Bennett, Nickels, Solution. Pick two.

Let me send them both a ruler, because this is quickly just becoming a cock measuring contest.

Let him go. I don't care.

As long as he stays until 2010. He can keep losing money until then and lose another 50+ millions when he moves to Oklahoma in 2010.

We'll get a better team after he leaves.

Yeah, because getting an NBA team is easy. The NBA has already said that it won't expand and no team will relocate here unless we have a new area. The only way we have a team is if we get an arena built for the Sonics.

Apparently Bennett and others thought Nickels would leverage his "leadership platform" and do something. Maybe Bennett didn't know Nickels and Schultz tried something with the legislature, about the same time Licata uttered the famous "no culture and no economic impact" or whatever statement.

Petitions and court fights to keep the Sonics in the Key until 2010 won't buy time; at best it delays the inevitable, it worse it provides Bennett his rationalization. If something will be done locally in 2009, why can't it or won't it happen now?

It's been two weeks since the media named Stern's ref. When are the charges and arrest?

Fortson told the truth, and he was treated worse than a Bad Newz dog.


I agree with the poster that if the Sonics leave this area, it'll be a long time before the NBA returns.

I actually side with Nickels, no matter how much I can't stand the guy. Clay is showing how he wants to solution in Seattle and wants to uproot this team and plant it in OKC as soon as possible. When is the NBA going to step in and support the Seattle marketplace like they have for Sacramento? 40 years of history, Stern. Some help, please!!

Just look at the bright side! We won;t have to put up with yet another loser team when the sonics leave. After all the storm is the only winning team here of late. Bennett and his thugs are gonna lose there ass when they move this team it is better he lose his behind then the tax payers of seattle. Not that many people care about the sonics here much less in Oklahoma.. So my suggestion! let Bennett take these hapless losers out of here then we can all save some money.. Oh yeah and Nichols this is for you. Not that many people care if they stay or go.. Really..

Stern Sabey,........... Paul Allen?? We need you fast! I keep hoping Allen & Bennett will swap teams...........(ok I know I'm dreaming here but Allen would get to own a basketball team in his home town & Bennett would get a better team that might be easier to move as Portland's a pretty small market) or that David Stern will basically force Bennett to sell to David Sabey.

Otherwise, I think it;s bye bye Sonics. And yes, in THE SHORT RUN, Bennett will lose money in OKC. But the way pro sprts teams appreciate, when he goes to sell he'll make a healthy profit as Howard (the slime) Shultz did.

Once the team moves to OKC its value is going to drop fairly quickly unless a new owner can move it. The TV contract for an OKC team is going to be far less than Seattle. Also, knowing the NBA, there isn't going to be much chance of them getting to the finals. The ratings would drop through the floor so a little creative officiating will always keep them out.

Getting a NBA team is not easy. However, I rather not have a NBA team, given these options.

Plus no one knows what the future hold. If the Sonics leave, we'd become the hottest place to host a NBA team. It may not be right away but 13th best market will have a NBA team sooner than later.

Look on the bright side. Chump Bennett will lose a lot of money in the meantime. And we get to see Portland play on TV regularly. I'd rather watch B-Roy and G-Oden play than Kevin Durant and Jeff Green play........

San Diego's a bigger market, lost a team, still waiting.

I can live without the NBA. I'm not that fanatic about it that I'll lick Bennett's boots and be his toady. We should tell him "we are going to bleed you dry, you bloodsucker, and then you can shove it where the sun don't shine".

Have public officials and public personalities been making this a national story? Public officials need to put the pressure on CB and I think that the mayor has made it clear that he is willing to cooperate and help find a solution! $100 million, that's alot of dough!

Anyone notice that Allen's renewed interest in the Blazers coincided with Bennett's purchase of the Supes? PA took the Rose Garden off the market, brought new leadership to the Blazers and showed willingness to spend big bucks on the team, e.g., the Francis buyout. With the B.C. Grizzlies gone and the Supes leaving, the PDX franchise will command the most territory of any NBA franchise, sparsely populated but massive: PNW, western Canada, Alaska and even Hawaii. Can a YES-like TV monopoly for the Blazers be far behind?

If they leave don't expect a new team in your life time. All of the people who don't care about sports will crawl out of the woodwork as they are right now and keep a new team from coming even if the NBA were to decide to expand and give us another shot. Bennett is a chump - it was in poor taste by the nba to approve the sale to a man who clearly wants a team in OK and has no investment in the northwest.

there are just too many bad guys in this story, and no one ready to make any sort of effort to make things turn out well. Where is David Stern? Does he give a damn about losing the 13th biggest market is the country? Where is the league? If Bennett moves the Sonics to Oklahoma, the league is going to lose a lot of income. or won't it? Can any help be expected from the other owners? I don't expect anything from Stern. What he has against Seattle is a mystery to me.

I totally agree with you rhino136; I am just so frustrated and angry that no one is really paying attention especially the NBA and David Stern! I remember when he went to the legislature and he talked tough with them trying to bully them into getting a new arena. Too me, he showed that he has washed his hands of this whole thing a long time ago. Unless we can get some national attention and a real push by our public officials, we are going to loose this team. It's a real shame because this franchise has been the ONLY winner with a vast history that this town can hang their hats on.

I truely am upset...I've written all the officials that I can, I've done my part. What else can a fan do? The fans are not the ones complaining about wanting a new arena if anything, I've heard nothing but positive remarks about the arena!

This is like a bad dream, some fat red cowboy has rode his donkey into our beatiful city and now he's going to steal our sonics! He's wanted to steal this team from the second his big sweaty hand shook howard schultz's dainty & limp fingers and now HE'S HOLDING OUR SONICS FOR RANSOM, WILLING ONLY STAY IF THE PEOPLE OF SEATTLE FOOT HIS BILL. Clayton Bennent is a villian plain and simple and schultz the weasel who sold out an entire city....So here's to Gary Payton circa 96' breaking his foot off in both their butts!
On another note, if I ever see another starbucks cup i'm going to spike that stuff like ricky watters

Let Clay Bennett be. For all I know he's good to his wife and kids, and generous to his friends. I don't care! Does he care about the Seattle Sonics? Of course not. Why should he? He wants to take his new toy home so that everyone there can tell him how great he is. That would be a humiliation to this city. This is one of the country's great cities. Seattle is not New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, but we're closing in on San Francisco and Dallas. Certainly greater than Sacramento and Indianapolis. Oklahoma City too.
Clay Bennett is not a bad person and Oklahoma is not just full of rednecks and oil wells. No need to call him (and them) names. He's just a rich kid who wants to show off his trophy at home. But it's not really his. It's ours. So what is he bought. He can't just take it with him. Somebody stand up!

Some thoughts:
-For the fex people who say that Seattle will get another team because we are a big market, this is FLAWED logic. Just think of the fact that the NFL marketing geniuses feel they do not need an team in LA.

-Why does CB need $500 million ($300 coming from the city)? Dallas' American Airlines arena was the most expensive I can think of, and it was $420 million. Which nearly half was paid for by naming rights to the stadium. Then you add a couple of taxes, luxury suites, other advertisers, and Cubans got a pretty sweet deal for the best arena in the league. Anyhow, my point is, most basketball arenas cost between 200 and 300 million. This should be reasonable to do if both parties actually want to make it happen. I just get the feeling neither the state, or the ownership group cares where the Sonics go.

NFL and NBA is not the same thing. Go do some research!!!! The talent Pool is different. Basketball talents come from worldwide.

Seattle is a bigger market than San Digeo for NBA. Do your research. Otherwise CB would have tried to move it there in the first place. CB is a business man. If I were him, I'd do the same thing. Not wanting to partner up with anyone else but the city and use the Tax Dollars. But that doesn't mean we should give in and fund his arena.

The key is to hold him to the lease until 2010. This mean he will lose a lot of money. Not to mention, when he does move in 2010, he'll have to pay up another 50+ millions to other NBA owners and other expenses. This could be the worst case scenario. Where he'll have no choice but to agree to a fair solution for all of us tax payers...........It can either be just staying in Key Arena by paying up 100 mil to fix up or letting a local investor buy a big share of the team and build a new arena.

yakinta said: "Seattle is a bigger market than San Digeo for NBA. Do your research."

Cite?

Who said anything about San Diego? Regardless, the entire point is that CB is nto looking for his best business interests, otherwise he would be pushing HARD for Vegas (which would be incredibly profitable). He is a OK City boy looking to bring a team there for him and his rich friends. It is obvious that OK City can suport a team even though they have one seventh the population of Seattle (17,951 avg attendance in OK City last season vs. 15,667 at the Key). Furthermore, People haven't been going to the Soncis game as noted by the dismal 'turnstile count' of around 10,000 per game.

CB wants a team in OK City, and OK desperately is looking to support that team (atleast in the short term) end of story. The only way this team is not moving is if the govenrment overspends on an arena (and a favorable agreement), or CB sells the team (very unlikely at this point considering he is creating his own culture in this organization. He seems to be building for the long-haul). The question then becomes how much is the government willing to spend on an arena. It seems that the only thing that will keep CB happy is having the state pick up the majority of the bill while building a state of the art arena, maybe something similar to Staples Center at 370 million. CB is merely going through the motions of negoitiation. Oh yea, Yankinta there will be NO fair solution for tax payers funding a private organization that involves the Sonics staying in Seattle, to think anything different is naive.

Attendance isn't the big driver in team income anymore unless it is for luxury boxes. Local TV and radio as well as things like naming rights on the arena make up a good chunk as well. I think Bennett understands that OKC may not be the money market he needs to turn a profit on the team.