How To Tell If Sonics Ownership is Lying ...

Via Deadspin, the Sonics ownership got caught with its jubjub in a grinder again. The Seattle Times published quotes from another set of incriminating emails again Saturday, these ones hosting Aubrey McClendon as the star. McClendon, you'll remember, last summer told an Oklahoma publication that the OKC-based ownership group had planned to move the Sonics all along, a statement for which he was fined $250,000 by the league.

The Times' Jim Brunner reveals what followed:

Later that year, McClendon apologized to principal Sonics owner Clay Bennett for telling an Oklahoma newspaper he'd always intended to move the Sonics. But McClendon added, "the truth is we did buy it with the hope of moving to Oklahoma City," according to a copy of his e-mail read aloud during the deposition.

Couldn't these guys come up with a code name for OKC? "Enchildaland" would have worked.

That's not all. Remember the first set of e-missives which drew headlines, in which a third owner, Tom Ward, asked Bennett if he could get the Sonics to play ball "here" (assumedly OKC) in 2008-09, to which Bennett replied that he was doing everything he could and that he was a "man possessed." Well, in an April deposition now public, McClendon asserts the fellas were talking about Seattle!

"Clay is talking about his efforts to get a deal done in Seattle. He frequently would refer to himself as a man in motion, a man possessed. He's just been kicked in the stomach by Olympia the day before and he's saying, I'm not quitting, the game is just getting started. This is John Paul Jones saying I've not yet begun the fight," McClendon said.

Never mind that all Bennett (possessed or not) would need to do to have the team playing in Seattle in 2008-09 would be to ... play in Seattle in 2008-09 by not trying to slip out of his lease in federal court. McClendon's lack of respect for truth is insulting, frankly. We are not idiots, brother.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

5-25-2008 @ 8:42AM

hoodoo said...

Lets not forget that at the same time, Conlin, Ceis and Licata (Seattle city council members) are lobbying the state legislators not to pass an arena proposal because the site is outside of Seattle. Wasn't the bottom line that a new arena had to be built or the team was moving? It doesn't look like the Seattle politicians wanted the Sonics to stay any more than the Oklahoma owners did. There's no story there?????? I would think it would make equally juicy blog fodder.

5-25-2008 @ 2:05PM

mongothebest said...

Man, I can't believe these honest gents are the same people behind the Swift Boat attack ads against Kerry in 2004. Those ads seemed so honest and sincere. Now I don't know what to believe, after these emails!

Plus, these guys are big supporters of the noble cause of keeping gays and lesbians from basic human rights. They seemed like such class acts in these endeavours, I can't imagine them being such scheming condescending lying bastards in other areas of interest, such as The Sonics.

Is there anything these guys do that doesn't come from pure soulless evil? Every cause, business, sports franchise stealing activity comes from a deep seeded belief in ass-hattery.

They truly do believe people are stupid enough to not see through the lies. That's how they live their day to day lives. They are possibly evil people (not ust stupid), and I do not say that often.

Unfortunately for them, they are too stupid not to reveal everything in e-mails, which my dead grandma knows can be easily traced. Have they never read a paper in the last 5 years? Haven't they seen all their GOP buddies getting busted for malfeasance, with emails providing much of the evidence?

And the worst part is, they are likely to get away with this. It is completely insane.

Boy, being a man possessed to keep the team in Seattle must be the easiest gig in the world. Clay only has to do nothing but sit there, and his obssession to keep the team in Seattle will come to fruition! Wow!

I feel awful for Sonics fans, and I know how close this was to happening to the Blazers. I feel sick that this is being allowed to happen, when all evidence points to the OKC-based owners planning all along on stealing the franchise.

Disgusting.

Mortimer