City of Seattle accepts a check for loss of the Supersonics

July 3, 7:46 AMSports ExaminerPaula Duffy

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Sports Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Photo: Rod Mar/The Seattle Times
 

Shortly before the judge in the case between the City of Seattle and the Clay Bennett ownership group was ready to issue her ruling, the parties reached an agreement.

The City let its team go for an immediate payment of $45 million with the potential to receive $30 million more if it doesn't land a new NBA team within 5 years. A new team being awarded to the city is contingent on the state legislature setting aside $30 million at the very least to spruce up Key Arena or fund a new venue for a team.

In the end, the fans of the Seattle Supersonics saw just how much their city cared after it insisted for a year that no amount of money could compensate them for the loss of a team it housed for more than 40 years. There are only 6 other teams in pro sports that resided in one city that long and then moved. And we're talking history back to the early 1900's.

The team had offered some $20+ million to buy its way out of the remaining 2 years of its lease but it took more than double that with the promise of more to come if Seattle remains NBA-less. The league has no obligation to manufacture a new franchise or force the move of another one. It just has to direct a new team, if one is allowed to expand the NBA family, to the city of Seattle if money has been provided by the State or local municipalities for an arena.

The move starts TODAY. How cruel is that? Fans don't know who to blame and in their opinion all the principal actors played award winning roles in what amounts to a stunning blow to those who lived and died by the exploits of their team. The former owner who sold to a group based on Oklahoma, Clay Bennett who doesn't appear to have tried very hard to keep the team in the city and now the city who folded and took the check.

But there is still the matter of that private lawsuit brought by Howard Schultz which will go to trial in the spring. If he prevails he will effectively force the team to uproot from Oklahoma because a verdict will have been reached that the sale of the team to Clay Bennett and company was accomplished under false pretenses; those being that Bennett would try like heck to find a way to stay put.

That means that the Oklahoma City folks get that taste of NBA for a season and then say good by to the team in which they will have invested municipal money, season tickets and emotional support. Doesn't this sound like an adoption gone bad? The birth parent insisting that it has the right to break open the process after agreeing to let a child go to another family? All parties potentially lose, including the child.

In this case, the child is the team and you tell me if the players, coaches and management are going to be happy not knowing if they should sell their homes in Washington or merely rent them. What if OK City hedges its bets and doesn't come out and support a team they might lose after one season? Kevin Durant a stellar young talent in the league shouldn't have to wonder where his fan base lies. Maybe another check will fix that lawsuit too. Don't be surprised.