The NBA told Sonics co-owner Aubrey McClendon to whip out the checkbook and hand them $250K for his “OKC 4-EVA!” brainfart in an Oklahoma business paper.

I know you and I would consider that to be a lot of money (even though it won’t buy you a house within 120 miles of downtown Seattle anymore), but NBA economics are more… complicated. I mean, if the Sonics were to sign you, a first-year schmuck off the street, to a league minimum contract, you would be guaranteed $427,163. If they took that fine out of your pocket and not McClendon’s, you’d still make more ($177K) than the governor did this year ($167K), though that doesn’t include her perks (car, house, 200 free hours of ranting from Sound Politics).

If I were Stern, I’d hit them where it really hurts. I’d tell them that if they could move the Sonics to Oklahoma. But I’d only let them move to Tulsa, to their Pelli-designed glossy new arena opening next fall. I mean, after all, there’s nothing Oklahoma City people despise more than Tulsa. It’s like Seattle v. Portland, only with more of the Greece v. Turkey sort of vitriol. If there was a Cyprus to fight over in that state, they would be. Sadly, there’s only a Prague (it rhymes with Craig). And a Bluejacket. Which is near Big Cabin.