Owner Says Goal was to move team to OKC...

[GeroySimonFAN]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2972255


The owners lied all along about wanting the team in Seattle. But I think they are just playing hardball...i predict the team will stay in Seattle.

here's a new article:

STEAMED IN SEATTLE:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-2 ... attle.html

[GeroySimonFAN]

Clay Bennett Responds:

"As the controlling owner, I admire my fellow owners and appreciate their support," said Clay Bennett. "While they are excited about the basketball operations and the future of the team on the court, they, like me, have been disheartened by the lack of progress we have made to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm. Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group. It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area."

[nelson95]

3 taxpayer funded stadia in Greater Seattle excluding the Tbirds new Kent digs.

Whatever

Whose up next...Huskies!!

[No Ordinary Joe]

Clay Bennett Responds:

"As the controlling owner, I admire my fellow owners and appreciate their support," said Clay Bennett. "While they are excited about the basketball operations and the future of the team on the court, they, like me, have been disheartened by the lack of progress we have made to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm. Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group. It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area."

That's the biggest load of BS I've ever read. Aubrey McClendon spoke what this ownership group thought the entire time while Clay Bennett was forced to scramble and try to sweep this under the rug and throw McClendon under the bus as somebody with independent thinking. Nice try Clay! This makes me sick. I hope the NBA does the right thing and block this move, with a public admission of it being a better business decision to stay in Seattle where there's a better chance to make money and being "thrilled to just break even in Oklahoma," should be sending off alarm signals in David Stern's office. If these guys are going to be losing money in Oklahoma, they should be forced to either lose money in Seattle or sell the team outright. David Stern is under a lot of heat right now for the Tim Donaghy scandal and it won't make his public perception any better if another team is forced to move under his watch.