After being unable to tie up all the loose ends before the end of the regular session of the Washington State Legislature, it appears that Gov. Gregoire will be calling a special session, at which time SB 6116 - to help authorize funding the improvement of KeyArena - could possibly be passed.
Or not.
According to The Seattle Times, the governor is still undecided as to whether a special session will be required. As of this moment, the bill - which would enable King County to utilize an existing sales tax for funding - among other things - the renovation of KeyArena - remained unpassed, leaving Seattle for now without any prospects for professional basketball.
Further, by not passing the bill during this session, it takes Clay Bennett off the hook for a $30 million bonus he was to have paid the city were the legislature to act on improving the Key. However, were the bill to pass during the special session, Bennett would still be obligated to pay up the cash, assuming Seattle were not to receive a basketball team in the near future.
Got all that?
Of note, the governor issued a statement which noted the following (via The Spokesman-Review):
"The 2009 legislative session completed the most difficult regular session in a generation with a balanced budget, very significant transportation improvements, and other important agreements, but work remains to be done with respect to a few items.
“I will meet with legislative leadership shortly to determine when the Legislature will reconvene.”
The big word being WHEN and not IF the legislature reconvenes.
Stay tuned.
Monday, April 27
Friday, April 24
Hey, Kid, Wanna Buy an Aubrey McClendon Poster?
You might recall a month or so ago when we told you about Aubrey McClendon's wine-selling venture, which netted him a cool pile of money. However, as expected, that sale did come at a price, as the wine was sold for far less than it had been valued just 12 months previous.
McClendon did, however, find a willing buyer for some of theother crap he had laying around the house another aspect of his wonderful collection: Maps and paintings.
The Times Online reports that McClendon was lucky enough to find a buyer who would pay him $12 million for an assortment of maps, paintings, etc., which turns out to be $8 million more than he paid for them.
The buyer, you ask? Chesapeake Energy. Why a natural gas company that lost $800 million needed to spend $12 million on a bunch of paintings is beyond my grasp, but I'm sure they can come up with a good explanation. (Naturally, CHK would not comment to the Times on the story).
Anyhow, I'm guessing the negotiations between Aubrey and Chesapeake went something like this:
AM: Self, how much will you pay me for these maps and paintings of Native Americans?
AM: I will pay you $5 million.
AM: No, that won't work. Try again.
AM: Okay, self, how about $10 million.
AM: That's not bad, but I can't part with them for that price. Look at the fine texture, the beautiful expression ... no, $10 million is an insult to me.
AM: Fine, $12 million, but that's my final offer to me.
AM: Done. Nice doing business with me.
Tune in tomorrow when Aubrey tries to sell his $20 million estate in Bermuda to Chesapeake as a "Research and Development Facility."
McClendon did, however, find a willing buyer for some of the
The Times Online reports that McClendon was lucky enough to find a buyer who would pay him $12 million for an assortment of maps, paintings, etc., which turns out to be $8 million more than he paid for them.
The buyer, you ask? Chesapeake Energy. Why a natural gas company that lost $800 million needed to spend $12 million on a bunch of paintings is beyond my grasp, but I'm sure they can come up with a good explanation. (Naturally, CHK would not comment to the Times on the story).
Anyhow, I'm guessing the negotiations between Aubrey and Chesapeake went something like this:
AM: Self, how much will you pay me for these maps and paintings of Native Americans?
AM: I will pay you $5 million.
AM: No, that won't work. Try again.
AM: Okay, self, how about $10 million.
AM: That's not bad, but I can't part with them for that price. Look at the fine texture, the beautiful expression ... no, $10 million is an insult to me.
AM: Fine, $12 million, but that's my final offer to me.
AM: Done. Nice doing business with me.
Tune in tomorrow when Aubrey tries to sell his $20 million estate in Bermuda to Chesapeake as a "Research and Development Facility."
Boozer
After watching the exciting finish to last night's Jazz-Lakers game, I could only help but wonder:What if Carlos Boozer had stayed in Cleveland?
It's a lot to imagine, certainly, but the thought of Boozer being an option at the 4 instead of Ben Wallace, and thereby allowing LeBron James just a bit more freedom, well, it makes you ponder just how incredible LBJ's stats would be then. It's been five years since the contract shenanigans of the summer of 2004, but as the Cavs get closer and closer to the Finals, having someone with Boozer's skills at the power forward position would certainly be nice to have.
Ed Murray to Cougs: How You Like These Apples?
Sen. Ed Murray, frustrated with Washington State University antagonists who have, perhaps, derailed SB 6116 (the KeyArena/Husky Stadium bill), has decided that he will take their argument to its logical conclusion:
You don't want state money going to Husky Stadium? Fine, I'll create an amendment that not only forbids the University of Washington from getting funds, but Washington State as well.
You can smell the burning anger in Murray's voice when he tells the Times' Jim Brunner, "I have heard the message loud and clear, state taxes should not be used for sports."
What does this mean for the bill, still living in purgatory in the State Senate? It's now a bit more likely that passage is possible, in that any WSU supporter with an ounce of common sense knows that passage of Murray's amendment would seriously cripple the renovation of Martin Stadium in Pullman, in that WSU athletic department currently receives in excess of $2 million per year from the university, money that would dry up and float away should Murray's amendment go through.
WSU fans: Wake up - this is not a UW vs WSU thing, here. This is a Seattle vs. Clay Bennett thing. By opposing this bill, you are supporting Clay Bennett. Ask yourself: Is that really the side of the equation in which you want reside?
You don't want state money going to Husky Stadium? Fine, I'll create an amendment that not only forbids the University of Washington from getting funds, but Washington State as well.
You can smell the burning anger in Murray's voice when he tells the Times' Jim Brunner, "I have heard the message loud and clear, state taxes should not be used for sports."
What does this mean for the bill, still living in purgatory in the State Senate? It's now a bit more likely that passage is possible, in that any WSU supporter with an ounce of common sense knows that passage of Murray's amendment would seriously cripple the renovation of Martin Stadium in Pullman, in that WSU athletic department currently receives in excess of $2 million per year from the university, money that would dry up and float away should Murray's amendment go through.
WSU fans: Wake up - this is not a UW vs WSU thing, here. This is a Seattle vs. Clay Bennett thing. By opposing this bill, you are supporting Clay Bennett. Ask yourself: Is that really the side of the equation in which you want reside?
Thursday, April 23
Pacers, Sonics: Owners Cut From Same Cloth
“I don’t think it’s right for an entrepreneur to ask another entrepreneur for a gift.”
Herb Simon, 1997
This past weekend, Cory Schouten put together an insightful story for the Indiana Business Journal about the Simon family’s close-knit relationship with Indianapolis and the massive piles of money they have received in the name of urban renewal.
In many ways, you get left with the question: Where does Indianapolis end and Herb Simon’s family begin?
Schouten impressively details how the Simons:
- Received an estimated $400 million from the city for various real estate projects over the course of the past decade.
- Use the maintenance of Conseco as an excuse for financial help, while the city is actually the one footing the bill, to the tune of $3.45 million per year. (Of note, the city paid $62,000 to outfit the Pacers’ employees and $15,000 on NBA Fastbreak pinball machines).
- Artfully dodged the truth about their lease when they went to the press this past month. In reality, the Pacers’ renegotiation of their current lease is not as trouble-free as they would lead us to believe. According to Schouten, the team is able to renegotiate only if the team fails to meet certain profit margins, and the team would only be able to leave if it paid a substantial penalty.
How substantial? Try anywhere from $50 million to, gulp, $144 million, depending on when the team decides to pack up. (As an aside, I urge you to read this article from the Ogden On Politics blog, detailing the fleecing of Indianapolis taxpayers by the Simon family, a prediction from five years ago about how this year’s events would transpire, and how Herb Simon’s continual lying about the economics of Conseco Fieldhouse are all too familiar to those of us in this region). ((I’m not sure where else to put this, but this second aside is as good as any. Herb Simon is currently working on wife number three, a former Miss Universe 1988 from Thailand. They were introduced by Simon’s niece, who was once her, yep, college roommate. Her first name is Porntip. Yes, Porntip. Back to the story)). (((One last note – guests at the wedding included George Hamilton and Rob Lowe – who gave a speech. I’m unaware if Simon requested funding from Indianapolis for the construction of the buffet table.)))
Schouten’s piece is thoroughly researched, and indicative of the situation in a large number of cities across this country. I find it promising that Seattle, Indiana, and now Milwaukee (hat tip, True Hoop) have taken a different approach to the inevitable city-vs-team thunderstorms. Rather than capitulate the instant team ownership threatens to move, these cities asked for an honest discussion of the economics. Sure, Herb Simon may be able to convince cities to erect new buildings for his minor-league baseball team, but the number of cities willing to fork over hundreds of millions for an NBA arena are dwindling faster than a pile of chicken wings at a Fortson family barbecue.
Interestingly, Simon had a conversation with the IBJ last year, at which time he announced his intention to take over the reins of the team. At the time, the Journal asked him what he considered the “tipping point” for when the team began to run into trouble:
IBJ: Can you identify a tipping point where things started to go south for the Pacers franchise and its relationship with the team’s fans?
Simon: Well the tipping point everyone points to—and we don’t like to talk about it anymore because we want to talk about positive things—was probably the Detroit incident and the incidents that followed. That seems to be the tipping point.
And yet, one year later, Simon told the Indianapolis Star that the Pacers had lost money “9 of the last 10 years,” meaning that the Malice at the Palace was, essentially, irrelevant, in that it occurred far after the financial problems began. Simon, or, rather, his spokesman, also claimed the family had lost $200 million during their ownership tenure, further indicating that these problems had taken root far in advance of Ron Artest donning a Pacers jersey.
Incredibly, Simon even commented that he would like to go back to 2000, as “the year 2000 is a good year for me.” And yet, in comments his spokesman made to the Star, the Pacers claim to have lost money in 2000, making me wonder: Were the losses offset by the glory of the Finals, or were there ever any losses to begin with?
Later on, Simon – and, remember, he said this in 2007, less than 12 months before his spokesman told the media the Pacers had lost money nearly every year they’ve been owned by the Simons – told the IBJ:
We face the challenge of a small market. We always will. But we’ve been profitable before and we hope to be profitable again.
Look, Simon is married to a former Miss Universe, has at least six houses on three continents, and had his honeymoon (for his third marriage) in Switzerland, Bora Bora, and Thailand. And he’s crying to the city that he needs help to keep the Pacers afloat? At what point do cities start to say, “You know what? Bite me. If you don’t like how things are going here, sell the team. If no one steps up to buy them, then we’ll talk. But if you put them up for sale and a half-dozen buyers show up, then you figure it out.”
In the past, teams treated cities like a star player treats his groupies. Free to extort cities at their whim, they knew all along that other cities were lined up, just drooling to take them in. These days, in tougher economic times, those extortion tactics no longer work so well, and NBA team owners are finding the situation is a bit stickier than the one to which they have grown accustomed. With decreasing tax revenues comes increasing budget scrutiny, and just as Clay Bennett found the Washington legislature less than thrilled with his $500 million arena boondoggle (whether because of budget constraints or inherent hebetude), fellow NBA owners may find other legislatures equally thrifty when it comes to throwing tax dollars at similar projects.
It’s about time.
Time Running Out
With the Washington Legislative Session within a few days of ending, the pressure is on to find a way to pass state bill 6116, which would help provide funding for an improvement to KeyArena.
And, with that in mind, it was surprising to read Sen. Ed Murray's comments in this morning's Seattle Times. Murray told reporter Jim Brunner, "The bill is dead for the session. Really dead." Seattle officials begged to differ, urging that until the session is officially over, nothing is dead.
At this point, it is painfully obvious that state represenatives and senators are facing a difficult fight to get this bill passed. On the one hand, the KeyArena improvement plan is fiscally sound (or as fiscally sound as this sort of project ever will be, anyways), and in this time of economic disaster, would prove a helping hand to struggling businesses in the area as well as construction companies.
On the other hand, the state is pondering increasing classroom sizes, forcing teachers to take a pay freeze for the foreseeable future, and cutting benefits to thousands of people. With that sort of activity taking place, it becomes politically untenable to support funding for professional sports, regardless of the merits of the project.
Still, I believe Murray's comments came more out of frustration than out of a cold, hard assessment of the facts. Bearing that in mind, if you're in favor of re-doing KeyArena, I suggest you phone the state's hotline at 1-800-562-6000 to express your support for SB 6116. 48 hours from now, all of this may be moot, and Seattle's chances of ever watching NBA basketball again will become even more remote.
Ask yourself: Do the Sonics matter to me? If the answer is yes, I'd suggest you pick up the phone.
And, with that in mind, it was surprising to read Sen. Ed Murray's comments in this morning's Seattle Times. Murray told reporter Jim Brunner, "The bill is dead for the session. Really dead." Seattle officials begged to differ, urging that until the session is officially over, nothing is dead.
At this point, it is painfully obvious that state represenatives and senators are facing a difficult fight to get this bill passed. On the one hand, the KeyArena improvement plan is fiscally sound (or as fiscally sound as this sort of project ever will be, anyways), and in this time of economic disaster, would prove a helping hand to struggling businesses in the area as well as construction companies.
On the other hand, the state is pondering increasing classroom sizes, forcing teachers to take a pay freeze for the foreseeable future, and cutting benefits to thousands of people. With that sort of activity taking place, it becomes politically untenable to support funding for professional sports, regardless of the merits of the project.
Still, I believe Murray's comments came more out of frustration than out of a cold, hard assessment of the facts. Bearing that in mind, if you're in favor of re-doing KeyArena, I suggest you phone the state's hotline at 1-800-562-6000 to express your support for SB 6116. 48 hours from now, all of this may be moot, and Seattle's chances of ever watching NBA basketball again will become even more remote.
Ask yourself: Do the Sonics matter to me? If the answer is yes, I'd suggest you pick up the phone.
Wednesday, April 22
Key Arena Bill: A 30 to 50% Chance of Passing
Jim Brunner of the Seattle Times checks in with odds on SB 6166 passing the state legislature this session.
Quoting Brunner:
"Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, prime sponsor of Substitute Senate Bill 6116, said he gives it a 50-50 chance of passing. But he predicts it will come down to the wire. 'It's a budget bill so it can hang out here til the end.'
"Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, who has worked on a similar proposal in the House, put the odds at just 30 percent."
Perhaps the two gentlemen's lack of faith in the bill's passage could be related to the King of Olympia, Frank Chopp, whose penchant for stalling was seen last year, the year before ... and this year as well. Whether the insertion of funding for low-income housing is the magical ingredient to get Chopp to go along with the bill remains to be seen, but Hunter and Murray's inside information - and their negative assessment of the bill's success - can't be too reassuring.
Quoting Brunner:
"Sen. Ed Murray, D-Seattle, prime sponsor of Substitute Senate Bill 6116, said he gives it a 50-50 chance of passing. But he predicts it will come down to the wire. 'It's a budget bill so it can hang out here til the end.'
"Rep. Ross Hunter, D-Medina, who has worked on a similar proposal in the House, put the odds at just 30 percent."
Perhaps the two gentlemen's lack of faith in the bill's passage could be related to the King of Olympia, Frank Chopp, whose penchant for stalling was seen last year, the year before ... and this year as well. Whether the insertion of funding for low-income housing is the magical ingredient to get Chopp to go along with the bill remains to be seen, but Hunter and Murray's inside information - and their negative assessment of the bill's success - can't be too reassuring.
Dikembe
We may all be Sonic fans, but getting us to agree on something isn't a given. Best player? Some might say Payton, some would choose Kemp, or perhaps Haywood, or even Sikma.
Best coach: Wilkens or Karl? Best team: '95-96 or '78-'79?
We can all agree on this, though: The toughest moment in Sonic history was watching the Sonics lose to the Denver Nuggets in 1994. Up 2-0, the Sonics dropped three straight. And it wasn't just three straight to some random team - it was three straight to the home of the Denver Broncos and their horse-faced quarterback.
If you ask any Sonic fan the most haunting image in team history, it's the image of Dikembe Mutombo lying on his back, squeezing the basketball between his massive palms, a look of sheer joy mixed with exhaustion on his face.
For 15 years, I've hated that moment, but today, with news that Mutombo's career is over after a knee injury last night in Portland, I'm relaxing my attitude a bit.
Mutombo's career - an amazing 18-year journey - is now over. In a few months, maybe I'll go back to hating this moment again, but today, viewed through the prism of watching this giant man seeing his athletic career end, well, I'm filled more with a feeling of happiness for his success than I am with intense disappointment at a Sonic failure.
Congratulations on a remarkable basketball career, Dikembe. If one man had to symbolize the Sonics' most disappointing failure, I'm glad it was you.
Tuesday, April 21
Nice Work If You Can Get It
And your highest-paid CEO for 2008 is ...
Aubrey McClendon!
Thanks to a $77 million bonus/extortion in December, the co-owner of the Sonix pulled down an estimated $112 million in 2008, putting him #1 on the list of overpaid jerkoffs who ruined the American economy and will force my grandchildren to make socks for their Chinese overlords ...
Whew, sorry about that. Anyhow, Ben Casselman of the WSJ reports that McClendon's haul puts him above such noteworthy performers as Sanjay Jha/Motorola ($104 mil), Robert Iger/Disney ($49.7 mil), and Alex Rodriguez/Yankees ($28 mil +/- Madonna).
In an unrelated piece of news, Chesapeake Energy posted a net loss of $866 million in 2008.
Aubrey McClendon!
Thanks to a $77 million bonus/extortion in December, the co-owner of the Sonix pulled down an estimated $112 million in 2008, putting him #1 on the list of overpaid jerkoffs who ruined the American economy and will force my grandchildren to make socks for their Chinese overlords ...
Whew, sorry about that. Anyhow, Ben Casselman of the WSJ reports that McClendon's haul puts him above such noteworthy performers as Sanjay Jha/Motorola ($104 mil), Robert Iger/Disney ($49.7 mil), and Alex Rodriguez/Yankees ($28 mil +/- Madonna).
In an unrelated piece of news, Chesapeake Energy posted a net loss of $866 million in 2008.
Classic Sonic Playoffs
It’s funny how certain parts of a team’s history fall through the cracks, forgotten by most fans and remembered only by die-hards.
Close to 30 years ago last night, April 20, 1980, the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks were matched up in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, in a series so close it could have gone 70 games.
It is a forgotten parcel of Sonic history, but shouldn't be.
It was a clash of two superb teams, including names like Williams, Johnson (4 of them! John, Marques, Vinnie and Dennis), Sikma, Silas, Brown, Lanier, Bridgeman, and Moncrief. True, it wasn’t a Boston-LA epic involving dozens of Hall of Famers, but it could possibly be the greatest almost Hall of Fame Game ever.
The two head coaches involved – Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson – now stand first and second in wins all-time, and are both members of the Hall.
Game 5, in Seattle, had an announced attendance of 40,172, the largest in 41 years of Seattle basketball.
In seven games, the two teams combined to score 1,424 points; 716 for Milwaukee, 708 for Seattle. Of the seven games, two went to overtime and six (!) were decided by five points or fewer.
Milwaukee had won the Midwest Division that season, while the Sonics were second to the Lakers in the Pacific. Fresh off a title the year before, the Sonics drew 890,713 folks to their games that season, which ranked first in the league.
By a lot.
The next closest team – Boston – saw 596,349 attend their games, nearly 300,000 fewer than the Sonics.
Neither team was loaded with popular stars, and neither team had a league leader in any NBA category. True, Dennis and Marques Johnson earned spots on the All-NBA second team, Jack Sikma, DJ and MJ made the All-Star team, and Dennis Johnson (first) and Quinn Buckner (second) both played their way onto the All-Defensive Team, but this wasn’t Kareem, Magic, Bird, and Dr. J. Not by a longshot.
What this was, though, was a classic series. The Sonics, buoyed by Gus Williams’ 30 points, beat Milwaukee in overtime in Game 1 – by one point. The Bucks matched them in Game 2 with another overtime win – by two points.
The Bucks would go on to win two of the next three games, meaning the Sonics, down 3 to 2, faced a must-win contest at Milwaukee in Game 6.
And win they did, earning a nail-biting 86-85 win before 10,938 at MECCA Arena. With the series now deadlocked at three apiece, it was back to Seattle for Game 7. With Mike Parrott dueling Pete Redfern at the Kingdome, the Sonics returned to the Colisseum, meaning they would not have the benefit of 40,000 green and gold-clad fans to cheer them on.
With the Lakers waiting in Los Angeles for the victor, the Sonics finally put an end to the series with a 98-94 win, as Gus Williams poured in 33 points and Lonnie Shelton grabbed 15 rebounds.
And, that, essentially, was the last glory day for the late 1970s Seattle SuperSonics. The team which earned consecutive trips to the Finals would never again advance to the Conference Finals, not until the roster had been completely purged, the coach let go, and all remnants of the Brown/Sikma/Williams/Johnson/Wilkens era completely dissolved.
For one night in April 1980, though, they were still a talented team, one capable of returning to the promised land one more time. A Game 1 win over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals proved to be an illusion, however, as the Sonics dropped four straight and watched the championship series on their television sets.
That summer, Paul Silas retired, Gus Williams held out for the entire season, and Dennis Johnson's continuing problems with Lenny Wilkens proved to be too much for the Coach/GM to handle, prompting a trade to Phoenix for Paul Westphal.
That season, with their defensive stalwart now long gone, their spark plug point guard holding out, and their conscience in retirement, the Sonics failed to qualify for the playoffs, and the glory days of the greatest professional sports team in Seattle's history were over.
Close to 30 years ago last night, April 20, 1980, the Seattle SuperSonics and Milwaukee Bucks were matched up in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, in a series so close it could have gone 70 games.
It is a forgotten parcel of Sonic history, but shouldn't be.
It was a clash of two superb teams, including names like Williams, Johnson (4 of them! John, Marques, Vinnie and Dennis), Sikma, Silas, Brown, Lanier, Bridgeman, and Moncrief. True, it wasn’t a Boston-LA epic involving dozens of Hall of Famers, but it could possibly be the greatest almost Hall of Fame Game ever.
The two head coaches involved – Lenny Wilkens and Don Nelson – now stand first and second in wins all-time, and are both members of the Hall.
Game 5, in Seattle, had an announced attendance of 40,172, the largest in 41 years of Seattle basketball.
In seven games, the two teams combined to score 1,424 points; 716 for Milwaukee, 708 for Seattle. Of the seven games, two went to overtime and six (!) were decided by five points or fewer.
Milwaukee had won the Midwest Division that season, while the Sonics were second to the Lakers in the Pacific. Fresh off a title the year before, the Sonics drew 890,713 folks to their games that season, which ranked first in the league.
By a lot.
The next closest team – Boston – saw 596,349 attend their games, nearly 300,000 fewer than the Sonics.
Neither team was loaded with popular stars, and neither team had a league leader in any NBA category. True, Dennis and Marques Johnson earned spots on the All-NBA second team, Jack Sikma, DJ and MJ made the All-Star team, and Dennis Johnson (first) and Quinn Buckner (second) both played their way onto the All-Defensive Team, but this wasn’t Kareem, Magic, Bird, and Dr. J. Not by a longshot.
What this was, though, was a classic series. The Sonics, buoyed by Gus Williams’ 30 points, beat Milwaukee in overtime in Game 1 – by one point. The Bucks matched them in Game 2 with another overtime win – by two points.
The Bucks would go on to win two of the next three games, meaning the Sonics, down 3 to 2, faced a must-win contest at Milwaukee in Game 6.
And win they did, earning a nail-biting 86-85 win before 10,938 at MECCA Arena. With the series now deadlocked at three apiece, it was back to Seattle for Game 7. With Mike Parrott dueling Pete Redfern at the Kingdome, the Sonics returned to the Colisseum, meaning they would not have the benefit of 40,000 green and gold-clad fans to cheer them on.
With the Lakers waiting in Los Angeles for the victor, the Sonics finally put an end to the series with a 98-94 win, as Gus Williams poured in 33 points and Lonnie Shelton grabbed 15 rebounds.
And, that, essentially, was the last glory day for the late 1970s Seattle SuperSonics. The team which earned consecutive trips to the Finals would never again advance to the Conference Finals, not until the roster had been completely purged, the coach let go, and all remnants of the Brown/Sikma/Williams/Johnson/Wilkens era completely dissolved.
For one night in April 1980, though, they were still a talented team, one capable of returning to the promised land one more time. A Game 1 win over the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals proved to be an illusion, however, as the Sonics dropped four straight and watched the championship series on their television sets.
That summer, Paul Silas retired, Gus Williams held out for the entire season, and Dennis Johnson's continuing problems with Lenny Wilkens proved to be too much for the Coach/GM to handle, prompting a trade to Phoenix for Paul Westphal.
That season, with their defensive stalwart now long gone, their spark plug point guard holding out, and their conscience in retirement, the Sonics failed to qualify for the playoffs, and the glory days of the greatest professional sports team in Seattle's history were over.
Monday, April 20
Senate Passes Bill; House Next?
As reported by numerous folks (but first by SonicsCentral), the Washington State Senate's Ways and Means Committee has passed bill 6116, legislation which would enable the city of Seattle to access the car rental/food and beverage taxes for the improvement of KeyArena.
The bill still must be passed by the full Senate and the House before it becomes law, and it is this last aspect of the process which may prove to be the most difficult.
There is, as always, a time crunch involved. The legislature will adjourn at the end of the week, and if the bill has not passed by that time, Clay Bennett will breath a $30 million sigh of relief, the amount of money the Sonix owner agreed to pay the city if NBA doesn't send a new team to KeyArena by 2013.
Honestly, folks, if you're interested in seeing the Sonics back in Seattle, or if, rather, you like seeing Clay Bennett pay for things he'd rather not, then perhaps you ought to call your House or Senate representative.
The bill still must be passed by the full Senate and the House before it becomes law, and it is this last aspect of the process which may prove to be the most difficult.
There is, as always, a time crunch involved. The legislature will adjourn at the end of the week, and if the bill has not passed by that time, Clay Bennett will breath a $30 million sigh of relief, the amount of money the Sonix owner agreed to pay the city if NBA doesn't send a new team to KeyArena by 2013.
Honestly, folks, if you're interested in seeing the Sonics back in Seattle, or if, rather, you like seeing Clay Bennett pay for things he'd rather not, then perhaps you ought to call your House or Senate representative.
Friday, April 17
Hamed Haddadi
Winner, "Picture Least Likely to Appear on Front Page of Tehran Daily News."
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
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