As Henry Abbott notes, no one knows what's going to happen in this Sonics vs. Seattle suit. But Percy Allen of the Seattle Times thinks, based on Friday testimony, Clay Bennett's lawyers are pulling away. The day seemed to focus on the Sonics proving that the Seattle had acted in just as much bad faith as anything, hatching a plan by Sen. Slade Gorton (a city consultant) to bleed Bennett dry to force him to sell.The evidence is a PowerPoint presentation given by Gorton called: The Sonics Challenge: Why a Poisoned Well Affords a Unique Opportunity. It's a 46-page detailed strategy to inflict economic hardship on Bennett. It's scary because it nearly worked.I believe Allen that this is damning stuff. But I have to wonder: is it more damning than Bennett two-faced posturing on getting an arena deal in Seattle, his public assertions he wanted to stay in the Emerald City while he was emailing his buddies that he's a "man possessed" in terms of landing his franchise in Oklahoma City? Didn't all that force Gorton and the city to play rough?
I find it a tad bit ironic that while the city compiled reams of embarrassing e-mails from the Sonics owners to show they breached a "good faith best effort" promise, Gorton sent e-mails that are now being used against the city.
Of course, none of this matters, as I understand it: Judge Marsha Pechman is only ruling on whether the Sonics are contractually and legally obligated to serve out their lease, or whether cash is valid compensation. How evil Bennett and/or Gorton are seem to have little impact on that central question.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-21-2008 @ 11:50AM
supersonicsfan said...
Percy is wrong about the Sonics pulling away. The "powerpoint" wasn't even written by the city, written after the mayor of Seattle had decided to enforce the lease, after Bennett demanded arbitration in order to break the lease and relocate to Oklahoma City. It makes for good newspaper fodder, it doesn't help Bennett. Bennett might as well have introduced Internet message board postings from angry fans.
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6-21-2008 @ 1:26PM
Steve H said...
The question before the court is whether or not to enforce the specific performance clause of the Sonic's lease agreement. That the City is seeking to enforce this clause for the expressed purpose of financially damaging the owners until they are forced to sell looks pretty damned pertinent to me. Seattle has lost. The scortched earth policy they are employing only ensures that they will have to wait an extra decade or two for a replacement team, and will forever lose the Sonics name, uniforms and heritage. Nice work knuckleheads.
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6-21-2008 @ 5:14PM
SoLongSonics said...
Finally the Seattle 'fans', local 'business men, and elected officials are being seen for the goons and liars they are. Good riddance Sonics. You've been a financial and emotional drain on Seattle for years.
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6-21-2008 @ 5:48PM
SeahawkFan said...
The 'fans' won't show up to the games, the residents of Seattle won't vote for a competitive venue, the local elected officials blunder upon blunder while the team loses millions. And to top it off, a plan is hatched between the city and local billionaires to insure the owners continue to lose millions for years.
Of course the owner wants the team to move. Let's see, for those that have trouble with math, losing 20-30 million per year in Seattle vs making 20-30 million per year in OKC?
Put the kool-aid down my fellow Seattlites, the Sonics have been bleeding this town and it's so-called fans emotionally and financially for years. Our local elected officials are too spineless to make the case and we've got way more important things to work on.
Join me and the million other Seattlites in saying good-riddance Sonics.
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6-21-2008 @ 9:07PM
Sully said...
These sports columnists know nothing about the courtroom, only the basketball court. They need to stick to what they know. Their "impressions" of the case so far are not in any way accurate. For instance, the "poisoned well" language refers to how Clay Clay poisoned the well, not how the city planned to poison the well to make Clay Clay sell. Percy, Jerry Brewer, Art Thiel, and the other local media should not be cited as support for the argument that the city is losing. Hopefully the judge isn't as easily distracted from the core issues as these shmucks.
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