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July 9, 2008 1:01 PM

Stern tries to block Schultz's lawsuit

Posted by Percy Allen

After months of sitting on the sideline, the NBA has finally entered the high-stakes game between Clay Bennett and Howard Schultz.

Obviously, Commissioner David Stern is pulling for Bennett, who bought the Sonics and paid a $45 million buyout to move the team to Oklahoma City. Stern filed a motion Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to block Schultz's lawsuit which would rescind the 2006 sale of the team.

Schultz claims he was deceived when he sold the team and wants to put it into a collective trust and sell to an "honest buyer."

Stern says that's impossible because the league constitution doesn't allow teams to be put into a collective trust. If there was a dispute in the sale, ironically, Stern becomes the caretaker of the team and decides the course of action.

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