I have to admit something. I believed Clay Bennett and his partners when they made the announcement that they would try everything in their power to secure a successor facility to Key Arena in Seattle.
Right up until I decided to end my employment with the Sonics, I believed Clay Bennett. I believed him when he told me in person that he was going to do everything he could personally to ensure the future of basketball in Seattle was secure for future generations of fans, including my children.
I was wrong,
and Clay Bennett is a liar. I wish I could have married into money, bought myself an NBA team, completely alienate the fans of the city in which I purchased the team and then file for relocation to my home town and become a hero there. I
wish I could have lied my way into a purchase agreement in which a portion of the document spoke specifically to the effort that I would have to make to secure a building and then do nothing to honor that agreement. I have to admit - the liar did a pretty good job swindling one of the best business people on the planet - Howard Schultz.
I hope he sleeps good at night knowing that he has screwed with the lives of 125 fantastic employees, of whom defend him on a daily basis with a baseless argument. It's actually about 123 amazing employees, there are two that I can't stand and who really should be selling cars instead of trying to convince the public to buy season tickets to a team that is horrible and has no chance of remaining in the Emerald City past 2010.
I guess I figured it out when he asked State and City leadership to build a 500 million dollar arena. 500 million dollars. You can get an amazing state of the art, high tech, NBA ready arena for 300 million - I suppose the other 200 million was to line the club seats with gold, or to provide Mr. Bennett with an endless supply of cheeseburgers from his favorite burger joint (he doesn't miss many meals).
Still, even after I began to understand he was asking for the moon, knowing that the city of Seattle would not cooperate - mostly because Seattle is not a progressive city, and does not see the tax dollars that would be generated not only from basketball, but from concerts tha
t they are losing to Tacoma and Portland, floor shows and national political conventions. Seattle doesn't get it - but certainly some sort of agreement could have been reached for say, 300 million. Things like this don't get done, mostly because Mayor Greg Nickels is possible the dumbest human being on earth. This guy just does not have a clue -at all. I can not express how useless he is, and how I hope at election time, the voters remember how useless he is. I would make a special olympics comparison here, but that would be an insult to all of the special olympians. That is, if there was a good faith effort on the ownerships part at all. Clearly, there was not.
You see Clay, nobody believes you anymore. Front office employees are leaving at a record pace, and th
ose who remain behind are either looking or have drank the Bennett cool-aid and don't know that the rug is going to be pulled out from under them. Or, maybe you promised them jobs in OKC, or maybe they are staying because of the great incentive plan you laid out for them to stay until the end (10% of salary or 15% of salary dependent on how long you have been with the club and your position).
Clay, you can do what you want with the team. It's yours, and nobody is disputing that. I would have respected you more if you would have just told the truth from the beginning. I have no issue with you buying the team and relocating it, if you are up front about it.
Seattle will be without the NBA. Still, Seattle is in need of a new building. They will never attract those events listed above with Key Arena as the centerpiece of a complex that has been dead for years. The city needs to develop that area so tax dollars can be generated to help schools and fix roads. But this time, you won't have an anchor tenant to help foot the bill. In addition, even if the Sonics leave after their lease expires in 2010, the city will still owe some 25 million dollars on the bonds use to develop Key Arena. If they were smart, and there not, they would use that as a buyout for the Sonics and Clay Bennett to get out of town. Instead, we will have an empty arena with no basketball, no concerts and only WNBA basketball in the Summer (I love the WNBA, I think it's fantastic - but it is not going to pay off the bonds by itself).
My time as a Sonics employee gave me many memories that will last a lifetime. I truly had my dream job, and left only because of personal reasons. I just feel bad that I believed in Clay so much, I lied to fans for months telling them we would get something done in Seattle and that our ownership group was working hard to do it.
But since you weren't I hope you burn. There is a special place for people like you in the great beyond. I hope you get to heaven at at the gates, they decide to relocate you.
