by Eric Yang
Staff Writer

The Supersonics is Seattle’s longest tenured sports team, but its current owner, Clay Bennett, is stretching the truth to move the team Oklahoma.

In 2006, Bennett, chairman of Professional Basketball Club, LLC, bought the Sonics from Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks Coffee. One of Bennett’s business partners claimed that Bennett was planning to move the Sonics to Oklahoma from the time Bennett took ownership of the team. Bennett, however, has repeatedly denied such accusations.

Now Bennett is showing his true colors by trying to break the Sonics’ lease on the Key Arena, the current home of the Sonics, and move away from the city where the Sonics won their first and only title in 1979.

Bennett went to the State Legislature and said that Key Arena was no longer fit to host the Sonics. He requested a new arena and gave Seattle until October 31, 2007 to approve the deal. Bennett threatened that if he didn’t get what he wanted, he would pack up the Sonics and leave town.

Washington voters disapproved of the deal and now it seems that renovating the Key Arena is the only way to save the Sonics.

On September 10, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance that prevents an early termination of the Key Arena lease, thus keeping the Sonics in Seattle until at least October 2010.

But this didn’t matter to Bennett. He filed for arbitration.

In the courtroom, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Martinez gave round one to the City of Seattle, denying Bennett the right to break the lease. This was the right move and at the end of the trial, the judge had a message to the owners: He said that the Sonics’ owners’ arguments were “as errant as a typical Shaquille O’Neal free throw.”

So what’s the problem now?

Bennett is still trying to save face and get out of Seattle. But frankly, anyone can say that it’s Bennett and his group that should be leaving town—not the Sonics. He lied to the public, the government and the fans.

It is not fair to anyone who loves the Sonics for this to happen. This team Seattle as much as the city needs them.