I don't have a lot of time to comment but I'll say that calling yesterdays result, even as a mixed bag, something of a win is probably a stretch.
The city got for their case a key item, league mails and documents regarding relocation. That was a win and it was one of the primary items they were looking for. This same information, once assembled, will I assume will be requested by Schultz for his case.
Deposing David Stern is critical and I expect them to be able to do it. The judges ruling that Stern could be deposed "if it became relevant" essentially added another step. It will be relevant. I know too many people who will testify that Clay repeatedly referred to his private conversations with Stern both in putting this transaction together and regarding the Renton arena proposal. Stern is a key guy in this and did not get off the hook.
This also completely throws Joel Litvin under the bus. Whether Stern gets deposed or not now relies largely on how many times Litvin will say "I can personally vouch for that." and takes things on his shoulders. Litvin is a pretty good guy and this could get messy for him. If I were him I would roll quickly and say "The commissioner held that conversation outside of my presence and I cannot testify as to its contents." More likely he'll take one for the team and try to take everything on his own shoulders. Litvin is an attorney and a guy who knows how to deflect potentially damaging comments. He's ranked as one of the most powerful men in Sports and for the most part nobody has ever heard his name until now. Welcome to the spotlight Joel! You're the walking definition of a minor celebrity.
Getting the financial records for the teams was something I felt was really a key leverage point. It was another step in undermining Bennett's support from the other owners and I think that big picture that means a lot for us. I wonder whether the judge now will limit Bennett's ability to refer to his financial hardship. I expect the city to frequently throughout the trial say "Your honor Mr. Bennett is referring to the distinct financial hardship as it relates to similar agreements in the NBA but the NBA specifically denied us the ability to research these agreements citing that it was not relevant to Specific Performance and that each agreement is unique in nature and unrelated. If the agreements are unrelated then the defendant should not be able to cite them in support of their argument."
We'll see how that plays out.
I think one thing we saw here is how in a courtroom things can go any way, no matter what you expect, and that they usually favor the home team. Stern won a round in NY in what I would say is a somewhat surprising and controversial fashion. Playing the courts in Washington could go the same way for our Oklahoma Barons.
I'm still boycotting the playoffs. I can't do it. I really want to root for Delonte but then I realize that we traded him for a pile of crap and some extra money to cover Clays legal bills. That gets me worked up.