Comments on: Mark Cuban on the Sonics

By: Coz

Coz — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 20:55:16 +0000

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.

By: Troy Segler

Troy Segler — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 03:52:13 +0000

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!

By: KW

KW — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:45:53 +0000

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.

By: HR

HR — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:37:11 +0000

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!!!!!!