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City Sues Sonics to keep them through 2010

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by GB-Hack, Sep 24, 2007.

  1. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    Honestly, isn't this going to make the owners want to leave more than trying to get them to stay of their own accord?

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3034400

    Injury aside, it looks like we can forget the Oden-Durant Pacific northwest rivalry.
     
  2. JackyJackBN

    JackyJackBN Guest

    Aw shucks, just when I was going to use this news to bump my Muckleshoot thread... ;)
     
  3. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Shouldn't they be suing them to leave?
     
  4. JackyJackBN

    JackyJackBN Guest

    Well, City Council President Nick Licata said that NBA teams have 'no significant social or economic value'--words to that effect--and if you agree, of course they should go.

    I believe pro sports teams are amenities, useful if they can be afforded. Both sides are busily poisoning the water in this case.

    Slade Gorton was effective in keeping the Mariners in Seattle, but he had more clout at that time. It will be interested to see how this plays out.
     
  5. MacDaddy

    MacDaddy Active Member

    And the Seahawks. He's going for the hat trick.
     
  6. In 1995, after Modell announced he was moving to Baltimore, the city of Cleveland sued the Browns to enforce the stadium lease and was prepared to make the Browns play for three seasons as a lame-duck team.

    Ultimately, that turned into a very effective bargaining chip with the NFL, and the city dropped the suit when the league promised another team.

    This is a slightly different scenario because the NBA probably won't be coming back to Seattle once (not if) the Sonics leave for OKC. But if I were a Seattle resident, I would want to pursue this suit out of spite alone.

    The Sonics are gone, whether it's now or several years down the road. Kowtowing to the Oklahoma owners isn't going to change anything.
     
  7. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    Yeah, well, shit, expecting that major league sports franchise owners should have to live up to legally-binding contracts, that's a pretty radical position to take.
     
  8. JackyJackBN

    JackyJackBN Guest

    You bring up an interesting point, "legally-binding contracts". It's in the hands of the lawyers now; they're arguing over what's legally binding.

    I'm guessing that more times than not, when a team has sought to buy out a lease, it has done so successfully. (Someone who knows, please shed light on that.) Now we're going to find out how well/securely the City of Seattle wrote that lease, and how many "ambiguities" they may have left in.

    As for the shit, there may be some of that in the lease too.
     
  9. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    But if all you're trying to do is keep them there for another three seasons before they leave, what's the point.

    If you want them to stay, don't bring a lawsuit, negotiate a new deal.
     
  10. JackyJackBN

    JackyJackBN Guest

    They aren't really dancing until they bring the lawyers in.

    Now the decision-making process is actually underway.
     
  11. I think the point is to f*** them over as much as humanly possible before they do leave. This is over, GB. The Sonics are going to OKC. It's just a matter of when.
     
  12. GB-Hack

    GB-Hack Active Member

    And that disappoints me.

    Now, that being the case, does the league realign? OKC being in the Northwest division is going to be funky. The trouble is, I don't see a way to do it with the way the Western Conference is now.
     
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