Can I do an OT: Sonics, Balmer?

[jerseyhawksfan79]

The Clippers sale isn't a done deal yet, and it probably won't be as long as Sterling intends to fight it. I also still very much doubt that the NBA would allow a team to be moved out of L.A. to pretty much any other market, whether that's what a prospective buyer wants to do or not. I've also heard conflicting information about whether he agreed to something to keep the Clippers in L.A. or just stated publicly that those were his intentions. Yes, the league allowed the Sonics to be moved from Seattle to a much smaller market, but I don't think Ballmer and Silver are best friends like Stern and Bennett were, the league isn't playing chicken with L.A. lawmakers like they were with Seattle/King County lawmakers and I don't think the lease situation in L.A. is anywhere near as tenuous, or easy to get out of, as it was here.

The inevitable loss of Ballmer (assuming Sterling doesn't pull a court victory out of his ass) as a prospective buyer is a big one, but not an impossible one to overcome. I've said a few times that just having him in the fraternity of owners, even if it isn't here, helps our cause by being another advocate in that fraternity for having the NBA back in Seattle (along with Paul Allen). It's also not like Ballmer was the last remaining really rich guy in the area. This region is home to one of the highest, if not the highest, concentrations of really rich people in the country, so whether Hansen finds one person to make the kind of financial commitment that Ballmer was willing to make or several people, I believe he can make it happen. You can't shake a tree on the east side without a multi, multi-millionaire or billionaire falling out of it. That's why I think that Hansen could confidently come to an agreement on that option to buy more land in SODO despite what looks like the loss of his biggest fellow investor. He knows he has options even if Ballmer is no longer one of them.

Ballmer could be taking a page out of Bennet's book, by saying all the right things but eventually moving the Clips in time. Bennett was suppose to use the 12 to 16 month good faith clause which obviously wasn't the case so Ballmer might do the same. I thought the Clips only rented out the Staples Center and didn't have a lease because the Lakers won't lease out the stadium to them? If the Clips only rent, then they can move out at anytime.

When the Sonics moved, Silver was very much in favor of putting a franchise back in Seattle so eventhough Silver and Ballmer may not be friends, it's nice to know the new commish is willing to work to get this done. I feel Silver never wanted the Sonics to move since his statements were made with David Stern sitting next to him.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Ballmer could be taking a page out of Bennet's book, by saying all the right things but eventually moving the Clips in time. Bennett was suppose to use the 12 to 16 month good faith clause which obviously wasn't the case so Ballmer might do the same. I thought the Clips only rented out the Staples Center and didn't have a lease because the Lakers won't lease out the stadium to them? If the Clips only rent, then they can move out at anytime.

When the Sonics moved, Silver was very much in favor of putting a franchise back in Seattle so eventhough Silver and Ballmer may not be friends, it's nice to know the new commish is willing to work to get this done. I feel Silver never wanted the Sonics to move since his statements were made with David Stern sitting next to him.

A lease is a agreement to rent your property. It's binding and no you can't just move out any time.

 

[blstoker]

A lease is a agreement to rent your property. It's binding and no you can't just move out any time.

Well, that was the theory many Sonics fans held onto before the Thunder moved.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Well, that was the theory many Sonics fans held onto before the Thunder moved.

Obvious contracts can be broken, but at a cost. Also the NBA would have to be behind the move and I don't see the NBA wanting to see the Clippers move.

 

[dude82]

Ballmer could be taking a page out of Bennet's book, by saying all the right things but eventually moving the Clips in time. Bennett was suppose to use the 12 to 16 month good faith clause which obviously wasn't the case so Ballmer might do the same. I thought the Clips only rented out the Staples Center and didn't have a lease because the Lakers won't lease out the stadium to them? If the Clips only rent, then they can move out at anytime.

When the Sonics moved, Silver was very much in favor of putting a franchise back in Seattle so eventhough Silver and Ballmer may not be friends, it's nice to know the new commish is willing to work to get this done. I feel Silver never wanted the Sonics to move since his statements were made with David Stern sitting next to him.

As a Sonics fan who would absolutely love to see the Green & Gold in Seattle again, I would hope that Ballmer would have more personal integrity than that and stick to his word, even if it means we have to wait a little longer to get a team back here. At least when he and Hansen were pushing to buy and move the Kings, they had the integrity to make it public knowledge that the plan was to move them instead of saying one thing and doing another, leaving a passionate fanbase high and dry (not that being upfront about their intentions particularly endeared them to Kings fans). I personally don't want any prospective Sonics owner pulling a "Bennett" on another fanbase.

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

A lease is a agreement to rent your property. It's binding and no you can't just move out any time.

I thought the Clipps rented per year cause if the Lakers had enough of sharing the Staples Center they could kick the Clippers to the road.

 

[HaroldSeattle]

I thought the Clipps rented per year cause if the Lakers had enough of sharing the Staples Center they could kick the Clippers to the road.

If Sterling sells Clippers, could team move to Orange County? - The Orange County Register

"Then there’s the not-so-small matter of the Clippers’ lease. In January 2013, Sterling reached an agreement with the Anschutz Entertainment Group for a 10-year extension of the team’s lease at Staples Center. Terms of the lease have not been disclosed, but breaking it would cost a minimum of tens of millions. Anyone looking to move the Clippers would also likely have to pay the league a relocation fee, which would run well into eight-figures, if not more."

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

If Sterling sells Clippers, could team move to Orange County? - The Orange County Register

"Then there’s the not-so-small matter of the Clippers’ lease. In January 2013, Sterling reached an agreement with the Anschutz Entertainment Group for a 10-year extension of the team’s lease at Staples Center. Terms of the lease have not been disclosed, but breaking it would cost a minimum of tens of millions. Anyone looking to move the Clippers would also likely have to pay the league a relocation fee, which would run well into eight-figures, if not more."

Damn it! I didn't know that one. That sucks!

 

[HaroldSeattle]

Damn it! I didn't know that one. That sucks!

Yeah it does,but the money won't be a problem for someone as rich as Balmer, it's the fact that the NBA would never give it a green light to start with. Clippers are doing well right where they are.
In hindsight Balmer should have offer double what he did for the Kings, then Seattle would have a NBA team.

 

[dude82]

Yeah it does,but the money won't be a problem for someone as rich as Balmer, it's the fact that the NBA would never give it a green light to start with. Clippers are doing well right where they are.
In hindsight Balmer should have offer double what he did for the Kings, then Seattle would have a NBA team.

I don't know about that last statement. He and his group of investors already offered significantly more for a couple of teams than anyone thought someone would offer for those teams, but that just seemed to make the league try even harder to prevent it from happening. It seems that significantly overpaying for a team only works now when you agree to keep it where it is. I can't remember the last time something like that happened... if it ever has. At this point, I'm inclined to believe that Seattle isn't getting a team until the league decides to let the Seattle/King County politicians out of its doghouse for not "cooperating" the first time.

 

[Logicallylethal]

Not sure if this means anything, but I attended UW's graduation yesterday and Balmer was one of the speakers.

Prior to Balmer's speech, a student speaker was at the podium making his speech and he said something along the lines of "...the city of Seattle is ready for an NBA team whenever you are Steve. Save our Sonics!" and that was followed up with probably the loudest roar and applause from the crowd

Later on Steve Balmer came up to make his speech and he sort of tippy toed around the Sonics situation and addressed it by saying he is a man of ambition and has many dreams...and one of those dreams may take him to southern California

There was so much respect for Balmer so no boos at all, but I definitely saw a few disappointed faces in the crowd when he said that

 

[jerseyhawksfan79]

Yeah it does,but the money won't be a problem for someone as rich as Balmer, it's the fact that the NBA would never give it a green light to start with. Clippers are doing well right where they are.
In hindsight Balmer should have offer double what he did for the Kings, then Seattle would have a NBA team.

Even if the offer was doubled, David Stern still would have made sure that sale and relocation would never have happened.

 

[Chawkdawg]

As much as I'd love to see the Sonics come home, I don't see any way SB pays 2B for a franchise and moves it up here. There's no way those numbers work.
However, having the two richest owners in the NBA firmly in favor of putting a team in Seattle can only be good, Yes?