After laboring through the long drawn out trial between the City of Seattle vs. Clay Bennett's PBC hoping for more basketball in Seattle. Just to see my dreams shot down by my own cities elected officials in the final hours before the judges announcement. Quite frankly it reminded me of the #1 seeded SuperSonics stunning loss to the #8 seeded Denver Nuggets in round one of the NBA Playoffs in 1994.
So now the next round for the fans of the Seattle SuperSonics lay's in the hands of the guy who originally sold the team, Howard Schultz. Now many people laugh at him and say his case has no merit. That Mr. Schultz is only doing this to save face. I use to believe that as well. But it's the actions of the NBA towards this case that has me stepping back.
The NBA last week filed a motion to intervene in the former principal owner’s Howard Schultz's lawsuit in U.S. Western District Court in Seattle. This was after the announcement from Howard Schultz's Attorney Richard Yarmuth that said they were going to proceed with the lawsuit vigorously. David Stern in his Jimmy Hoffa way's, told the Federal Courts that they have no juristiction in the NBA By-Laws.
So why all of a sudden does the NBA have an interest in this matter? David Stern and the NBA hardly winked at the City of Seattle's case. The NBA claims that it's only interest is who if Howard Schultz win's gets the team. Understandable...I guess?
But I think their is some pretty damaging evidence in Schult'z case that could implicate David Stern in a conspiracy to remove the NBA team from Seattle. Schultz's attorney has said they will seek justice to the full extent of the law. Schultz’s lawsuit cites breach of contract, fraud and negligent misrepresentation. Which if Stern was tied into this in any way, he could possibly see jail time.
With all that being said, what is really going on in the NBA? With the whole Donaghy and fixed games scandal happening, the integrity of the league is in question now.
For those of you unfamiliar with the mayor of Las Vegas. His name is Oscar Goodman and he is the real life defense attorney for the Mafia. Most notably, Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro who Joe Pesci played in the true story, "Casino". Mayor Oscar Goodman is sponsored by Bombay Saphire Gin, which they have given the Mayor an annual salary of $100,000 for the Mayor's advertising of their Gin. Advertising that even included a Las Vegas 4th grade class room. Look it up, it's sad and kinda funny.
February 2007, Las Vegas became the first none NBA city to host the NBA All-Star Game. This was Mayor Oscar Goodman's opportunity to sell his city to the NBA as Vegas has been bidding for a pro-team for years now. But David Stern, the NBA commissioner, has made "integrity of the game" his battle cry and says that local gambling on the league, though regulated, would violate that tenet. Really? You the reader can ponder the Commish's battle cry. Keep in mind when you ponder this, that the NBA Summer League is taken place in Las Vagas right now. The Summer League? The youngest and most influential players in Vegas when integrity is the NBA battle cry?
So to my conspiracy theory. After David Stern told the Mayor of Las Vegas, "No NBA team in Las Vegas, it's bad for our integrity"(my words) back in February 2007. The organized crime wheels started spinning. Enter, veteran NBA referee and fall-out guy, Tim Donaghy and his betting scandal in June of 2007. Just four months after Sterns integrity statement to Las Vegas.
How this has anything to do with Howard Schultz case, I don't know? Is there really organized crime involved, I don't know? Did my post make sense, I don't know? What I do know, is that David Stern has no integrity.
Howard Schultz's case is more about him saving face in the corporate world than the Sonics fans in my opinion. Howard does not want to be known as the guy who got swindled in a business deal. And despite Stern's battle cry about integrity, he's sends the youngest of the NBA to Las Vegas for fun and games. Why? Maybe Mayor Oscar Goodman could explain?
David Stern is a crook!
Sorry for my babbling, it all makes sense when I think it.........LOL.
So, just because I put the Seahawks on my tag list, I end up in the NFL section and not the NBA? Despite the fact I specificlly tagged NBA? I added the Seahawks for all my Seahawks main board friends.
Oh well...sorry for bumping all the Favre posts...LOL.
I'm no lawyer but I am pretty bright and may be a lawyer one day and my thoughts are these.
Your city took the standing out of Shultz's hands when they settled the lease situation. Had they of stood with Shultz and managed to get the two cases entertwined on a bad faith sale and losses due to that bad faith by stripping the team to take away attendance and leave early they might have won the overall view case but now with the city having been bought off I think a judge is going to say Schultz's standing at this point is nil and dismiss his case.
Since my post double posted, let me respond to what you said below.
Once again I really don't care one way or the other how this ends up so I don't think I'm biased.
The problem Schultz has in proving his case is proving that Bennett could have made a success in Seattle and since the city took the extra millions in the buyout and dropped the case, you can bet those extra millions bought an agreement that the city will enjoin in no other lawsuits and that excludes them as witnesses in the Schultz case because I will bet my last dollar the city signed a no fault, confidentiality clause.
Schultz has to face a reality that he sold to a guy who had just finished hosting another team successfully for two years and went hunting a team in trouble. No matter what Bennett said or did Schultz will find little sympathy that he sold out to a guy everyone in the Nation except for one rich man (Schultz) KNEW was going to move that team.
Cite all the evidence you like but my guess is he loses and never gets it to full court.
They're two different cases. The cities case was about the lease. Seattle just threw the Bennett emails in for a smoke screen.
Howard Schultz case has criminal implications involved in it. And if Stern is tied into this, he could be charged as a felon. Check out the first two links in the post. They explain some of this better than I do for sure...LOL.
Last edited by WestSeattle on July 17th at 11:29 PM.
If there were specific discussions between Mr. Bennett and David Stern on how to defraud Schultz's BCOS, it would not be hard to convince a judge to issue out a warrant. This could very well be what has Stern and the NBA freaking out?
I heard federal jails aren't that bad though.
Later, I'm out for the night.
Last edited by WestSeattle on July 17th at 11:51 PM.
I read your links. I note one thing I think makes my point still valid. Schultz signed paper saying he could not sue regardless after the sale. What Bennett and his henchmen emailed came after the sale.
Since I don't really care and you care so much I hope you are right but I really wouldn't hold out much hope if I were you.
I put a link at the bottom of this post to Howard Schultz lawsuit. I'm no legal expert as well, but I believe Schultz is trying to prove that this contract was agreed upon fraudulently, there for nullifying any restrictions of legal actions since the emails and evidence actually trail back before the sale was approved.
Hey, but this post is supposed to be about the crook David Stern.......LOL.
Thanks for your comments NigueD.
Last edited by WestSeattle on July 18th at 6:46 AM.
West-Can you do me a favor and fox-mail Hanahan the directions on how to add music to his posts everytime I try they cant get it I wish I would have saved the Instuctions you sent me the first time. I like the insight behind this post but if there are conections and now they are exposed be aware oh any black Lincolns slowley driving down your street..lol
Finally, a Seattle local id'd the true villain in this episode. Schultz got his sports blood money and skipped off on his yacht.
The NBA is about the NOW. Build a state of the art stadium or risk losing your team. The Seattle city fathers are really mothers!
The Seahawks and Pilots, er, Mariners have new stadiums.
"Screw the Sonics, we have em over a barrel." Wrong.
The Key arena is outdated and needs to go if Seattle wants another team.
What the NBA is saying in their request to be heard in a Lawsuit in which their name is not a defendant is exactly what I'm saying to you is what I think will be the case. That the NBA has sole right to decide the location of their franchises and that Schultz sueing Bennett has no standing in a court of law. They're trying to protect their own authority and not let two owners get into a court in order to settle it. As the article reads, the NBA is saying it is soley at their discrection. They are trying to stop precedence in this court.
Has nothing to do with the lawsuit merits concerning emails or anything else. The NBA is simply saying we believe we hold that right to the exclusion of all others. Period. It's in their best interest to try and intervene and head this off at the pass as they would in ANY case under ANY circumstances. It's what is called a "greater good issue". The "needs" of the majority must rule over a single issue squabble. Will it stand up? We'll see but this NBA intervention attempt is routine.
West I really appreciate it and I'll have him fox-mail me the instructions seems you started a trend everyone keeps asking me how to do it-- thanks again .....JW
West Seattle
One would've thought that this should've been a PR nightmare for the NBA. But instead they got everything that they wanted out of this. As too did Bennett , much to the lament of the citizens and municipality of Seattle.
From the oustset once Stern took sides you knew that the city just didn't stand a chance of winning this argument. As for Goodman and the city of Vegas , it'll be only a matter of time before they get an NBA franchise. It's on the cards one way or another !
See my latest post titled You've Got Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself Welcome To Beijing. Just click on the link (site) provided to view the piece in its entirety. I'll look forward to reading your comments.
There is multiple villains in this situation. Truth be told;
-Seattle offered 230 million dollar Key Arena renovation plan to Schultz. Schultz wanted 300 million.
-Seattle made the same offer to Bennett, but Bennett said no deal. 500 million dollar arena or we move.
-Clay Bennett was asking the City of Renton, a suburb of Seattle and a population of just over 60,000 people, to build him this 500 million dollar arena.
-David Stern said no renovation plan to Key Arena is good enough for an NBA team. But now he's saying he'd be okay with a renovation. This being said during the City of Seattles settlement. Fishy?
Fraud is fraud though. The NBA is not immune from Federal Court. If Bennett obtained this team fraudulently, thats a Federal offense. The NBA already approved Schultz and the BCOS as owners once before. Schultz is not asking for the team back, he supposedly wants the team sold to someone who isn't going to move it. Thats where the NBA Constitution comes in to play. The NBA board of Governors has to approve the purchase of an NBA team, not a judge like Schultz appears to be asking.
Bleed P&G--I guess they have the mini me video on TMZ.COM at least thats who won the lawsuit over the Video but really do you want to see mini me having sex? Let me know if its any good ..lol
West Seattle
The likes of Schultz , Bennett and Stern are akin to the Three Amigos.
I sell you coffee and I can sell you other things as well.
I sold the people of Seattle a bill of goods but yet I'm still insured by GEICO.
I'll sell these dumb sob's anything that they want to hear. 'cause I know that they'll accept it. And that's the way I role. My word is my bond and I approve this message.
We as fans aren't deserving of this but in the end as they say ........we get what we pay for. And that's a swift kick in the genitals even if we don't deserve it all.
justan' aka tophatal .........
Last edited by justanotherfan on July 18th at 6:40 PM.
For the love of God, may justice and truth prevail in the end. The NBA seems crooked but I cannot state the facts. This is just the way it looks to the average Joe, Sterno is a blowhard who acts as if he's walking around with a mirror so he can see how handsome he thinks he is. Note to Sterno.... Your Not half as cool as youd like to think you are Davey, nor half as important as Bennett has made you feel. But this comes from the angst of a former NBA fan who knows that his city, state, and Schultzie sold him out also. May you all R.I.P...today
I hope you can read my 'tar ... a salute to the team formerly known as the Sonics
Oklahoma City Rustlers
Longhorn skull with a vulture
Mascot: Clay Bennett himself
The full page version is much nicer
Seattle vs. Clay Bennett's PBC hoping for more basketball in Seattle. Just to see my dreams shot down by my own cities elected officials in the final hours before the judges announcement. Quite frankly it reminded me of the #1 seeded SuperSonics stunning loss to the #8 seeded Denver Nuggets in round one of the NBA Playoffs in 1994.
the hands of the guy who originally sold the team, Howard Schultz. Now many people laugh at him and say his case has no merit. That Mr. Schultz is only doing this to save face. I use to believe that as well. But it's the actions of the NBA towards this case that has me stepping back. 
owner’s Howard Schultz's lawsuit in U.S. Western District Court in Seattle. This was after the announcement from Howard Schultz's Attorney Richard Yarmuth that said they were going to proceed with the lawsuit vigorously. David Stern in his Jimmy Hoffa way's, told the Federal Courts that they have no juristiction in the NBA By-Laws.
For those of you unfamiliar with the mayor of Las Vegas. His name is Oscar Goodman and he is the real life defense attorney for the Mafia. Most notably, 
salary of $100,000 for the Mayor's advertising of their Gin. Advertising that even included a Las Vegas 4th grade class room. Look it up, it's sad and kinda funny.
Vegas, "No NBA team in Las Vegas, it's bad for our integrity"(my words) back in February 2007. The organized crime wheels started spinning. Enter, veteran NBA referee and fall-out guy, Tim Donaghy and his betting scandal in June of 2007. Just four months after Sterns integrity statement to Las Vegas.
