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During the stock market crash, one of the key figures in the Sonics-to-Oklahoma City drama lost nearly $2 billion dollars. Here’s how:As the battle for our Sonics unfolded over the past few years, Clay Bennett came to symbolize the greedy bastards who, along with the help of weasel-in-chief Howard Schultz, ran off with our NBA basketball team.

But make no mistake, Bennett wasn’t the brains behind the Great Oklahoma Rip-off.

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http://www.oklahomathunder.org/karma-tr ... wiped-out/

JO_CB_FTW wrote:

During the stock market crash, one of the key figures in the Sonics-to-Oklahoma City drama lost nearly $2 billion dollars. Here’s how:As the battle for our Sonics unfolded over the past few years, Clay Bennett came to symbolize the greedy bastards who, along with the help of weasel-in-chief Howard Schultz, ran off with our NBA basketball team.

But make no mistake, Bennett wasn’t the brains behind the Great Oklahoma Rip-off.

Read More
http://www.oklahomathunder.org/karma-tr ... wiped-out/

SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!!!!!!

*yawn*

So Lame

Rome wrote:

JO_CB_FTW wrote:

During the stock market crash, one of the key figures in the Sonics-to-Oklahoma City drama lost nearly $2 billion dollars. Here’s how:As the battle for our Sonics unfolded over the past few years, Clay Bennett came to symbolize the greedy bastards who, along with the help of weasel-in-chief Howard Schultz, ran off with our NBA basketball team.

But make no mistake, Bennett wasn’t the brains behind the Great Oklahoma Rip-off.

Read More
http://www.oklahomathunder.org/karma-tr ... wiped-out/

SHUT UP ALREADY!!!!!!!!!

Relax....what's the expression "Don't kill the messenger"?

JO_CB_FTW was just posting a quote about one of the Thunders owners Aubrey McClendon.

And personally I think this pertains to Thunder basketball. Aubrey woke up one morning and lost something to the effect of 40% to 60% of his entire wealth.

Like it or not eventually that will have a ripple effect on the Thunder.

Imagine you had 4mil in the bank and you paid 500k on a boat/yacht three years ago.

For the past two summers when you were using your boat with all you friends you kept telling them that by the summer of 2009 you were going to upgrade the galley and have the boat reupholstered.


Now upgrades don’t come cheap on yachts so it's going to run you another 150k.

Now you only use your boat about 15 times a year, but your friends are expecting these new digs for their annual sea bash on your boat.


But this past winter one of your companies went into the toilet and now you are only worth 2mil and things are looking a little bumpy for the next couple years.


Do you spend the 150k on a different investment that is going to have a better return on your bank account or do you pay for the up grades that way you can have a party on your boat that would rival the Minnesota Vikings boat parties?

I'll skip the picture for that one.



Aubrey losing 1.9bil is going to have some effect on if the Thunder spend their cap space, re-sign players or flirt with the luxury tax.

Looking at the free agent class of 2009, I don't think that the Thunder was going to break the bank anyways for anybody available. The thing is that Aubrey McClendon isn't the only owner of the team, so his personal misfortunes in the market won't kill the whole venture of trying to build a winning basketball team in OKC. On a side note, its kinda messed up that you are gloating in the downfall of someone else. I know that McClendon is a billionaire and all, but i'm sure he's just like millions of other Americans hurting in this economic crisis; and his loss of money in the market probably has led/will lead to a lot of people losing their jobs. This whole thread is kinda messed up.

mnkinga23 wrote:Looking at the free agent class of 2009, I don't think that the Thunder was going to break the bank anyways for anybody available. The thing is that Aubrey McClendon isn't the only owner of the team, so his personal misfortunes in the market won't kill the whole venture of trying to build a winning basketball team in OKC. On a side note, its kinda messed up that you are gloating in the downfall of someone else. I know that McClendon is a billionaire and all, but i'm sure he's just like millions of other Americans hurting in this economic crisis; and his loss of money in the market probably has led/will lead to a lot of people losing their jobs. This whole thread is kinda messed up.

Who is gloating?

True Aubrey isn't the only owner but I do believe he is the majority owner with Bennett being the next major stock owner.

Sure maybe they don't break the bank on the 2009 class but 2010 is right around the corner. But there are quality players in this free agent class. After all both Boozer or Milsap would be a nice addition. Of course it might change up the current plans with Jeff green but we don't really have any idea on what Presti has planned for Jeff green.

And honestly if you are trying to make someone feel sorry for Aubrey McClendon you have got to be kidding. The dude still has 2billion in the bank. Yeah I'm sure he's crapping his pants gas is over $2.00 again and beans are a $1.45 a can. Give me an F-ing break.

It's unfortunate that anyone loses their job in this economy. However if you have 2 billion in the bank.....sorry I'll show my sympathy to someone who actually deserves it.

I'll try to keep to the basketball side of this... As far as free agent spending, I would really like to see them take a very conservative avenue. I think that if we can pick up a true starting level shot-blocking/rebounding center through any means, then we should avoid pretty much any other signings/trades. We have draft picks and I would say about 9 guys that I already wouldn't mind being a part of the long-term picture (Durant, Green, Westbrook, Sefolosha, Collison, Livingston, Krstic, White, Weaver... in that order of importance). I would rather that we play the game really conservatively and be able to keep those guys and our top pick in this draft together for a long time. You figure Durant/Green/Westbrook will probably end up eating up about 20 mil more than they're bringing in right now. And OKC isn't the type of market to support a 75+ mil roster.