Howard checks in
By Mike Sherman
Sports Editor
Well, at least some folks in Seattle are talking settlement.
Last week Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz walked to the scorer’s table. Late Tuesday, Schultz checked into the game, filing the lawsuit his lawyer threatened last week. Schultz seeks to void sale and have the Sonics returned to him.
In this blog, Seattle Times’ Percy Allen promises more juicy emails that will put Clay Bennett in hot water again. And maybe they’ve got them. But it’s hard to see where the email claim made in the lawsuit — that Bennett told fellow owners that they could “flip” the Sonics if they got an arena built and still get a team for Oklahoma City — breaches the good-faith promise.
If the Oklahoma City-based owners had secured a new arena, thus securing the future of an NBA franchise in Seattle for another 30 years or so, then turned around and sold them, here’s what would have happened: People in the Northwest would be hailing Bennett, not cursing his name.
Seattle would have a new arena, it’s beloved Sonics and probably a local owner. And Clay Bennett could have gone to the NBA with this case: As part of the Spurs ownership group in 1992, he helped stabilize the franchise and secure its future in San Antonio. As part of a local investors group, he helped bring the Hornets to Oklahoma City, stabilizing a franchise that was floundering before Hurricane Katrina. And as the chairman of the Sonics ownership group, he would have saved basketball in Seattle.
With those three accomplishments in hand, Bennett could have gone to the NBA and asked, “Now what can you do for my hometown?” Still, two out of three ain’t bad.
There’s quite a few people, including our man Berry Tramel, who think Howard is just trying to save face. Can’t see why that would be any motivation, other than the fact that a Seattle Times poll last week named Schultz as the person most to blame if the Sonics leave Seattle.
It’s going to be interesting to hear legal experts — especially those beyond Washington and Oklahoma — weigh in on the merits of this case. Of course, ESPN has its own, and it doesn’t sound like Lester Munson is buying the face-saving scenario.
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Comments
Mike
It doesn’t matter what Bennett would have had an arena been built. The ‘flip’ email shows he had no intention of owning a team in Seattle. That violates the contract. It is very simple really. The only interesting thing is what will actually happen in regards to it.
Expect more information to dribble out as the trial date approaches.
AND MIKE, THANKS FOR PIPING IN WITH YOUR 2-CENTS WORTH OF NON-LITIGATION KNOWLEDGE! YOU CAN SEE THE SCHULTZ LAWSUIT AT THE PI.COM. IVE BEEN DOWN TO THE 1ST DISTRICT COURT NUMEROUS TIMES, AND, THE MOOD WAS SOMBER CONCERNING THE CITY OF sEATTLE’S SUIT, BUT, WITH THE SEASON-TICKET HOLDERS AND NOW HOWARD’S SUITS, THE CONVERSATIONS HAVE CHANGED DRAMATICALLY. MOST COURT PEOPLE, IN THE KNOW, SAY HE COULD PROBABLY WIN 1, BUT, NO CHANCE TO WIN ALL 3. AND, NOW I JUST SAW ANOTHER ONE ON THE VERGE OF BEING FILED FROM LOCAL BUSINESS’S THAT IMPROVED OR REMODELED THIER BUSINESS’S ACCORDING TO THE NBA’S APPROVAL OF THE KEYARENA REMODEL. THEY WILL BE FILING A SUIT FOR ALL THE MONEY THEY WOULD HAVE MADE IF THE SONICS WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED THRU ON THIER LEASE. THIS LAWSUIT WILL BE THE FINAL BLOW FOR THE NBA, BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO SIGNED OFF ON IT! 4 SILVER BULLETS TO DODGE! YEEHAW!!! AND MIKE, THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS LAW PROFESSORS FROM OTHER STATES CHIMING IN ON THESE SUITS, JUST BE A GREAT REPORTER LIKE D.M., DO A LITTLE RESEARCH, AND, YOU WOULDNT JUST HAVE TO RELY ON YOUR MISGUIDED ARM-CHAIR LAW SCHOOL STATEMENTS. SEE YA’ALL IN JUNE!!!
MIKE U.
“…it’s hard to see where the email claim made in the lawsuit — that Bennett told fellow owners that they could “flip” the Sonics if they got an arena built and still get a team for Oklahoma City — breaches the good-faith promise.”
It’s hard to see? The fact that he said that before even signing the contract strongly undermines that he never wanted to own a Seattle-based team, and never had any desire to put forth a good faith best effort. This makes it clear he was going to fake the “good faith” from the beginning and skip town as quick as he could. Why is that hard to see?
It’s the most damning email of all. It’s called fraud. It’s like a child, when they tell you something and cross their fingers.
The funny thing is he could have avoided this mess by simply picking up a phone. Apparently he wanted to make sure there was a written record of his fraudulent intent.
@5
Well.. He is from OKC…right?
Everyone in the world thinks Satan Bennett is a liar except OKC.
Good luck on trying to get the Seattle Supersonics
“If the Oklahoma City-based owners had secured a new arena, thus securing the future of an NBA franchise in Seattle for another 30 years or so, then turned around and sold them, here’s what would have happened: People in the Northwest would be hailing Bennett, not cursing his name.”
That’s perhaps the hugest “if” of all time.
Stop pretending Clay had actual intentions of staying in Seattle. We all know you don’t actually believe that. More likely, you’re just another homer trying to cover for these vultures and trying to place blame somewhere else, like with the people of Seattle, who are in fact the victims here.