Poor Hornets

[Karried]

I miss Chris Paul! This is a travesty!

•Empty nest: Through the Hornets' first four home games in their full-time return to New Orleans, the team had two record lows in attendance. On Nov. 2 against Portland, the announced crowd at New Orleans Arena was 9,817. Last Wednesday against Philadelphia, it was 8,302.

The Hornets rank last in the NBA in average home attendance at 12,151. And those figures are tickets sold, not turnstile count. The excuses from fans are running rampant — Halloween, high school football, heavy traffic, mid-week rumdum opponent.

Never mind the Hornets' league-low average ticket price of $24.58.
Despite a franchise-best 9-2 start, crowds might not improve anytime soon. The Hornets play host to Orlando tonight, then bottom feeders Indiana and Minnesota on Wednesday and next Monday.

[betts]

The Wednesday night game is on Cox, so we can watch the game. Regardless of what happens with the NBA here, I'll always support the Hornets.

[CCOKC]

I watched the Hornets play the Mavs on Saturday, my two favorite teams. (For those of you who are OU fans, I was watching that as well). The paid attendance was 12000 and some change. If you know anything about NBA basketball, Dallas is one of those teams that should guarantee a sell out. Add on the fact that the Hornets had not beat Dallas in 8 years and that Dallas is a division rival and that the Hornets are really good this year this is so sad. I could't help but feel that the city does not deserve this team. I know that LSU played the SEC Championship the same day but it was earlier in the day and should not have been a problem. Come back home Hornets.

[Doug Loudenback]

I'm keeping track over at Hornets Central ... HornetsCentral.com & SonicsBeat.com Forums :: Log in

A pair of graphics show the status at a glance ...

2008 Attendance



Comparison With Prior Nola Seasons



We'll see how tomorrow's home game v. Detroit fares in New Orleans.

[CCOKC]

This is really sad. To see it in graphic forms almost makes me cry. This franchise was failing in New Orleans before Katrina and will only get worse. There is no way they can stay in NO. Whether it is KC or OKC the league just cannot deny that this experiment has been a failure. It was definitely the right thing to do, but enough is enough.

[Easy180]

If this team ends up in the playoffs and the attendance doesn't get any better after the Saints are done I think Shinn asks for a relo at the end of this season

Have a solid team coming back after two years away and you rank last in attendance?...Can't blame the people down there at all as they are still rebuilding their city, but the league did the right thing and now needs to deal with the reality that NO is not ready for two major league sports

KC city leaders are probably licking their chops right now

[betts]

We had better make sure the Sonics are really moving here before we go handing the Hornets off to Kansas City, another city over extended and unlikely to suport them well.

[CrimsonOberon]

This is sickening.
It's like watching an abused person being forced to crawl back to the abuser, it's just wrong. Those guys deserve better, especially because they have shown huge improvement.

[Doug Loudenback]

The revised "attendance watch" graphs/charts ...

Here are the 3 which will be updated as the season progresses ...

Comparison With Current and Previous Nola Paid Attendance


Game by Game Paid Attendance


Cumulative Paid Attendance Average

[venture]

I say let's see where the Hornets are at the end of the season. People need to keep in mind the team is home now, they were displaced to here...not the other way around. NOLA deserves a full season to see how well it will work there. After that, start drawing conclusions based on a full set of data - not just a dozen games. If they still show declining support at the end of the season...then the ownership team needs to figure out what they need to do to save the business.

[Doug Loudenback]

I say let's see where the Hornets are at the end of the season. People need to keep in mind the team is home now, they were displaced to here...not the other way around. NOLA deserves a full season to see how well it will work there. After that, start drawing conclusions based on a full set of data - not just a dozen games. If they still show declining support at the end of the season...then the ownership team needs to figure out what they need to do to save the business.

Doubtless you are correct ... as you see there is a "notch" for each of the 41 games and I'll add the data as the games unfold ... the data will speak for itself, regardless of how it evolves in the last 3/4 of the season. I would assume that Saturday's (tomorrow's) game v. Phoenix will draw a respectable crowd.

[solitude]

With all due respect to Doug, who I think a lot of, I find this "tracking" to the nth degree their first few weeks back in New Orleans as rather unseemly. After all, the team belonged/belongs to New Orleans; the team and a good part of the city was displaced by a natural disaster of immense proportions, Oklahoma City offered to host the city until they could get back on their feet (seen as a nice gesture), there were cries when they left and now there is this rub-it-in-your-face thing of tracking attendance with charts, graphs, etc. The Hornets were fun for two seasons, but the Hornets do not and did not belong to Oklahoma City. This tracking of attendance is for no other reason than to "prove" the NBA should have somehow kept the Hornets in Oklahoma City, or that the NBA should wise-up and see that the "experiment" (to take the team back home!) has been a disaster and they should be brought back - or something of the kind. For whatever reason - this obsessive need and desire to one-up the City of New Orleans and graph their shortcomings upon return of the Hornets is wrong, it's petty and it's far beneath the Doug we know and love on this board.

[Karried]

I don't see it that way at all.. I know Doug and he is just putting to paper, stark, cold facts... reality.

to recap: The sad truth is that the Hornets weren't supported before Katrina. Before coming here the team had the lowest attendance records in the league.

With or without a natural disaster, they weren't doing well in regards to fan support.

Why was anyone thinking that it would be better now? With a decrease in population and more pressing matters at hand, like rebuilding their city?

We all loved and wished the best for the Hornets... we let them go with grace and good wishes.

They were promised support from the city of New Orleans and it hasn't happened. Truly, this is an insult to the team, the players and the fans.

Just because the Hornets are gone, many people here still love them and are interested in following their progress.

I see nothing wrong in paying attention (and documenting) the situation.

[solitude]

I don't see it that way at all.. I know Doug and he is just putting to paper, stark, cold facts... reality.

to recap: The sad truth is that the Hornets weren't supported before Katrina. Before coming here the team had the lowest attendance records in the league.

With or without a natural disaster, they weren't doing well in regards to fan support.

Why was anyone thinking that it would be better now? With a decrease in population and more pressing matters at hand, like rebuilding their city?

We all loved and wished the best for the Hornets... we let them go with grace and good wishes.

They were promised support from the city of New Orleans and it hasn't happened. Truly, this is an insult to the team, the players and the fans.

Just because the Hornets are gone, many people here still love them and are interested in following their progress.

I see nothing wrong in paying attention (and documenting) the situation.

What does documenting attendance in New Orleans with charts and graphs do? Does it help you "follow" the Hornets on-the-court success - or does it help you feel smugly superior - not you personally - but our city's experience with the Hornets? Step back honestly and think about it.

By the way, these comments from you show that you feel New Orleans really didn't deserve to have THEIR team back!
"With or without a natural disaster, they weren't doing well in regards to fan support. "
"Why was anyone thinking that it would be better now? With a decrease in population and more pressing matters at hand, like rebuilding their city?"

And finally, you contradict yourself here:
"They were promised support from the city of New Orleans and it hasn't happened. Truly, this is an insult to the team, the players and the fans."
Which is it? They are busy with rebuilding a city - or they have insulted the team. At any rate - it's none of OUR business. If it takes them a season or two or three - or they decide something else, that's THEIR decision. You die-hard OKC Hornets "fans" need to get past this. Quite frankly, it's almost pathological.

[Karried]

I don't feel superior at all to New Orleans.. that's my point.. how can they be expected to support a pro team when they have so many other important, pressing things to attend to, like public schools and housing?

It's not an insult to say that they really aren't in a position to support the team.

And, it's not that I think New Orleans didn't deserve their team back.. it's more that I feel the team deserves to play in a hometown that can support them, financially and in all other areas.

New Orleans didn't deserve a hurricane either.. but it is what it is. They need to focus on rebuilding their city...not trying to support two pro teams.

But, this argument has been hashed out over and over for the past few years...see HornetsCentral where we talk about this stuff ad nauseum...

Frankly, I've moved on, yet I still hate to think of the team that I loved playing to an empty court. It's just sad.

My fear is that Doug is being painted in a negative light and I love Doug and don't want to see him portrayed that way. I have no fear that he can defend himself and doesn't need me to 'protect' him, but he's my friend and it bothers me.

I see what you're saying about 'rubbing it in' and I truly don't want to do that.. for God's sake, they didn't ask to be hit by Katrina and I wouldn't dream of going to their websites and pointing out their attendance records.

[betts]

I'm with Karrie on this one. For one thing, Doug followed attendance last year in exactly the same manner, so it's logical for him to continue to do so. And I feel that the city of New Orleans' insistence on getting the Hornets back is unseemly. They've passed a measure to build a new practice facility for $20 million when their entire intrastructure is in disarray, and with the poor attendance and failure to sell naming rights to the arena, they're going to owe George Shinn millions more is prearranged guarantees. That money could have been spent on badly needed improvements to city utilities and schools. It's been well proven that one professional team helps bring new business in to a city, and having events like the All Star Game and Super Bowls is a good thing financially, but a second professional team adds virtually nothing economically. People don't visit cities to go to regular season basketball games. Their poor attendance is actually shedding an embarrassing light on the city nationally and it is counterproductive. I thought it would have actually been better for the city of New Orleans to keep the Hornets here and promise they would be first in line for a new or moving franchise when their city could feasibly support one. The NBA isn't doing them any favors.

[Doug Loudenback]

With all due respect to Doug, who I think a lot of, I find this "tracking" to the nth degree their first few weeks back in New Orleans as rather unseemly. After all, the team belonged/belongs to New Orleans; the team and a good part of the city was displaced by a natural disaster of immense proportions, Oklahoma City offered to host the city until they could get back on their feet (seen as a nice gesture), there were cries when they left and now there is this rub-it-in-your-face thing of tracking attendance with charts, graphs, etc. The Hornets were fun for two seasons, but the Hornets do not and did not belong to Oklahoma City. This tracking of attendance is for no other reason than to "prove" the NBA should have somehow kept the Hornets in Oklahoma City, or that the NBA should wise-up and see that the "experiment" (to take the team back home!) has been a disaster and they should be brought back - or something of the kind. For whatever reason - this obsessive need and desire to one-up the City of New Orleans and graph their shortcomings upon return of the Hornets is wrong, it's petty and it's far beneath the Doug we know and love on this board.

Nah, it's just me pathological pirate side, matey! Me not always be a good person ... but ... Doug Dawg always be a good pirate? Arrrg!

As for what you said, Karrie, that's all good ... but solitude merely stated his/her opinions and in a fair way ... nothing at all wrong with that, as far as I'm concerned. And, Betts ... make that TWO prior years of tracking! This one's the 3rd.

[Easy180]

Hornets actually belonged to Charlotte before Nawlins stole them away and they had only been in NO for a couple of years anyway

Doug's tracking just proves the city of New Orleans just really isn't into pro basketball...Before and after Katrina...Really no further interpretation is needed

[CCOKC]

Just thought I would let everyone know that Byron Scott will coach the All-Star game in a few weeks. Also, CP3 and David West were chosen as reserves for the Western team. Way to go guys! Hopefully now NOLA can come out and support their all-stars.