Hornets likely based in OKC next season NEW ORLEANS MAY HOST HANDFUL OF GAMES
Saturday, January 28, 2006
By John Reid
and Benjamin Hochman%%par%%Staff writers
With an NBA-imposed deadline just days away, it appears likely that the Hornets will be based in Oklahoma City next season and visit New Orleans for just a handful of games with an understanding the team would return to the Crescent City for the 2007-08 season, league sources said Friday.
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It's not known how many games will be played in New Orleans, the Hornets' home since the 2002-03 season until Hurricane Katrina forced the team to relocate to Oklahoma, but league sources indicate it likely will be six to eight games.
Earlier this season, Hornets officials said playing a split schedule for the 2006-07 season was a possibility, but this week they said dividing the 41-game home schedule equally between the two cities would be impractical because the team would have to keep a sizable work force in both markets.
Though team owner George Shinn has consistently said he wants to be part of the city's rebuilding efforts, he also has consistently said he wants to bring the team back when the city is ready to support it. Last week, NBA commissioner David Stern said the league is operating on the assumption that the city's long-term repopulation projections will be sufficient to support an NBA team. "Our plans are to come back," he said.
But Hornets coach Byron Scott questioned this week whether next season is the time to return.
"I really don't think they'll have the residency, the economics to support a second franchise," Scott said Thursday. "I think our attendance would probably be worse, because I don't think you have enough people. That's my main concern."
Hornets and NBA officials have been in discussions with state and SMG officials since mid-December about possible options. The Hornets do not have an out clause in their 10-year agreement, but if they decide to leave after the final year of the contract, 2012, they would have to pay a $10 million penalty.
"We believe the Hornets' lease agreement requires them to return to New Orleans for the 2006-07 season," Superdome Commission chairman Tim Coulon said in a statement. "We are aware of their concern regarding the ability of the market to support a 41-game season.
"The state, through the LSED and SMG, has been diligently working with the Hornets and the NBA toward the same mutual goal: to assure the long-term success of NBA basketball in New Orleans. We have made every effort to make accurate, objective information and projections available to them. We believe they have made a long-term-commitment to New Orleans."
The Hornets will play three games at New Orleans Arena this season, beginning March 8 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tickets for the three games went on sale Wednesday, and in a statement issued by the team, the Hornets said they are cautiously optimistic they will have good crowds for what will be the first professional sporting events in New Orleans since Katrina.
Arena general manager Glenn Menard said the Arena is on schedule to be ready for the March 8 game. The most extensive work involves the two locker room areas, which suffered water damage from Katrina.
As part of its lease agreement with the Hornets, there is a clause that if the Arena is deemed playable for the three games scheduled, the Hornets are obligated to return to New Orleans next season. But it appears state officials are willing to work with the Hornets to accommodate their wishes for the short term as long as they commit to returning after the 2006-07 season.
When the Hornets signed their lease agreement with Oklahoma City in October, they had an option to return for the 2006-07 season if the league determined that New Orleans had not fully recovered economically from Katrina or repopulated to a sufficient level to support an NBA team. The team's lease deal in Oklahoma is generous, and fan support has been very strong at the Ford Center. The franchise is guaranteed to earn between $35 million to $40 million, and the deal pays for housing the team's employees and the team's furnished office space, which is within walking distance of the Ford Center. The Hornets can extend the lease for another season with the same revenue guarantees. The team also has signed five major sponsorship deals with Oklahoma City-based companies.
The Hornets have concerns about their corporate sponsorships in New Orleans. The team said that all but three of their corporate sponsors either suspended or canceled their deals. Team officials also said one in three season ticket-holders no longer lives in Louisiana, according to information they gathered when refunds were made available for New Orleans season ticket-holders for the 2005-06 season.
"Sports partnerships and sponsorships, in a lot of the cases, are going to take a back seat," said Michael Thompson, the Hornets' director of corporate communications. ". . . There's a lot of that adjustment going on in New Orleans. I have every reason to believe they're going to come back. Eventually, the population base is going to return."
"It comes down to business," said Hornets center P.J. Brown, a Louisiana native. "That's a business decision for Mr. Shinn and David Stern. If the team goes back there, they're going to want the team to make money. We all know that.
"If the fans are not able to come to the games and support the team, they're not making any money. I don't know if that's in the best interest of the team or the city of New Orleans -- I don't know yet."
Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett said the city has not been involved in any negotiations with the Hornets regarding next season, nor has he received any information regarding the league's pending decision on where the Hornets will be based next season.
"If this team is going to return to Oklahoma City next season, it needs to be because the city of New Orleans is not yet ready," Cornett said. "We have not been negotiating for next year, and it wouldn't be appropriate to do so until they determine that they cannot play in New Orleans. And I haven't heard that word yet."
Saturday, January 28, 2006
By John Reid
and Benjamin Hochman%%par%%Staff writers
With an NBA-imposed deadline just days away, it appears likely that the Hornets will be based in Oklahoma City next season and visit New Orleans for just a handful of games with an understanding the team would return to the Crescent City for the 2007-08 season, league sources said Friday.
Advertisement
It's not known how many games will be played in New Orleans, the Hornets' home since the 2002-03 season until Hurricane Katrina forced the team to relocate to Oklahoma, but league sources indicate it likely will be six to eight games.
Earlier this season, Hornets officials said playing a split schedule for the 2006-07 season was a possibility, but this week they said dividing the 41-game home schedule equally between the two cities would be impractical because the team would have to keep a sizable work force in both markets.
Though team owner George Shinn has consistently said he wants to be part of the city's rebuilding efforts, he also has consistently said he wants to bring the team back when the city is ready to support it. Last week, NBA commissioner David Stern said the league is operating on the assumption that the city's long-term repopulation projections will be sufficient to support an NBA team. "Our plans are to come back," he said.
But Hornets coach Byron Scott questioned this week whether next season is the time to return.
"I really don't think they'll have the residency, the economics to support a second franchise," Scott said Thursday. "I think our attendance would probably be worse, because I don't think you have enough people. That's my main concern."
Hornets and NBA officials have been in discussions with state and SMG officials since mid-December about possible options. The Hornets do not have an out clause in their 10-year agreement, but if they decide to leave after the final year of the contract, 2012, they would have to pay a $10 million penalty.
"We believe the Hornets' lease agreement requires them to return to New Orleans for the 2006-07 season," Superdome Commission chairman Tim Coulon said in a statement. "We are aware of their concern regarding the ability of the market to support a 41-game season.
"The state, through the LSED and SMG, has been diligently working with the Hornets and the NBA toward the same mutual goal: to assure the long-term success of NBA basketball in New Orleans. We have made every effort to make accurate, objective information and projections available to them. We believe they have made a long-term-commitment to New Orleans."
The Hornets will play three games at New Orleans Arena this season, beginning March 8 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Tickets for the three games went on sale Wednesday, and in a statement issued by the team, the Hornets said they are cautiously optimistic they will have good crowds for what will be the first professional sporting events in New Orleans since Katrina.
Arena general manager Glenn Menard said the Arena is on schedule to be ready for the March 8 game. The most extensive work involves the two locker room areas, which suffered water damage from Katrina.
As part of its lease agreement with the Hornets, there is a clause that if the Arena is deemed playable for the three games scheduled, the Hornets are obligated to return to New Orleans next season. But it appears state officials are willing to work with the Hornets to accommodate their wishes for the short term as long as they commit to returning after the 2006-07 season.
When the Hornets signed their lease agreement with Oklahoma City in October, they had an option to return for the 2006-07 season if the league determined that New Orleans had not fully recovered economically from Katrina or repopulated to a sufficient level to support an NBA team. The team's lease deal in Oklahoma is generous, and fan support has been very strong at the Ford Center. The franchise is guaranteed to earn between $35 million to $40 million, and the deal pays for housing the team's employees and the team's furnished office space, which is within walking distance of the Ford Center. The Hornets can extend the lease for another season with the same revenue guarantees. The team also has signed five major sponsorship deals with Oklahoma City-based companies.
The Hornets have concerns about their corporate sponsorships in New Orleans. The team said that all but three of their corporate sponsors either suspended or canceled their deals. Team officials also said one in three season ticket-holders no longer lives in Louisiana, according to information they gathered when refunds were made available for New Orleans season ticket-holders for the 2005-06 season.
"Sports partnerships and sponsorships, in a lot of the cases, are going to take a back seat," said Michael Thompson, the Hornets' director of corporate communications. ". . . There's a lot of that adjustment going on in New Orleans. I have every reason to believe they're going to come back. Eventually, the population base is going to return."
"It comes down to business," said Hornets center P.J. Brown, a Louisiana native. "That's a business decision for Mr. Shinn and David Stern. If the team goes back there, they're going to want the team to make money. We all know that.
"If the fans are not able to come to the games and support the team, they're not making any money. I don't know if that's in the best interest of the team or the city of New Orleans -- I don't know yet."
Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett said the city has not been involved in any negotiations with the Hornets regarding next season, nor has he received any information regarding the league's pending decision on where the Hornets will be based next season.
"If this team is going to return to Oklahoma City next season, it needs to be because the city of New Orleans is not yet ready," Cornett said. "We have not been negotiating for next year, and it wouldn't be appropriate to do so until they determine that they cannot play in New Orleans. And I haven't heard that word yet."
