Mark Cuban on the Sonics
In case you missed it, Mavs owner Mark Cuban weighed in on the state of the Sonics last Saturday night when the Sonics were in Dallas to play the Mavs. While not exactly endorsing Seattle fans’ support of the Sonics, the always outspoken Cuban explained that he might not vote in favor of the Sonics relocating to OKC.
Although Cuban didn’t mention it, one thing worth noting is that a team in OKC likely cuts into his ability to draw from the OKC market. The Mavs are televised in OKC on FSN Southwest, and many OKC fans travel to Dallas to see Mavs games. At any rate, here’s what Cuban had to say…..
“The question is whether Seattle even wants the team. If they want them, they have to figure out a way for them to stay. And if they don’t it’s just a question of where. I’d love to see them stay in Seattle. It’s a great city, great fans, just a shame, you know? But I guess sometimes the rain gets to people.”
“It’s not one of those things where you can force people to want them to stay. If they want them to stay, they want them to stay. And if they don’t, they don’t. It wasn’t like it was a big uproar and that’s the thing. You can play politics all you want but it wasn’t like people we’re screaming and that’s a shame because it’s a great basketball city.”
“I don’t know that they’re going to Oklahoma City, we have to see. At least as far as my personal vote, I am going to keep all options open. It’s a question of what’s the biggest available market and what’s going to help the NBA the most. So we’ll see. And if it’s not better than Seattle, I’ll vote against it. It’s all right but they have a (expletive) lease. That’s what it is. People can make the argument that’s the lease you sign but business changes and that’s what’s happened.”
“The reality of the NBA has changed. There was a day where you can always depend on the TV contract going way up and that meant all teams got the same boost in revenue. If the TV revenue went up, Seattle got the same as Dallas as New York. But now, national revenue is a declining percentage of team revenues, which means you are more dependent on local revenues.
“And the more dependent you are on local revenue, the more important your lease and arena deal is. And the more important you’re lease and arena deal is, the worst position that Seattle’s in competitively. So I think that’s the piece that people don’t quite understand in Seattle. I think they think it’s 1996 and if they could do it then they think they can do it now.
“But the difference between 10 years ago and today, with the economics of the NBA and the way the collective bargaining agreement is structured is night and day. Night and day. That just puts Seattle is a significant competitive disadvantage.
Cuban isn’t sold on Oklahoma City and said he will not vote along with other owners just for the sake of agreement.
Cuban went on to say he doesn’t think the OKC market is strong enough to support the NBA.
“If it isn’t I’ll vote against it. I am not going in with any preset notions, so we’ll see what happens, I am open minded like that.”
-DM-
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Comments
So one conniving billionair, Howard Schultz (Starbucks), secretly sells off our community asset, the Sonics, to a group of other lying fat cats from OK, who will milk their local people for hundreds of millions of their hard-earned dollars so they can eventually sell them off to some other group and pocket tens of millions more. Forget the NBA. Cheer for the kids in grade school and high school, root for the local college teams. Don’t waste your hearts on these pampered , soulless figures whose loyalty is reserved for the man in the mirror.
Okla County should not be the only provider of funding for this project. People from other mid-state counties are expressing
an interest in have an NBA team here. Let them put their money where their mouth is. Our politicians had to know the Ford Center was not immaculate and large enough to do what they are now asking be done. They penny us to death
all along knowing the project won’t work satisfactorily without
additional funding.
Look at the past. How much tax money is wasted each year by our politicians and public organizations?
My vote will be NO!
This should be a wake up call to the people of OKC. The NBA owners are more concerned about their pocket books than they are the selfish interests of one owner.
To date the NBA has sat on the sidelines letting Bennett make or break his case with the Sonics. However his complete ineptness is going to hurt him trying to get a majority of owners to approve a move.
First he has to convince them that leaving a #12 market for ANY small market (not just OKC) is a good idea.
Second he has to convince them that there is no future for the Sonics in Seattle. This is going to be a hard sell as there will be a proposal put in front of the owners with an arena solution and local ownership group (one with REALLY deep pockets unlike he last group, or Bennetts group). The potential for a solution that keeps Seattle in the league is going to be hard for the owners to turn their backs on.
Third he has to convince them that he will get a positive outcome in the court case, unlikely since he has lost every step of the way so far and the court has already indicated that this is a misguided attempt. They have already been put on notice that approving a move while the team is still bound by the lease will cause the owners to be added as defendants in the case. This after he embarrased the league by filing documents that state there is no financial benefit to a region for having an NBA team. Does anyone really think Clay is popular enough with the owners that they are willing to be sued when it offers them no upside?
Fourth, Why would they approve a possible move, sometime in the future, excluding other options, when there are other teams looking to re-locate? This cuts down their options without any possible upside for the owners.
To date not one owner has gone on record supporting a move of the Sonics to OKC. Others have said they are against it. Sure Stern and Bennett are buddies, but Stern does not get to vote, he works for the owners, and convincing 16 owners who have their personal financial interests at heart to take a loss for the newest member of their club is not going to be an easy sell.
Wonderful support from OUR supposed sister city to the south. I’d imagine Cuban might have been more enthusiastic about the instant rival that OKC would have against Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio – something that could ’save’ the NBA by filling at least those 4 arenas a very large number of times. Also, I’d expect him to support US since we always supported HIM.
But his comments just go to show you how Dallas has always held leverige on OKC, and HELD US BACK. Dallas wouldn’t be where it is if it weren’t for exploiting OKC and Oklahoma. Cuban’s words prove it.
I say, its time for OKC to fight back. We don’t need Cuban and surely we need to BOO him and his team when they come to the Ford Center beginning NEXT YEAR!!!!!
I would use harsher words, but
….. …… BOYCOT DALLAS and Forget Mark Cuban, LOSER!!!!!!