RealGM

Sonics Owners Willing To Leave Behind Team Name If Franchise Moves
March 25, 2008 - 5:32 am
Seattle Times -

Sonics owner Clay Bennett is willing to leave the team's name, colors and history in Seattle if it means getting his team to Oklahoma City, the Seattle Times is reporting.

Bennett, speaking in front of several sponsors, said that he wants to negotiate a settlement in which the city retains nearly everything associated with the Sonics except the players and coaches.

(See wiretap)

I guess this is good news, i could never accept a OKC Sonics, but then again, it just moves the team closer to being moved.

How is this encouraging? I hope the city refuses..don't they remember Stern said the NBA will not be back in Seattle if the Sonics leave?

If this is true--and Stern has stuck to his guns so far--what's the point of being happy about this? It's another bargaining tool he's using to make himself look gracious to the BOG.

God I really do hate Clay Bennett. What a peice of low life scum.

stern has since softend his stance on those comments regarding the nba never coming back to seattle. but still, this really isnt good news. unless you look at it this way........

bennett knows he is going to loose the court battle. and if he does he is stuck here for two more years. he wants out now. the longer he stays the more money he looses. and the longer he stays the more pressure will be put on him by the city, local ownership group, and maybe even the nba to sell the team and move on. if you are dealing from a position of power you dont keep trying to negotiate with the opposing party. you either pound them into submission or just wait them out.

I've been working in the business world long enough to understand it's very difficult to separate goodwill and trademarks, on the one hand, from going concern value and assembled workforce, on the other hand. You can't just hand over the name and logo and expect continuity, as if nothing happened. The NFL has been trying to ram this down our throats with the Cleveland Browns and nobody's buying it.

Last time I looked a trademark, logo and history doesn't take a jump shot or block a shot.

I said it before and I'll say it again if the Sonics leave even if it's just the players I'm done with the NBA.

Clay and Stern can go F*CK themselves.

To me it looks like Bennett(and the league) really wants to avoid the court date in June and is willing to give up all that stuff so he'll be able to escape to OK City as soon as he can.

The thing we now need is the City keep their stand on this and to not talk about a buyout, which seems like the way things are going to work out.

Might not be so bad if they left the GM, Durant and a few teammates as well.

I'm back to the basics...

- Bennett defines success as an NBA team, any NBA team, in OKC.
- There's a legal leash tying the Sonics to Seattle for two more years.
- Seattle wants the Sonics & it appears private money is avialable.
- Seattle is a major city & a gateway to Stern's beloved China market.
- There are two struggling small market franchises in Memphis & New Orleans.

Seems to me there's a deal in there somewhere.

He will leave the name etc, if we drop the lawsuit.

Which means we will have years with no team here.

No thanks.

The Mayor will not settle.

jenn_gp wrote:How is this encouraging? I hope the city refuses.

Brian said the mayor has said he will refuse to settle.

I hope he is right!

Give us 350 million ... the name ... guartee from stern to start a franchise

Stern won't start a new franchise but I could see Memphis being moved to another city...

OKC can have the Grizzlies. We want the Sonics.

I don't know if I can handle two more years of being a lame duck. I'd really like to have the opportunity to take my future grandkids to go see a team named the Sonics where I could tell them about all the great Sonics I watched growing up.

Ex-h, Jim Brown still belongs to Cleveland.

Sonics3408 wrote:Might not be so bad if they left the GM, Durant and a few teammates as well.

Agreed. Besides the colors, name, and history, Presti and Durant are the only things worth a damn in this organization.

Dick Tate wrote:I don't know if I can handle two more years of being a lame duck. I'd really like to have the opportunity to take my future grandkids to go see a team named the Sonics where I could tell them about all the great Sonics I watched growing up.

Ex-h, Jim Brown still belongs to Cleveland.

So you have given up on this Sonics then?

I've given up on the far-fetched idea that the league will hold a gun to Bennett's head and make him sell. I've given up on the far-fetched idea that Bennett will grow tired of waiting out the lease and eventually choose to sell, especially since Ok City just unanimously approved a lease today.

If they leave I hope the team name/colors are kept, although I don't really want them used again. It's a part of our culture and history...Oklahoma City has no right to try and glom on to it. If they get a franchise, let them start their own history.

^

agreed.