Decision Afoot on the 'Seattle' SuperSonics

This evening, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman is expected to render her decision in the case of the City of Seattle vs. Professional Basketball Club LLC, the owners of the SuperSonics. In her judgment, Pechman can either tell Seattle it has no authority to force Clay Bennett to keep his business in Seattle for the next two seasons, or she can tell Bennett's he has to keep Kevin Durant and company in the Pacific Northwest through 2010.

Popular consensus says the city bungled its case a bit in this month's hearings in front of Pechman. SuperSonicSoul's Paul Merrill admits as much, but makes a final plea for compassion.

[T]his decision isn't just for die-hard Sonics fans - it's for every sports fan in the country. If this can happen in Seattle, one of the biggest media markets with some of the most loyal fans in the country, it can happen anywhere. Siding with the Bennett Boys is saying it's OK for David Stern and the NBA to blackmail fans and non-fans alike into paying millions of dollars for needless new arenas. It's telling them it's OK to squeeze out the working class fans to make room for high-priced suites for corporate goons who couldn't care less about basketball. It's telling the fans "You don't matter".

At 4pm today, when you post your decision, you are either going to side with common, hard-working citizens or spineless, corporate pirates. I hope you make the right decision.

We hope so, too.

The decision should be available at the court's website at 7 p.m. Eastern.