E-mails, did they tell both sides...

I noticed that after the Seattle Times acquired those e-mails where some of the excerpts they published talked strongly about a move to OKC after the Renton deal went down (April) how much were they willing to publish the e-mails where Bennnett made a good faith effort to help push an arena deal through. Seattle Times is publishing only what they want people to observe.


Now they want to take on the NBA and intimidate the owners by requesting their e-mails, hoping to put more pressure on Stern to promise them first refusal on expansion or the next relocation.

What has this got to do with "Specific Performance" that the judge will rule on(?)...

Seattle is not only burning bridges, they're flooding the underpaths ahead as they go. There's no turning back--they have let their emotions get the best of them.

Owners will never vote for a future Emerald City expansion or relocation if Seattle keeps this up.

Although it was in the court documents, I didn't see Tom Ward's e-mail about possibly selling the team if Seattle built an arena in any of the Seattle articles. I guess it didn't go along with their plan. Also, we're talking about a grand total of five or six e-mails out of possibly hundreds they sent. I'd like to see e-mails between Clay Bennett and Margarita Prentice, if there are any.

From what I understand, and I haven't seen the paperwork, so I'm just talking out my backside here, is that in purchasing the team from its previous owner, the OKC group agreed to deal with Seattle in good faith to keep the team in Seattle.

This has nothing to do with the lease (that I know of). This is more about the sale. The problem here for Seattle folks is that this isn't part of the currently pending suit. Further, the former owner hasn't even hinted that he'd be interesting in pursuing this in court.

Even if he did, rescission is the only remedy which would give Seattle what it wants -- and that remedy is one rarely given, and in fact never has been given (that I know of) in a case this big where parties bargained at an arm's length, knew what they were doing, had lawyers draw up the agreement, bargained, et.c Seattle itself wasn't a contracting party here, so though harmed, I really don't see how this issue is even relevant.

Considering the fact that Bennett employed lobbyists and we can verifiably show that he did pursue the Renton proposal, I don't see how we get to bad faith -- even if he was rooting for that proposal to fall through the entire time, his actions speak louder than his emails.

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The key is "good faith." In this case, it seems the emails were themselves actions that indicated bad faith. Going through the motions, and in some ways sabotaging the proposal, is not "good faith."

This is a problem.

I'll disagree it is a problem based on what's been reported that I've seen thus far.

The allegedly OMG! told U! type emails appear to all come after the WA powers that be said we ain't gonna on KeyArena renovations. Poor taste, sure. Ill-advised, sure. Bad faith overall after being told not happening from our perspective by the WA folks most likely to influence a stay ... nah, not seeing it myself.

There's an e-mail June 11, 2007 in which Clay very dispassionately talks about Dave Sabey: "Dave Sabey does have a good location and an interest in putting something together. We spoke on Friday and he would like to connect in 30 days when he has more to talk about." I don't see any e-mail evidence of proposal sabotage. In fact, if he weren't acting in "good faith" he might have said, "I'm pretending to be interested, but it's not going to happen." Tom Ward talks about possibly selling the Sonics if an arena is built. So, they recognized an arena might be built, and if so the Sonics were going to have to stay....even if that proposal was approved Oct. 31, 2007.

Again, if you look at actions and public words, which is all Seattle had to look at when they were deciding what to do, Bennett had paid for an arena plan by the same architects as drew up the Orlando arena, he hired lobbyists, he engaged Margarita Prentice, the Senate majority leader, to help him try and connect with legislators in Washington, he spoke to the legislature at large and a Senate committee, and he had multiple interviews in Washington where he reiterated what he said the day he bought the Sonics: Seattle had a year to come up with an arena plan. They knew it from day one, and they blew it off.

If anything, Aubrey's unfortunate inteview in the Journal Record should have galvanized the city to act. In fact, when I read it, I thought it was a ploy concocted by Stern and Bennett to goad Seattle into action. All I saw in Seattle were outrage, complaints and inaction.

Since the e-mails were secret until recently, any and all actions regarding the arena were based only on Bennett's public behavior and words. I don't even see them talking to OKC as a breach of "good faith". They'd been shot down in the Senate, and it was perfectly reasonable to come up with a contingency plan, as the next NBA season was approaching.

As for selling the arena if the new facility was built, it seems like it'd be a sound business move for them to cash out at a substantial profit having improved the value of the franchise significantly over what they paid for it. That sort of speculation is absolutely not an indication of bad faith.

Also, I'll reiterate, so far as I know, Seattle was not a contracting party. I'm not even sure a promise to deal with them in good faith regarding relocation would even be enforceable.

Furthermore, this is just a side show. It's completely irrelevant to the lease's specific performance language.

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Clay Bennett made a bona fide effort to keep the team in Seattle; that's all he needs to be able to prove, it wasn't his responsibility to get an arena deal, this should have been the city's and/or its leaders.

Most cities looking hard at the NHL or NBA will have their mayors or civic leaders pushing to get an arena, the owner is usually the one asking. Mayor Oscar Goldman (Las Vegas) has been in pursuit of a pro-anthing for the City that never sleeps.

In the case of Michael Heisley (Grizzlies) owner, Memphis leaders made the decision for the taxpayers--Heisley didn't spearhead this, he was also looking at Louisville, Norfolk and New Orleans' offers at the time.

Clay Bennett went over and beyond the call of duty, Seattle has done nothing and has bargained nothing, it wasn't Bennett's responsibility to champion getting an arena built.

Just because he wouldn't accept another KeyArena makeover, that didn't stop Seattle from looking at a $300 million dollar arena or a lesser option for the NBA to approve.

I felt this team was purchased to eventually move to Oklahoma City. When Bennett failed to gain majority ownership purchase of the Hornets, he bought the Sonics, and Stern told Seattle then that it looked as though they don't want an NBA team.

Local boys (Shultz) couldn't get it done, he kept his promise and sold to Bennett (an out-of-towner), why would you think an out-of-towner could get an arena deal done. Bennett made the stakes high, why wasn't Seattle officials and leadership spearheading this--it just wasn't a popular issue with elected officials so they left the fox (Bennett) in charge of the hen house.

SEATTLE, YOU GOT JUST WHAT YOU DESERVED--A GOOD OLE FASHION FAT DUCKING!

Stern helped orchestrate this move--LIKE SEATTLE DIDN'T SEE IT COMING--you would have had to be blind, cripple and crazy not to have seen this coming if you lived in Seattle and they are still in denial.

They (seattlelites) think that they are all that, the NBA will crumble without Seattle and they are losing the 14th largest market--well, the NFL lost Los Angeles (2nd largest market) and it didn't crumble and they (NFL) aren't prostituting themselves to get into the L.A. market.

It's strange now that the team is leaving and they are trying to come up with something..

Anyone else see Glover's email thread on the Seattle Times forum asking for their help and pimping his new website?

Hilarious

Emails are just more bad PR for Bennett's crew and shows they aren't exactly super intelligent for using emails instead of just phoning each other....But he did spend a good chunk of change on a proposal that was backed by Prentice...He also never turned down any viable proposals because there weren't any proposed over a year and a half

I would think his actions would trump some good old boy email discussions

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Asking for their help with what? They're not registered voters in the state of Oklahoma, nor are they probably registered voters in the state of Seattle, as most of them probably aren't old enough to vote. I stopped reading that newspaper's website because the Seattle posters rarely said anything intelligent or worth knowing, and I don't feel like going back to see what kind of vitriol they're spewing now.

Wanting some info on the Sonics full time employees and payroll to help with his anti Sonics crusade...It's worth checking out Betts...He has finally found an audience

Did enjoy the poster NBA Fan asking him which way did he vote on March 4th since he lists his address as OKC on the Times forum...Oops

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Dwight Schrute: Reject a woman and she will never let it go. One of the many defects of their kind. Also, weak arms.