Sports Hernia":30z5lw67 said:It's like dealing with a bully, you don't beg for forgiveness and mercy, you punch him right in the MOUTH! Stern and Clay Clay better start counting their teeth 'cause they are going to have a lot less of them in the very near future! :th2thumbs:
Its going to get real UGLY for the NBA, and when it looks like they are going to get their asses handed to them in the courtroom, an out of court settlement will be reached and Seattle will be granted an expansion team or the Kings, much like the Pilots/Mariners situation, thats my prediction!
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Here's the dirty truth - ALL of the pro sports leagues are cartels/monopolies that operate in violation of anti-trust laws. The only reason they haven't blown up is because 99% of the disputes are between owners & players - both of whom have a vested interest in keeping the monopoly alive (the arguments are just about how to divide the $$$$) so it's like the old days of the Cold War and brinkmanship diplomacy ... the sides will threaten the nuclear option at the bargaining table, but neither really wants to go through with it.
HOWEVER - in cases where it's an outsider or a plaintiff dead-set on carrying it through, precedent & law is stacked against the leagues - from players suing for Free Agency, to Seattle suing to get back the Pilots/M's, to Al Davis suing to move the Raiders ... hell, even the USFL suing the NFL (remember, the USFL won every argument in court, it's only because of their own mismanagement they didn't receive damages)
The leagues survive because a) they have deep pockets to keep people from suing or drag it out procedurally and b) when push comes to shove they know it's better to buy the plaintiff off and make them happy rather than see things through to the end.
The NBA can talk tough, but in the end money talks. If Hansen sues, the NBA has a helluva lot more to loose than he does and the owners aren't going to piss that all away because David Stern wants to leave a "legacy". They may bitch about it, but they'll let Hansen in their club - and when the Seattle market is pouring it's $$$ into the league's coffers, they'll learn to get along just fine.