Aubrey McClendon says he is "under a self-imposed gag order" regarding the business of running the NBA franchise, but that didn't stop the Sonics minority owner from telling The Journal Record of Oklahoma City that the group's desire is to get the team out of Seattle. In a long article about McClendon appearing in Monday's Journal Record, the 48-year-old acknowledged the financial benefits of Seattle's larger market.

"But we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle. We hoped to come here," he said. "We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even, we'd be thrilled."

McClendon, the chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, did indicate the group would continue providing Seattle the first opportunity to keep the team by coming up with a plan for a new arena. When the Oklahoma-based conglomeration bought the team a year ago, Bennett set an Oct. 31 deadline for a new facility agreement to be in place. Otherwise, he said he'd file for relocation with the NBA.

"They've got 60 days to make some decisions they haven't been willing to make in the past year," McClendon said, "and if they make them in a way that satisfies Clay, then the team will stay there. If they don't meet the requirements he's laid out, the team will move, and Clay has indicated they'll come to Oklahoma City."

Bennett tried to generate interest in a $500 million "world-class multipurpose arena" in Renton, but that proposal died in the Legislature in April. He recently called on Mayor Greg Nickels to serve as a catalyst among area political and business leaders to keep the team in Seattle, but when Nickels continued proposing KeyArena as a viable option, Bennett said he didn't think it would be worth meeting with the mayor.

The Sonics' current lease agreement runs for three more seasons at KeyArena, which was rebuilt in 1994-95.

One of eight partners in the Professional Basketball Club approved by the NBA in October, McClendon has previously kept a quiet role in the Sonics and Storm ownership group.

"Clay is my good friend and general partner in the club, so he speaks most accurately and eloquently for the club," McClendon told The Journal Record. "However, I'm very excited about Kevin Durant and the other draft picks we had.

"I think we have a team that probably has as much on the ball for the next five or 10 years as any team in the league."

McClendon was part of a group, along with Bennett, that tried to buy the New Orleans Hornets and bring them permanently to Oklahoma City after that club began playing its home games at the Ford Center after Hurricane Katrina.

He was a prominent and visible front-row fan of the Hornets during their two-year stay in Oklahoma.

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"I've now been really caught up in the excitement of the (Sonics) because there is a certain stamp of 'we've arrived,' and the people of Seattle kind of look down their nose at us and think these guys are trying to climb the civic ladder," McClendon said. "They take pride in Seattle not needing an NBA team to be considered a world-class city. That's probably true -- they don't.

"But I think for Oklahoma City to distance itself from other midsize cities, I think enthusiastic support of a well-run, successful NBA team says a lot about the spirit of this community. We've got a can-do spirit, and we've got a fan base that's turned out. This is a sports town; nobody ever knew it was a pro sports town. I think it is."

In addition to Bennett and McClendon, the Sonics ownership group includes Tom Ward, chairman of SandRidge Energy; Jeffrey Records, chairman of MidFirst Bank; William Cameron, chairman of American Fidelity Assurance; Bob Howard, president of Mercedes-Benz of OKC; Everett Dobson, chairman of Dobson Communications; and Jay Scaramucci, president of Balon Corp.

All eight owners are based in Oklahoma. Bennett has said he's not interested at this time in adding minority owners from the Seattle area.

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