Continuous updates from here out
So the powers that be have spoken. As a result this blog will be constantly updated throughout the year with NBA news and notes, rumblings and rumors. A lot is going on this off-season, be it trades and free agency, dirty refs or the Sonics potential relocation to OKC. This is the place where I’ll post and hopefully discuss all of it with you folks.
Might as well start today. Steve Largent, the Hall of Fame wide receiver and former Oklahoma politician, was asked about the Sonics situation and was quoted in the Seattle Times as saying “business is business.” Largent, remember, spent 13 NFL seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and knows a thing or two about sports in the Great Northwest. Largent, according to the Times, thinks the Sonics deserve to stay in Seattle, but he also said that if previous Sonics owner Howard Schultz wanted to make sure the team stayed in Seattle he shouldn’t have sold to out-of-state businessmen.
Largent brings up a good point that many people seem to be overlooking. Don’t blame Clay Bennett and his ownership group for being businessmen or accuse them of trying to “steal” Seattle’s team. Bennett is doing what any savvy businessman would do. He saw an opportunity and jumped on it. Schultz is the one who sold the team to out-of-state businessmen who, from Day One, made it clear that they would move the team if a new arena deal was not reached. Bennett gave and continues to give the city of Seattle and surrounding areas the first crack at keeping the franchises. But they seem to be uninterested in doing what it takes. So, as Largent said, business is business.
-Darnell Mayberry-
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Comments
Yeah, there is that nasty issue of a lease with no exit clause in it. Sure good ol Clay can probably pull an overnite UHaul stunt much as the Colts did years ago. However the lawsuit the NBA may be facing could well leave the city of Seattle enough $$ to start a new franchise and force the NBA to put one there. This could end up being a very similar scenario to what happened in Charlotte, only far nastier. Just another PR bruise for a league that can barely afford it right now.
Not that I blame Bennett for trying to do the right thing for OKC, where he will at best break even thought they will no doubt be well supported by the fan base there.
The fans in Seattle are the real victims here. They have been threatened with losing the Seahawks and Mariners and now, the Sonics, a franchise they have supported quite well for many years is likely being hijacked, due to no real fault of their own. Their frustration is very understandable, not that any OKC fans would care.
you can have them after the 2010 season!