SEATTLE – The vote was 28-2, the pain runs deep, and is getting deeper by the second. Now that the NBA Board of Governors approved the apparently inevitable move of the Sonics to Oklahoma City, the reality is sinking in at a fast and furious rate.
This takes me back to that empty feeling my senior year in high school when it became official that my Cincinnati Royals of 15 years were moving to Kansas City.
There were villains then – Bob Cousy, for destroying the franchise by dealing Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas for virtually nothing. Do the names Flynn Robinson, Charlie Paulk, Jim King or Bill Turner ring a bell? I didn’t think so. Neither did the fans in Cincinnati. That’s why Cousy still resonates 36 years later.
Maybe it will change now that there are new villains. Foremost is former owner and Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz, who betrayed the city and its fans when he sold the team to a group of Oklahoma City led by Clay Bennett – refusing to allow any local owners in the group. Now Schultz is claiming the sale was breached by bad faith. Yeah, he should know about bad faith. The only reason he’s threatening a lawsuit is a publicity stunt to help his flagging persona and Starbucks stock.
Sure, Bennett is part of the bad stuff as well, but at least he did say in the opening press conference there was a year to get a new building in motion and nobody helped. There is also commissioner David Stern, who brokered the whole thing and had to know this was inevitable. And perhaps more than anybody, Washington governor Christine Gregoire and her flock with their elitist noses in the air are the reason the Sonics will be gone in just a matter of time. They’ve done nothing but suppress the process to improve KeyArena, let alone a new building.
Never mind the lawsuits filed by the city to have them finish the final two years of the lease, or Schultz’s pathetic attempt to stir things by his attorney. We can only say thank you to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Blazers owner Paul Allen for having the dignity to respect the local Sonics fans by voting against the move.
Having moved out here in 1986 to become a newspaper beat writer covering the Sonics, I knew all Sonics history and the championship run of 1979 as an NBA fan from afar. So when I landed, it was important to engage with Lenny Wilkens, Jack Sikma, Slick Watts and the late Dennis Johnson from the era gone by. The Sonics were the first professional franchise in the Pacific Northwest and still own the only major professional sports championship in the Seattle market.
My first year, with coach Bernie Bickerstaff, the Sonics won 39 games and came out of nowhere to march into the Western Conference finals before getting swept by the Lakers on the way to their 1987 NBA title. It was Bickerstaff, along with president Bob Whitsitt, who latched on to the leadership of Nate McMillan, and the talent of Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp to start an explosive era that transitioned into an elite time when George Karl became coach and averaged almost 60 wins a season.
To this day, every time I hear the Nirvana song, “Smells like teen spirit,” I think of the Sonics coming out of a timeout … Payton and Kemp talking, with Payton’s jaw jutted out daring anyone on the other team to encroach. The characters that were Dale Ellis, Ricky Pierce, Eddie Johnson, Olden Polynice and Derrick McKey, linger. The workmanlike approach of Detlef Schrempf and the unflappable cool of the Big Smooth – Sam Perkins – was vital in their success. It was a special time in Seattle, one that culminated with a six-game loss in the 1996 Finals in the raucous and renovated KeyArena. They remained highly competitive for two more years, but ultimately, relationships deteriorated, Schultz bought the team and everything went downhill from that point on.
Now it has come to this. Sure, Seattle mayor Greg Nickels is clinging to the city’s lawsuit to enforce the final two years of the lease. Both Schultz and a class-action suit by fans based on being misled by bad faith could stand in the way. But with the belligerence exhibited by the local politicians for so long, do you really think they’ll turn down a financial settlement of, say, $80 million from Bennett to let the team go?
No way. And that’s why the anger and frustration has overwhelmed me. In other words, it’s time for Bob Cousy to wake up in the doghouse and make room for Schultz, Stern, Bennett, Gregoire and every member of the Washington legislature whose indifference has allowed this sad day to happen.
Sadly, the fans suffer the consequences. It just didn’t have to be this way.
Thank you Mike, i appreciate you putting into words the true feelings most Sonics fans have. I for one will not be voting for Gregoire and with the amount of votes she won by the last time, it looks like Dino Rossi for Governor is going in front of my house.
I also have lost total respect for the NBA and their owners for allowing the vote to go through knowing that there is a trial pending and with the evidence that has been brought to the courts and public. couldn't they have postponed this vote until later? David Stern railroaded this thing through because his buddy who bailed him out after Katrina wanted a franchise. The entire state of Oklahoma has less people than Seattle proper so I'm not sure how he thinks this is going to succeed. I feel bad for OKC since they will undoubtedly feel the burden after 5-6 years and they've lost numberous star players to bigger markets and get beat up with bad seasons. Good luck trying to keep 3 top 5 draft picks on the same team as well. I'm done ranting this whole thing has got me worked up. Go Seattle Supersonics, I enjoyed watching you play and I will now unfortunately enjoy the City of Seattle dragging your ownership through the mud.
Well said. Gregoire being elected was a fraud in the first place, and the Dems who have controlled this state for 2 decades should be ashamed. Besides letting traffic & education go to hell, they've run businesses out of the state with regressive taxation and a high cost of doing business (see: Boeing moving HQ to Chicago as a perfect example). They had one chance to redeem themselves and come up with $70 million dollars out of an almost $70 billion dollar budget, and they couldn't even do it. Gregoire went on record as saying Bennett was a liar, yet she and the speaker of the House, Frank Chopp, both lied to the public when they said they did not have enough time to get the vote on the senate floor before the legislature adjourned. When confronted with his lies, Chopp basically said "Yeah I lied. What are you going to do about it?" And nobody appears willing to do anything about it. Sad.
This is a beautiful state, and I was born and raised here, but I am so embarrassed about how politics are done here. The ubber-liberals who have control of everything, especially in Seattle, seem to have made a point of getting rid of this team at all costs because it conflicts with their 'hippie' agenda. What an embarrassment. What a shame. Shultz, Gregoire, Chopp, Bennett, Stern et al, you can go to hell.
Man, why do they have to leave. We love having them be a part of the community. They were a bad team and we didn't have very many sell-outs(none that I can remember)this year because they aren't very good. Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and even Chris Wilcox are kind of fun to watch but not like Ray Allen. Plus we are just starting to get better.
I lived in Seattle from 96-2000, and loved the Sonics-and hated when they went back to the ugly old green and yellow---probably to dump sales and fans, in retrospect?
In reading those emails between Bennett's group and Stern, and then their emails between themselves, I have to say that David Stern's credibility has sunk to a new low. Pretending that those comments didn't undermine him only leads to the conclusion that he damn well knew all along and played the locals for everything they're worth. I would hope someone locally would sue them for bad-faith negotiations? Please....some season-ticket holding group of fans out there should be able to create a reasonable argument that the parties involved all negotiated in bad faith.
Now....once Holmgren retires and the Seahawks take a power dive, (which they already seem in the early stages of), will this mean that they could be subject to sale and another Ken Behring situation comes up? I mean really....as great a local supporter as Paul Allen is, can the area reasonably expect him to bail out teams in perpetuity?
Of course not, the teams should be self-sufficient....should the public be forced to pay for renovation of a facility for a business to operate in? If you think that we should, then when can I schedule my new building for my company? Where do you think that the millions of dollars that they pay these ball playing kids comes from? Is bouncing a basketball that important that we should fun this over better schools? As a former teacher and basketball coach here, I at least know what real prioritie
Some city needed to stop this madness of "bidding" for sports teams. I'm proud of Seattle, and I'm proud of our leadership for refusing to give in to blackmail. Finally.
I hope the sonics stay, but I'm not going to give up my hard-earned money for it, any more than I would give my money to any other business that's putting out a poor product. Cities and states need to get some backbone.
What do you mean the fans suffer the consequences? Holy cow, did you WATCH this season? All the suffering was done during the season...
Frankly, I'm happy to see them go. Clearly there hasn't been enough public outcry to make our politicans care - as there was for the Mariners or the Seahawks - and there's so many better ways our money can be spent.
This decision was inevitable. The next step is, see you all in court!
Leave it up to two class owners to speak up and vote against the move. SEATTLE's own Paul Allen, owner of the Portland Trailblazers, and Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks. Two men with balls of steel who both earn my highest respect.
NBA owners normally stick together, so the 28-2 vote should be nothing to be surprised about unless it involved their teams and cities. Really,..why should they care?
There's been a lot said on many blogs about Clay Bennett and Commissioner, David Stern. Seattle media showed a very spirited discussion by a KING-5 (NBC News) reporter and David Stern which will unlikely make the OKC media sports outlets, but it was really funny watching him squirm and try to dodge the question on the emails and asked to be left alone waited for the next question. At least Clay Bennett had some testicles to at least attempt the rhetorical approach and stated how he tried to keep the team in Seattle with a straight face but failed to convince lawmakers of his attempts.
Bennett, after the lawsuits in US District Court in Seattle, you will likely be able to buy yourself out of the Key Arena lease with the City, and move the team. Whether its 2009 or 2010, it'll likely happen. Just a note, you will forever need to watch your back if you try to take the name, the colors, the banners, and conference titles earned in Seattle - they stay here.
AMKdavidson: One other thing that nobody seems to talk about when it comes to bad faith ... don't you think it was more than just a coincidence that they stripped the team of players THIS YEAR? Don't you think it was more than just a coincidence they didn't hire Dwane Casey as coach, someone much more in tune with young players? They wanted to create apathy in Seattle to negatively impact fan interest. This was all a conspiracy from Day 1 - with Stern in tow - so Bennett could move the team.
What they keep ignoring is the city offered a $230 million upgrade of KeyArena that Schultz snubbed before selling. If they double the footprint in the still pending proposal, isn't it a lot more attactive for the NBA than the $120M upgrade in OKC? Of course. Stern conveniently ignores that one too.
The problem is the legislature and Gregoire wouldn't act on the present (rental car and restaurant) tax that's already set to run through 2016 and would complete the $300M upgrade. Nobody explained it well enough to get rid of the perception that it was a new tax we were all paying for. It's already in existence, Safeco Field is almost paid off, and nobody even notices it. This is pathetic.
I definitely think the lawsuit is a way for Schultz to save face. He knew what was going to happen the day he sold the team to an Oklahoma City ownership group.
I understand the team was terrible and was stripped of talent on purpose but what better way to protest than to BUY TICKETS. Why didn't the citizens of Seattle sell out every game this season if they wanted the team to remain there?
Or are the number of people who are truly devastated the Sonics are leaving overestimated?
David Stern is an egomaniac with a "little man's complex". Pro sports commissioners have no business arranging for the sale of a team unless the team has been taken over by the league for financial and/or legal reasons. Except for Mark and Paul, the other NBA owners are a bunch of spineless men who rubber stamp every proposal put forward by Stern.
Regardless of who the villians are in this particular version of the poor decision making, when do we think the NBA will stop this incessant game of political posturing for new arenas and actually make a sound business decision?
All I've heard out of David Stern for the past seven years are complaints concerning arenas and politicians, regardless of the city. When will we see an NBA commissioner that can make sound business decisions that concern putting forth a quality product that has the ability to sell itself? Whether the players are in a "state of the art" arena or a inner city playground, people watch when the game is good.
I'd like to see David Stern start addressing the true reason that teams aren't able to make money instead of blaming the NBA's horrible sports model and his failures as a commissioner on everything but the truth. The truth is that they need a quality product and they need to stop paying top dollar for players that aren't consistent with quality.
If cities aren't filling the suite seats, or the cheap seats for that matter, in their current venues, how does David Stern believe that renovations to add more suites will improve revenues? I'd say Mr. Stern needs to take classes on supply and demand, and as a matter of fact, I'd suggest Business 101, as well.
Silly people thinking Cuban and Allen voted NO out of principle. Cuban doesn't want another team in his area, don't think that the Mavs don't make a LOT of money in Oklahoma today. And Allen owns the Seahawks, what ELSE was he going to do, blacken his name in Seattle also?
It is a sad day for Seattle. Oklahoma City would rather have the Hornets and their players who loved it here and were loved right back. People in Seattle need to wake up and smell the coffee, and stop believing the hate-Bennett propaganda they are being fed. Bennett helped save the Hornets and helped get the new arena for the Spurs BEFORE he bought the Sonics. He is NOT the incarnation of evil. There was more bad faith from Washington officials than from Bennett or Stern. This article is one of the few that have made sense emotionally and logically. This DID NOT have to happen. But the blame lies in Washington, not Oklahoma.
Blame those left wing nut jobs. A new arena (or revamped one) would of solved this. But no, they'd rather keep doling out money to people that have no desire to better themselves and blaming those that do work and make it big for their problems. Typical idiots!
Hey IrishYank, you are a clear thinker. Money should go to build arenas for overpaid athletes to strut their stuff. If someone outside the arena needs food or health care it is probably their fault. Of course Jesus might disagree, but he's just a front for conservative greed anyway.
Clay Bennett and his investors spent $350 million to buy the Seattle SuperSonics, i think $350million gives them the right to move the team if they believe it is best for business. Who are we to tell someone who just spent $350million what he should do with his purchase?
The year before Howard Schultz sold the Sonics the team lost $17 million, the arena is old and out-dated and the city REFUSED to help renovate it.
So you want the Sonics to stay but games? That's not how it works people.
So why does a move mean that someone is a villain? If the situation means a team can't remain viable and costs the league $$$ why shouldn't they move? Do you think Ft. Wayne, Indiana is still upset over the Pistons leaving? How about the Kentucky Colonels losing out when the ABA & NBA merged. Big deal, someone loses and they get over it. Isn't that free market, fellow Americans?
A couple of things ... first of all, I agree with the perception that Bennett has every right to move the team since he bought it. The problem is the charade he and Stern put on about wanting to stay. Sure, they wanted a $500 million building - that was the FALLBACK. That way, because Bennett overpaid for the Sonics, he could get his money back by turning it over to somebody up here and Stern would have eventually gotten him the Hornets, who are doomed to fiscal failure in New Orleans, regardless of the team quality right now. It just isn't politically expedient at the moment.
Instead, they've lied their way through. There's no way a $300 million dressup of KeyArena in the Seattle market isn't more viable finanically than OKC, but Bennett wouldn't listen to that. And the city did put a $200 million-plus proposal on the table for Schultz, but he wouldn't listen to that either.
Nonetheless, it is Schultz, Governor Gregoire and the legislature - with Stern sitting in - as the real villains. I don't like Bennett's lies. He It's an insult to the intelligence of every person up here, but the problem arose before he bought the team and has just accelerated since because of the polarizing politics Washington.
No leadership has made the whole situation toxic, they need to settle with Bennett, let him take the team and rebuild the Seattle Center around either a new or $300 million renovated arena. Teams in Memphis, New Orleans and Charlotte will be available soon enough. Let's not poison the waters anymore.
Kahn is right. If Seattle plays legal games now there will never again be an NBA team under Stern or the next guys watch. The Sonics are leaving but the name and history get to stay. Cleveland got the same deal because of cooperation with the NFL. The same thing will happen again if the relationship with the NBA doesn't get too poisoned.
Why should the taxpayers of the city and state have to build a new arena to benefit a sports owner who is losing money? Far too much public money goes into new arenas in the NBA and other sports as well. If they want new arenas so badly, put a better product on the field/floor and build it out of profits, not tax money. Good for Seattle, saying no to greed piled on top of more greed.
I still don't think this move is inevitable. I think Stern and Bennett have messed up enough that both the media and the courts have enough ammunition to shoot the move down, an with their powers combined, we might get the miracle we're looking for.
If the courts manage to delay the move everything changes because the NBA owners will have to revote about the relocation and OKC's tax payers will have to revote about the arena funding. Both decisions expire by 2009. That delay coupled with a media backlash against the move - one that is detectable but upsettingly underwhelming at this point - could force Stern and Bennett to engineer a sale of the Sonics to Steve Ballmer's local ownership group.
That's really the only way I see the Sonics as getting saved at this point. Obviously, the media has been reluctant to make a legitimate case that we have a scandal here, but the lies are there, the deception is there, the disregard for the good of the fans and the love of sport is there. And of course, the commissioner himself looks as bad as the owners, so this really could be a big deal. Some sports writers (thank you, Mr. Kahn) have been good enough to point all that out, but no media outlet has really stepped up to make this a scandal. From what I've seen ESPN and Fox and SI have kept the dark side to this story a matter of opinion rather than news. Well, it's not a matter of opinion that Stern and Bennett are lying to the fans of the NBA, it's the plain truth and we have hard evidence. Now we need the media's help.
We've seen how the NFL's Spygate snowballed in to somet
Bingo, Mike. We need to broker a deal instead of fighting this out, but we do need to make it very clear to the NBA that we intend on making this painful if we don't get what we want.
First of all, the team colors and history should stay. Second, we want a team for next year or the following year. In turn, we will allow for the lease to be bought out and will settle for a reasonable lease buyout. That can go against the $75M that is needed, provided the Ballmer/Sinegal deal is still on the table.
Hey, I want the Sonics to remain like everyone else, but this team has been stripped down so badly they are hardly recognizable anyways. And I really don't care how protective Clay is of his precious rookie stars. As their contracts come up, they will leave for winning clubs in big markets for more money, better nightlife and richer endorsement deals instead of languishing in a class-C market. OKC will end up being the farm club for the rest of the NBA, and fans will lose interest as the losses mount and the seats get more and more expensive. Look for Clay & Co. to throw up their hands on this experiment inside of 10 years.
And for you morons who applaud the WA government for not building 'playgrounds for billionaires', please keep in mind - and listen slow so you can understand - Key Arena is a PUBLIC BUILDING. How often do you see offers for 75% private money to pay for a public building? If the Sonics leave, guess who pays for the improvements without Ballmer's deal? YOU DO. Idiots. Get rid of Gregoire, Chopp and the rest of 'em. Washington State has been mismanaged for
Bring thge Hornets to Seattle! That's a trade we all could live with. And then let's overpay for Durant when his contract comes up just to rub Clay's nose in the pile of #### he has been feeding us since he bought the team.
Stop Whining! The Memphis Grizzlies are up for sale as are a few other NBA teams. Just scrape up the dough and your city can also have a brand new cast of hatable losers. The NBA - Nothing But A**Holes!
Clay Bennett has proven himself to be a lying cow pie. David Stern is a highly-paid shill for Bennett. Neither can be trusted to do the right thing.
Lawsuits by ticketholders, the City of Seattle and the former Sonics owner are all that is left in the arsenal. Let's hope that the City is able to enforce the lease and Bennett suffers the financial consequences over the next two years of very sparse fan attendance.
What is embarrassing is the fact that Seattle let this team get away. They have the money, so where is the financial support? They have no one to blame but themselves. Now all that is left is for them to act like children.
Have a little respect, Handler. Obviously there is more money in WA than OK. That doesn't mean an NBA team can't make it. It's not like the NFL, MLB, NHL and NBA are dropping in at the same time. If you are going to have one major league sport there is no doubt the NBA is the easiest to support. Good luck OKC and same to Seattle in the future.
G Money is correct, Key Arena will sit empty and fall into disrepair. There will not be enough money to keep it up. Most of the venues it had in the past are going elsewhere. The Casinos, White River Amp Theater, Tac Dome etc is taking events from them. So there will need to be more money pumped into the Arena to keep it up. That will cost more in the long run than the $75 mill they wanted. Also what about the loss of jobs, taxes, and tourism? Without the Sonics that will suffer too. This will cost taxpayers way more in the long run than save.
As for paying millions of dollars for a "millionaire playground" the cities benefit too. They have a venue that can be used for other events. This brings in extra monies. Look at Safeco, how far ahead are we at paying that field off. All the legislature had to do was extend a tax that is paying the other fields off faster than expected. But Gregoire stole her election, now she is too stupid to see the big picture.
I say if the Sonics leave we tear down the Key, rebuild an arena that will get us another NBA team and a Hockey team, we could also throw in an AFL team too. That would even pay off the Arena faster.
I have never been to Seattle but I understand it is a beautiful place. I do, however, live in a suburb of Oklahoma City and I can tell you that Oklahoma City is becoming a very progressive city.
A pro basketball team will succeed because we do not have any other major league sports that will take away from it. A four bedroom, two bath house costs $200,000 In Seattle it is probably 4 times as much....We have disposable income..we proved it with the Hornets. Please be careful of saying negative comments about something you have no knowledge. And please save your dignity and do not think Mark Cuban is a class act. He is an egomanical money grubbing twit. He doesn't give a rat's #### about people from Seattle..he only sees OKC as competition. He had two endure two years when the Hornets were here. We understand your anger but there is no real need to bash our
area. Thanks!
Nobody has said anything negative about Okie City. What has been said is that the area is not big enough to support a team full time. You might think it is, unfortunately we will probably see. Also the house prices where I live are not far from yours. It is about 1.5 hour drive to go to a game. I attend a few of them. Just because you supported the Hornets for a couple seasons does not mean you will support a team for a long run.
Also I would take Cuban in a heart beat over Bennett. At least with Cuban you know what you get. Bennett is a liar and a money grubbing ####.
Big twelve the issue is that Bennett destroyed the team to drive away fans, lied to everybody about his intent. Then cries because the city wont make up for how much money he will lose for having a lousy team in the first place. The NBA wants to punish Seattle for not giving in to the black mail. I quarantee in 5 years or so Bennett will start threating OK city when he needs more money.
