City Sues Sonics to keep them through 2010

I don't see any way to do it. But with Denver and Utah in the Northwest Division already, it won't be a geographical stretch (Oklahoma touches Colorado in the panhandle.)

Besides, Minnesota is already in the Northwest Division. That was geographically correct back in 1803, maybe.

I assume when the NBA expands to 32 teams, it will subdivide into eight 4-team divisions like the NFL, and that's where the big realignment will take place.

 

Now the fans jump on the lawsuit bandwagon as well:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003915562_sonicslawsuit01m.html

 

Boston Globe reports that New Orleans Hornets must average about 15K for all home games through next February or they will be allowed to move -- maybe to Oklahoma City!!

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2008/01/no_fans_must_sa.html

 

This is getting stupid. NBA needs to make its team sign mandatory 20 year leases when they move. If the Hornets move, OKC (or possibly to Seattle if the Sonics get there first) it will be what, their third home in the last 15 years? Grizzlies are already rumored to want out of Memphis, and they've been there less than 10 years. If an owner wants out of their original location because it's not working, fine, but then they should have a 20 year waiting period before the team can relocate again.

 

Having watched it happen to the Mariners (multiple times) and the Seahawks, I guess I don't really expect this thing to go through if for no other reason than that it is still damn hard to move a team. That, and despite all the tough talk from Stern, he wants to pull a team from Seattle and move it to Oklahoma City as much as he wants Isiah Thomas dating his daughter.

Vancouver to Memphis made sense. Charlotte to New Orleans was, in many ways, lateral. But you're going to leave the second (third?) biggest market on the west coast to move to Oklahoma City? Stern is playing the game right now, talking tough, but when push comes to shove a move to OKC is bad for the league and he knows it.

 

Anyone see any significance in the fact that the Storm (WNBA) has just been bought out by four local women investors and has pledged to stay?

I think this gives the local and state (read governor) politicos extra cushion with much of the local electorate if they decide to take a hard stand on the Sonics and let 'em go. Won't help Key Arena much, however.

 

I think it gives Clay Bennett $10 million for something he didn't want anyway.

 

Well said, my friend. It's called stocking up the cellar for the long winter to come. He fully intends to wait this thing out and this just gives him more cash with which to offset the losses the city is trying to pile on him in an attempt to get him to sell.

 

I like the idea of a Celts-Knicks-Nets-Sixers division.

 

I never understood the lawsuit talk here. I mean, yeah, you might keep them until 2010, but any team after that is going to reject the idea of going to Seattle on principle alone. Some serious short-term thinking going on up there.

 

It's largely because Bennett has rejected some potentially feasible arena plans because he seems fixated on the Renton location. There also are lots of people who want to do another Key remodel, though I'll agree with Bennett that that is probably a non-starter. They are all just hoping he'll sell the team and go away and the next group of shlubs will go with one of the plans that has been pitched.

Oh yeah, it doesn't help that Bennett's business partner went all dumbfuckistan on him and basically told the world they never had any intention of keeping the team in Seattle and bought it with the intent of moving it to OKC. When you essentially tell a large area that you've been fluffing them for about a year with no plan for the money shot, things get all lawyerish in a hurry.

 

Any time you use a porn reference to describe a business decision, I'm all for it.