The most puzzling question surrounding the whole Seattle SuperSonics/NBA deal is why NBA Commissioner David Stern didn’t do his job. Why did he deliberately go out of his way to make sure that Seattle had little chance of keeping the franchise in Seattle? Seattle has been a loyal and healthy contributing factor to the NBA’s success for more than 40 years and should have been treated with respect by the NBA’s top representative.
If Stern feels that the move of the Sonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City is a sound financial business decision, I wouldn’t want him making the janitorial decisions in any business I owned.
He also sided with an outsider at a costly time for Seattle and the NBA. Where was the understanding and support needed when crisis strikes a successful and long standing member? Isn’t that part of his job? It seemed that he preferred to spend most of his time sharpening pencils for Clay Bennett.
Once again, the bad guys win, which seems to be commonplace in this country. Plow your way through with brute force, lies (under oath) and deception, and then cover it up with money.
This should send a message to the rest of the cities with teams that have carried the NBA for so many years. If Stern will drive a stake into the heart of a healthy franchise city like Seattle, what will he do when he gets into a spat with a slightly struggling franchise? I am sure Clay is not his only rich buddy.
Joe Fleming
Lake Stevens
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