Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was frank when asked about what folks in Seattle can do in order to keep the Seattle SuperSonics in Seattle.

"The big question is does Seattle even want the team?" Cuban said between gasping for gulps of air while working out on the Stepmaster and talking with reporters. "If they want them, they have to figure out a way for them to stay. And if they don’t, it’s just a question of where.

"I’d love to see them in Seattle. It’s a great city with great fans. It’s just a shame. But I guess sometimes the rain gets to people."

Sonics chairman Clay Bennett and the rest of his ownership group applied to relocate the team to Oklahoma City in November. However, the team is tied in litigation in Federal Court with the City of Seattle over a dispute with the Key Arena lease agreement.

Cuban said the issue boils down to the Sonics having a constrained lease arrangement that hamstrings the team’s ability to generate revenue locally.

When asked about the Sonics ability to make it financially in Oklahoma City, Cuban said there might be other options.

"I don’t know that they’re going to Oklahoma City, at least as far as my personal vote," Cuban said. "I’m going to keep all options open. It’s a question of what’s the best available market, and what’s going to help the NBA the most.

"So we’ll see. And if it’s not better than Seattle I’ll vote against it."

When asked to evaluate KeyArena, Cuban had this to say.

"It’s all right, but they’ve got a (expletive) lease," he said. "People can make the argument that the lease is fine, but business changes, and that’s what happened. The realities of the NBA has changed."

Cuban said the way the league handles revenue sharing is different, putting a higher importance on team’s generating more revenue in their local markets, which then put more importance on team’s having more favorable lease arrangements with their perspective cities.

Cuban said the economics of the NBA has changed since the city revamped KeyArena in 1994.

"That’s the piece that they still don’t understand in Seattle," Cuban said. "I think they still think it’s 1996, and if they can do it then they can do it now. But the difference between 10 years ago and today with the economics of the NBA and the way the Collective Bargaining Agreement is structured is just night and day."

Cuban also talked about the New Orleans Hornets and their inability to draws fans, even with one of the best teams in the NBA.

"Somebody has to get off of their ass and sell tickets," he said. "They’ve got one of the best records in the Western Conference, and you can’t get people to come? That’s not New Orleans. That’s effort."