I agree with Steve Kelley, It's hard to believe Bennett

Seattle - In Saturday's Seattle Times Steve Kelley had written, basically, that he wished that he could believe what Clay Bennett says, but can't because of his actions, even the way he talks about the situation betray Bennett's own words.

Well written, well said, read the story here.

Kelley wrote how Bennett reacted to a question about the viability of the Sonics making a profit in Oklahoma City's Ford Center.

1. Bennett was sure that they would be economiclly viable in that Ford Center building.
2. He cited that the team would be the only pro sports business in the state (please, no Sooner's jokes).
3. He stated that Seattle has too many options for the pro sports dollar.

I'll answer these in reverse order, so you remember the last thing, if nothing else.

3. This was the same point made against building Safeco Field. The mid-1990's Sonics were winning a bunch of games, selling out seats and raking in money from luxury box suites sales, nobody was going to buy a Mariners suite, not then. Bennett is arguing the same thing ten years later, only he has reversed the names. The answer then is the same as of is now: putting a winner on the stage is the only way to sell tickets. That's true here, and it is true no matter how few teams are in a market.

2. To think that Oklahomans would show up 5 years down the road to watch overpaid actors lose just because they are the only professional sports franchise in the state is insulting to the good sense of the people of the great state of Oklahoma. Bennett has to put a team on the floor that has a reasonable chance of winning no matter where they play now and past 2010, unless he thinks fans in Oklahoma are dumber than the average fan. I don't think they are, how about you Clay?

1. The Ford Center, according to Bennett's threat, is a viable NBA building, completed in 2002 for $93 million dollars (Forbes, 2006, Hornets team value listing). If that's good enough for the Sonics in Oklahoma, then the same thing should be good enough for the Sonics no matter where they play, including Seattle.

So, how about we, the citizens of Seattle, offer a brand new and exact copy of the Ford Center for free. Let Bennett say no to the exact thing he has been threatening Seattle with for the past ten months. That really is how to call his bluff. Get him to either take something substantially less than the Renton Palace he is demanding and stay here in a new copy of the Ford Center, or get him to say that a new Ford Center in Seattle is not visible, making the now 5-year-old Oklahoma City Ford Center not visible as well.

I think the ideas for generating revenue to pay for the new Ford Center in Seattle would be found, in part, in the collaborative efforts of civic odd couple Brian Robinson and Chris Van Dyk, chronicalled in the Friday edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Lowball Bennett with his own threat. In the end you, Bennett, David Stern, the great state of Oklahoma, the great state of Washington, everybody else, and I, know that Bennett does not believe in his heart that even his threat is true. His action will again betray his words.

What Seattle then offers beyond a Seattle remake of the Ford Center must be better than the Oklahoma City Ford Center.

Bennett can then accept the truth, or sell the team to somebody that can admit the truth.

That's how and why the Sonics and Storm are staying, not in a $500 million dollar palace, not in a Seattle redo of the Ford Center, but something between those two, because it involves the truth.

Sent from my iPhone

Pitchforks and Torches!

SEATTLE - There has been a sentiment in various places that whenever something good or positive is happening with the Sonics Clayton Bennett finds a way to throw cold water on it, either by design or randomly. Today is no exception, in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer there is a story about odd couple Brian Robinson and Chris Van Dyk working on a plan to remodel part of the Seattle Center, build an arena, parking, revenue generating lease spaces to help pay for it, good times, great hopes ... and on the same day what falls out of Clay Bennett's ass? He has filed papers to demand arbitration in hopes of breaking a lease that expressly states that arbitration is NOT something the city has to agree to.

Two quick things:
I would not count this as part of the good faith effort he agreed to when he purchased the team less than 1 year ago, Howard.

It is true, once you take your customers to court it’s tough to go back to a good relationship.

So, what do we need to really keep an eye on now?
It is true that a solution to the arena has to be in place in order for the Sonics to be here past 2010. The difference now, as of today, is that something acceptable to a new owner needs to be in the works, but it does not have to be the palace Bennett was demanding. Bennett has taken himself out of the picture in Seattle past 2010 no matter what happens.
It’s all or nothing for Bennett, he’s chosen nothing and is doing everything he can to leave nothing.
Don’t let him. Don’t let him stop people from imagining a new arena and a new Seattle Center, and the Seattle Supersonics here in 2010 and beyond.

Forget Bennett, he's forgotten about you, the fans. Think about you in your good future with the Sonics past 2010 and work toward that goal.

. . .
As soon as I can figure out how to get what I write to show up on the front page of ClubSonics.com I'll start writing there. Until then, here I am.

Bennett Trick or Treat? Seattle Times Reports Arena Relocation Request Delay

SEATTLE - Reported in the Seattle Times on September 8, 2007, Clay Bennett has chosen to delay his request to the NBA to relocate the Sonics and Stom from Seattle to Oklahoma City to start the 2008 - 2009 basketball season because the October 31, 2007, date is the same as the opening day of the season for the Sonics. He didn't want to take anything away from the team's first day.

I am sure there is a measure of truth to that statement, he does care about the team, that is in isolation to the location from which they play and the fans that attend the games. To this point it appears that Bennett has gone out of his way to put a wedge between the team and the local fans, press, and community. He cares about the team, he just doesn't appear to give a shit about you. Know it.

I doubt that he would have bothered to make this change had I-93, statements from the mayor of Seattle and city council, effectively taken an early buyout of the Key Arena lease off the table. Breaking the lease that runs through 2010 would be punishingly expensive. Let's not forget that Bennett did meet this past week with representitives of the Muckleshoot Tribe in Auburn Washington. In my opinion this will emerge as a viable option that can not be ignored by the NBA.

Let's recap: no early buyout of Key Arena; a viable option is emerging for an arena past 2010; but Bennett wants the team to have the stage to thselves on opening night, October 31st.

Umm, ok Bennett, that is almost exactly the one year anniversary of two things, the sale of the teams to you, and opening night last year. The NBA season has started on or about that time every year. You've been beating everybody over the head with that date for the past ten months, oh but NOW it might take away from opening night. Whatever dude, tell yourself whatever you need to to make yourself feel ok about backing off a THREAT. Maybe things have changed, and maybe not completely to your advantage, just don't expect fans of the team like me to buy any of your bullshit, true or not. That is an undisputed fact.