HUGE NEWS! Clay Bennett & Co. buy Supersonics!

[Luke]

Hmmm....

Interesting.

[gmwise]

Oh good grief lets lose some of the old news.
We don't need to keep old posts past 6 months.

[Kerry]

A new basketball specific stadium in OKC would be a lot cheaper than the $500,000,000 multi-purpose arena Bennette proposed for Seattle. I suspect it would be half of that price or lower.

[HOT ROD]

OK guys, this is going to piss you off. Take a look at what was written by CBS Sportsline columnist Gregg Doyel, my response to him is next. Notice how he is trying to use MLB as a precursor to the what the NBA will do (yet if he had used NBA references, he would have not had a story to begin with [since NBA teams move all of the time, and to 'small' markets]):

Oklahoma City Sonics? Hornets? Not gonna happen - CBS SportsLine.com

Oklahoma City Sonics? Hornets? Not gonna happen
July 27, 2006
By Gregg Doyel
CBS SportsLine.com National Columnist
Tell Gregg your opinion!

NBA groupie Oklahoma City will get its heart broken by the SuperSonics and Hornets, and the only people who don't know it are those who live in Oklahoma City.

At the moment Oklahoma City looks good for an NBA franchise by 2008, whether it's the Hornets, who adopted OKC as a second home after Hurricane Katrina leveled New Orleans, or the Sonics, who were purchased last week by an OKC group.

Well, looks deceive. So do professional franchises and owners and leagues, all of whom use one city against another. In this scenario OKC is the city that's going to get used. With history for bifocals, you can see Oklahoma City's depressing destiny from a long way off. The innocent folks of OKC? They can't see anything. They're too close to the situation, too involved, blinded by lust.

Charlotte knows that lust. So do Tampa Bay and Washington, D.C.

Oklahoma City boosters will tell you they're different than jilted cities of the past. That they're close, so close, to getting an NBA team. The Hornets look good, considering New Orleans didn't support the team before the hurricane and can't support it now, and considering OKC fans bought more than 10,000 season tickets when the Hornets hastily moved there this past season. The Sonics look even better, considering their new ownership is led by an OKC businessman, Clay Bennett, who has been trying for years to bring home a major sports franchise.

One way or another, the NBA is coming to Oklahoma City. That's what OKC boosters believe. Last week Oklahoman columnist Berry Tramel wrote, "OKC suddenly has two quarterhorses in the derby, and its permanent NBA chances never have been better. Hornets or Sonics, one or the other, almost surely will be Ford Center tenants beyond next season."

Given what you know about the situation in New Orleans and the ownership in Seattle, that sounds reasonable. Almost surely the NBA is coming to Oklahoma City.

Then again ... when it comes to a city's pursuit of a sports franchise, "almost surely" will almost always get your heart broken.

Look at Tampa Bay. Yes, Tampa Bay got its Major League Baseball team, but don't forget the torture it endured before winning the expansion Devil Rays.

When Tampa Bay investors agreed to buy the Minnesota Twins in 1984, commissioner Bowie Kuhn nixed the deal. In 1985, Tampa Bay investors agreed to buy the Oakland A's for $37 million; Oakland backed out of the deal. In 1987, Tampa Bay went after the Twins again, agreeing to buy the team for $65 million. That deal crumbled during further negotiations. In 1988, the Chicago White Sox came so close to moving to Tampa Bay that team employees were polled to see who would move South with the team. Although 60 percent said they'd move, the White Sox stayed put.

There's more.

Along the way, St. Petersburg built a $130 million stadium to turn its annual MLB flirtation into marriage, with 22,000 season tickets spoken for. In 1991, baseball rewarded Tampa Bay diligence by giving an expansion franchise to ... Miami. In 1992, St. Pete tried to buy the Seattle Mariners, but the Marlins helped throttle that by citing their need for in-state exclusivity. Later in 1992, San Francisco owner Bob Lurie agreed to sell the Giants to a Tampa Bay group, but NL owners veoted the deal.

This could be you, Oklahoma City.

You also could be Washington, D.C., which lost its MLB franchise in 1971 and spent 34 years trying to get one back. In 1973, a D.C. group agreed to buy the San Diego Padres, even choosing Frank Robinson (strange but true) as the team's next manager, but had to give the franchise back after failing to close the deal in three weeks. In 1976, baseball expanded not to the nation's capital, but to Toronto and Seattle. In 1991, with Washington, D.C., again on the list, baseball grew to Miami and Denver.


Baseball is back in RFK Stadium -- after a 34-year hiatus. (Getty Images)
In February 1995, Major League Baseball described Washington, D.C., as "a very viable candidate for expansion." Two weeks later MLB awarded teams to Tampa Bay and Phoenix. Later that year, a Washington, D.C., group agreed to buy the Houston Astros for roughly $150 million, only to have commissioner Bud Selig squash the deal.

If you're NBA groupie Oklahoma City, you're comforted that Tampa did finally get its expansion team, and Washington, D.C., did finally get the Expos. But compare those cities to OKC. No comparison, know what I mean? The sunny Tampa Bay market beats the crap out of dusty OKC. Washington, D.C., is one of the leading cities in the world, while Oklahoma City is one of the leading cities in Oklahoma.

So what'll get between NBA groupie Oklahoma City and its NBA team? No clue, but it'll be something. The Hornets and Sonics have several years left on current leases, which give their cities time on arena and infrastructure issues. The NBA could decide not to let either franchise leave its internationally known city for OKC, which would be the smallest, least diverse market in the league. Boll weevils could destroy downtown OKC.

This is not a painless process. Charlotte knows. Charlotte has been linked to almost every small-market franchise in baseball, with Minnesota Gov. Arne Carlson once glumly predicting the Twins would become the Charlotte Twins. Didn't happen. Charlotte got so abused by baseball that earlier this year, when the Marlins announced plans to explore other cities and mentioned Charlotte, Charlotte basically said not to bother.

Charlotte has read this book, many times, and knows how the story ends. Could someone please send the book to Oklahoma City? Oklahoma City only knows what NBA owners are telling it.

Which means Oklahoma City doesn't know anything.

I know its a year old, but hey we can't have some national columnist publishing that sh** about OKC. That is the only way we will change people's minds/opinions - we need to address whenever we see this crap.

I wonder if old Greggie has had to eat his words since the Sonics are two months away from being relocated to OKC.??

[HOT ROD]

Here is my reply to Gregg, and I encourage all of you to "Tell Gregg Your Opinion"

Wait a minute Gregg, Im from Seattle but I feel your article abour the OKC Hornets/Sonics situation was totally off based. Clearly, you only wrote it to placate the fans of Seattle and New Orleans.

First of all, all of the references you used were all MLB teams, not once did you mention the NBA - because if you had, you could not have written that article with any ounce of intelligence; since there have been NUMEROUS NBA teams that have moved from established international markets (such as Vancouver, the former New Orleans, Kansas City, etc) to small markets (ie. Memphis, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City), and that list goes on and on.

In the NBA, all it takes is a simple majority vote and surely Clay Bennett (and George Shinn) have a vote as well. I can only be sure that both would vote for OKC and convince a majority of the others to do so. This is the NBA, not MLB - different model dude.

The 2nd issue I have with your storey is your 'facts.' While I live in Seattle, I visit OKC occasionally for business and it is clear you have never been there. You state the dusty and lack of diversity colloquialisms with regard to OKC that are the furthest from the truth. OKC is more diverse than Memphis, SLC, and a host of other peer small markets and it certainly is not Dusty (stop reading the Grapes of Wrath dude, it was a fictional story).

If you were to visit OKC, you would realize that OKC has a large gay population (and even a district), a chinatown/little saigon area complete with over 30,000 asian people, a huge hispanic population (well over 60,000 in the city alone including a real Hispanic downtown known as Capital Hill), and numerous smaller yet significant populations from other areas around the world (Korea, China, S. America, Cuba), all add to the modern international flavor of the city. I am not saying that OKC is not relatively conservative compared to us (Seattle), but they have some positives that you totally did not know, ignored, or blatantly failed to articulate in your article. All you had to do was either visit OKC OR look it up in wikipedia; its there plain as day.

3) you mention that OKC is the smallest market, yet OKC is only a couple thousand people short of Memphis's metro pop and is actually larger than SLC. Sure, OKC's tv market is small since it is ONLY its metro area (and not like SLC which is the whole state) but consider that Tulsa, Lawton, and other Oklahoma tv markets (and some from Wichita and other 'local' areas) will surely make for an "expanded" tv market that will surely be larger than SLC (since OK is more populated than Utah).

When you couple these facts together with your apparent hatred of OKC or should I say disdain - that you would result to a Steinback novel in order to paint an image of the place rather than using the factual data of the Hornet's stay there or the fact that Clay Bennett owns the sonics, an NBA team not MLB - I find it very difficult to trust anything you have to say with your boosterism for my city or New Orleans.

Can you really, in sound mind and body, convince me that New Orleans is more viable than OKC? OKC is actually larger than New Orleans at present in case you didn't notice, and surely OKC's tv market is also. I guess you forgot that when you mis-stated that OKC would be the smallest NBA city or maybe you were thinking of Metro New Orleans pre-katrina (and even then it was only marginally larger than OKC)???

I say, next time - get your facts straight before you publish something that makes you look like the fool which you intended instead to be for the good people of OKC. I would have expected more from a national/CBS journalist; dont you have an affiliate there? I strongly suggest you stick to the facts instead of placating us in Seattle (or New Orleans).

Seattle will still be a great international city when the Sonics leave, and surely they will leave and head to OKC - that must be hard for you to handle (since you are so convinced otherwise). ..

[betts]

I suppose West Coast Hornet dug that article up too. He's already dug up a bunch of unsubstantiated data from the HR.com website and posted in on the Seattle forum. I looked up Gregg Doyel's bio, and he's lived in Mississippi, Georgia, Charlotte and Florida. He's probably never even been to Oklahoma City. I think I wrote him last year when that article came out, and I agree that this guy is an idiot for trying to compare the MLB to the NBA.

On another note, HOT ROD, is Gregoire going to pull a bunch of investors together, give them some tax concessions and pull Seattle's fat out of the fire with a new arena that doesn't require a public vote or even much from the state legislature?

[metro]

Steve Kelley

Wake up! Don't you care about the Sonics?

By Steve Kelley
Seattle Times staff columnist

Where's the outrage, Seattle?

We've got some carpetbaggers from Oklahoma City trying to take away this region's NBA team. We've got fat cats from OKC making outrageous, unreachable demands on the Seattle City Council and the state's legislators.

We've got suits from the South, who know nothing about the history of the game in this city, and worse, don't care, counting the days until they can load up the trucks and head for home.

Where's the anger? Where is the righteous, raucous rage against these hoop hijackers?

New owner Clay Bennett doesn't know about Seattle basketball. He may make assorted allusions to the history of the team here. He may say, with barely a note of sincerity, that he wants to stay.

But Clay Bennett wasn't holding his head in agony when Denver's Dikembe Mutombo fell, face-up on the floor, hoisting the basketball over his head, celebrating the Nuggets' 1994 playoff series win over the Sonics.

Bennett wasn't glued to his television, counting off the final seconds in 1979, as the Sonics won the NBA championship over Washington.

He didn't really understand the pain this city's fans felt last March when Dennis Johnson died suddenly.

You think he cares about the Seattle Sonics? He only cares about the Seattle money. And if he doesn't get enough of it, if he doesn't get the inflated arena deal he wants — or at least says he wants — he's gone.

Where are the people, rich and poor, willing to step in and save this team in this city? I know they're out there.

Where are the fans who have supported this team for more than 40 years? Where are the fans who still love the team, even if that love went unrequited through the Howard Schultz years?

Bennett wasn't here when owner Sam Schulman brought the NBA to town. Schulman wasn't from Seattle, either, but he made this city a big-league town. He gave us Lenny Wilkens, Spencer Haywood, Fred Brown, Gus Williams, John Johnson, Jack Sikma, Bill Russell, Paul Silas, Slick Watts.

He gave us a championship.

Bennett didn't scream himself hoarse at the '79 victory parade. He didn't protest when Wilkens was traded to Cleveland. He wasn't there when George Karl came to town, wasn't emotionally invested in Shawn Kemp's 1996 low-post, toe-to-toe with Karl Malone.

He didn't feel what we felt inside KeyArena when the Sonics beat the Chicago Bulls in the fourth and fifth games of the '96 Finals. He didn't ache in 2005 after Ray Allen's Game 6 jumper missed against San Antonio, ending Seattle improbably successful season.

In fact, you can almost bet Bennett was rooting for the Spurs.

He didn't mourn coach Nate McMillan's move to Portland. Gary Payton, Detlef Schrempf, Sam Perkins, Hersey Hawkins, Frank Brickowski, Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel, Dale Ellis, Bernie Bickerstaff. What do those names mean to Bennett?

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels made another attempt last week to show the new Sonics and Storm ownership group he is committed to making the NBA work in Seattle.

All he is asking in return is $100 million from the Sonics. All he is asking is for the owners to be partners in either a new Seattle arena, or a remodeled KeyArena that would have more revenue sources for Bennett's Boys.

Nickels would like a face-to-face with Bennett. He wants to know, even though the answer should be clear, if Bennett even wants the Sonics in Seattle.

But all the mayor gets for his efforts is stony silence.

It's time to pay attention to Bennett's patronizing behavior. It's time to tell him we're not letting him out of the KeyArena lease that doesn't expire until the end of the 2009-10 season.

Let's give general manager Sam Presti credit. Under difficult circumstances, he's building a new basketball team. He's culling the roster, stockpiling draft picks, clearing cap room and adding future stars like Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.

But it's impossible to get excited about a future that is this tenuous.

It's impossible to quicken your pulse when, this summer, the team is being run on the cheap.

The franchise is saving salary through the summer. The Sonics summer-league teams were run by part-time coaches. A skeleton staff is taking care of the team's day-to-day operations.

Coach P.J. Carlesimo's assistants — expected to be former Denver and Sacramento assistant Scotty Brooks and coach Paul Westhead of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury — haven't been announced.

It's as if Bennett knows what we all know, that NBA commissioner David Stern wants the Sonics in Seattle. As if he knows Stern doesn't want to drop some 40 market sizes from Seattle to Oklahoma City.

So Bennett's plan is to make this season as unappealing as possible, so he can say to Stern, "Look, nobody's buying tickets or suites. We're losing money. Nobody cares. Don't fight me on this."

The time has come for Seattle to show it cares. To hold the Sonics to their lease and hold Bennett's feet to the fire. Time for wealthy, caring fans like David Sabey and Steve Ballmer to brainstorm with Nickels and other politicians.

It's time for outrage. Time to speak up. Time to save the Sonics from the moving vans. The Sonics belong to Seattle.

Steve Kelley: 206-464-2176 or skelley@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company

[Pete]

^

That article clearly demonstrates how few people care about the Sonics leaving Seattle, otherwise it wouldn't have been written.

[HOT ROD]

I suppose West Coast Hornet dug that article up too. He's already dug up a bunch of unsubstantiated data from the HR.com website and posted in on the Seattle forum. I looked up Gregg Doyel's bio, and he's lived in Mississippi, Georgia, Charlotte and Florida. He's probably never even been to Oklahoma City. I think I wrote him last year when that article came out, and I agree that this guy is an idiot for trying to compare the MLB to the NBA.

On another note, HOT ROD, is Gregoire going to pull a bunch of investors together, give them some tax concessions and pull Seattle's fat out of the fire with a new arena that doesn't require a public vote or even much from the state legislature?

Im not so sure betts, as it could be political suicide for Gregoire. I think she will take the same approach she did in the past and use her power to enforce the lease - basically back up Mayor Nickels. I dont think Gregoire has enough power or fans in the money circles where they would just throw around their cash and give it to bennett. There MUST be public subsidy in some form, in order for the Sonics to remain in Seattle - since that is the ONLY way Bennett could make a positive ROI.

I know you are remembering the MLB but that was a different league with different parameters and scenarios. Such a scheme probably wont work in the NBA tho, since it is proven that teams move all of the time when the host city has lackluster support (or even great support).

I think she is making 'noise' now 1) to see if someone is interested and 2) to do something so Sonics Fans wont accuse her of just sitting back and doing nothing.

But in reality, if she can't get enough rich people from the Eastside to help fund an Arena in Auburn (the best and ONLY option on the table), then there's nothing more she can do since calling a special session is DEFINITELY OUT!!!!

the ONLY thing that could be done is 1) enforce the lease, no buyout for Clay 2) hope that the courts drag out when Clay definitely sues so that perhaps I-95 will get on the Feb ballot and even then people would have to approve it 3) hope that the NBA board delays a vote to move the Sonics - this is highly unlikely tho, since Im sure all are aware of the Sonics situation and surely a no-go by Oct 31 will be an indication that Seattle isn't interested; surely OKC would get a majority (2 votes already in Shinn and Bennett, most likely also Cuban, and maybe Salt Lake could return the favor [since our legislator let them have light rail]).

Like I said, unless the private sector fully steps up - there is no reason to believe this will proceed in Seattle. And so far, nobody from the Eastside has shown even a slight glimmer of interest. Nobody wants to get stuck sending money to Oklahoma City on something built here with the proceeds going to OKC.

Aint gonna happen, and there's nothing Gregoire is doing about it. Notice Bennett is not courting her anymore anyways!!!

[SouthsideSooner]

Here's a very telling quote from Aubrey in the Journal Record.


The Journal Record - Article


Later, after the first year, we began to get more serious about buying the Hornets from Mr. (George) Shinn, and for a while we thought we’d be able to.”
After a taste of the NBA, Bennett, McClendon, Ward and others in the group wanted more.
“We started to look around, and at that time the Sonics were going through some ownership challenges in Seattle,” McClendon said. “So Clay, very artfully and skillfully, put himself in the middle of those discussions and to the great amazement and surprise to everyone in Seattle, some rednecks from Oklahoma, which we’ve been called, made off with the team. At any rate I’m pleased to be part of the ownership group and Clay has done a terrific job of managing the process.”
McClendon said the team would probably make more money if it stayed in Seattle.
“But we didn’t buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here,” he said. “We know it’s a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it’s great for the community and if we could break even we’d be thrilled.”

[SouthsideSooner]

Here's another....


McClendon said the future of the team is in the hands of the city leadership of Seattle.
“They’ve got 60 days to make some decisions they haven’t been willing to make in the past year, and if they make them in a way that satisfies Clay, then the team will stay there,” he said. “If they don’t meet the requirements he’s laid out, the team will move and Clay has indicated they’ll come to Oklahoma City.”

Basketball is more than an investment for McClendon. He could be seen on many occasions on Hornets telecasts, pumping an arm in the air and cheering on the then-local club.

“I’ve had good seats,” McClendon grinned. “I’ve now been really caught up in the excitement of the (Sonics) because there is a certain stamp of ‘we’ve arrived,’ and the people of Seattle kind of look down their nose at us and think these guys are trying to climb the civic ladder. They take pride in Seattle not needing a NBA team to be considered a world-class city. That’s probably true, they don’t. But I think for Oklahoma City to distance itself from other midsize cities, I think enthusiastic support of a well-run, successful NBA team says a lot about the spirit of this community. We’ve got a can-do spirit and we’ve got a fan base that’s turned out. This is a sports town; nobody ever knew it was a pro sports town. I think it is.”

[dcsooner]

We should put together some sort of communications to Tom, Aubrey, Clay, Mick et al to express our appreciation for what they are doing to improve the Quality of Life in OKC. These guys could be civic leaders ANYWHERE, but chose to remain in OKC. They have and continue to help improve the Quality of Life in Okc. If we get an NBA team it will be because of them and others. I want them to know the we the citizens of OKC appreciate their committment to the growth and prosperity of our city. Suggestions????

[HOT ROD]

I agree. I think this forum is a good start.

Hopefully either they or someone in their staff can be looking at this particular thread, especially with regard to the NBA/Sonics.

[Kerry]

Steve Kelley

Wake up! Don't you care about the Sonics?

By Steve Kelley
Seattle Times staff columnist

He didn't feel what we felt inside KeyArena when the Sonics beat the Chicago Bulls in the fourth and fifth games of the '96 Finals. He didn't ache in 2005 after Ray Allen's Game 6 jumper missed against San Antonio, ending Seattle improbably successful season.

In fact, you can almost bet Bennett was rooting for the Spurs.

Uh, do you think? Bennette was part owner of the Spurs, was of the Spurs Board of Directors, and was the Spurs representative on the NBA Board of Governors. What a dumbass. Is Steve Kelly what passes for a sport writer in Seattle?

[HOT ROD]

Kerry. dont be too hard on Steve; he may sound like a moron to you but that is because you dont live here. Most people here are really not aware of the "Obvious" things that Steve Kelley published.

In fact, I think if there were more people informed about Bennett, then all of that crap on the Seattle Times (about Seattle being better than OKC, this and that) would not have happened.

There are posters here who say that the board wont allow the Sonics to move to OKC. But, I posted that - Bennett used to be on the board before now and surely all of the events we have seen to date was discussed by the board, including the very well probability (higher than possible now) that the Sonics will move to OKC. Surely, that is why the whole 1 year thing was worked into the sale - to give us (Seattle) a chance to show that we desire a team.

but most people here dont care, and those that do - are way too smug or pompass about Seattle that they dont realize how big of a threat OKC is to them. Im afraid they are JUST NOW starting to see the light - but fortunately for OKC, it's too late.

the ONLY thing that will keep the Sonics in Seattle are 1) if private enterprise builds Bennett an arena and allow HIM to retain all of the profit and bookings (since that is Bennett's demand) or 2) the courts force Bennett to stay in Seattle thru the 2009-2010 season.

I highly doubt that will happen, since Bennett will 'no doubt' come to Seattle on the opener in November with a briefcase of cash for Greg Nickels (Seattle Mayor) and ask to break the lease for the last two years. The board will DEFINITELY approve the move - otherwise, they never would have approved the SALE.

I just can't believe that there are some zelic fans here who think that the board approved the sale but didn't realize who Bennett was or what his intentions were. "Come on people!!! Use that college brain you supposedly have" is my response.

Bennett is from OKC, bought the Sonics but was not impressed enough with Seattle to move here, or even open a sattelite office here; he said he'd keep the team here in Seattle ONLY if he could make money Otherwise - he's going to OKC.

Everyone should have known that and certainly the nba board knew it when they unanimously approved the sale!!! These zelic (ignorant) fans should have known it and they should have gotten support to make the public arena happen. Because even if a private arena gets a plan here - Bennett will not approve it unless he gets the proceeds; now who would be stupid enough to build Bennett an arena so HE can keep the profits - when they could have just bought the Sonics when Howard Schultz put them up for sale??? Howard asked local people FIRST, then when nobody stepped up he went outside.

I think, instead of those zelics trying to chop OKC based on the past (or perception), they need to try to convince the NBA to come back once an arena gets built in several years.

Some of them are even calling Bennett a liar, I suppose they are trying to appeal to Oklahoma's bible belt perception, to make OKC people 'feel guilty'. Who hasn't lied when in a political situation? And Oklahoma has had way more of its share of the a$$ end of political lies than has Seattle, so it's about time that somebody stands-up for OKC. Who cares that Bennett lied about wanting to be in Seattle. I think he wanted to be here because he could make money here, other than that. .. syanara - the franchise is off to OKC. So much for the 'guilt trip' tactic, Seattle zelics!!!

And surely Bennett HAD to say he wanted to stay for arena talk to even happen, .....business is business, politics are politics.

[HOT ROD]

Nevertheless, the Sonics are gone to OKC. No doubt about that. Surely, as long as Bennett offers to pay the two years rent at Key arena the courts would rule in favor of him should the city not allow the buyout. He'd definitely sweeten his chances with the courts if he offered more cash, but the rent is a minimum - and Im sure that would be chump change to Bennett.

Here's how I think it will go:

1) nothing gets approved (to Bennett's liking) by Oct 31 and Bennett files to relocate on Nov 1
2) shortly thereafter, the board approves
3) Bennett arrives in Seattle for the opener (and/or some later home game) with a briefcase of cash for the city - and offers a buyout
4) Greg Nickels refuses (since he has gone public that he will do so)
5) Bennett files in federal court (since the Sonics is a LLC based in OKC and Seattle is a municipal based in WA, it would be a huge conflict to have the lawsuit in WA unless its federal)
5a) I believe, shortly after filing, the court will see the consideration Bennett offered to the city and the lack of equitable consideration the Key Arena lease offers to the Sonics - and thus will rule in his favor
6) Bennett announces the Sonics will move to OKC in 2008 (although he might wait to make this announcement until after Dec, to avoid a collapse in tix).

Any thoughts?

[betts]

"F*CK THIS MOTHER F*CKING PILE OF DOG SH*T

send this story to every newspaper, radio station, media outlet, politician you know.

no matter how big or how small. everyone in this country needs to know that clay bennett is pillaging our sonics from us.

and to all the oklahoma city bastards who came on here and tried to defend clay for being this "trustworthy honest business man", go eat ****"

I am pasting this quote from a forum member of the Seattle Times here. I think it's not a good idea to be getting people from Seattle riled up about Aubrey McClendon's comments, although it is now too late. If they had sat in the Journal Record or on OKC forums, it would have been a fun thing to discuss. Now, this story may get picked up by the Seattle columnists and sent in letters to all the Senators and congressment in Washington. Strictly speaking, Aubrey's not supposed to be saying stuff like that yet and we don't need a reaction from Stern like Clay got with the Las Vegas comments. Just my opinion, but I think it's best to let sleeping dogs lie until October 31st.

[Pete]

As skillfully and carefully as Bennett and the ownership group has played this over the last year, I'm really surprised McClendon would make such a comment when they are so close to achieving their goal.

Bennett has taken great care to never suggest what everyone thought to be obvious all along... Then almost at the finish line, Aubrey blurts it out in the press!

To say so after the move is finalized is one thing but doing so now puts at risk all the accumulated goodwill the group and OKC earned with the Hornets.


I'm sure it won't have a major impact but I bet Clay called Aubrey and gave him a good lecture over this.

[Karried]

Mon August 13, 2007 From Today's NewsOK:
McClendon: We didn't buy Sonics to keep them in Seattle

From staff reports

Aubrey McClendon is saying the words Seattle SuperSonics fans suspected, but didn't want to hear. "But we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle. We hoped to come here (in Oklahoma City)," McClendon says in Monday's edition of The Journal Record."We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even, we'd be thrilled."



McClendon, the chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, is part of the ownership group, headed by Clay Bennett, which bought the NBA franchise last year. The group is seeking a new facility agreement from Seattle by Oct. 31 to replace the aging KeyArena.
If the deadline isn't met, Bennett has said he would file to relocate the team — to Oklahoma City. "They've got 60 days to make some decisions they haven't been willing to make in the past year," McClendon told the paper, "and if they make them in a way that satisfies Clay, then the team will stay there. If they don't meet the requirements he's laid out, the team will move, and Clay has indicated they'll come to Oklahoma City."

[betts]

Yup, not smart of Aubrey to talk right now, but not smart of anyone from OKC to bring it to the attention of people from Seattle. Let's lay low, guys, on the inflammatory quotes from anyone from here. You're not helping the cause.

[Easy180]

Yup, not smart of Aubrey to talk right now, but not smart of anyone from OKC to bring it to the attention of people from Seattle. Let's lay low, guys, on the inflammatory quotes from anyone from here. You're not helping the cause.

betts...Those statements were going to be discovered anyway...No way that kind of talk would be passed over regardless of the size of the publication

Not sure why he would talk right now...But part of me wonders if it was just a simple mistake or part of some crazy strategy...Just makes me wonder since he has been completely silent for almost a year now and then throws in those gems to such a hard hitting sports publication like the Journal

[metro]

Same here Easy 180. It's mind boggling. Surely he's competent enough and has advisors enough that he would only say something like that for a reason. Anyhow here is an article from ESPN:

ESPN - TrueHoop

I'm also blown away that Bennett nor Stern has commented on this yet. If for some reason it wasn't apart of their strategy, I hope they cleverly deny the comments, etc.

[Easy180]

Can anyone smarter than myself come up with any possible reasons why he would come out and say that at this point in time?

I can't really come up with anything

[betts]

I don't know, but Clay has already come out with damage control. I don't think this was done with league or Bennett approval.

RealGM: Wiretap Archives: Owner Hoping To See Breakthrough To Keep Sonics In Seattle

RealGM Staff Report -
The Professional Basketball Club is issuing the following statements today in response to comments made in an interview with a local business journal by Sonics & Storm owner Aubrey McClendon.

“As the controlling owner, I admire my fellow owners and appreciate their support," said Clay Bennett. "While they are excited about the basketball operations and the future of the team on the court, they, like me, have been disheartened by the lack of progress we have made to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm. Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group. It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area.”

[Pete]

At least for the time being, this is the top story listed on ESPN.com:

"Owner: Goal to move Sonics to OKC"


Bennett's recent quotes aren't even mentioned. Incredibly foolish move by Aubrey.