If you’re looking for some legal “x’s and o’s” analysis to clarify today’s lawsuit filing by Schultz, I suggest you read this article written by ESPN legal analyst Lester Munson.

Memphis Grizzlies’ owner Michael Heisley addresses his team’s future in this article from the Memphis Commercial Appeal, saying that he has no plans to move the team from the city located on the banks of the Mississippi River.

Here's an excerpt

"I've never talked about moving. We have a long-term, contractual commitment to the city," Heisley said. "There is no way this team is going to move. I've never talked about moving. How am I going to move the team when I have a contract not to move the team?

"This is Memphis' team. The people in Memphis and surrounding communities own this team. If you love basketball, you're a fan of the team when it's winning and when it's rebuilding. You might not be a fan of Mike Heisley, but you're a fan of the team. Because it is your team, you can complain and suggest. A fan of the team doesn't just go when you win a championship.”

At the end of this story by Tim Sorenson of the Charlotte Observer, Soresnon proposes that George Shinn, owner of the New Orleans Hornets, and Bob Johnson, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, swap cities.

Shinn moved his team from Charlotte to New Orleans after a love affair with Shinn and the citizens of Charlotte turned bitter at the end.

It appears the same thing has happened with Johnson in Charlotte, with fans there running out of patience with the Bobcats’ struggles.

From Sorenson:

What if Shinn and Bob Johnson were to trade cities? What if Shinn brought Chris Paul and the Hornets to Charlotte and Johnson brought his Charlotte Bobcats to New Orleans?
Charlotte is the better market, of course. So why would Johnson trade cities?

Johnson is losing millions. If the Bobcats similarly fail to attract fans in New Orleans, he could opt out of his lease -- unless the NBA intercedes. If the NBA does not, Johnson could move his team to a welcoming city such as Las Vegas.

The proposal probably is too outrageous. Shinn might have no interest and Johnson might not.

But why wouldn't they?

Here's a copy of the lawsuit filed today by Howard Schultz.

I had a chance to talk with Seattle deputy mayor Tim Ceis about Schultz filing, along with a couple other things, and here’s what Ceis had to say.

REACTION ON SCHULTZ FILING THE LAWSUIT

“I definitely think he’s working in concert with what we’re doing. Having Howard back on the team working with us is great. We’re very appreciative of what he’s doing and how he’s asserting his right under the sales agreement with the Sonics. So yeah, we’re very enthusiastic of his strategy.

“You know Howard Schultz. He wouldn’t be in this thing unless he thought he could win.”

REACTION ON NBA OWNERS VOTING TO APPROVE THE SONICS RELOCATION LAST FRIDAY

“The decision of the board of governors was a foregone conclusion. It did not change our strategy at all. We have always been focus on the litigation in June. We’ve always felt that is what gives us leverage to get a good result from Bennett and the NBA for the people of the city and the region. We don’t think that changed anything at all.”

Ceis also said he found Bennett’s response amusing that his words were misconstrued regarding the emails cited in the city’s filing to seek release of financial records from the NBA. During the press conference last Friday Bennett said regarding his email that he was a “A man possessed" in working to get an arena deal done Seattle, not Oklahoma City.

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ARENA PROPOSAL IN SEATTLE

“A financial plan for the arena has always been critical. I don’t think it will have a material affect on the lawsuit. It’s not part of our strategy, but it’s certainly has an affect on our ability to get a positive outcome on having a franchise in the future. There’s no doubt about that.”

ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THE JUNE 16TH LAWSUIT

“That gives us leverage to get an outcome for the region that has an NBA franchise here. If we just allow the team to go, there’s absolutely no guarantee that we’ll see a franchise in this area ever again.”

ON RON SIMS AND PETE VON REICHBAUER’S COMMENTS THAT THE CITY SHOULD GIVE UP THE LAWSUIT AND TAKE A BUYOUT FROM THE SONICS

“Neither one of them are close to the situation. So I appreciate their view, but this is about enforcing a lease and the rights of the taxpayers we represent, and we have an obligation to do that. If there is going to be a positive outcome to this, and we’re hopeful there will be, we’re all ears. Until we hear something from the NBA that changes our mind, we are headed toward that court date.”

Last week, Richard Yarmuth, an attorney with Seattle-based law firm Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo, said former Sonics owner Howard Schultz wanted to rescind the July 2006 sale of the team. That lawsuit was filed today. Here's the story from AP:

Former Seattle SuperSonics owner Howard Schultz has filed a lawsuit to undo his sale of the team to an Oklahoma City-based group led by Clay Bennett, saying Bennett lied to him by promising to keep the NBA franchise in Seattle.

The lawsuit, filed late Tuesday in U.S. District Court, seeks to deprive Bennett’s group of “the fruits of its deception” by rescinding the sale, and described Bennett’s actions as “fraud.”

Bennett’s Professional Basketball Club bought the team from Starbucks Corp. Chairman Schultz in July 2006, and Bennett publicly insisted he planned to keep the Sonics in Seattle. In reality, the group was eager to try and move the team to Oklahoma all along, according to internal e-mails revealed in litigation between the city of Seattle and the new ownership group.

The NBA’s board of governors voted last Friday to approve the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma.

Reached Tuesday evening, a spokesman for Bennett declined to comment.