David Stern is a joke and insult to fans

Mr. Sun · Post #1 » by **Mr. Sun** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:41 pm

Despite the release of e-mails that SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett exchanged last year with partners about moving the team to Oklahoma City, NBA commissioner David Stern says he is convinced Bennett made a good-faith effort to keep the team in Seattle. Bennett and ownership partners Aubrey McClendon and Tom Ward exchanged e-mails in April 2007 in which they discussed whether there was any way to avoid further "lame duck" seasons in Seattle before the team could be relocated.

Uh huh, only Stern would call this "good-faith" negotiations.

Go7enKs · Post #2 » by **Go7enKs** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 7:54 pm

WHAT?!? So David Stern is completely ignoring the emails that basically show Bennet blatantly lied to him?

I totally lost faith in him now. There was little left even before, but this is a joke. How can he say that?

dm17415 · Post #3 » by **dm17415** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:34 pm

I lost respect for Stern after he suspended Amare and Diaw last year.

mkot · Post #4 » by **mkot** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 8:47 pm

I've been saying this for two years now, even before he suspended Amare and Boris last year, David Stern needs to be canned!

Sun Scorched · Post #5 » by **Sun Scorched** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:01 pm

Whats amazing is that he is a blithering idiot... everyone knows it... and yet we still have him making decisions that affect the outcome of playoff series, the future of teams and their respective cities.

Put it this way. When you have enough money to buy an NBA franchise, you do it knowing damn well what you intend to do with it.

Do you intend to do what Sarver did and slowly pay down the debt leveraged against the team?

Do you intend to leverage the team and apply the equity towards soemthing else? A new stadium perhaps?

Do you intend to move the team to a different city?

All of these questions you have answered long before you ever buy the team. It's called due diligence and the planning is a very important part of every business decision.

Trust me. He had his mind made up before he bought the team. He was moving it regardless of what he told Stern. Stern knows it too.

I just can't understand how they think OKC will be a better basketball city than Seattle... that's beyond me.

Sun Scorched · Post #6 » by **Sun Scorched** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:07 pm

Also, when you read things like this, I want you to know how bad we all feel for you SeattleSun...

I can't imagine hating Stern anymore than I already do... but you, wow do you have reasons.

Post #7 » by **Danny Darko** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 9:18 pm

Sickening. I cannot believe Stern is allowing this to happen. I hope the owners vote no to the move. I'm with Mark Cuban for once.

He got punked. He should be moving to make a disciplinary statement for owners like Bennet, instead he ignores the 2ton angry squid in the room.

walkingart · Post #8 » by **walkingart** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 10:03 pm

I feel sorry for all the Sonics fans out there or should I say up there, but I have not followed the Sonics and don't know exactly why they are so adamant against paying for a new stadium. If someone told me that half of a cent for every dollar I spend in Maricopa County would go towards the Suns being able to generate more income to operate, attract better free agents and keep them in Phoenix for another 25 years I would vote yes. Also, most of the taxes here for Stadiums are levied against tourists with taxes on hotel rooms, and rental cars.

Someone please explain to me why the City of Seattle is so against funding a new arena for the Sonics. If you really were pissed and really cared about keeping the Sonics in Seattle wouldn't you do whatever it took to keep them there. Screw Clay Bennett and whatever his plans were, but all blaim falls on the City, for not doing what they needed to do to keep the team.

skatesb16 · Post #9 » by **skatesb16** » Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:58 pm

I think what people are not realizing is that Stern is the person who picks out ownership groups to buy teams. He picked Bennett's group because Stern wanted to get a team to OKC as soon as possible because he is so gung-ho about returning to New Orleans. It's not a case of Bennett lied to Stern. It's the fact that Stern's known all along. He's not stupid.

garrick · Post #10 » by **garrick** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:27 am

Stern is all about money folks, he probably never played a game of basketball in his life.
I hate how he can overlook the fact that the new owners lied to him and the NBA, I think frankly it's time for a new commissioner.

walkingart · Post #11 » by **walkingart** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 1:35 am

Here is what it comes down to:

Stern: Stubborn ass douchebag

Reps for the City: Stubborn ass douchebags

Bennett: Opportunistic Douchebag

Stern knew the Sonics were as good as gone when Bennett bought the team, because he knew that they were not going to get a new arena.

Personally, I don't think a city or a metropolitan area deserves a team if they can't provide a good enough place for them to play. The NBA is a business, and if they can move their business to generate more revenue then so be it. Anyone on here who is a Suns' fan should recognize that if the Suns' needed a new arena there would be mulitiple proposals from the City of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Goodyear and maybe even Peoria and Surprise. So for anyone who says this could happen to us in an idiot.

Post #12 » by **slick_watts** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:46 am

Anyone on here who is a Suns' fan should recognize that if the Suns' needed a new arena there would be mulitiple proposals from the City of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Goodyear and maybe even Peoria and Surprise. So for anyone who says this could happen to us in an idiot.

clay bennett shot down proposals from nearby cities including renton, auburn, etc. he also refused to even consider another complete (i.e. tear down and rebuild) remodel of key arena at seattle center.

he knew from the beginning that the city would be lukewarm to the idea of building another expensive arena and refused to consider realistic alternatives presented to him.

betta1 · Post #13 » by **betta1** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:55 am

I still have no clue why, outside of $$$, a new arena was in such dire need. I visited Key Arena once and it was not bad at all. Nicer than what they have in Orlando and a few other cities too.

I think the whole idea of building for a 25 year life cycle, ala the shopping mall, is backwards and a complete waste of energy, money and resources. Look at the Roman stadium still standing today. They lasted thousands of years. We cant hold onto something in our society for over a quarter century? And I don't even think Key Arena is nearly that old.

I know I'm getting off course, but just wanted to come here and vent when I saw this thread.

Oh, and, uh, $%$^ David Stern. NBA needs a new face.

eastsidecrossover · Post #14 » by **eastsidecrossover** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 4:59 am

Betta 1, great take, and I agree 110%!

The stadium argument is a joke. Owners use this just to get a new arena form tax payer dollars to pad their own pocket.

I hope Seattle can keep the name.

Last, we all know what a m***** Fu**** Stern is. This b**** is a total joke and the nba needs to let him go. He is only hurting then helping. Its time for new leadership and to take the league to a new level. We all know what a a** hole this idiot is by what he did against the suns by suspending, and then acting like a foolish child, running away and running this as a dictatorship. His refs are crooks, and now he ignores these emails. What a joke this guy is. I hope he dies real soon, and a horrible death that is.

walkingart · Post #15 » by **walkingart** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:06 am

slick_watts wrote:
Anyone on here who is a Suns' fan should recognize that if the Suns' needed a new arena there would be mulitiple proposals from the City of Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Scottsdale, Glendale, Goodyear and maybe even Peoria and Surprise. So for anyone who says this could happen to us in an idiot.

clay bennett shot down proposals from nearby cities including renton, auburn, etc. he also refused to even consider another complete (i.e. tear down and rebuild) remodel of key arena at seattle center.

he knew from the beginning that the city would be lukewarm to the idea of building another expensive arena and refused to consider realistic alternatives presented to him.

every city I named in the Phoenix metro area is larger than Renton, and Auburn except for Goodyear. And not just larger but amazingly so, Mesa for example has a popolation of over 400,000 while Renton and Auburn are both in the 50,000 range. Seattle is not a big enough market to stick its Arena in some suburb.

Seattlesun · Post #16 » by **Seattlesun** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 5:21 am

the problem for the sonics has been one major issue - Key Arena is a public building owned by seattle and they keep 50% of all revenue generated by the sonics. AND, they refused time and again to renegotiate with the sonics. Seattle politics is corrupt and horrid in ways i dont have time to explain.

But think about it this way - The Suns own their arena, the parking structures, all restaurants inside. They keep all the revenue they generate. The Sonics keep just 50% in a smaller stadium. As you can see, hardly a fair business model.

in a nutshell, this is the issue. however, many potential options to fix the problems have been presented over the last year only to be shot down by stern and bennet because they are hell bent on moving the team.

the city and the fans did step up, the fat rich guys refused to allow their egos to acknowledge that.

mkot · Post #17 » by **mkot** » Tue Apr 15, 2008 6:03 am

Thanks SS explaining all those to us outside of the city. I just hate Stern even more now...

This is what he said today (per wiretap):

During that visit, Stern suggested that Oklahoma City

The 2005-06 Suns will always have a special place in my heart