The conceit has been that if you're rich you must be smart. This even applies to those who actually happen to look kind of stupid. Think of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck, or their modern equivalent, Clay Bennett. The latter, undeniably wealthy and stupid-looking, in fact may be a brilliant lead owner of the Seattle SuperSonics. Just look at what he accomplished merely by having his management guys free the team of unneeded shooting guard Ray Allen and expendable forward Rashard Lewis, the two Sonics marquee mainstays of the past few seasons. Not only did he help make Allen's new club, the 11-2 Boston Celtics, better than it's been since the Larry Bird years. He also raised the Lewis-led Orlando Magic to perhaps the best team in the National Basketball Association. But maybe the most brilliant part is that, in the meantime, Bennett has reduced the 2-14 (.125) Sonics to worst-in-league ignominy, nearly a guarantee that scant remaining fans will stay away from home games and help Bennett's case that the NBA is untenable here, the better to hasten his move of the franchise to Oklahoma City. A reason to consider this just now is that the Sea-Okie Soonics hosted Lewis and the Magic last night, Nov. 28. Paying witnesses (one hesitates to use "spectators") barely seemed to outnumber the empty red chairs. The score was 110-94. The winner was Lewis, but that would've been the case even in the unlikely event his 14-3 Disneyworld Prestidigitators had lost. Lewis was lousy stat-wise Wednesday, but he has a six-year contract averaging about $20 mil per. That leaves him not only approaching Bennett in wealth but doing so without looking stupid. Smarter yet: Allen, surrounded now by Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce in what is known around the league as The Big 3. Pay-day Ray not only got almost enough dough to afford season's bleacher seats at Red Sox games. He also got relief from scoring pressure. Paradoxically, the silky shooting guard has been more effective in Boston, averaging 20 a game, than he was here getting 25 or 26. So you look at Ray, Rashard, and Clay and figure everybody's happy. Right, but nobody isn't happy, "nobody" being the name that collectively applies to Seattle pro-basketball fans. They may look terrific, but, after spending for NBA tickets, they can't be very wealthy anymore, and, having bought 2007-08 Sonics ducats, they can't be considered very smart.
Paying the SuperSmart to watch the SuperSmarter
The conceit has been that if you're rich you must be smart. This even applies to those who actually happen to look kind of stupid. Think of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck, or their modern equivalent, Clay Bennett.
The latter, undeniably wealthy and stupid-looking, in fact may be a brilliant lead owner of the Seattle SuperSonics. Just look at what he accomplished merely by having his management guys free the team of unneeded shooting guard Ray Allen and expendable forward Rashard Lewis, the two Sonics marquee mainstays of the past few seasons. Not only did he help make Allen's new club, the 11-2 Boston Celtics, better than it's been since the Larry Bird years. He also raised the Lewis-led Orlando Magic to perhaps the best team in the National Basketball Association.
The conceit has been that if you're rich you must be smart. This even applies to those who actually happen to look kind of stupid. Think of Ebenezer Scrooge, Scrooge McDuck, or their modern equivalent, Clay Bennett.
The latter, undeniably wealthy and stupid-looking, in fact may be a brilliant lead owner of the Seattle SuperSonics. Just look at what he accomplished merely by having his management guys free the team of unneeded shooting guard Ray Allen and expendable forward Rashard Lewis, the two Sonics marquee mainstays of the past few seasons. Not only did he help make Allen's new club, the 11-2 Boston Celtics, better than it's been since the Larry Bird years. He also raised the Lewis-led Orlando Magic to perhaps the best team in the National Basketball Association.
