Seattle Sonics Moving to Oklahoma

[fredr123]

For much of the past season or so, it's looked as though Clay Bennett has been angling to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City as soon as possible. Fans are disheartened to say the least. Bennett is a buddy of league commissioner David Stern who has been accused of sitting idly by while Bennett rips the heart out of the city of Seattle.

During these shenanigans, a dispute regarding the team's lease with their arena has developed. As so often happens, litigation ensued. Recently, the city has obtained a number of emails sent by or to Clay Bennett that may contain a smoking gun of sorts.

TrueHoop has a story on it today summarizing a story by Jim Brunner of the Seattle Times. You can see excerpts or summaries of the emails below or view them in their entirety here.

• "In one e-mail [at the time of the team's purchase] sent to Bennett and Ward, McClendon celebrated the news with the subject line: 'the OKLAHOMA CITY SONIC BOOM (or maybe SONIC BOOMERS!) baby!!!!!!!!!!'"
• "On April 17 last year, team co-owners Clay Bennett, Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward talked about whisking the Sonics away to Oklahoma as soon as possible even though it would mean breaching the KeyArena lease, according to the city's motion filed in U.S. District Court in New York City. 'Is there any way to move here [Oklahoma City] for next season or are we doomed to have another lame duck season in Seattle?' Ward wrote. Bennett replied: 'I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can. Thanks for hanging with me boys, the game is getting started!' Ward: 'That's the spirit!! I am willing to help any way I can to watch ball here [in Oklahoma City] next year.' McClendon: 'Me too, thanks Clay!'"
• "In June 2007, Tim Romani, an arena consultant for the Sonics, e-mailed Bennett that he would start 'reaching out' to Oklahoma City Manager Jim Couch to 'engage him in deal negotiations,' the e-mails said."
• In an e-mail exchange later in April, Bennett told McClendon it was 'quite likely' the team would play in Seattle another year but that he was 'attempting quietly and without litigation' to 'work through the lease.'"

It's going to be pretty hard to convince anyone with an open mind, let alone a disenfranchised Sonics fan, that the move to Oklahoma wasn't preordained right from the start. What's gone on is borderline bush league and hearkens to the crap Rachel Phelps tried to pull with the Cleveland Indians in the late 80's.

[habernac]

it isn't borderline, it is bush league.

[ricosuave]

if thats the case, cue the nhl to seattle rumours again

[Clever_Iggy]

Brutal. Didnt Stern say that if the Sonics left Seattle, the NBA wouldnt return?

Local ownership is so important... Seattle fans deserve better.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

if thats the case, cue the nhl to seattle rumours again

Quite the opposite. Moving the Sonics will utterly destroy any chance of the NHL going to Seattle.

KeyArena is not suitable for hockey, and if the city won't build a new rink for the Sonics, they certainly will not for the NHL. Even the Thunderbirds are building a new rink in Kent.

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by habernac

it isn't borderline, it is bush league.

Well if the NBA can get away with it, why do I complain about the CFL

[Cowboy89]

Originally Posted by fredr123

It's going to be pretty hard to convince anyone with an open mind, let alone a disenfranchised Sonics fan, that the move to Oklahoma wasn't preordained right from the start. What's gone on is borderline bush league and hearkens to the crap Rachel Phelps tried to pull with the Cleveland Indians in the late 80's.

If anyone hasn't seen Major League then that joke might have gone right over their head and believed that there actually was a Rachel Phelps trying to relocate the Indians in the late 1980s.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by ricosuave

if thats the case, cue the nhl to seattle rumours again

Not in a 12,000 seat hockey arena without seats in 1/3 of the arena. Have you seen what the T-Birds play in?

This is the seating chart:


This is the view from ice level:

[killer_carlson]

hmmmmm

I'm not too surprised by this.

The guy wants to move the team to another city. He starts lining up business ties there - including personel. Surely any contract would be conditional on getting the team actually moved. If he didn't start making the ties in advance the team would not be able to put things together in one offseason.

Where it gets bushleague is the bravado in the emails in my opinion. Other than that I am not surprised in the least, and would be more surprised if there was not more of these.

I think this is designed to put more pressure on civic politicians than anything.

[ricosuave]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Quite the opposite. Moving the Sonics will utterly destroy any chance of the NHL going to Seattle.

KeyArena is not suitable for hockey, and if the city won't build a new rink for the Sonics, they certainly will not for the NHL. Even the Thunderbirds are building a new rink in Kent.

Crap, my mistake, I was thinking of Portland there...

[nickerjones]

Myself , being from oklahoma city am excited!!!!!! I mean we got a taste with the honets moved to okc after Katrina. We sold out every game and actually made money , which wasnt going on in NEw Orleans... I do know that they gave the sonics a chance to stay in seattle. They said they would stay if they got a new stadium. Apparently they didnt so they are moving......

[Azure]

So they'll build a brand spanking new ballpark for the Mariners, but no arena for a NHL team, OR a NBA team?

[habernac]

they renovated Key Arena for the Sonics to the tune of $95 million a decade ago (the City of Seattle picked up more than 70 million of that), why would they gove them more money?

[Displaced Flames fan]

Originally Posted by nickerjones

Myself , being from oklahoma city am excited!!!!!! I mean we got a taste with the honets moved to okc after Katrina. We sold out every game and actually made money , which wasnt going on in NEw Orleans... I do know that they gave the sonics a chance to stay in seattle. They said they would stay if they got a new stadium. Apparently they didnt so they are moving......

It's good that OKC had the foresight to build an arena with enough seats in it to support a major league team. Pretty ballsy move for a city of that size.

Bricktown will be a fun place when the NBA is in town...(not that it isn't already).

OKC is such a unique city though. Very odd demographics.

[604flames]

Originally Posted by Azure

So they'll build a brand spanking new ballpark for the Mariners?

and the Seahawks

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

It's good that OKC had the foresight to build an arena with enough seats in it to support a major league team. Pretty ballsy move for a city of that size.

Cf: Winnipeg, Manitoba. Bet they wish they would have added a few more seats to have an NHL-sized rink at the ready. It would be one less thing for the naysayers to harp on at least.

[habernac]

former owner may be suing to get the team back:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3347564

[habernac]

NBA owners vote 28-2 in support of the move to Oklahoma.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3353270

This is just getting ugly...

[nickerjones]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

It's good that OKC had the foresight to build an arena with enough seats in it to support a major league team. Pretty ballsy move for a city of that size.

Bricktown will be a fun place when the NBA is in town...(not that it isn't already).

OKC is such a unique city though. Very odd demographics.

Well NBA has already been in town and it was a blast. I remember, although i was very young, when the proposed to build the stadium. It was in a plan called the Maps Project. Theres a huge bass pro shops that was included there and also a beautiful minor league baseball stadium lovingly called the Brick. When the FLorida Marlins were on the block , Okc was in
t he mix trying to get them, and last year when the penguins were making thier threat of leaving Okc wanted a NHL team as well. Im proud of my little city , It has grown up with me. Its a great city and i would love to see either a MLB or Nhl team to compliment the NBA team ..... Its a small city but they sold out tons of hornets games, and it would do the same for any other pro sport that came in, its a sports hungry market, for crying out loud look at my alma mater The Sooners of the University of Oklahoma. They sell out every game and they just put up a new deck. My wife always bragged about the saddle dome being the loudest place she had been at. And dont get me wrong it can make some noise but 20,000 of the sea of red doesnt come close to 100,000 people screaming BOOOMER!!!! SOOOONER!!!!

[604flames]

I can't even imagine how all the people in Seattle are feeling about this right now. Two of my best friends are die-hard Sonics fans and they won't even talk about it. I was disgusted when the Grizzlies left town but we didn't even have close to the NBA tradition and history that Seattle has, and should continue to have.