Owner George Shinn is what you would call a newsmaker. In Charlotte, he lost his protracted fight to get a new arena built for him. He also had a variety of other headline-grabbing problems, including a civil sexual assault suit and an ugly divorce.

He moved the team to New Orleans in 2002, briefly causing a stir. Last year, the Hornets finished 18-64 and ranked at the bottom of the NBA in attendance. The team's future seemed pretty bleak.

Sadly, Hurricane Katrina gave this team an extreme makeover — forcing its move to a more affluent city starved for professional sports. But now the Hornets play most of their home games in Oklahoma City ... before raucous sellout crowds.

That is helping speed the building process. "We have to learn how to win, how to keep playing and keep fighting," coach Byron Scott said.

It's unknown if the NBA will let Shinn keep his team in Oklahoma City, but it seems like a good idea.



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