Percy Allen of the Seattle Times writes:
Sonics chairman Clay Bennett is so eager to sever ties with Seattle that he's willing to leave the team's name, logo, colors and history behind to avoid a messy divorce.
During a breakfast meeting for team sponsors Friday at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Southern California, Bennett said he plans to influence the city to accept a buyout. He also told several sponsors that he wants to negotiate a settlement in which the city retains nearly everything associated with the Sonics except the players and coaches.
Sonics spokesman Dan Mahoney confirmed Bennett's statement on Monday.
"That's an accurate assessment," he said. He added that the ownership group told the city last month it was willing to leave behind the Sonics name, logo and history.
Sonic owners meet with Sonic sponsors in California?
The article goes on to point out that the ownership is anxious to strike a deal with the city quickly. The NBA's bigwigs will be meeting next month to approve the proposed move, and it would behoove the ownership to be free of the legal entanglements currently hanging over the team.
If the team formerly known as the Sonics ends up in Oklahoma City, and Seattle continues to have cash and political will to buy a team and get some some kind of arena arranged, I sure hope the league won't stand in the way -- as has been vaguely threatened at times.
In the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Gary Washburn writes that the Save Our Sonics people are hoping to enlist big help in seeing to it the team never leaves to begin with:
The Save Our Sonics organization has presented TNT analyst Charles Barkley a "Save Our Sonics" jersey they are hoping he wears on Thursday's national telecast of NBA games. TNT has been following Save Our Sonics all week. Its game crew was prevented from filming the Save Our Sonics folks during their chants in the first half.
UPDATE: So, what might an Oklahoma City team be named? Here's a list of state symbols to get you thinking.
There is not a lot to work with. The various state animals and trees and things are: Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, Mistletoe, Buffalo, White Bass, Wild Turkey, Collared Lizard, Raccoon, Redbud, Rose Rock, and Indian Blanket. If you're like me, you started reading that list and said to yourself "Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher -- no way." But then you saw the rest of the list -- White Bass? -- and thought, "Well, I guess flycatcher isn't the worst thing ever. Has a certain Karate Kid vibe, I guess."
TrueHoop reader Neal sent the list over, and after looking at the foods associated with Oklahoma, his suggestion is "the Oklahoma Grits." Now there's a name with potential product tie-ins.
