Sonics Owner Clay Bennett is a jowly-faced bastard. I'm doing him a favor by calling him that because that’ s probably one of the kinder things he'll be called from now on by heartbroken Seattle residents, who after two years of thinking their beloved 41-year-old franchise would stick around if they lobbied hard enough, now get to watch Kevin Durant play in Oklahoma City next season, even though their town wasn't washed away by a hurricane. The WSJ Daily Fix blog , which did a brilliant round-up of the whole ordeal, floats this little life raft out there for the fans:

Former Sonics owner Howard Schultz, of Starbucks fame, is suing Mr. Bennett’s group to strip them of ownership, arguing that Mr. Bennett reneged on a promise to negotiate in good faith for a new arena before trying to relocate. If Mr. Schultz prevails, the Sonics could potentially be forced to return to Seattle — Mr. Schultz and his lawyer aren’t seeking an emergency injunction to stop the move in hopes of building a better case, and that case isn’t expected to go to trial for nearly a year.

But most Seattle Sonics fans are probably too worn out from the last painful legal saga to even get worked up over this slim-to-none possibility. The Sonics story, if anything, should make all sports fans wary of what could happen to their own franchise once new ownership takes over. All of your hard-earned time and investment could be taken away from you with a quick handshake in the night, no matter how hard you root for them. Then you have to watch press conferences like this and just cringe:

"We made it," Bennett said after stepping to an Oklahoma City podium featuring the NBA logo and the letters OKC. "The NBA will be in Oklahoma City next season."

Seattle, Bennet Slam Door On Sonics [WSJ Daily Fix]

Basketball Still Has A Future In Seattle? Are You Kidding? [The Seattle Times]

A Shot To The Gut Of Seattle Fans [True Hoop]

The darkest hours in Seattle sports history [ESPN]

We already heard about e-mails between Clay Bennett and Tom Ward about being a "man possessed" in bringing the team to Oklahoma City. Now another owner, Aubrey McClendon, had some damning electronic messages be read aloud in court:

In early 2007, McClendon predicted that a controversy over his contributions to an anti-gay marriage group would improve the chances of the Sonics moving to Oklahoma City.

Later that year, McClendon apologized to principal Sonics owner Clay Bennett for telling an Oklahoma newspaper he'd always intended to move the Sonics. But McClendon added, "the truth is we did buy it with the hope of moving to Oklahoma City," according to a copy of his e-mail read aloud during the deposition.

More Revealing Sonics E-mails Emerge [Seattle Times]

Yes, Bennett is fighting with some members of the Oklahoma legislature over tax incentives the team is expecting. No, demanding.

Rep. Charlie Joyner, R-Midwest City, who also voted against the bill, said he received an e-mail from Bennett that said the team might not come to Oklahoma City unless the House passes the tax incentive. "I just don't think this thing has been handled right. That's kind of holding legislators hostage," Joyner said.

Ah, yes, the seedy underbelly of, you know, the seedy process of having a guy swipe a team from a loyal fanbase to play in your state. Eventually, he's going to screw you too. So nice to have this guy as an owner of a professional sports team, isn't it?

Clay Bennett To OK Legislature: "I'm An Equal Opportunity Dick" [Hot Dog And Friends]

As Starbucks chief Howard Schultz says he's considering suing to get the team back, we all still hold out faint, dim hope that the Sonics can stay around. (You can always sign one of the million petitions. But we'd like to focus more on the video above; anytime we ever see a video with Johnny Cash's "Hurt," we can't help but think of this:

This Mess In Seattle Isn't Over Yet [Randball]

Early emails have been released as a part of court papers, and they're definitive evidence that the group always planned on shipping the team to Oklahoma City. Which is no news to anyone; it's just nice to have proof they lied.

Email from Clay Bennett to David Stern, 8/17/07: "As absolutely remarkable as it may seem, Aubrey and I have NEVER discussed moving the Sonics to Oklahoma City, nor have I discussed it with ANY other member of our ownership group." But, and there's really no other way to put this, Bennett was lying. He'd talked about it at least four months earlier.

Email exchange between [Sonics owners] Tom Ward and Clay Bennett, 4/17/07: Ward: Is there any way to move here for next season or are we doomed to have another lame duck season in Seattle? Bennett: I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can. Thanks for hanging with me boys, the game is getting started!

Owners have learned their lesson from Art Modell. The way to move a franchise is not to sneak out in the middle of the night. It is to slowly demoralize and decimate the fanbase, to the point that people can't wait for you to leave. Make yourself not be missed. We hope Oklahoma City enjoys their team, and that they don't so much as utter a peep with this shit happens to them in 15 years.

Clay Bennett Lied To David Stern [Enjoy The Enjoyment]

We missed Bill Simmons' impassioned work for Sonics fans while we were on vacation, but it's really pretty excellent stuff, and exactly what a national sports columnist should be doing with his platform. Not that anyone will notice, or do anything, or care.

Public radio fella John More tried to grapple with this over the weekend, with a depressing outcome: People are officially shifting to the Trail Blazers.

What's heartbreaking for fans is that in this fight, the bad guys, the guys who want to take away the team, are referred to as The Sonics, the same name of the team the fans have loved for over 40 years. Continuing to buy tickets puts money in those owners' pockets. But to walk away from the team violates the way you've been living as a fan for your whole life. You can't cheer. It feels wrong to boo, and you're too passionate to simply stop caring.

What those Oklahoma City owners are doing to the city of Seattle is downright mean. And there's nothing anyone can do about it. Here's to sports!

The (Not So Super) Sonics [Weekend America]

Yes, at last, Draft Kevin Durant met the real Kevin Durant. It was a as pleasing an experience as you would suspect.

To me, it was like an episode of Oprah where long-lost siblings are reunited, cause for tears, celebration and I-need-to-take-a-step back awe. To him, it was just another pre-game interview in which he is eating a granola bar and counting down until game time. I understand him. And, for some reason, I think he understands me too. White fan; Black athlete. It's a story often told. This is the NBA.

This pretty much sums up every interview between an athlete and a reporter, since the beginning of time.

Kevin Durant Interview [Draft Kevin Durant]

• Pile On. With NBA "Heritage Week" in full swing, the Knicks decided to wear uniforms from their 1972-73 season — the last time they won a championship. So how'd the old/new digs work out? Oh, gee, take a wild fuckin' guess. Kevin Durant dropped 30 points and Jeff Green added 17 as the 6-17 Seattle RookieSonics beat the shitastic Knicks 117-110. Adding insult to injury, former Knicks forward Kurt Thomas scored five clutch points over the final few minutes to seal the deal. C'mon, Isiah ... Kurt Thomas? Can that dude even see straight? New York falls to 6-15, tied with Miami for the worst record in the East.

• Respect The Underhand, Dammit! The Rockets shot 6-for-22 from the charity stripe, missing 14 of their first 15 attempts, yet still beat the Pistons 80-77. Man, when will it all make sense? Tracy McGrady, taking a page from the Isiah Thomas excuse-book, explained his team's foul line futility: "It's mental. It's just you and the basket," he said. "And the fans definitely don't make it easy on you. Every time you miss, (they say), 'Awwww!' 'Awwww!' That's the worst thing you can do to a player — especially at home." Awwww, NBA players and coaches want to play in noise-canceling headphones. Cute.

• Good God Almighty! Garnett Killed Brady! Here's a fun idea I just came up with while eating a pizza bagel: Patriots versus Celtics in a "Hell in a Cell" match. Yeah, that's right; two dominant New England-based teams enter the cage ... only one crew survives the night! Winner gets the Red Sox in a "Ladder Match" at Summerslam. What? You wouldn't pay good money to see Boston teams beat the shit out of each other? Rookie Glen Davis scored 16 points in his first NBA start to lead Boston to a 90-78 win over the Kings to keep the Celtics unbeaten at home. Sacramento is now 0-9 on the road.

• He A Get, Get, Get, Get, You Dunk. Kris Kristofferson. Kris Kross. Kris Humphries. I see a pattern, and that pattern is awesome. Kris Humphries had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Kris Bosh — snicker, snicker, snicker — scored 17 as the Raptors beat-up the Mavericks 92-76. Joy! And in even better news: T.J. Ford, seen walking and smiling, received a loud ovation when he joined the Raps' bench in street clothes during the second quarter.