Bad News: Schultz to sue Bennett

[OKCMallen]

I think we ought to send Mike Gundy up there for a tirade.

You say Clay Bennett did not give a good faith effort....THAT AIN'T TRUE! How you gonna go and get on a guy that does EVERYTHING RIGHT!? Makes me wanna puke!!!

[dalelakin]

OKCMallen


*golfclap*

[metro]

Maybe we can give Seattle Jenny Carlson in exchange for the Sonics?

[betts]

Here's an interesting interview with Schultz back in 2006. If I'm not mistaken, he's given the Sonics' owners a contract out himself, with his "balloon payment" statement. That doesn't resolve the "best effort" issue, however.

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/182...rning_OnDemand

There is no definitive statement by Schultz in here at all saying they are obligated to stay for the entire four years regardless, because he is asked by the interviewer if they are contractually obligated to stay the entire four years, and after the interviewer said, "So, without a deal cut between them and Seattle, they can't play anywhere else until 2010....." and Schultz says, "I don't believe so, unless the city and the mayor's office would accept a balloon payment to buy out the lease."

Schultz also says,"If they leave, and I don't think they will, the burden of that is not on Clay Bennett, the burden of that is on local and state officials."

[andy157]

With all of the shennanigans, it's looking more and more like the team will be the Oklahoma City Supersonics.

Seattle will never get another NBA team while David Stern or his immediate sucessor is in charge of the Association.

Does Commissionor Stern, or his possible sucessor for that matter, call the shots on which city gets, or doesn't get an NBA team, or do the owners make those ultimate decisions? I'm just asking. Never is a long time.

[John]

Does Commissionor Stern, or his possible sucessor for that matter, call the shots on which city gets, or doesn't get an NBA team, or do the owners make those ultimate decisions? I'm just asking. Never is a long time.

Yes and no. Stern has a lot of influence in the league, and amongst owners.

If the city would accept a payout of the lease, etc. then they would look favorably to Seattle when/if an expansion/relocation came about in the future.

As it is now, with all thats gone on, leaving the 'Sonics' team name/colors/history is looking slim.

[Laramie]

Schultz' grandstanding won't hold water, the case will be thrown out of court, I just hate that they are getting the Seattle fans all worked up!

A side letter would be like me selling a house with my grandmother's ashes underneath the floor board of the living room, what does the new owner do with the ashes:

Burn them too!

LOL!

[Kerry]

This is very simple. Slade Gorton needed something to take to the BofG meeting to help keep the Sonics there. First he thought it would be an approved funding plan passed by the state but he didn't get it. Then he thought it would be a local ownership group and he didn't get that either. Then they went with a ficticious arena plan but that fell apart also. In a final despirate attempt, he got a former partner of his to allow Schultz to be used in a fake lawsuit.

At the meeting on Friday Gorton will have 3 things to present to the BofG.

1. A letter from government official asking for more time
2. A threatened lawsuit against Bennett from Schultz
3. A threatend lawsuit againt the NBA from Seattle

The Sonics will go to the meeting with the following

1. One of the premier NBA arena that is debt free and tax payer funded
2. A favorable lease
3. A debt free practice arena
4. State income tax rebate (Quality Jobs)

If you were the NBA where would you rather do business?

Open comment to Schultz - you should think about moving Starbucks operations to OKC.

[kevinpate]

Kerry, why you mad at us ... we have more than enough overpriced overhyped overtinkered coffee here.

[Kerry]

Hey - If Seattle doesn't wasn't the Starbucks corporate headquarters then I say we take them also. They will need to pay for their own corporate building though. The tax payer funded seed money has to stop some where.

[sethsrott]

I agree with the above posters about this being a PR stunt...

Ballmer didn't even really want this team.... he has enough money to buy the team for twice what Bennett did, build his own $500 million dollar arena and not even register a blip on his bottom line.... but he didn't.

$350,000,000.00
+ $500,000,000.00
_________________
$850,000,000.00

That (^^) is close to 1 billion ($1,000,000,000.00) and for a guy that has a net worth of 15 billion, that will register a 'blip' on his bottom line. Look at the numbers before you start saying mindless stuff like that. He might have wanted it but it wouldn't make business sense to sink $500,000,000.00 in a private arena just for the Sonics, you don't know what Ballmer does and doesn't want and for you to assume so is arrogant.

[Laramie]

Kerry:

I read somewhere this morning that Gov. Chris Geogoire asked Shultz to file a lawsuit (probably pressured).

Schultz had the foresight to write a side letter and put it with the contact to cover himself in the future; although he knew it wouldn't hold water. That's why it will take two weeks to file.

The BOG will act on the resolution for relocation this week and they will not allow themselves to be distracted by these last ditch efforts by Seattle (elected) officials to show good faith in trying to keep the Sonics.

[MikeLucky]

$350,000,000.00
+ $500,000,000.00
_________________
$850,000,000.00

That (^^) is close to 1 billion ($1,000,000,000.00) and for a guy that has a net worth of 15 billion, that will register a 'blip' on his bottom line. Look at the numbers before you start saying mindless stuff like that. He might have wanted it but it wouldn't make business sense to sink $500,000,000.00 in a private arena just for the Sonics, you don't know what Ballmer does and doesn't want and for you to assume so is arrogant.

While I was presenting the most extreme possible solution, even it is VERY attainable for Ballmer. He has enough money to make this entire situation go away..... but yet he doesn't do it. He leveraged his proposal against the state legislature coming up with $75 million..... and, big surprise, they didn't budge an inch....

But, Ballmer is still a hero and he didn't have to spend a penny. That makes him VERY smart.... but I fail to see how realizing this makes ME arrogant.....

[Kerry]

sethsrot - you are assuming Ballmer was going to pay cash for everything. Several NBA arenas are owned by the teams owners and they have far less money than Ballmer. My house cost 2X what I earn in a year but I can still make the house payment.

[metro]

Not that it will probably impact anything, but a class action lawsuit against Bennett was successfully filed in court today.

I'm wondering with all the pending court cases, if it would be better for him to announce his intent on staying in Seattle until 2010 until he has full right and no binding agreement to hold him in Seattle. I want the NBA as bad as anyone, but all this bad press and lawsuits aren't making Oklahoma look any better.

[Kerry]

I would be all in favor of Bennett staying in Seattle until 2010 and walking away then and giving them nothing - not even the name Sonics. Don't be surprised if that doesn't happen next Monday.

Step 1 - get league approval to move
Step 2 - sign lease in OKC taking effect in 2010
Step 3 - announce that they are staying in Seattle until then.
Step 4 - See how fast Seattle can offer a buy-out. They stand lose about $25 million if the Sonics stay in Seattle.

[venture]

Apples and oranges dude. The Ford Center was built WITH IMPROVEMENTS INTENDED. That's why it's so much cheaper. We have a bigger footprint than KeyArena, as well. KeyArena is old, with a smaller footprint, which makes it more costly to bring it up to date. Think about what you're saying before you imply that Bennett & Co. was shady about the amount needed to make KeyArena suitable for now and the future, because you're slinging mud but your implication relies on a fault assumption (i.e.- the cost of fixing up the Ford and Key should be approximately the same).

Besides, do you think Bennett got out his sliderule and some graph paper to design it himself and came up with this number. Probably scores of people had to do with designs and estimates, and you'd be pleased to know, that the company he hired to do it was independent from himself.

Wow people don't read. The $500 million for Seattle was for a NEW arena. So i'm comparing our relatively NEW arena to the new facility they wanted in Seattle. I doubt the costs have risen to much to where if there Ford Center was build today, that it would cost $500 million. That's what i'm comparing to, not an upgraded Key Arena. Eeesh.

[edcrunk]

i just read that now 2 senators from washington sent a letter to the nba as well... this is becoming ridiculous.

[Kerry]

Just for the record - when the Muckelshoots prepared their arena estimates they came back at $470 million and that was with the free land in the country. Plus, Bennett's plan was actually $450 million. The Seattle media rounded up to the even 1/2 billion. The latest arena plan drawn up by a 3rd party cost $1.2 billion (although that did include more than just a stadium).

[Platemaker]

Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The former owner of the Seattle SuperSonics plans to sue the current owners to get the team back, arguing they breached a condition of the sale to make a "good-faith effort" to keep Seattle's oldest pro sports franchise from leaving town, according to Seattle-area media reports.

FOR SALE:
1990 Chevy Silverado

Conditions:
"Good faith effort" to not drive it over state lines... keep the speed under 50 mph... must remain a non-smoking vehicle... no drivers other than the purchaser... OR I'LL SUE!!!!

...what a crock.

[Kerry]

Platemaker - just be sure you get a side letter.

[edcrunk]

well, schultz did go ahead and file. looks like they found an email that bennett will have a difficult time defending as misconstrued. i still think it's a long shot.

[OKCMallen]

I disagree. The email about the sweet flip shows that Bennett would NOT take the team out of Seattle if he couldn';t lawfully do so. He'd just sell it back. At no point does the sweet flip email say he wont' make a good faith effort to keep the Sonics in Seattle...just that if they are staying there, he might not own them indefinitely.

[Laramie]

Even if Shultz could get the team back, a judge couldn't allow him to sell to locals without NBA approval.

Be careful what you ask for...

Ballmer is apparently footing the bills for all of this, do you think the NBA will accept him as an owner? And Shultz could get stuck with the team. Would Seattle be willing to build him a new arena.

Let's say Bennett's intent was to move the team all along, did he not make an good faith effort to keep the team in Seattle. A bigger effort than Schultz.

Had Seattle built a suitable arena, the team would still be in Seattle.

Another analogy: A basketball referee wants one team to win, it doesn't mean that he isn't going to make the right calls.

Shultz at one time threatened ned to move the team and sold it to Bennett, let us did up some e-mails, you're going to be surprised when all of Shultz grandstanding comes out.

Bennett is not going to play this out in the press their will be some surprises if this does go to court! All this grandstanding is just something Shultz is trying to do to further surpress his decling coffee sales.

Shultz is going to give it his best effort; however, I would bet that Ballmer is behind all of this.

[Saberman]

According to this suit, Shultz is saying that PBC never intended to own a team in Seattle. They were going to try to get an arena deal then flip it for bucks, if not they would move the team.

1. Didn't Bennett pretty much say that from the beginning. "You got 1 year to have an arena deal or I'm going to hold my breath?"

2. Since when can you tell some one who is buying your team, what they can do with it once you sell it. That is all subject to what the NBA says.

This is all so silly. No one in Seattle wanted the team when it was for sale. If the guy from San Jose would have bought it for $450 million, they'd be gone.