SEATTLE — SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett testified Wednesday that he made mistakes in dealing with the city of Seattle after he bought the team in 2006.
“We bought this team with grand visions for success,” he said. “Did we do everything right, and did we understand everything there was to understand? Certainly not.”
Bennett began his second day on the witness stand in a federal trial over the Sonics’ lease at KeyArena under friendly questioning from team attorney Brad Keller, and didn’t specify his mistakes. He finished his testimony shortly before noon and was replaced on the stand by team president Danny Barth.
Bennett is also on the Sonics’ witness list, so he may testify again in the final three days of a trial that is to end June 26.
Bennett suggested he misunderstood the region’s political climate. But he also testified he simply wasn’t willing to commit to the things his local advisers told him would be necessary to win government support for a new arena and keep the Sonics in town: make an out-of-pocket contribution toward the construction, and agree to cover cost overruns.
Raptors buy out contract of Garbajosa.
Toronto bought out the contract of Jorge Garbajosa, the Spanish forward whose career with the Raptors was cut short by a broken leg.
He had one year and $4.25 million left on his contract.
“I will not complete my year left in Toronto,” Garbajosa said Wednesday in a statement from the Spanish Basketball Federation. Now I will have to see what I do in the future.”
Garbajosa may consider playing for Spain in the Beijing Olympics.
The buyout is expect to be approved by the NBA.
