I'm impressed

[Keith]

Reports are that the population of metro New Orleans will be back to around a million people in the next couple of weeks, or about the same as OKC. There will still be about 300,000 people, mostly in the city of New Orleans that are displaced.

New Orleans is nearing the point NOW they could take the team back. They could easily take the team back by the mid point of the season. The slimeball owner is using this as a chance the move the team with a "try out" in OKC. If OKC fails, my money is on the team going to Kansas City in the new Sprint Arena. The team is not going back to New Orleans, and this year doesn't count on support in OKC, the tickets are going for fire sale prices. Next year will be the make or break for OKC.

It's very clear to see that these Tulsan's are very jealous that WE were able to be the temporary home for the Hornets. They can't stand to see something good come to OKC.

Sure, there may be a million people back to NO in a couple of weeks, but they will be back rebuilding and trying to get fresh water and electricity. The last thing on their mind will be the Hornets.

[swake]

I am not knocking Oklahoma City, the city did what almost any city would have done. My issue is with the owner, he is moving the team and using the hurricane as a pretext. The team didn’t do well in New Orleans before, they would do less so now. So no, I am happy for the opportunity that OKC and the state to have a team.


The circumstances are bad, and the city does not have formally have the team. This owner is in the perfect situation, he has moved the team without having to break a lease or ask the league if he can do so. If OKC supports the team well at standard ticket prices beyond this year, he can ask the NBA to formalize what has already happened. If OKC does not, he can state the obvious, that New Orleans was not a good market for the NBA and the city has lost (guessing here) 150,000 to 200,000 since the hurricane and will be an worse market now, and Kansas City has a brand new arena waiting for the team.

This is no dig on OKC, just on Shinn

[mranderson]

Reports are that the population of metro New Orleans will be back to around a million people in the next couple of weeks, or about the same as OKC. There will still be about 300,000 people, mostly in the city of New Orleans that are displaced.

New Orleans is nearing the point NOW they could take the team back. They could easily take the team back by the mid point of the season. The slimeball owner is using this as a chance the move the team with a "try out" in OKC. If OKC fails, my money is on the team going to Kansas City in the new Sprint Arena. The team is not going back to New Orleans, and this year doesn't count on support in OKC, the tickets are going for fire sale prices. Next year will be the make or break for OKC.

Shinn did not set the ticket prices. The league did. So, I would bet the prices will be the same next season. I still expect the team to stay here. Kansas City never really had a chance.

[floater]

An article in today's Oklahoman has the schedule for the partial ticket plans:

Here is a look at the multi-game plans available to Hornets ticket buyers this season.
Full season: Includes 35 regular season games and two preseason games. Prices: $370-$9,250

Teal, 18-game plan. Prices: $180-$1,296

Nov. 1: Sacramento

Nov. 12: Dallas

Nov. 16: Denver

Nov. 18: Atlanta

Dec. 2: Philadelphia

Dec. 14: LA Clippers

Dec. 28: Houston

Jan. 2: Charlotte

Jan. 6: Portland

Jan. 25: San Antonio

Feb. 4: LA Lakers

Feb. 8: Seattle

Feb. 13: Washington

Feb. 22: Utah

March 10: Indiana

March 12: New Jersey

April 5: Golden State

April 10: Cleveland

Gold, 18-game plan. Prices: $180-$1,296

Oct. 27: Denver, preseason

Nov. 9: Orlando

Nov. 23: Minnesota

Dec. 7: Boston

Dec. 18: San Antonio

Dec. 31: Dallas

Jan. 4: Miami

Jan. 10: Detroit

Jan. 30: Milwaukee

Feb. 1: Chicago

Feb. 10: New York

Feb. 15: Portland

March 6: Phoenix

March 23: Houston

March 31: Memphis

April 7: Toronto

April 12: Seattle

April 14: Utah

Teal, 12-game plan. Prices: $120-$624

Oct. 27: Denver, preseason

Nov. 12: Dallas

Nov. 23: Miami

Dec. 14: LA Clippers

Dec. 31: Dallas

Jan. 4: Miami

Jan. 30: Milwaukee

Feb. 8: Seattle

Feb. 15: Portland

March 10: Indiana

March 23: Houston

April 7: Toronto

Gold, 12-game plan. Prices: $120-$624

Nov. 1: Sacramento

Nov. 18: Atlanta

Dec. 7: Boston

Dec. 28: Houston

Jan. 6: Portland

Jan. 25: San Antonio

Feb. 1: Chicago

Feb. 13: Washington

March 6: Phoenix

March 31: Memphis

April 10: Cleveland

April 14: Utah

Purple, 12-game plan. Prices: $120-$624

Nov. 9: Orlando

Nov. 16: Denver

Dec. 2: Philadelphia

Dec. 18: San Antonio

Jan. 2: Charlotte

Jan. 10: Detroit

Feb. 4: LA Lakers

Feb. 10: New York

Feb. 22: Utah

March 12: New Jersey

April 5: Golden State

April 12: Seattle

[BDP]

It's obvious you don't know how NO is progressing. The arena wasn't damaged severely, it can be repaired in a few months. The downtown area (where the arena is located) was not severely damaged. The residential areas were hardest hit, and there's no reason to believe the team can't return to it's home in time for the 06-07 season. How is being hopeful that the team can return to where it belongs being "retarded"? Nice term, by the way.

It's obvious that your own emotional hatred for a community is coloring everything you read. No one is more hopeful that the Hornets return to New Orleans than me. Mainly because this would mean that New Orleans is recovered enough to support such a team and I want nothing more than that. Your assumption otherwise is very transparent. Such an assumption is only a hindrance to the discussion and is misrepresentative of much of the sentiment here and in Oklahoma in general. You are clearly slow to realize that most people here are 100% hopeful that the Hornets CAN move back to New Orleans. And that is the question, when CAN they move back. It's a simple economic question, and not one of just infrastructure. And, yes, any discussion outside of the context of New Orleans's economic recovery as a whole is retarded. That is, not the slang use of the word that you learned on the playground and seem to be limited to, but the actual use of the word.

So, please, in the future, don't assume what I or others feel or that everyone feels the same way. The truth is that most Oklahomans want to see the Hornets be a success AND make a timely move back to New Orleans. In this way, everyone wins and it would mean that the effects of a great tragedy weren't enough to keep New Orleans down for long. However, a move back to New Orleans is predicated not just on having a floor to play on, but having people fill the seats. I have no doubt that New Orleans will be able to support a team again one day. Whether that is the Hornets, depends totally on the city's economic time table and the time table of the NBA and the Hornets' owners. Any talk of how those conditions may come together is pure speculation and fantasy at this point. It is clear that you are using your imagination to create a scenario which you can use to unjustly deride a community and spout unfounded assumptions about posters.

So, if you insist on carrying on a petty pissing contest intent on misrepresenting the feelings of people in Oklahoma based on nothing other than convenient speculation, then I will continue to call such an exercise what it is: retarded (by the way, it means ‘slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress’).

[mranderson]

Personally, do I want the Hornets to be ABLE to return to New Orleans? Yes. Do I want them to WANT to return? No. I want them here to stay.

[BDP]

The team didn’t do well in New Orleans before, they would do less so now.

Which kind of leads one to the question of, what do you think he should be doing?

I understand your dislike for Shinn and I think, in many ways, it is justified. But if it is the case that the team was hurting in NO and we assume that it would be even worse off now, what should Shinn be doing? You say that he is using the hurricane as an excuse, but also conceded that the struggling conditions were made worse by that hurricane. To me, that sounds like the hurricane is a viable reason to move, not an excuse.

Personally, I would love it if Shinn, the NBA, the players, their staff, the arena management, concessions, etc. all agreed to temporary pay cuts, so that the Hornets could play in New Orleans for cheap or free as the city recovers. It would give the people great hope and pride, as well as an occasional diversion from their rebuilding struggles. What does it take to do that? How much reality is there in that scenario?

Short of that, what can Shinn and the NBA do that won't upset people who already hate them or view a move as opportunistic? I think what you are asking for is a great gesture of charity. Unfortunately, I don't think it's realistic. The truth is, just as you conceded OKC and Oklahoma have done just what any other community would do, so have Shinn and the Hornets.

Again, (because it seems to need repeating) I want to see New Orleans return as a major league market on the gulf coast. I am even in favor of federal assistance to do so, even if it means more taxes to me. That’s right, in addition to the money I have already given to relief efforts, if it takes my taxes to rebuild a devastated American community, I’ll suck it up and support it.

[swake]

No, I think Shinn should be honest and ask to move the team, permanently, now. Pay the fee to break his 10 (yes 10) year lease in New Orleans and not leave that poor city in limbo. Get the approval of the NBA to move the team, now. But do understand it's largely his fault the team failed in New Orleans, they won 18 games last year, and that is after the state of LA gave him great incentives to move, he had no reason not to attempt to field a competitive team, but he didn't. Only winning 18 games is really not even trying to win.

Being honest would take a great deal of pressure off of OKC, really it's your city he has in a bad position and the low ticket prices set by the NBA can be an excuse for him again to not field a team that is competitive, again. The poor man doesn't have the money. (sarcasm alert) It's going to be very hard to get the attendance for the Hornets NEXT year, at full ticket prices, when they only win 10-20 games this year. If OKC comes through and doesn't care that he won't pay the money for a winner, then he can stay and the Hornets can be the what the Cubs were for so long, very successful losers. If not, he can go play his little game in Kansas City next.

Remember, Charlotte was going to build a new arena for the Hornets, but only if Shinn sold the team.

Have a local money person, how about those lovable Gaylords, make him an offer he can't refuse.....

Then it will be YOUR team and be a team worth supporting.

[okcerintul]

It's obvious that your own emotional hatred for a community is coloring everything you read.

Great insight. What community exactly would I be expressing emotional hatred toward?

No one is more hopeful that the Hornets return to New Orleans than me. Mainly because this would mean that New Orleans is recovered enough to support such a team and I want nothing more than that. Your assumption otherwise is very transparent. Such an assumption is only a hindrance to the discussion and is misrepresentative of much of the sentiment here and in Oklahoma in general.

You should've said that in the first place.

You are clearly slow to realize that most people here are 100% hopeful that the Hornets CAN move back to New Orleans.

That's odd. From what I read, it appears most people here who have commented on the situation would love for the Hornets to stay here.

And that is the question, when CAN they move back. It's a simple economic question, and not one of just infrastructure. And, yes, any discussion outside of the context of New Orleans's economic recovery as a whole is retarded.

So, do tell me, how do you improve a community's economic state without infrastructure? People need a reason to go to NO to eat at restaurants, stay in hotels, watch basketball games, etc.

That is, not the slang use of the word that you learned on the playground and seem to be limited to, but the actual use of the word.

Like many words, this one has more than one actual use.

So, please, in the future, don't assume what I or others feel or that everyone feels the same way.

I could actually care less about how you feel.

The truth is that most Oklahomans want to see the Hornets be a success AND make a timely move back to New Orleans. In this way, everyone wins and it would mean that the effects of a great tragedy weren't enough to keep New Orleans down for long. However, a move back to New Orleans is predicated not just on having a floor to play on, but having people fill the seats. I have no doubt that New Orleans will be able to support a team again one day. Whether that is the Hornets, depends totally on the city's economic time table and the time table of the NBA and the Hornets' owners. Any talk of how those conditions may come together is pure speculation and fantasy at this point. It is clear that you are using your imagination to create a scenario which you can use to unjustly deride a community and spout unfounded assumptions about posters.

Assumptions founded solely on what I have read here. And, again, what community exactly are you referring to?

So, if you insist on carrying on a petty pissing contest intent on misrepresenting the feelings of people in Oklahoma based on nothing other than convenient speculation, then I will continue to call such an exercise what it is: retarded (by the way, it means ‘slow or limited in intellectual or emotional development or academic progress’).

Nice. Again, I am only responding to what I've read here.

[PUGalicious]

It's obvious you don't know how NO is progressing. The arena wasn't damaged severely, it can be repaired in a few months. The downtown area (where the arena is located) was not severely damaged. The residential areas were hardest hit, and there's no reason to believe the team can't return to it's home in time for the 06-07 season.

I wonder why, then, the mayor just announced the layoff of 3000 city workers.

[okcerintul]

I wonder why, then, the mayor just announced the layoff of 3000 city workers.

I wonder why that guy has done alot of things.

[PUGalicious]

In any case, this thread is way off the original topic. New threads can be started if there are those who want to discuss the progress of New Orleans' recovery and there are already other threads that discuss whether or not the move to OKC will be permanent. Comments on this thread should be limited to responses to the original topic.

Thank you.

[Laramie]

I am impressed with Oklahoma City!

I have always felt that this city could support a major league something; however, I remember posting on local message boards and some of the regional and national message boards only to be met with nay-sayers!

HOW SWEET IT IS!

You know I'll have season tickets.

Hope to see Patrick, Luke, John, Mr. Anderson (also on Oregonian) and some of you guys I use to post with. I'm running out of time!

Heading to Fort Worth (Funkytown) this weekend to protect my property from our Mad OU fans and the 300,000 Oklahomans who now call North Texas home.

Good luck Oklahoma City, I will forever love and believe in you!

Larry D. Fry (Laramie)!

[floater]

Great to see you Larry! We miss your contributions, especially now that the Hornets are coming over!

[scotplum]

I wonder why that guy has done alot of things.

That actually gave me a chuckle.

[mranderson]

I am impressed with Oklahoma City!

I have always felt that this city could support a major league something; however, I remember posting on local message boards and some of the regional and national message boards only to be met with nay-sayers!

HOW SWEET IT IS!

You know I'll have season tickets.

Hope to see Patrick, Luke, John, Mr. Anderson (also on Oregonian) and some of you guys I use to post with. I'm running out of time!

Heading to Fort Worth (Funkytown) this weekend to protect my property from our Mad OU fans and the 300,000 Oklahomans who now call North Texas home.

Good luck Oklahoma City, I will forever love and believe in you!

Larry D. Fry (Laramie)!

Glad to see you back, Larry. We have missed you.

Yes. It is sweet! I hope to see my OKC Talk friends at more than one game soon.

[upisgr8]

Bob Licht is in his first season as the Hornets television play-by-play broadcaster. Licht spen the previous nine seasons as the New Orleans Hornets radio play-by-play voice. Licht, known for his high-energy, colorful broadcasts (including his signature big basket call, "bottom"), has also provided fill-in play-by-play on Hornets television broadcasts during parts of the past five NBA seasons on Fox Sports and Cox Sports Television.

Along with his play-by-play duties for the Hornets, Licht is also responsible for negotiating and building the Hornets Radio Network as well as authoring a weekly column "In The Lane" for Hornets.com.

For five seasons, Licht was the play-by-play voice of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting and co-host of the Hornets and Sting monthly TV magazine shows.

The 28-year broadcast veteran also has an extensive background in professional baseball that spans three levels of minor league play. During that time, the Detroit native served as play-by-play voice for the Florida Marlins' Triple-A team (Charlotte Knights, International League) in 1996 and 1997 and the Pittsburgh Pirates' Double-A team (Carolina Mudcats, Southern League) from 1990-1995. He was named the league's broadcaster of the year in 1995.

The Mandeville resident graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in broadcast journalism in 1981. During his time at Syracuse, he was involved in radio broadcasts of S.U. football, basketball and lacrosse. As a junior, he served as a reporter at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics and did play-by-play for the Toronto Blue Jays' Triple-A team (Syracuse Chiefs).

Following his graduation, Licht was the play-by-play voice of Marietta (Ohio) College football, basketball and baseball. From there he moved back to North Carolina, where he worked with the Wake Forest University football and basketball network as an engineer, color analyst and play-by-play broadcaster.

Licht and his wife, Monica, have three daughters, Rachel, Sara and Alexandra.

[upisgr8]

In The Lane With Licht: October 3, 2005

Bob Licht
The words seem almost foreign.

Evacuate.

Contra flow.

Repopulate.

Curfew.

Checkpoints.

Yet those have all become part of my family’s new vocabulary. We did evacuate prior to Hurricane Katrina. We did drive through a successful I-55 north contra flow traffic system. We did repopulate with friends and neighbors in St. Tammany Parish (30 miles north of New Orleans). We still experience 11pm to 6am curfews. We are still checked by the military before entering certain major shopping areas.

Normal has changed in the Gulf Coast region. I will no longer take for granted things like power, refrigeration, phone service, and clean water.

We were like many in Louisiana and Mississippi on Friday, August 26, when it was business as usual. Less than 24 hours later we heard the call for a mandatory evacuation, packed our family of five for three days away from home, and headed north.

The next three weeks were a blur. From Jackson, MS to Carbondale, IL and from Knoxville, TN back to Louisiana, we drove more than two thousand miles roundtrip. My kids were enrolled in two great schools in Knoxville (Sacred Heart and Knoxville Catholic), where they made new friends and had tearful goodbyes when we headed home. During our stay there we met several other displaced families, took a Red Cross course, supplemented our limited clothing, and struggled to maintain contact with friends, family and co-workers.

The Hornets set up a special website to track employees. It became our salvation during the first few days after the hurricane hit to hear about friend after friend who had made it out all right.

Like most, we returned to find significant damage throughout our neighborhood, but luckily, less destruction to our own house.

This is what families are currently going through where we live:

(1) Bumper-to-bumper traffic is now the norm as towns swell with evacuees and repairmen.
(2) Cell phone coverage is so inconsistent that many people are adding text messaging to their plans in order to maintain regular, daily contact.
(3) Many people still are without either power or clean water or both.
(4) Many fortunate enough to have power and water are without cable service and rely mainly on radio coverage for their news.
(5) One of the most sought-after items is a refrigerator; the average wait for a new fridge is three weeks. Ice is also hard to come by.
(6) Many businesses are unable to open because employees have lost their homes and either temporarily or permanently relocated.
(7) The most common sign in the region is not an expensive billboard campaign; rather it is the simple message: HELP WANTED.

Keep in mind that we live 30 minutes NORTH of New Orleans. We also live 20 miles west of where the eye of Katrina hit (west of the eye is supposed to be the safer side of a hurricane).

So re-read some of the “inconveniences” people north of New Orleans are enduring and imagine how horrific it is in New Orleans and Gulfport/Biloxi which look like war-torn areas from far away places.

I have friends who have lost homes. I have friends who have lost jobs. I have friends who have lost both. Those of us who still have jobs and homes and unharmed families feel very fortunate that we can attempt to return to “normal”.

Our temporary relocation to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for 35 of the 41 regular season home games is an unprecedented situation in professional sports. A team has been displaced because its city has been displaced. Fathers and mothers have been separated from their kids. Single moms have grown exponentially as their spouses relocate with their jobs. We are all working hard to make the best of this unusual situation.

But normal will never be the same for those of us who survived the catastrophe that swept through the Gulf Coast region in August.

[Karried]

Those poor people - it must be so horrific to lose everything and have your world turned upside down in one day. I hope they do know that we are still thinking of them and wishing them a speedy return to some form of normalcy...but for the grace of God. You never know, this could be us next Spring if an F5 should hit.

[jbrown84]

Heading to Fort Worth (Funkytown) this weekend to protect my property from our Mad OU fans and the 300,000 Oklahomans who now call North Texas home.

This is a bit off topic but what does he mean about "300,000 Oklahomans who now call North Texas home"?

[mranderson]

This is a bit off topic but what does he mean about "300,000 Oklahomans who now call North Texas home"?

Probably 300,000 Oklahomans who wrongly think Texas is the greatest thing since God.

[Karried]

This is just a guess, but I think he meant all of the people coming for the OU/Texas game that weekend ( home for the weekend?) .

[floater]

This is just a guess, but I think he meant all of the people coming for the OU/Texas game that weekend ( home for the weekend?) .

I'm pretty sure that's what Larry was talking about.