners some tough questions before the vote if possible and just make sure that they are informed. If they are relying on David Stern for their info on this, then they are terribly misinformed and they need to know the real story.
I’m sure the public can’t go into the BOG meeting, but can you get access to the owners before or after the meeting? If we had more time, we could have mapped out a strategy to find close contacts (”ins”) for each of the owners to make sure that we got our message across before the vote and we probably would have been able to turn the vote in our favor.
The person who needs the most scrutiny and who has to be hounded about this relentlessly until he tells the truth or is exposed to the whole world, is David Stern. I hope there are plenty of reporters there who will not let David Stern off the hook on this. He’s a joke, but he’s much worse than that. People like Clay Bennett and his merry men couldn’t get anywhere without truly corrupt, powerful people like David Stern pulling strings for them and looking the other way as they violate all the rules in the book.
The thing that everyone needs to understand is that David Stern thought that Seattle would be a pushover - he thought that we were weak - a bunch of pacifists who would not fight to keep their team. It would not surprise me if he instructed Clay Bennett on what Clay needed to do to create apathy among the fans by trading the stars and letting popular coaches go and other employees like David Locke, and not granting any interviews to KJR with players or coaches throughout the season - then they planned out their ridiculous plea to the state for $500 Million, which they knew had a snowball’s chance in hell of passing, but they wanted to give the appearance of having done everything they could, so they could be the good guys and the Washington State legislature could be the bad guys and then David would give his rubber stamp to the move from his Planning and/or Relocation Committee, and it would be a done deal.
David and his buddy Clay would have gotten what they wanted. But David Stern did not count on us sticking up for our team and calling foul on the whole process. He and Clay also forgot that most people are pretty smart and can see through deception. We have all been witness to Clay Bennett’s “bad faith” attempts to alienate the Seattle fan base. I have felt it and seen it for at least a year, and it felt slimey and crappy. And like I was getting kicked in the teeth. The whole world will be watching, and if the owners approve the relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City, they will create more problems for themselves than they will be able to deal with. We will not rest until all the corruption is exposed, David Stern is forced to resign, and Clay Bennett and PBC sell the Sonics back to Washington owners. This could get very ugly and very long and drawn out and bitter if the owners are not smart enough to prevent it. We’ll know in a few hours. Good luck, Brian. I wish I was there with you today.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:14 am
I dont’ believe these greedy @ss self centered b!tches (minus Mark Cuban) will vote “No”.
THey are too worried about their own future to vote “no”.
But like everyone is saying, tomorrow is not the end of the fight.
Although it will make the fight a helll lot easier if they vote “no”, I highly doubt it.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Viral Marketing.
Go to the NY Times article and click the EMAIL THIS ARTICLE link on the right side.
http://tinyurl.com/5wjy7x
If we can get into the top TEN of emailed articles our audience will explode. I have to believe that the more people that know the facts coupled with the passion we are exhibiting here, we will build a consensus of support STERN cannot deny.
I am not alone as an avid NYTimes reader who always skims and often reads from the top ten emailed articles on a daily basis.
You guys nailed it with the list of all the other sports blogs. But if we can reach a little outside the sports audience– or at least deeper into it– we can reach people on an emotional level who don’t necessarily love the sonics or basketball or even sports for that matter and get them on our side.
April 18th, 2008 at 2:55 am
This site was just down again for a few minutes - 20 minutes or so - the second time tonight. Does anyone really know what’s going on? It can’t be heavy volume at this time of the night - now almost 3:00 AM PDT.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:03 am
This is one of the very most important things that we can get out of today’s meeting in NY: We need to make certain that we can get a roll call vote of the owners. We need to know the names of the owners voting for and against moving the Sonics out of Seattle, so we know who to thank and who to educate.
I wonder if there are some really intelligent owners out there who are not going to just rubber stamp David Stern’s recommendation - other than Mark Cuban? I can’t believe that Paul Allen is going to abstain of all things. This is the time that we need him to stand up for Seattle and at least tell the other owners that there is plenty of fan support here despite what Clay Bennett has tried to do to dissuade us from being interested in the Sonics. Let’s see if we have any other supporters and who has the courage to stand up for Seattle.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:04 am
This is one of the very most important things that we can get out of today’s meeting in NY: We need to make certain that we can get a roll call vote of the owners. We need to know the names of the owners voting for and against moving the Sonics out of Seattle, so we know who to thank and who to educate.
I wonder if there are some really intelligent owners out there who are not going to just rubber stamp David Stern’s recommendation - other than Mark Cuban? I can’t believe that Paul Allen is going to abstain of all things. This is the time that we need him to stand up for Seattle and at least tell the other owners that there is plenty of fan support here despite what Clay Bennett has tried to do to dissuade us from being interested in the Sonics. Let’s see if we have any other supporters and who has the courage to stand up for Seattle.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:13 am
long distance UK sonics fan here. Brian and the rest of the SOS team - you are an inspiration. The sonics would have snuck out the back door already if it wasn’t for you and the fans. I hope your sterling efforts are rewarded. Personally I would lose interest in the NBA if this move goes ahead. Last night I dreamt the BOG voted no with a majority of 18, wishful I know but I just hope it comes true!!
On a side note, I can see why some people are skeptical of Howard’s motives but in the current predicament I think there is no choice but to fully get behind any motion that has even the smallest of chances to help the cause. If it turns out to be hollow after it’s all over then let loose but for now I say get behind the man and give him some love!
April 18th, 2008 at 3:45 am
Can anyone else back up the fact that Stern is on the council for foreign relations?
http://tinyurl.com/2q2oyh
This would indicate his love for the international market. The CFR is in some circles considered to be an institution designed to undermine the Constitution of the United States and propping up a ONE WORLD Government.
from WIKI:
The Council has been the subject of many controversies, partly due to the number of high-ranking government officials in its membership, its secrecy clauses, and the large number of aspects of American foreign policy that its members have been involved with, beginning with Wilson’s Fourteen Points. The John Birch Society, believe that the CFR plans a one-world government.[36] Wilson’s Fourteen Points speech was the first in which he suggested a worldwide security organization to prevent future world wars.[37]
“For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents … to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.”
- David Rockefeller, “Memoirs” autobiography (2002, Random House publishers), page 405
April 18th, 2008 at 3:59 am
As an INTP personality, I could’ve never undertaken such an amazing endeavor on behalf of the Seattle SuperSonics fan base; thus, it’s pretty much my obligation to give kudos to the Save Our Sonics organization. Since I’m a thinker and not a doer, my respect goes out to those of whom who are capable of achieving difficult objectives. It’s an accomplishment in and of itself—there’s no denying it!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:23 am
i add my deepest thanks to all the gratitude above. brian, having you out there fighting the good fight changed my depression into determination. regardless of how this plays out, you’ve shown yourself to be a true civic hero, and an inspiration to many. THANK YOU.
April 18th, 2008 at 8:46 am
frogfish, sometimes dreams mean something…
has the OK9 news rumor been officially debunked?
April 18th, 2008 at 9:29 am
well i hold a little hope in it as i once dreamt what percentage i had got for a course result and the next day i got the result and the dream was spot on! freaky!
i think our only hope is if the publication of clay’s affectionate emails to the commish has inspired jealousy amongst the other owners and they see this as their chance to nudge david’s special little boy aside
April 19th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Hello… Hello…Hello…
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me?
Is there anyone at home?