Allen Getting Pressure from Seattle Officials?
Fri, 2006-08-11 19:58 — Berger
I'm hearing lots of chatter this week that Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen is getting pressure from goverment officials and business leaders in Seattle to bring his NBA team, the Portland Trail Blazers to Seattle.
According to sources, despite Sonics owner Clay Bennett's charade that he has intentions of keeping the team in Seattle if he gets the right facility, he's already informed close associates and people in Oklahoma City that the Sonics will be moving to Oklahoma City at the end of the 2006-07 season.
Paul Allen has strong relationships with Seattle government officials. He owns the NFL's Seattle Seahawks and saved the team from leaving for LA, thus giving him hero status in the Emerald City. He owns considerable real estate in the greater Seattle area. Government officials would much rather deal with Allen than they would with Bennett. I'm also told that officials in Seattle don't want to lose NBA basketball - they've had a team since 1967.
If Allen were to try to move the Trail Blazers to Seattle, he would have to buy his way out of a 2025 Site Agreement (with the City of Portland) and a lease agreement with Portland Arena Management. Allen would also likely have to pay a relocation fee. The Memphis Grizzlies paid $30M when they relocated from Vancouver.
If the City of Seattle wants Allen and his NBA team badly enough, they could offer to help offset Allen's buyout costs in Portland.....that's assuming the City of Portland would even agree to a buyout. Or, Allen, a multi-billionaire, could take on these costs on his own in exchange for considerations from the City of Seattle with his real estate projects in Seattle.
As I've stated since Paul Allen withdrew from a joint sale with PAM last week, I'm becoming more and more convinced that Paul Allen does not want to own an NBA team in Portland. I think he will explore all options for moving the team to Seattle and if he's unsuccessful, he will ultimately sell the team to someone else. He has stated many times that there is a "broken ecomomic model" in Portland, and I don't see him continuing to operate under that model. I also don't see PAM making a deal with him to improve his economic situtation in Portland.
It also makes little sense for someone to purchase the Trail Blazers from Allen and keep them in Portland unless they also owned the arena and controlled the arena's revenue streams. So, unless someone bought the Trail Blazers and at the same time, negotiated a separate agreement with PAM, this is an unlikely scenario.
If I were the people at Vulcan advising Paul Allen, I would be trying to figure out how to make the Trail Blazers portable. What is the price for a buyout with the City of Portland on the Site Agreement and what is the price for a buyout for the lease with PAM? Everyone/everything has its price.
If Allen can buy his way out of those agreements, he then would find himself in a very good position. He could either move the team to Seattle himself or he could sell the team for a substantial amount of money to someone who would then be buying a portable team instead of one tied to the City of Portland until 2025. Allen can even use his real estate around the Rose Quarter as a barganing chip.
Let's see what Allen's next move is. He's the one who withdrew from a joint sale with PAM, so everyone is now sitting back to see what he will do next.
Oh and by the way, is it just me or is it odd that the City of Portland has been absolutely silent during this entire drama? Their silence is deafening. Either they feel they have an airtight case if Allen tries to move the team, so nothing really needs to be said, or Mayor Tom Potter, who couldn't care less about sports won't address the situation until Allen comes to the City to negotiate a buy out or Allen tries to move the team by other means. Remember, Potter is the guy who basically told Florida Marlins President David Samson not to waste his time visiting Portland because the City had no interest in helping MLB get to Portland. Potter has made it clear that sports is not a priority for the City of Portland. Gosh, I can't imagine why Allen would want to move his team to Seattle. In one city they'll roll out the red carpet for him and in the other, they make it clear that sports is not a priority.
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blazers
all that money to move to seattle to play where? key arena.
Sue SEA officials. That's tampering.
Sounds like those Seattle government officials need to be hit with huge lawsuit against the city of Seattle and those government officials personally for tampering. The Sonics are still in Seattle. Those government officals can't play games with a franchise in another city while the Sonics are in Seattle. The lawyers should also try to demand a permanent injuction against the Blazers ever moving to Seattle because of the tampering of the Blazers franchise by those Seattle government officials. Argue any move to Seattle by the Blazers would now be fruit of a poison tree.
moving blazers
why would anyone move a team from a city that only has nba as a professional sport to view to a city (150 miles away) that already has professional football and baseball?
the only reason why the economical model is broken in portland is from paul's own dealing. most college business students could have run the blazers organization better.
all paul has to do to fix the model is purchase the arena from PAM and continue to make smart personnel decisions (picking players with character), and the portland fan base will return in droves.
move to seattle? bah. unlikely at best.
"Potter has made it clear
"Potter has made it clear that sports is not a priority for the City of Portland. Gosh, I can't imagine why Allen would want to move his team to Seattle. In one city they'll roll out the red carpet for him and in the other, they make it clear that sports is not a priority."
I'm a resident of Portland and I've spent considerable time up north in Seattle as well and I'd like to comment on the above quote, which I consider to be way off base.
Seattle will roll out the red carpet..are you insane? The sole reason Seattle might end up without an NBA team in the first place is because its residents refuse to pony up for a new arena. If you think Seattle residents are rabid about basketball, you haven't been paying attention over the last decade.
Even if Allen somehow hurdles all these obstacles, nowhere near as easy as you speculate I might add, he's going to what...play games in that mausoleum that the Sonics call an arena? Somehow convince the residents to do a complete 180 on their thinking and build him a new one? Or are you completely off the deep end and think he's going to build it with his own money?
And as far as Portland and baseball is concerned, you miss the mark again. It's not that Potter is anti-baseball, it's that doesn't want Portland to be used by teams like the Marlins when Portland clearly isn't being given serious consideration. The reason you heard silence from the residents is that WE ALL AGREED WITH POTTER ON THIS ONE.
The Trailblasers won't be leaving Portland, certainly not for Seattle, count on that.
blazers
it's not going to happen man. Portland is one of the best NBA cities when run properly. As long as Paul Allen is willing to spend some money and get mostly decent people, then the fans are going to come back. This is a city that just wants a winner. We supported the Rider, Wallace, and Bonzi days because we were winning. Just imagine if the Blazers are competitive and winning with a great group of guys. All Paul has to do is buy back the arena and make good basketball decisions, which he is this summer. Blazers will be here for the long haul.
You forgot to mention that
You forgot to mention that PAM had an agreement for a joint sale of team and arena, found suitable buyers interested in keeping the team in Portland, and it was Allen himself who walked away from the negotiating table.
Who's silence is deafening? Probably the man holding the keys. Until we hear more (or hear anything, for that matter), it's safe to say that Allen will likely play these cities (and potential buyers) against each other throughout the year, increasing the value of his team.
My guess? If anyone in Seattle OR Portland expects any news soon, they better not hold their breath.
Blazer won't move
Paul Allen isn't dumb enough to pay for a new arena ($250 million?), relocation fees ($50 million) and damages to the city of Portland (at least $100 million) just to have a team in his back yard, is he? Even if he tried to leave, the move could be tied up in the courts for a number of years.
All it takes is for the Seahawks to go downhill and Seattle won't be as in love with PA.
portland relocation
There have been alot of rumors that Vancouver BC will be getting another team. If you think of it it will be good because Vancouver had fan base with the grizzlies but the grizzlies just werent good and had bad managment,
As long as the player does
As long as the player does his job on the field, we shouldn't try thttp://www.pressbox.co.uk/detailed/Sports/TicketCity.com_announces_the_release_of_their_Premium_2008_World_Series_Tickets_244876.html">World Series Tickets
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