E-mails reveal Sonics owners intended to bolt from Seattle
- Thread starter TONY206
- Start date
I was younger when this happened, but when the Browns moved to Baltimore obviously Tagliabue allowed it to happen, but I don't remember him being out there leading the fucking parade like Stern is. I can't ever remember a league commissioner going out of his way this much to relocate a team (and there've been dozens of relocations in sports history).
It's fuckin ridiculous what a joke of a commissioner he is.
And Jesse I know the vote only lasts 1 year, but it's a formality, if they have to, they'll vote again and they'll pass it again in a year.
Our only hope rests w/ the litigation to enforce the lease, Fuckwad Schultz's litigation, and that somehow a combination of those two can bring a local buyer back into the picture. I think they are going to negotiate before the trial, if the NBA promises another team they'll settle, if they don't, then the city will try to make them stay 2 more years. Just a prediction.
It's fuckin ridiculous what a joke of a commissioner he is.
And Jesse I know the vote only lasts 1 year, but it's a formality, if they have to, they'll vote again and they'll pass it again in a year.
Our only hope rests w/ the litigation to enforce the lease, Fuckwad Schultz's litigation, and that somehow a combination of those two can bring a local buyer back into the picture. I think they are going to negotiate before the trial, if the NBA promises another team they'll settle, if they don't, then the city will try to make them stay 2 more years. Just a prediction.
Stern not ordered to testify in Sonics relocation case
Associated Press
Updated: April 28, 2008, 8:26 PM ET
NEW YORK -- NBA commissioner David Stern will not be ordered to testify in a case brought by the city of Seattle to try to keep the SuperSonics from moving, though a federal judge may consider ordering the testimony in the future.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska rejected most of the requests of the lawyers for the city of Seattle, saying she didn't think some of the information they were seeking from the NBA was necessary to press their claims.
Preska had been asked to decide what evidence the city can seek from the NBA before a June 16 trial in federal court in Seattle to decide whether the Sonics must complete the final two years of a lease agreement for Seattle's KeyArena, the NBA's smallest venue.
She said she would consider whether Stern must testify only after the city learns what it can from other witnesses.
Stern, attending a playoff game in Atlanta, was pleased with the ruling.
"I would rather spend my time working," he said. "But if the judge orders me to testify, I'll testify. We don't have anything to hide."
Preska also rejected a request by the city for the financial records of the 29 other NBA teams, calling it the city's "most intrusive request." NBA lawyer Jeffrey A. Mishkin said the league considered the financial information "highly proprietary."
Seattle officials filed a lawsuit in Seattle last year to keep the SuperSonics from leaving town. The city asked a judge to force the Sonics, the city's oldest professional sports franchise, to stay through the end of the lease, in 2010.
Stern has said the team will be moving to Oklahoma City either next season or in 2010 and he doesn't believe there's anything the city could do legally to stop it.
If the team can settle its lawsuit, NBA owners have overwhelmingly approved the SuperSonics' move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season.
"Our first choice was to stay in Seattle in a new building," Stern said. "Everyone knew what was coming."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3372738
Associated Press
Updated: April 28, 2008, 8:26 PM ET
NEW YORK -- NBA commissioner David Stern will not be ordered to testify in a case brought by the city of Seattle to try to keep the SuperSonics from moving, though a federal judge may consider ordering the testimony in the future.
U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska rejected most of the requests of the lawyers for the city of Seattle, saying she didn't think some of the information they were seeking from the NBA was necessary to press their claims.
Preska had been asked to decide what evidence the city can seek from the NBA before a June 16 trial in federal court in Seattle to decide whether the Sonics must complete the final two years of a lease agreement for Seattle's KeyArena, the NBA's smallest venue.
She said she would consider whether Stern must testify only after the city learns what it can from other witnesses.
Stern, attending a playoff game in Atlanta, was pleased with the ruling.
"I would rather spend my time working," he said. "But if the judge orders me to testify, I'll testify. We don't have anything to hide."
Preska also rejected a request by the city for the financial records of the 29 other NBA teams, calling it the city's "most intrusive request." NBA lawyer Jeffrey A. Mishkin said the league considered the financial information "highly proprietary."
Seattle officials filed a lawsuit in Seattle last year to keep the SuperSonics from leaving town. The city asked a judge to force the Sonics, the city's oldest professional sports franchise, to stay through the end of the lease, in 2010.
Stern has said the team will be moving to Oklahoma City either next season or in 2010 and he doesn't believe there's anything the city could do legally to stop it.
If the team can settle its lawsuit, NBA owners have overwhelmingly approved the SuperSonics' move to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season.
"Our first choice was to stay in Seattle in a new building," Stern said. "Everyone knew what was coming."
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3372738
Judge: NBA has to turn over relocation documents
By Denis Gorman
Special Correspondent
NEW YORK — A federal judge ruled Monday that the NBA must release internal documents about the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City to the City of Seattle.
During the 90-minute hearing in Federal Court, Judge Loretta A. Preska also said that should it become relevant, NBA Commissioner David Stern could be deposed.
Early in the hearing, Preska sent both groups to the jury room to come to a resolution regarding which documents were fair game. She admonished the parties, saying, “(These discussions) should have already happened."
“I would characterize it as a success,” said Paul Lawrence, the lead lawyer for the City of Seattle. “Our basic goal was to get the documents pertaining to the move and we got them. We’re also going to get a deposition, so we’re happy about that.”
A lawyer representing the NBA said that the league, “had no comment on pending litigation."
Neither Stern or President of League and Basketball Operations, Joel Litvin, were present the courtroom.
The NBA owners voted 28-2 on April 18 to approve the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City. The City of Seattle has sued to hold the Sonics to the two remaining years of their lease.
http://newsok.com/judge-nba-has-to-turn-over-relocation-documents/article/3236128/?tm=1209420464
By Denis Gorman
Special Correspondent
NEW YORK — A federal judge ruled Monday that the NBA must release internal documents about the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City to the City of Seattle.
During the 90-minute hearing in Federal Court, Judge Loretta A. Preska also said that should it become relevant, NBA Commissioner David Stern could be deposed.
Early in the hearing, Preska sent both groups to the jury room to come to a resolution regarding which documents were fair game. She admonished the parties, saying, “(These discussions) should have already happened."
“I would characterize it as a success,” said Paul Lawrence, the lead lawyer for the City of Seattle. “Our basic goal was to get the documents pertaining to the move and we got them. We’re also going to get a deposition, so we’re happy about that.”
A lawyer representing the NBA said that the league, “had no comment on pending litigation."
Neither Stern or President of League and Basketball Operations, Joel Litvin, were present the courtroom.
The NBA owners voted 28-2 on April 18 to approve the Sonics relocation to Oklahoma City. The City of Seattle has sued to hold the Sonics to the two remaining years of their lease.
http://newsok.com/judge-nba-has-to-turn-over-relocation-documents/article/3236128/?tm=1209420464
City may ask delay in Sonics trial
Seattle wants six months to prepare if monetary damages to be decided
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Lawyers for the city of Seattle have requested their court case with the Sonics be delayed six months if the judge agrees with the team's recent motion to decide monetary damages during the trial.
The Sonics' lawyers filed a motion with Judge Marsha Pechman last week asking that she speed up the process by including a decision during the June trial on how much money Clay Bennett's group would owe the city in rent should the team win the case and be allowed to immediately move to Oklahoma City.
The city responded with a strongly worded rebuttal Wednesday, saying the Sonics' request would "dramatically change the scope of this litigation" and would require considerable preparation time -- and potentially a jury trial -- to determine damages.
Any significant delay in the trial would prevent the Sonics from moving to Oklahoma City by next season, which starts in late October.
Wednesday's filing charges that the team is attempting "to introduce a new issue at the latest possible date," with the request coming just six days before cutoff for discovery in the case, 15 days before the expert witness disclosure deadline and less than two months before the trial's scheduled June 16 start in U.S. District Court.
The city's lawyers said Bennett's Professional Basketball Club originally requested and was granted an expedited trial after repeatedly stating that the only issue in the case was the city's claim for specific performance in the lease, which would require the Sonics to fulfill the final two years of their agreement by actually playing games instead of just paying the remaining rent.
By now asking for a decision on monetary damages as well, the city's attorneys said they would need to prepare "for an entirely different kind of trial" and would need time to hire additional expert witnesses and investigate different issues.
"Further, the City is entitled to a jury trial on any award of damages for PBC's breach of the Key- Arena lease," the motion states.
The motion asks Pechman to deny the team's request, or barring that, to postpone the trial for at least six months.
"If PBC had asserted its counterclaim at the beginning of this case, the City would likely have been granted at least that extra time to prepare for, and try to a jury, a multimillion-dollar damages claim," the lawyers wrote.
According to the city's motion, PBC attorney Brad Keller made a strong case during the pretrial scheduling conference on Jan. 29 that only limited discovery was needed because of the narrow scope of the trial.
"The issues are not complex," Keller is quoted during the conference. "This case has been pending for over three-and-a-half months, since early October. There really isn't a whole lot of discovery to do. Maybe a half-dozen or so fact witnesses and some experts and the case is ready."
The city believes the financial question involves far more than just the basic rent owed under the lease.
"The City would be entitled to the full scope of the consequential damages of PBC's breach. Establishing the amount of these damages would require evidence on issues including the broad economic impact of the Sonics on the City of Seattle. Such a measure may include taxes on both the direct and indirect economic activity related to the Sonics games, including employment taxes, parking revenues and entertainment and related spending before and after games," the city said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/361333_arena01.html
Seattle wants six months to prepare if monetary damages to be decided
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Lawyers for the city of Seattle have requested their court case with the Sonics be delayed six months if the judge agrees with the team's recent motion to decide monetary damages during the trial.
The Sonics' lawyers filed a motion with Judge Marsha Pechman last week asking that she speed up the process by including a decision during the June trial on how much money Clay Bennett's group would owe the city in rent should the team win the case and be allowed to immediately move to Oklahoma City.
The city responded with a strongly worded rebuttal Wednesday, saying the Sonics' request would "dramatically change the scope of this litigation" and would require considerable preparation time -- and potentially a jury trial -- to determine damages.
Any significant delay in the trial would prevent the Sonics from moving to Oklahoma City by next season, which starts in late October.
Wednesday's filing charges that the team is attempting "to introduce a new issue at the latest possible date," with the request coming just six days before cutoff for discovery in the case, 15 days before the expert witness disclosure deadline and less than two months before the trial's scheduled June 16 start in U.S. District Court.
The city's lawyers said Bennett's Professional Basketball Club originally requested and was granted an expedited trial after repeatedly stating that the only issue in the case was the city's claim for specific performance in the lease, which would require the Sonics to fulfill the final two years of their agreement by actually playing games instead of just paying the remaining rent.
By now asking for a decision on monetary damages as well, the city's attorneys said they would need to prepare "for an entirely different kind of trial" and would need time to hire additional expert witnesses and investigate different issues.
"Further, the City is entitled to a jury trial on any award of damages for PBC's breach of the Key- Arena lease," the motion states.
The motion asks Pechman to deny the team's request, or barring that, to postpone the trial for at least six months.
"If PBC had asserted its counterclaim at the beginning of this case, the City would likely have been granted at least that extra time to prepare for, and try to a jury, a multimillion-dollar damages claim," the lawyers wrote.
According to the city's motion, PBC attorney Brad Keller made a strong case during the pretrial scheduling conference on Jan. 29 that only limited discovery was needed because of the narrow scope of the trial.
"The issues are not complex," Keller is quoted during the conference. "This case has been pending for over three-and-a-half months, since early October. There really isn't a whole lot of discovery to do. Maybe a half-dozen or so fact witnesses and some experts and the case is ready."
The city believes the financial question involves far more than just the basic rent owed under the lease.
"The City would be entitled to the full scope of the consequential damages of PBC's breach. Establishing the amount of these damages would require evidence on issues including the broad economic impact of the Sonics on the City of Seattle. Such a measure may include taxes on both the direct and indirect economic activity related to the Sonics games, including employment taxes, parking revenues and entertainment and related spending before and after games," the city said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/361333_arena01.html
Honestly I am not even mad at Clay Bennet because if I was a rich ass foo living in Oklahoma, fuck yeah I would try to buy another team and move them to my home town.
I am not mad at Schultz either because he has no obligation to me, he doesn't owe me anything. The Soincs is a business at the end of the day and if they aren't making money it doesn't make sense to keep them. He did his part for Seattle by buying the team, and we didn't do our part by upgrading the smallest venue in the NBA.
The people to be mad at in this situation are the City Council and punk ass Nick Licata and freaking Can't Make a Decision Gregoire.
Oh you mean the renovation to the arena is 14 years old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Arena
You need to so some "fucking" math on your team's former arena.
If your city was determined to keep the Sonics in your city, they would have already made the plans to make a new arena, or make Key Arena bigger.
If you were so ga-ga over the Sonics, you would have Shawn "Baby Maker" Kemp in your sig.
And to the rest of the people blaming Clay Bennet, you really think a business man and his buddies would really want to keep a team in whatever team when Oklahoma City is crying for a pro team? You're stupid to think that he would have left it in Seattle instead of bringing it to his home town.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_Arena
You need to so some "fucking" math on your team's former arena.
If your city was determined to keep the Sonics in your city, they would have already made the plans to make a new arena, or make Key Arena bigger.
If you were so ga-ga over the Sonics, you would have Shawn "Baby Maker" Kemp in your sig.
And to the rest of the people blaming Clay Bennet, you really think a business man and his buddies would really want to keep a team in whatever team when Oklahoma City is crying for a pro team? You're stupid to think that he would have left it in Seattle instead of bringing it to his home town.
Only the SUPPORT BEAMS were kept from the Coliseum...so yes, the renovations...FULL renovations, are only 13 1/2 years old.
Again, there is nothing wrong twith KeyArena. As a matter of fact, its one of the best VIEWING venues in the NBA.
So please, again, do not speak on shit you obviously have no clue about. Thanks.
Again, there is nothing wrong twith KeyArena. As a matter of fact, its one of the best VIEWING venues in the NBA.
So please, again, do not speak on shit you obviously have no clue about. Thanks.
Sonics owner scores in judge's pretrial rulings
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
A federal judge handed Sonics owner Clay Bennett some early legal victories Monday, denying several motions by the city of Seattle to limit evidence Bennett's attorneys can use at trial.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled that, when the trial starts next Monday, the Sonics can offer evidence of the time and money Bennett spent trying to secure a local arena deal as part of its defense.
The city is suing the Sonics to try to keep the team at KeyArena through the end of its lease in September 2010.
Sonics' attorneys also can introduce evidence of "dysfunction" between the city and team, as well as a January poll that showed two-thirds of Seattle-area residents wouldn't care if the team leaves for Oklahoma City.
Pechman did grant the city one small victory — ruling that author Sherman Alexie can testify as a witness in the June 16 trial. Alexie, winner of the National Book Award, is a Sonics season-ticket holder who is expected to testify on the team's importance to Seattle.
However, KJR radio host Mitch Levy cannot testify because the city added him to the witness list too late, Pechman ruled.
Sonics' attorneys will also be allowed to present evidence of what they've called "a Machiavellian plan" by city leaders to pressure Bennett's ownership group, the Professional Basketball Club (PBC), into selling the team to local investors led by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
The outcome of the six-day trial will be decided by Pechman, with no jury.
Bennett is arguing the Sonics should be allowed to leave sooner in exchange for a cash settlement. He offered $26.5 million to the city in February but was rejected.
Although Pechman's ruling Monday grants the Sonics' attorneys a broader palette of evidence and arguments for the trial, strict time limits should encourage both sides to avoid getting sidetracked.
Each side in the trial will be "on the clock" — getting exactly 15 hours over six days to present opening and closing arguments, witnesses and evidence.
"PBC may determine which evidence it chooses to present within the structure of the timed-trial," Pechman wrote in her ruling Monday.
The ultimate impact of Pechman's pretrial rulings was not clear.
Paul Lawrence, an attorney for the city, said Pechman did not signal that she'd lend any credence to the Sonics' arguments or evidence. "She just said use your time as you see fit," Lawrence said.
A spokesman for Bennett said his attorneys would have no comment.
The main issue in the lawsuit is whether the city can enforce the "specific performance" clause in its KeyArena lease.
That clause means the team must play all home games at KeyArena through the end of the lease — something a cash buyout cannot make up for, the city argues.
But Sonics' attorneys have argued that forcing the team to endure two more lame-duck seasons would be unfair, and that the team should be allowed to pay a cash settlement to relocate to Oklahoma City.
The team estimates it would lose more than $61 million if forced to play out those final two years under the KeyArena lease. The team estimates it could make a profit of $19 million over the same period in Oklahoma City.
Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
By Jim Brunner
Seattle Times staff reporter
A federal judge handed Sonics owner Clay Bennett some early legal victories Monday, denying several motions by the city of Seattle to limit evidence Bennett's attorneys can use at trial.
U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman ruled that, when the trial starts next Monday, the Sonics can offer evidence of the time and money Bennett spent trying to secure a local arena deal as part of its defense.
The city is suing the Sonics to try to keep the team at KeyArena through the end of its lease in September 2010.
Sonics' attorneys also can introduce evidence of "dysfunction" between the city and team, as well as a January poll that showed two-thirds of Seattle-area residents wouldn't care if the team leaves for Oklahoma City.
Pechman did grant the city one small victory — ruling that author Sherman Alexie can testify as a witness in the June 16 trial. Alexie, winner of the National Book Award, is a Sonics season-ticket holder who is expected to testify on the team's importance to Seattle.
However, KJR radio host Mitch Levy cannot testify because the city added him to the witness list too late, Pechman ruled.
Sonics' attorneys will also be allowed to present evidence of what they've called "a Machiavellian plan" by city leaders to pressure Bennett's ownership group, the Professional Basketball Club (PBC), into selling the team to local investors led by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
The outcome of the six-day trial will be decided by Pechman, with no jury.
Bennett is arguing the Sonics should be allowed to leave sooner in exchange for a cash settlement. He offered $26.5 million to the city in February but was rejected.
Although Pechman's ruling Monday grants the Sonics' attorneys a broader palette of evidence and arguments for the trial, strict time limits should encourage both sides to avoid getting sidetracked.
Each side in the trial will be "on the clock" — getting exactly 15 hours over six days to present opening and closing arguments, witnesses and evidence.
"PBC may determine which evidence it chooses to present within the structure of the timed-trial," Pechman wrote in her ruling Monday.
The ultimate impact of Pechman's pretrial rulings was not clear.
Paul Lawrence, an attorney for the city, said Pechman did not signal that she'd lend any credence to the Sonics' arguments or evidence. "She just said use your time as you see fit," Lawrence said.
A spokesman for Bennett said his attorneys would have no comment.
The main issue in the lawsuit is whether the city can enforce the "specific performance" clause in its KeyArena lease.
That clause means the team must play all home games at KeyArena through the end of the lease — something a cash buyout cannot make up for, the city argues.
But Sonics' attorneys have argued that forcing the team to endure two more lame-duck seasons would be unfair, and that the team should be allowed to pay a cash settlement to relocate to Oklahoma City.
The team estimates it would lose more than $61 million if forced to play out those final two years under the KeyArena lease. The team estimates it could make a profit of $19 million over the same period in Oklahoma City.
Jim Brunner: 206-515-5628 or [email protected]
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Key Arena aint even that old, plus taxpayers don't wanna be perpetually paying for sports arenas. Just because one team gets a new arena that doesn't entitle the other team to one. Plus I think the Huskies just got a new arena and Safeco Field is still being paid on, I believe. A lot of these taxpayers funding these things aren't even sports fans at all. Its not right to do this shit to the city. Key Arena is just fine. We're not talking about an obsolete building like Arco Arena (which still manages to do just fine). Its not like they're playing in the fuckin Memorial Colosseum that only seats a capacity crowd of around 12,000.
You wanna talk about a business man? What fuckin business man moves a team from a metro area of around 4 million who has supported the team for 40 years who has an emotional attachment to the team (loyal fanbase) for the middle of fuckin nowhere (OKC) in a place that has a "metro area" population of 1,200,000 that has no attachment to the team? You know why attendance figures are down in Seattle? Because they are a bad team right now. How in the fuck are the Sonics going to survive as a franchise when they do bad in OKC? With a population that small AND no loyal fans the seats are gonna stay empty and they will eventually go under as a franchise. not a great business strategy.