HUGE NEWS! Clay Bennett & Co. buy Supersonics!

[Easy180]

Aubrey McClendon


"I support our efforts to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area. Clay is the one who speaks for the ownership group. Today's interview in the Oklahoma City-based business newspaper, Journal Record, simply reflects what has been my personal desire concerning NBA basketball in Oklahoma City. It has always been my hope that Oklahoma City would have an NBA team someday. That said, I was always aware and understood our number one goal was to work with officials to build a new arena in the Seattle area. I have supported Clay and the ownership group to use our good faith best efforts to secure a new arena and keep the teams in Seattle. I admire Clay's tireless efforts and his persistence to get an arena and keep the teams in Seattle. I support him completely. The comment about my personal hopes cannot in any way be interpreted to mean the organization has not exhaustively pursued every reasonable avenue to get an arena deal done and keep the Sonics and Storm in Seattle. However, as Clay has consistently stated, a solution to the arena issue must be found

[betts]

Looks like maybe Aubrey thought his comments would be buried in a bottom paragraph in the Journal Record and not seen by anyone in Seattle.

[Kerry]

You have to watch the whole story, not just parts. One of the reasons some of the leaders in Seattle refuse to build a new arena there is they don't think Bennette and company are seriously considering moving the Sonics to OKC. Several times local Seattle politicians have said the Sonics can make more money in Seattle, and using that reasoning, Seattle shouldn't have to build a new arena. Aubrey just took that argument off the table by saying he didn't care if the team made money in OKC or not.

This comment put the powers-that-be in Seattle on notice. Build a new arena or the team is gone.

[onthestrip]

If Aubrey did say that without consent from the rest of the owners, then that just speaks volumes of McClendon's character. Not a smart statement.

[Theo Walcott]

Oh please.

[HOT ROD]

Guys, I have to say - that was not the smartest move for OKC or Aubrey. Although we all are aware of their true intentions, its one thing to have that under the collar and another for an owner to come out and say it when they have an agreement in principle to try to work an arena here.

Bennett was doing soooo well, up until Aubrey opened his mouth way too much. Of course he would invest in a team to move it to OKC. But their agreement was that they'd work for a year to try to keep the team in Seattle, and to publicly come out and say that - ...

The ONLY 'Saving Grace' in this situation is that at least it was a minority owner (who are little more than just financial investors) who said this and NOT BENNETT HIMSELF. That would have been a true disaster, if Bennett had said it.

I think some of the Seattle fans just see this as fuel on the fire and are trying to run with this. And McLendon certainly did not HELP OKC's efforts any - but it might JUST backfire in OKC's face and spur some arena support here. ..

I think McLendon and everyone should have juse laid low for 2.5 months. He should have stated that he'd LIKE to have a team in OKC, and pose it like that. NOT, we always wanted a team in OKC. Reality, of course you want a team in OKC; id expect an OKC investor to have that as his intention. BUT your ownership group promised to work it out here for a year. And Aubrey coming out and saying that before the year is up, really makes for a potentially difficult situation for Bennett.

I think OKC will still be successful, but Aubrey probably doubled the chances that an arena would get built here with his comments (up from 1% to now 2%) and certainly has pissed a bunch of fans off who no doubt will make noise to the NBA.

If Aubrey could have kept his mouth shut, he could have said all he wanted after Oct 31. sometimes, Okies shoot themselves in the foot.

[betts]

I agree completely, although McClendon is not a minority owner. That doesn't need to be broadcast to the Seattle folks, though. In fact, we should all think before we blithely post things on Seattle forums. It may be that that's where this mess came from. It's true that a search engine might have found the information anyway, but you had to dig through a pretty long boring Journal Record interview to get the Sonics' information. We don't need to be throwing fuel on the fire by showing this kind of stuff to the Sonics' fans in Seattle.

[Kerry]

How could this possibly make an arena deal in Seattle more plausable? Keep this in mind when you try to answer. Whatever you say would only support Clay's effort to keep the team in Seattle.

[Saberman]

It seems to me this will have little or no effect on whats going on.

The people that are so p*ssed off now are the ones that where going off before. This makes for a lot of talk on ESPN, but when have those people ever been right about anything.....

When you get right down to it, the people in Seattle(the majority that is) don't care if the team stays or not and are not willing to build a new arena.

This doesn't make the whole thing any easier, but I don't think the out come will be much different.

Money talks BS walks. It the way of the world.

[chuckdiesel]

These Seattle people get on my nerves. They act like they had no idea that this was going on. COME ON. How dumb\niave do you have to be to miss that. They are acting like this was some kinda huge secret conspiracy that leaked out. It was common knowledge that even this "dumb Okie" (as they like to point out) could see. They seem so arrogant about losing their team to the lowly Okies that they do nothing but make lame generalizations about our neck of the woods. Kinda goes against that whole west coast philosophy of complete PC robotics about being open-minded and nonjudgemental. I sense a little hypocracy. Every body with half a brain knows Seattle has more people than OKC. Big deal. They have Starbucks, Boeing, Microsoft, etc..... I couldn't care less. OKC has a few things too.
We aren't as rich or as big as Seattle but we don't have to be and Im fine with that. I'll be glad when they finally shut up and move on.

[chuckdiesel]

It just seems that Seattle is more concerned about who they are losing the team to rather than the fact that they are losing the team. And now they want to lash out because they are apparantly so much better than us that this couldnt possibly be happening.

[Easy180]

Looking around on ESPN and other forums it seems the only people really upset are Seattle folks...Good amount of posts say something along the lines of blame it on your city leaders, had your chance, knew this from the beginning, Duh and so on

My guess is this blows over by Friday at the latest...I'm just glad the man himself didn't say it...Now that could have been disastrous...Not that this slip up was good by any means

Anyone want to take a guess as to how long it will be before Aubrey gives another interview?

[flintysooner]

I honestly don't see the big deal. If Seattle wants to keep their team then all they have to do is commit to build a venue. What happens is in their hands. Apparently they are just not accustomed to dealing with people who mean what they say and say what they mean.

Either way Oklahoma City is going to get a team. It is just a matter of time.

[metro]

The sad thing is, I strongly believe it was a member of OKCTalk who leaked this information on the Seattle Times forum....I'm also upset about the journalist who did the interview and posted it. Come on? Think about the outcome of your actions as well as McClendon's. I almost wonder if the journalist is anti-OKC or one of the old guard that still doesn't view OKC as changed compared to 10 years ago. Hello???? Did you not think that story was going to spark alot of controversy and perhaps ruin or at least hinder OKC's chances at the Sonics? It doesn't take much thought to figure that out. Perhaps he was just trying to sell a few extra papers. Heck, if the JR was still pay only to view online, none of this would have even happened.

[metro]

Legislator sees little hope that Sonics will remain in Seattle

By Darnell Mayberry
Staff Writer

A Washington legislator who led an unsuccessful bid to secure state funding for a new arena said Monday she sees little hope that the SuperSonics will remain in Seattle.

Washington Sen. Margarita Prentice's comments came one day after a published report in which a member of the NBA team's Oklahoma City-based ownership group said "we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle.

"We hoped to come here,” Aubrey McClendon, co-founder and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corporation, told 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.”

In a statement released Monday, McClendon softened his stance, saying he supports a new arena for the Sonics and WNBA Storm in the Greater Seattle area.

McClendon said his published comments reflected his personal desire that Oklahoma City will someday have an NBA team.

Prentice, whose legislative district includes Seattle and the suburb where Sonics owners have proposed a publicly-funded arena, said she can't understand the negative response the proposal has received.

"I just think it's part of Seattle's elitist attitude that somehow or another we're too cool for sports,” Prentice said Monday in an interview with The Oklahoman. "It's just never been allowed to get anywhere, and that's a darn shame.”

Prentice, a Democrat, had sponsored a bill that would have authorized $278 million in hotel, car rental, and restaurant taxes to help fund a new arena. It never came to a vote of the full senate.

"I would hate to lose them, and if they go to Oklahoma you're going to enjoy them,” Prentice said.

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett has said he will ask the NBA for permission to relocate the team to Oklahoma City if an agreement for a new arena is not reached by Oct. 31.

In a statement issued Monday, Bennett said the ownership group has been "disheartened” by the lack of progress but hasn't given up hope.

"Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group,” Bennett said. "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.”

But with 78 days days remaining before the deadline, Prentice said she doesn't see many viable options.

"Clay Bennett could have had an agreement, and they would have been here,” Prentice said. "And there was a sliver of hope, and I don't know if it's all gone now. But Clay Bennett went to great lengths to try to reach an agreement. And he agreed to a lot of things that he was never even given the chance to present to the legislature. He and I know that's true.

"We should have had it. We could have had it. And I guess it's still possible. Barely. If anybody's in the mood to talk.”

Among the remaining options Prentice suggested still available to get an arena deal done is a pending meeting between Bennett and Washington governor Chris Gregoire, who Prentice said has shown interest in keeping the Sonics in Seattle. But the proposed deal from the Seattle-area Muckleshoot Tribe, which has offered to build a nearby arena adjacent its casino property in suburban Auburn, is not a feasible option, Prentice said.

"Well, they have gambling and the NBA has made it clear that the NBA and gambling don't mix,” Prentice said. "So there's just some possibilities here that just won't work.

"What we really needed was somebody higher than me to have come out (in support) for it,” she said. "Because I've said more than once... people above me needed to show some energy behind it, and it seemed as though just about the time we were going to get it, somebody else would flake off.”

[Karried]

The sad thing is, I strongly believe it was a member of OKCTalk who leaked this information on the Seattle Times forum....

Why do you think this?

Anyway, ESPN has it as the Top Story. It wouldn't have mattered if it was posted on the Seattle board or not.

Ask Betts, a moderator of another sports board.. fans can turn truly hostile towards other cities when they feel threatened. They will dig up anything to further their cause.

[metro]

Why do I think that?? Because I read the Seattle Times forum almost everyday. I know several members of this forum who post on there, several of them post links to articles such as this as well as add fuel to the fire. I must say, I know it's hard not to want to post stuff like this, sometimes I feel like it, but heck, I know better than to post an article like that, that could ruin our chances. I follow the Seattle Times enough to know it was a fellow Oklahoman that did it. Heck, some even keep their same screennames as OKCTalk. They post just like they post here on OKCTalk, it's obvious who they are. There are only like 10 or less regular posters on their forum, Oklahomans and "Okie posers" who claim to be from Oklahoma but obviously are not are the ones giving them fuel. Go read the times Karried, you'll see what I mean. The regulars rarely post and do not give 2 cents about Oklahoma. They are very rude and ignorant and don't even care enough to look at Oklahoma websites until someone posts articles and then they check the validity of it and send it out to politicians and the media. Karried, I'm 99% sure ESPN and FOX Sports ran with this story, because it broke on the Seattle Times website.

[Easy180]

The sad thing is, I strongly believe it was a member of OKCTalk who leaked this information on the Seattle Times forum....I'm also upset about the journalist who did the interview and posted it. Come on? Think about the outcome of your actions as well as McClendon's. I almost wonder if the journalist is anti-OKC or one of the old guard that still doesn't view OKC as changed compared to 10 years ago. Hello???? Did you not think that story was going to spark alot of controversy and perhaps ruin or at least hinder OKC's chances at the Sonics? It doesn't take much thought to figure that out. Perhaps he was just trying to sell a few extra papers. Heck, if the JR was still pay only to view online, none of this would have even happened.

I guess you are assuming that not one of the hundreds of thousands of Sonics fans from the Pac NW read this thread since it was posted first on here for all to read...Also assuming not one member of any of the sports staffs in Seattle check on this thread from time to time

This was going to get out regardless of who was alerted first...It is a HUGE stretch to believe these statements could have been hidden somehow...No way no how

[okclee]

Sounds like Aubrey knows more then we do, therefore he was speaking freely. Aubrey probably knows that there is no way that an arena deal is going to get done in 78 days so it doesn't matter what he says at this point. Not to mention if Seattle or the state of WA come to Bennett with a proposal , Bennett and Aubrey could easily just say no that they don't like it.

I am guessing that the Seattle Sonics bags are already packed for Okc, that is why Aubrey had the slip of the tongue.

Again I don't see the big NEWs in what Aubrey said, this is no surprise to anyone.

[metro]

I'm going to agree to disagree with you on this one Easy 180. Honestly these people do not care enough to even consider looking at our boards unless someone seriously pisses them off about a certain topic first. Ask HOT ROD, he lives there. There are so few (again less than 10 regulars from Seattle) that post there. There are more from Oklahoma, New Orleans, and elsewhere that post there that only stir up fire. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you a regular poster there??

[Easy180]

I'm going to agree to disagree with you on this one Easy 180. Honestly these people do not care enough to even consider looking at our boards unless someone seriously pisses them off about a certain topic first. Ask HOT ROD, he lives there. There are so few (again less than 10 regulars from Seattle) that post there. There are more from Oklahoma, New Orleans, and elsewhere that post there that only stir up fire. Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you a regular poster there??

3 mil in Seattle...Not one of them is bored enough at work to see what the Okies are saying about their team on here...Get real

If you are talking about the Times yeah I am...Didn't post it there if that's what you are getting at

You are focusing on just the Times?...Is that the only publication in the Seattle area?...Do they not have any tv sports staffs?

This thread has been viewed over 20,000 times...Please come back to reality metro if you think that not one person from Seattle checks in since we post every single OKC based Sonics news stories on this thread....It was plastered all over for all to read

Puhleaze with the accusations

[wsucougz]

Not to mention, there are many of us Seattleites living in OKC. I also have a subscription to The Journal Record. That being said it wasn't me because I could honestly give a rat about the NBA, other than being for the move.

I might change my tone when Durant comes to town, though.

[Easy180]

wsucougz is a spy I tell ya

The plot thickens

[TStheThird]

If the Sonics get a new Arena deal because of McClendon's comments, I blame the poster that leaked the information... not McClendon. Metro, are you serious? This story was going to break. He is on record making those comments.

[Easy180]

The story and the discussion of it appears to have been deleted off Newsok unless I'm just missing it somewhere

Watching Channel 5 news last night the sports guy spun it as validating what many Okies hoped was the case...Didn't mention the Seattle uproar at all

Anyone see any different coverage of the story on the other local news stations?