Summer is over, get ready for the year-long arena story

SEATTLE- On Wednesday the soon-to-be owner of the Sonics, Clay Bennett, restated his desire to keep the team in the 15th largest media market and not move it to the 54th, well, not in those exact words.

Bennett, who arrived in the Pacific Northwest this past weekend, participated in Monday's U.S. Bank Governors Cup on Monday at the Golf Club at Newcastle, teaming with Sonics guard Ray Allen in a foursome.

Wearing a white University of Oklahoma windbreaker and still smarting from the Sooners' controversial loss Saturday, Bennett expressed optimism regarding a new multiplex arena in Seattle or in a suburb such as Bellevue.

"I am ever encouraged each time I'm here and as the meetings progress and as we continue to begin to frame up our team and ideas about the future," he said. "I continue to see a successful conclusion." From Gary Washburn's story in the Seattle PI.

Bennett has also said that the 12 month exploration in the northwest for a solution to the Sonics future would actually start after he actually had approval from the league to buy the team, that is supposed to happen at the October 24th league meetings.
Bennett also says that a site will emerge soon with a proposal. I expect all that to come rolling out as soon as he can legally say something, in late October, right before the season starts.
It's going to be a strange trip this year, hang in there Sonics fans, they will play some basketball too.
Go Sonics!

BTW, Collison and Ridnour are going to wait until next summer to talk about contracts. Like I said, "just maybe, both of those guys want to become restricted free agents next year." You can't tell me this is what the Sonics wanted, no way, they wanted those two to be under contract, but, it isn't what the players wanted. They want to get paid, they want to play and maybe they don't want to go to Oklahoma.
If Luke Ridnour loses his starting spot then maybe he doesn't want to hang around. If Collison is thrown in to stop the players that Wilcox can't defend and the team management does not see value in that then maybe he doesn't want to be here. They can afford to wait and see, it can only help them get more years by having the media talk about there contractual future everywhere they go.
In both cases we are lucky to have coach Bob Hill. I think Hill is a better communicator with all of his platers than Nate McMillan ever was, better than Bob Weiss.