Bennett Sticking to His Story And Getting Reamed

Before lunch, the city's attorney tried to help Clay Bennett remember what he meant when, after his partner Tom Ward wondered if the Sonics might play in OKC this year, wrote back "I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can."

This from Percy Allen's blow-by-blow account:

Bennett said he meant he was possessed to keep the team in Seattle. Lawrence hammered away at this point. Lawrence pointed to the responses from Ward and McClendon who said they wanted to watch basketball games in Oklahoma City.

Lawrence asked: "Did you respond back and say 'I meant I want to keep the team in Seattle?'" Bennett said: "I did not."

Lawrence submitted an e-mail between Bennett and NBA executive Joel Litvin in which Bennett asked if there was any way he could move the team to Oklahoma City next season. Said Lawrence: "So the man possessed to keep the team in Seattle is asking how he can move the team to Oklahoma City."

Burn.