Collison Practicing With Team USA

Starting Wednesday, Team USA will be practicing in Las Vegas in preparation for the FIBA tournament that kicks off on August 22. Joining the roster of 16 players is Seattle's Nick Collison.

Collison joins a team that lost Kirk Hinrich, Shane Battier, and Greg Oden on Monday, meaning the roster has been trimmed to 16, with the possible additions of Mike Miller and/or Tayshaun Prince at some time in the future. ESPN's Chris Sheridan figures Kevin Durant will be cut, leaving Collison a two in four shot of making it (he would be battling with Prince, Miller, and Michael Redd for two spots).

Bennett Attempts To Clarify

In response to Aubrey McClendon's comments to an Oklahoma paper, Clay Bennett issued the following statement today:

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"As the controlling owner, I admire my fellow owners and appreciate their support. While they are excited about the basketball operations and the future of the team on the court, they, like me, have been disheartened by the lack of progress we have made to secure a new arena for the Sonics and Storm. Aubrey expressed his personal thoughts and, in context of the story, was not speaking on behalf of the ownership group. It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Soncis and Storm in the Greater Seattle area."

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So, when McClendon said that "We didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come [to Oklahoma City]," he's completely on his own? He never had any conversation with Clay Bennett about that? Really?

What Can We Do?

Undoubtedly, there are many out there who look at this whole Bennett-McClendon-Carpetbagger scenario and just throw up their hands in dismay. The folks who never really liked basketball to begin with, or pro sports at all, they could care less, and this situation just confirms their pre-existing beliefs.

But for the rest of us, the obvious question is this: What do we do now? There are a number of practical answers:

1. Support A Deal is a Deal. Brian Robinson's efforts to force the Sonics/Storm ownership to honor their lease with the city is something everyone can get behind (sorry, was that too homo-erotic for you, Mr. McClendon?). Hate the Sonics' owners? Then stick it to them by forcing them to play basketball in Seattle for 3 more years. Love the Sonics? Then help ensure the team remains here for at least 3 more years. It's win-win. If you don't have any money because you spent it all on that sweet X-Man replice jersey, then volunteer your time/services.

2. Don't buy tickets. This is a tough one. On the one hand, poor attendance hurts Bennett's pocketbook, which is nice. On the other, it makes Seattle look apathetic. Perhaps an alternative is to buy tickets, and then bring your own food to the games. I suggest tomatoes, just in case Bennett makes an appearance.

3. Write to the Mayor. Let Nickels know the pressure is still on he and his associates to force Bennett to honor the lease.

Any other ideas out there? And, no, we're not interested in your plots to injure Bennett & Co. After all, they're much likely better-armed than we are.

Take a Letter, Clay

Dear Clay Bennett,

I have never met you personally, so I am hesitant to write this letter because I am making assumptions about someone whose hand I have never shook and whose eyes I have never looked into. That said, I feel confident in saying I have a fairly good impression of you.

I know, for example, that you donate heavily to Republican campaigns, that you associate yourself with people who oppose gay marriage, that you heartily endorse the Bush administration. Knowing these facts, I can deduce that you are a Christian man, and I would imagine that you try to follow the tenets of the Bible in your daily life.

Mr. Bennett, I am also trying to be a Christian man. I know that doing so is a path filled with pitfalls, that there are many missteps we make along the way that leave us ripe for picking by those who do not believe. I understand how difficult it may be to be a 1) public figure and 2) a Christian.

But what I don’t understand is how you look at yourself in the mirror, knowing that you have conned an entire region with your lies. There are many misconceptions of Christianity – people will argue until the end of time about whether Jesus was a fan of gays – but no one argues that telling lies is The Christian Way.

So I ask you: Do you feel guilty about lying to us? Do you say prayers for forgiveness every night for your deceptions? Do you have an anchor of guilt the size of an oil derrick hanging upon your neck because of the way you got the City of Renton so riled up to help you? All that time you wasted in Olympia, all that taxpayer money you frittered away on endless meetings, all those volunteers who gave so much of their time and of their pocketbooks to help your business, all on the precept that you were “committed” to keeping the Sonics in Seattle – do you feel any guilt at all about that?

Mr. Bennett, there are two stories out there right now: The one you have told us for the past year, and the one Aubrey McClendon is telling us now.

Two stories, one truth. Which is yours?

Sincerely,

A Sonic Fan

Bombshell: Sonics minority owner admits they are lying bastards

Seattle's own Axis of Evil laughs it up at our expense.

When Clay Bennett and his team of investors said last year they were going to make every effort to keep the team in Seattle, I really wanted to believe them. Really.

But something just didn't smell right. Maybe it was Bennett's crooked, shark-like "smile", or the fact that he'd been trying to bring an NBA team to Oklahoma City for years, but he just didn't seem to be telling the truth.

For once, I was right.

In a stunning display of candor, minority owner Aubrey McClendon finally admitted that Bennett and his boys never had any intension of keeping the team in Seattle:

"But we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here," he said. "We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even, we'd be thrilled."

Read the rest in today's Seattle P.I.

I guess I should be glad someone in that swarm of vultures finally came clean, but the fact that he did so in such a casual manner really shows the arrogance of this group.

They are so proud of their fleece-job, they don't even care if we're on to them anymore. It's a giant, foam middle-finger to the people of Seattle.

I'm not surprised, of course, that the head of an Enron-type energy company might lie, cheat and steal to get whatever he wanted, but it seems like the city of Seattle could have a real argument here:

Is it legal to lie about your intentions before buying a business?

If you bought the Space Needle, let's say, and told the previous owner you would do everything you could to preserve it's place in the city, but later admitted you planned on moving it to China all along, could you be sued by the previous owner?

I'm no lawyer, so I don't know the legality of all of this, but one thing is now crystal clear: these guys are real bastards.

Are you kidding me?

The Celtics are interested in Reggie Miller. Apparently Bob Cousy was unavailable.

The Celtics, who apparently believe you can never have too many old guards who can't play defense, are attempting to exhume Reggie Miller.

According to several imaginary sources, the Celtics believe the decrepit Miller would be a good mentor to youngsters Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. Miller, who was old and immobile when he retired two years ago, will be wheeled out to the three-point line in late game situations.

Not to be outdone, Allan Houston now wants to get back in the game as well. Word has it, though, that the Pittsburgh Pisces have not returned his calls.

Nickels on KIRO this morning--Call in!

I received this e-mail from the Mayor's Office yesterday:

Supersonic soul fellas,

My name is Viet Shelton and I’m an aide to Mayor Nickels. I just thought I’d give you guys a heads up that the Mayor is guest hosting the Dave Ross show on KIRO 710 tomorrow morning from 9am-noon.

The topic for the 10am hour will be the Sonics and Key Arena, whether or not it’s a decent venue for an NBA team, does it need an upgrade, etc. Oh, there will also be some discussion about the latest politics of it and it’d be good to hear from folks their perspective of the situation and what people think should be done to keep the sonics.

Anyway, I wanted to let you guys know, invite any of you or your readers to call in and discuss it with the Mayor.

KIRO’s call in number is: 877-710-KIRO (5476)


Viet Shelton
Senior Advisor on External Relations
Office of Mayor Greg Nickels

Well, you heard it, Supersonicsouliacs: hit those phones and tell the Mayor what you think!

Barry Good

There have been plenty of words written on Barry Bonds' 756th home run last night. So many words that to write another article about Bonds - in a Sonic blog, no less - would seem pointless.

But watching Bonds go deep last night in San Francisco, I felt the urge just to add my two cents before the moment disappears into history.

First off, I'm not a Bonds-hater as the rest of the known world seems to be. Sure, he may have cheated, but considering Gaylord Perry and Don Sutton are in the Hall already - and cheating was something they did in front of the full view of the press boxes - I'm not going to lose any sleep over what Barry did or does. And considering that Babe Ruth never faced anyone on the mound with a darker complexion than your average Italian, I don't think it's fair to call Bonds' record tainted, but not Ruth's.

But that said, I was happy for San Francisco last night. You could tell that the entire stadium was delighted beyond belief, as if they got to raise a gigantic middle finger to the entire nation. There are few joys as a sports fan to rival watching the best player on your favorite team succeed, with the exception of watching him succeed when the rest of the country wants him to fail. That extra juice you get from knowing that every other fan in the U.S. hates your guts, well, that's just plain fun.

And considering that baseball is game involving men in knickers hitting a ball, I think just plain fun is something nice to see.

My Summer Vacation

I'm still kind of curious about why Nick Collison was originally listed as a member of the practice squad for Team USA, then he (and Luke Ridnour) were not on the roster put out the other day, while Jeff Green was.

In looking for answers, I came across this with some pics of Collison's wedding this summer. Strangely, the photos of Danny Fortson didn't make the cut; something about the photographer not having the right type of wide-angle lens.

I did hear, however, that Da Fort was the highlight of the reception, putting away 3 steaks, 2 Diet Pepsis, half the roast beef, a 3/4-full container of salmon salad, the better part of the cheese tray, and 7 pieces of pecan pie. Danny told insiders that he's waiting for a return call from "several" NBA general managers about his employment next year, but that in the meantime, he's "just chillin'."

Green and Carlesimo Confirmed

As reported by Kevin Pelton at supersonics.com, Jeff Green and PJ Carlesimo have been confirmed as participants in the NBA Select team which will help Team USA prepare for the FIBA Championships in Vegas later this month. Carlesimo will serve as head coach for the team. The complete roster of the Select team is here.

Also, there's a brief Q&A with Sonic rookie Jeff Green on nba.com, wherein we learn that, well, we don't really learn anything at all. But if you're thirsty for Sonic news in any form, go ahead and take a look. Elsewhere at nba.com, Dave McMenamin estimates that Kevin Durant is on the bubble for making the roster for the FIBA tournament, and that he may be edged out by Tyson Chandler. Honestly, it's a no-lose proposition for the Sonics and Durant. If he makes the team, he gets to spend a few extra days playing with the best basketball players in the world. If he doesn't make the team, he gets to rest a bit before training camp. As a rookie, Durant (and Green, for that matter), may wind up hitting a wall this year come February, and playing in extra games during the summer won't help matters.

Nickels Bites Back

Greg Nickels, with finger planted firmly in the air to sense the direction of public opinion, has responded to Clay Bennett's response to his .... oh, who can keep track of it all, anyway?

Don't get me wrong, I'm solidly with Nickels in his position, but I'm not naïve enough to think that Nickels wouldn't be taking this position if it weren't for the efforts of Brian and the A Deal is a Deal organization. As a politician, Nickels is canny enough to know that one of the best positions to take in an argument is against someone the public despises. Government officials love this tactic: Politicians will always beat the drum against tobacco companies or sex offenders, even if there is no immediate danger, simply because they know they'll score points in the court of public opinion.

It helps, of course, when you have someone like Clay Bennett, who - like Michael Heisley in Vancouver a few years back - has been playing his new-found home like a piano in the Tulsa production of "A Music Man."

Unlike Harold Hill, though, Clay Bennett isn't selling us a pile of musical instruments and uniforms, he's trying to take away something that's been a part of Seattle for more than 40 years. Let's hope, like Hill, he sees the error of his ways soon enough.

Clay Bennett Is Not Amused

From Mike Seely of Seattle Weekly, in his Buzzer Beater blog, which any self-respecting Seattle sports fan reads with the avidity of George Hamilton scanning the UV index, comes a message from Clay Bennett.

The press release is apparently in response to Mayor Nickels' comments to the TNT and other local papers that the city is interested in sweetening the Key Arena pie in such a manner that the much-maligned building becomes suitable to Bennett & Co. To wit:

“In issuing our call to action last month, we were hopeful the Mayor would use his regional leadership platform to rally support for a solution. Instead he focused on old unworkable concepts that are not acceptable. It is clear that if all we have to discuss is the renovation of KeyArena, then a meeting with the Mayor will not be productive or necessary."

Consider the sabres rattled.