HUGE NEWS! Clay Bennett & Co. buy Supersonics!

[PUGalicious]

This whole scenario is leaving a sour taste in my mouth about Seattle, about the NBA and about Bennett & Co. What concerns me is that OKC is becoming so desperate to win this battle that we'll give away the store to get them here and be left with a less than ideal situation of our own.

[Kerry]

I don't see how this process has harmed the image of OKC. In fact, the only comment by City officials is that they are not activley seeking a team. Seattle on the other hand has embarrased themselfs beyond recognition. And I mean the city officals, not the yahoos on the SeattleTimes forum. You expect a yahoo to be a goofball, but city officals? Now that is something special to watch.

Not only has the city guaranteed that the Sonics will leave, but no other NBA team will ever want to locate there. The sad part is, if they had played their cards right and number of teams would have been happy to move to Seattle after the Sonics left. They are the LA of the NBA.

[HOT ROD]

I like that Kerry,

Seattle IS the LA of the NBA!!

Especially since Seattle is always trying to get everyone to believe they are bigger than they really are.

[BDP]

Then again, LA has one of the best, if not the best NBA arenas and it was privately funded. Not bad.

[Kerry]

Funny, because Seattle has one of the best, if not the best, NFL stadiums it is was 70% public funded.

[Pete]

It makes absolutely no sense to try and force someone to try and do something against their will.

Do the people in Seattle think that if they sue the owners that that will solve all their problems and the team will continue to stay indefinitely and that fans will continue to support them?

The whole thing is so silly. Just a bunch of politicians trying to score points and public legal wrangling but it's not going to change the outcome: there will be a settlement of the contract just as Bennett has proposed.

[OU Adonis]

Their thinking I would guess is that either.

A) Clay Sells because he can't move till 2010

or

B) They get an arena agreement by 2010.

[Kerry]

OU adonis - you hit it right on the head. The logic of Seattle is so illogical. Reading some of the comments on the Seattle Times forum leaves me scratching my head. I can get past the people that are just angry and want to vent, but the ones that thinks some kind covert plan is being hatched cracks me up. The pleans for local owners to buy the team, for the NBA to step in and stop the move, to "just give us 2 more years and we can get an arena plan in place", is simply unfounded wishes.

This is so simple. Put an arena plan in place in the next 34 days or the team moves. Granted they might not be able to move as soon as they like, but make no mistake, the team is moving. I think the Seattle City Council owes it to the people of Seattle to make the best deal possible for the departure of Sonics. Simply suing the team to try and make them stay 2 more years isn't going to keep them there an extra day.

[SouthsideSooner]

I've felt for some time that the end game will be to get quick approval from the BOG to move to OKC in 2010 and the Sonics sign a lease with OKC beginning then. This will allow OKC to start remodeling the Ford Center and building a practice facility.
It will also completely change the dynamic of the buyout talks when there is no chance of the team remaining there beyond the end of the lease.

[Easy180]

Ran across this article on TrueHoop regarding the Grizzlies...Parts of it point to the NBA slowly but surely heading toward more of a revenue sharing model ala the NFL and MLB

Would definitely help take away some of the question marks people have about how successful a team here would be.....Here are some excerpts

NBA Econ 101 by Chris Herrington | Memphis Business Quarterly

But NBA teams don’t have to spend large to win: There’s no correlation between player payroll and on-court success. Of the 12 teams whose payrolls topped $64 million last season, five missed the playoffs entirely, including the Grizzlies and the league’s biggest spendthrift franchise, the Knicks. Three season ago, the teams that competed in the NBA Finals — the Spurs and the Detroit Pistons — were 19th and 24th, respectively, in player payroll. Rather, NBA teams win by spending wisely and maximizing their resources.

In seeking to rectify the structural disadvantages faced by small-market franchises, Heisley joined the owners of seven other small-market teams — the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers, Charlotte Bobcats, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, and Minnesota Timberwolves — last fall in signing a letter to the NBA league offices requesting the league explore additional revenue sharing. Currently, the league’s national broadcast revenue is the primary source of shared income, with a smaller “revenue assistance program” providing additional support specifically to small-market teams.

The letter read, in part: “If appropriately managed teams can’t break even, let alone make a profit, we have an economic system that requires correction. The needed correction is serious revenue sharing, not just modest revenue assistance, and we urge you to address this issue on an urgent basis this year.”

In response to letter, the league beefed up its existing revenue assistance program for small-market teams this spring, doubling the amount of money that was doled out from just under $15 million to around $30 million.

According the Rick Horrow, a sports-business lecturer at Harvard Law School, and a sports-business analyst for CNN, revenue sharing in the NBA may still be in its formative stages.

“It’s a two-part historical evolution that usually takes place over five to 10 years,” Horrow says of revenue sharing in modern professional sports. “The one part is the acknowledgement that some combination of cost control and revenue sharing is critical for a sports league to survive and thrive. The second component is always the devil in the details. Which fund generates the most revenue and how are those revenues distributed? The NFL is in the 4th quarter of resolving both [parts of the issue]. Major League Baseball is at the same level. Hockey is in the earliest stages of the second phase, and I would say basketball is in a similar position.

“You’ll develop consensus very easily over the need for cost control and revenue sharing,” Horrow says, “but, of course, you have widely varied opinions on what kind of revenue should be shared and how much.”

Clearly, Heisley and his small-market allies have their eyes on the big pools of existing, unshared revenue: local broadcast revenues and gate receipts.

The small-market owners’ letter to the league last year also read: “Our current economic system (whereby local television revenue and gate receipts are not shared among the league’s 30 franchises) works only for larger-market teams and a few teams that have extraordinary success on the court.”

Heisley points out that, in the NFL, 40 percent of gate receipts are allotted to the visiting team. In the NBA, there is currently no sharing of gate revenues, local TV revenues, or advertising revenues.

So far, the NBA has seemed committed to keeping its revenue-sharing program small and making it a performance-based system — judging a team’s qualifications for revenue assistance in part on how well a team is exploiting the potential of its market.

What should the league do?

“Well, I don’t know. I’m not the commissioner,” Heisley says. “All he [NBA Commissioner David Stern] has to do is look at the health of the NFL and look at the health of the small markets in the NBA. And there are light years of difference. So, obviously, if you believe — and I’m not sure what [the NBA’s] position is — that the health of the league is directly proportional to the heath of the smallest markets in the league, then we’ve got a lot of work to do. That’s what the NFL believes. If you believe that that isn’t important, then you’ve got what we have at the NBA.”

[Intrepid]

31 days and counting...

[HOT ROD]

16 days .....

Guys, check out this video from Seattle KIRO-TV. There is a news short (appx 5 min per day) this week they are airing regarding Oklahoma City and the city's viability as an NBA city.

Tonight's storey was basically introductory and showed various local sights downtown and interviews with fans and radio/talk show host about the city's feelings regarding the sonics. KIRO also interviewed DeJarnis (Ford Center) on camera, but Mick's interview was more or less paraphrased by the reporter. Overwhelmingly, everyone supports the move and most were even pretty certain it would happen/only a matter of time - and when they come, we'll support them. KIRO also stated OKC's resolve which built Ford Center and the fact that the city is ready to build another TRUE NBA FANCY arena to ensure the Sonics or whichever team comes will stay for good.

Check out this video, VIDEO BACKSTORY: OKC Arena Ready For Sonics - Video - KIRO Seattle , while this was not shown on TV - it is intended to give more in-depth information of sorts about OKC's will and venues.

I'd say, my first reaction prior to seeing the news short was, oh boy - KIRO is going to try to trash OKC in order to make Seattle "feel better". And definitely, most of the early shots showed OKC's 'dusty side' - such as the 89er land run monument (complete with the buggies) and especially the grain elevator/ oh, excuse me - OKC Rocks. But then, they did show images of Ford Center, inside and out (which looked great), and several nice twilight shots of the downtown skyline (basically from bricktown). KIRO stayed away from the 'typical' Chamber of Commerce type shots BUT they also didn't really tear down OKC either. In fact, it seemed more like an OKC boosting sort of short, basically - this is the OKC you may not know about and they most likely will get the Sonics.

Stay tuned, Ill let you know what the other shorts are about.

Go Oklahoma City, Renaissance!

[PUGalicious]

It helps that the reporter actually used to be a reporter in this market...

Gary joined KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in June of 2003, moving west after a five-year stint at KWTV in Oklahoma City.

In his 10 years of street reporting, historic news just seems to happen around Gary. As soon as he arrived at KWTV, a mile-wide F-5 tornado ripped the Oklahoma City metro in half. During this time, Gary took pride in finding hope and human courage in stories we all find difficult to watch. Much of his inspiration came from the courageous stories of the Oklahomans who survived 1995 Murrah bombing. Gary's weekly "Strangely Named Towns" segment was also a very popular, award-winning exploration, uncovering the myths and curious legends hidden in every tiny dot on the map.

Courtesy KIRO

[Intrepid]

It helps that the reporter actually used to be a reporter in this market...

I remember Gary Horcher and the brown leather jacket he always seemed to wear during his reports on KWTV. To me, he always seemed to do a very good "taped" report, but he seemed to struggle with the "live" shots.

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks for that link, Hot Rod! Got any more?

[jbrown84]

Yeah I recognize him too.

He seemed to take some minor potshots at Seattle-ites with comments about how we actually trust our leaders. lol

[betts]

Here's the text of the Seattle story. I wondered if they were trying to get the people in Seattle made enough to fight for the Sonics with this story:

Video: VIDEO BACKSTORY: OKC Arena Ready For Sonics

OKC Fans Ready For The Sonics

POSTED: 10:54 am PDT October 16, 2007
UPDATED: 12:51 pm PDT October 16, 2007


OKLAHOMA CITY -- The end of October deadline the Sonics owners gave Seattle to figure out a new arena for the team is fast approaching, and KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Gary Horcher traveled to Oklahoma City to get the buzz on what Oklahoma fans are saying.

“I am happy that Oklahoma City is going to be the beneficiary of Seattle’s mistake,” Oklahoma resident Terrell Monks said.According to Horcher, people in Oklahoma City believe the Sonics move is a done deal. “I’m afraid that Seattle leadership has taken a position and their pride won’t let them back down and do what it takes to keep the team up there, “Monks said.

VIDEO: OKC Fans Anxious To Have Sonics

Nathaniel and Terrell Monks are so certain the Sonics are moving to Oklahoma next year, their businesses are already planning to support the "Oklahoma City" Sonics. “We’ll go there, we’ll buy season tickets, we’ll be there for their games,” Monks said.

Oklahoma City's Ford Center was built by taxpayers five years ago, specifically to lure an NBA team. It seats close to 20,000 fans, complete with bars-restaurants and corporate luxury boxes. Gary Desjardins, who runs the Ford Center, says Oklahoma City fans proved their readiness by their unexpected reaction to the New Orleans Hornets--who made Oklahoma City a 2-year, temporary home, after Hurricane Katrina flooded theirs. The flood of local interest grabbed the NBA's attention. Fans bought nearly 12,000 season tickets in only three weeks. Capacity crowds packed the Ford Center every night to see a team they knew would eventually leave them, and go back to New Orleans. They also bought a record amount of team merchandise.

“We’ve got the capacity, we have the amenities, we have the suites, we have the club seats, we have those premium seating areas,” Desjardins said. Last year, fans paid $700 for a courtside seat. Last week, a Hornets exhibition game drew less than 10,000, with some fans feeling cheated over losing their adopted team. But those fans are more than ready to throw love and money at any team willing to move here.

“We always like to say the first one here wins,” Desjardin said. Callers to talk radio shows have already bought into the Sonic boom. “I know the Sonics are going to come in, and I’m going to try to support them as best I can,” one caller said. “Our callers, and I think most people in Oklahoma City are confident that the Sonics are coming, it’s just a matter of time. When is the only question, not if,” OKC radio host Mark Rodgers said.

Some fans are already questioning what to call their "new team." “Would we have to be called the Sonics? Let’s hope it’s not like the Oklahoma Twisters or something that’s real stereotypical for the state,” one fan said.

“When they get here they’ll instantly be embraced, there will be sellouts all the time even for preseason, and Seattle will wish they had kept them,” Nathanial Monks said. Horcher also asked the mayor of Oklahoma City what he's willing to do to lure an NBA team. Turns out he's close friends with some of the owners. What are their real motivations?

We'll examine all of that that Tuesday night at 11 p.m.

[Misty]

Do you suppose on of these Monks could be our own MadMonk? MadMonk was that you???????

[metro]

Sonics v. Seattle scheduled for Thursday hearing

By Darnell Mayberry
The Oklahoman

A Thursday hearing has been scheduled for the court case between the Sonics and the city of Seattle.
The hearing is scheduled for oral arguments at 1:30 p.m. Seattle time and will be heard by Judge Ricardo Martinez, a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington. It will mark the first court appearance by each party’s representatives since the city of Seattle filed its lawsuit against the team on Sept. 24.

The case’s initial hearing was scheduled to take place last Wednesday before Judge Harry McCarthy in King County Superior Court. But attorneys for the Sonics last Tuesday filed a motion to move the case to federal court.

Martinez called Thursday’s hearing to begin determining whether the case will remain in court or should be allowed to be settled by a panel of arbitrators.

Seattle officials are arguing that the Sonics should not be allowed to vacate KeyArena until their KeyArena Premises Use and Occupancy Agreement expires in 2010. Attorneys for the Sonics contend the city should not be able to force the franchise to remain at KeyArena if the team fulfills its financial payments for the remaining years of the arena contract. The Sonics argue that the dispute is arbitrable.

It’s unclear how Martinez will act Thursday. He could make an immediate ruling on the matter, or he could notify both parties that a decision will come at a later date.

Meanwhile, the city of Seattle last week filed a demand for a jury trial, continuing a string of counter moves by both sides.

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett has said he would apply with the NBA for relocation to Oklahoma City if a plan for a new publicly-funded arena is not available in Washington by Oct. 31.

[HOT ROD]

Here is the film from yesterday's newscast. This was shown on the 11 oclock news.

VIDEO: OKC Fans Anxious To Have Sonics - Video - KIRO Seattle

GET READY OKC.

15 days. .....

[dcsooner]

As we all know this is not a done deal yet! I have always advocated that we in OKC voice our opinions to our ownership group and the NBA that we want and will support NBA basketball in OKC. Some Seattle residents are sending emails and lobbying the NBA, why can't we do the same.

HOT ROD what is your sense regarding a potential swell of public support arising within the next few weeks or months

[HOT ROD]

VIDEO: Possible Plans Under Way To Move Sonics To OKC - Video - KIRO Seattle

This aired on Tuesday night on KIRO, it is the follow-up.

[HOT ROD]

DCSooner, based on what I've seen and heard, the mood here is pretty much the same but there have been some changes. In fact, most fans who were once hostile and uninformed about OKC now have a rather positive opinion - saying that they even hope OKC does and deserves to get a team, just not theirs. Then, most people would rather the Sonics stay but they dont want to pay for an arena - so they understand why they will leave. Then still, there is another group who doesn't care and wants them gone asap.

I'd say, group 1) the Seattle Fans = 30,000-60,000 people or so + maybe 2/3 of Spokane. They are quite vocal and most are going on the Sonics' history here and Seattle's metro size and market standing to substantiate the 'need' to keep the team here. Although, like I said, there is a change in opinion now - that many are now saying well, OKC deserves a team and they hope OKC gets one, just not the Sonics. This group hates Bennett, hates Schultz, hates Stern; and as of late loves the city clowncil - an opinion Im sure was calculated by the clowncil since their elections are forth-coming. This group is responsible for much of the pot shots against anything Bennett or OKC, being quite hostile at times - esp those "new" to the internet, and this group is the vocal minority who hopes that the 'big guns' can keep the team here until 2010 thinking something surely might be worked out by then. This group also tends to think that Clay Bennett is a liar and/or that he 'ethically' needs to keep the Sonics here until 2010 and keep trying to get an arena. Also, these are the dreamers - as I call them, coming up with LOTS of scenarios as to why the Sonics wont leave, or why Bennett NEEDS to sell, or the NBA needs a team in Seattle because they want to expand to Asia or somehow Seattle will magically make this happen. The group is split on the use of tax dollars, I'd say 2/3rds will do anything to keep the Sonics, 1/4 want private funding (mostly Bennett/NBA), and the rest are on the fence. This group has the most people in denial, that their team is leaving and mostly looks to people who agree with them and they frequent the Seattle Times forum.

group 2) mainstream Seattle/Tacoma = 3M or so people. These people are quiet, love the region in general, and think that all of the hogwash about the Sonics is just that. These people tend to be die-hard MLB Seattle Mariner fans and fairweathered NFL Seattle Seahawks fans, along with some NHL Vancouver Canucks fans sprinkled in as well. This group in general doesn't want to see the Sonics go - but it is mainly just for bragging rights (ie, to stay a major-league 3 team city) or because the Sonics were the first major-league permanent team 40 years ago (ie nostalgia). But, these people tend to be adamant (sp) about NOT USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS but there is a small handfull who might support a new arena if it included an NHL team (again, mostly for bragging rights - major-league 4 team city, something Seattle definitely IS NOT). Again, the majority of people in this group dont really care - they just dont want to use tax dollars to pay for it. They'd rather not lose the Sonics, but hey - if they can't make it here, then it's understandable that they must go. Just be fair. This group also tends to be quiet and timid, typical Seattle behaviour that doesn't often get 'advertised as such'.

group 3) hippy NIMBY Seattle = 200,000 + most of the remainder of the state. These are quite vocal people, especially when it comes to Seattle stealing all of the state's dollars. Most are adamently against anything Seattle, so they oppose the tax just out of spite. While they'd never admit publicly that they hate Seattle (since Seattle has a cool rep and riding Seattle's coat-tails does have some benefits in certain circles) they despise the puget sound and would never vote yes for anything that benefits Seattle. While these people are not necessarily fans of the Sonics moving to OKC, they just want Seattle to take a reality check of sorts - come back to reality that life is hard, you have to EARN what you get. These guys want to the Sonics gone today, tomorrow, immediately - just get lost; and take the other two teams with ya. ...

group 4) NBA fans sympathetic for Seattle around the US. Probably not a large number but they are vocal and most likely have ties of some sort to Seattle or are from New Orleans. Most of these people either dont want the NBA to change (ie like the OLD NBA nostalgia, which Seattle Sonics are an integral part) or are acting out of spite against OKC. Like I said, I dont think this is a large amount of people but I think they are quite vocal - and contribute to group 1 on the internet and at gatherings, esp since group 1 is looking for any support at all to their cause.

group 5) NBA fans not-sympathetic for Seattle around the US. This is probably a larger group of people than group 4, these people think Seattle needs to earn the right to keep the Sonics. These people come from cities that have recently upgraded/built arenas - and think that 'HEY, since we had to so should Seattle or else they deserve to lose the team.' These people are quite vocal but mostly have to be prompted before they say anything. This group is obviously OKC's biggest ally (outside group 6 of course).

group 6) OKC fans (some 1.1M in the metro you'd think). Probably most of us on this forum fall into this category, I think there are also a very significant number of people from KS, TX, and AR that are in this group as well. We want the team, either the Sonics but probably preferably the Hornets; but hey, with Clay Bennett - we get 2 teams, local ownership, and a healty relationship between city leaders/corporations that should result in a very permanent relocation and a successful franchise. And, with Durant and Green on the roster and the possibility (should I say, probability) that Clay will go after CP3 and Mason and Chandler in a year or so - this groups believes in OKC's potential that it might be the best supported team per capita in the league and even might be up there just under the big 4 markets (NY, Chicago, LA, SF) in terms of value. This group has a 2/3 to 1/3 split in terms of being vocal about their feelings but even the vocal majority are quite cautious given OKC's history of being pawned.

There is a group 7 (60,000 in the metro) which are OKC fans that don't want the Sonics but want another team/expansion team and probably even a group 8 (140,000 in the metro) who dont want major-league sports at all or dont think OKC can support it. Im not sure how big those groups are but I can guess that both are very insignificant however group 8 might be the more vocal with group 7 tending to occupy more of an internet role (I think moreso of an IMAGE issue they have more than the actual issue).

Well, that's my take on this. As you can see, we will NOT pass an arena plan in 13 days because no-majority of people are for it. A smart move by the council/state would have been to put it on the ballot and let the voters take the weight off of the issue. Another smart move by the council would have been sit down with Bennett to hear what he had to say - then make your move regarding the 'lawyering up, blah blah blah'.

Whatever the case, well see how the court rules later today - maybe he will throw it out and let arbitration handle it. But in all honesty --- I hope he just hears the oral arguments today and sits on it until after Oct 31, then throws it out or rules outright for arbitration or in favor of whatever other oral pleading Bennett introduces. That way, we can be ASSURED that there will be NO MONENTUM gained by Oct 31 on a new arena (and hopefully the date comes and goes - oops, too late!!!! See ya!!!!!).

Go OKC Sonics!!! 13 more days. ...

[Watson410]

Any news on the hearing today?

[Karried]

Thu October 18, 2007

Sonics have hearing; decision forthcoming


By Darnell Mayberry
The Oklahoman

A Washington state federal judge listened to an hour of arguments from attorneys for the city of Seattle and the Sonics on Thursday afternoon and said he would make a ruling on where the case would continue as soon as possible.






Judge Ricardo Martinez, a U.S. District Court Judge for the Western District of Washington, is expected to decide within the next week whether the Sonics can have their case heard by a panel of arbitrators or must stay in court, as the city of Seattle is pushing.

Martinez didn’t set a date for a decision or any future hearings, according to his administrative assistant Melody Byrd.

Seattle City Attorney Tom Carr joined attorneys Paul Lawrence and Jeffrey Johnson on behalf of the city. Paul Taylor and at least one other attorney from the Seattle-based law firm Byrnes and Keller represented the Sonics.
Lawrence declined to comment on the hearing and Taylor couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.

Louis Richmond, a spokesman for Byrnes & Keller who attended the hearing, said Martinez informed both parties that he would make his decision via e-mail. Richmond added that the process was professional and respectful, saying attorneys shook hands following the proceeding.
“It was pretty straight forward,” Richmond said. “(Judge Martinez) just listened. I don’t think he showed a prejudice to one side or another. I don’t think you would go away (from the hearing) saying, ‘Wow. This is a slam dunk for someone. Or, wow, our side won or our side lost. I think you just have to wait and see what happens.”

Meanwhile, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Thursday that the American Arbitration Association declined to hear the Sonics’ case in Denver as the team had requested in the event Martinez rules that the case is arbitrable.

Seattle officials are arguing that the Sonics should not be allowed to vacate KeyArena until their Premises Use and Occupancy Agreement expires in 2010. Attorneys for the Sonics contend the city should not be able to force the franchise to remain at KeyArena if the team fulfills its financial payments for the remaining years of the arena contract.

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett has said he would apply with the NBA for relocation to Oklahoma City if a plan for a new publicly-funded arena is not available in Washington by Oct. 31.

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