Hornets going back to NOLO

[Patrick]

This has been mentioned on other sites, but for some reason no one posted it here.

You guys think the Hornets are really going back to NOLA? I'd probably say they split the schedule next year...play most of the games here, but some in NOLA. Then make a final decision on where the team plays permanently, based on how New Orleans has rebuilt.



Stern says decision on Hornets coming soon

From staff reports

NBA commissioner David Stern reaffirmed that the league will make a decision on the Hornets’ future by the end of the month and that sellout crowds in Oklahoma City will have no effect on the decision.
Stern spoke with the New Orleans Times-Picayune for a story published Thursday.
“They’ve (Oklahoma City) done a great job in demonstrating they can support an NBA team,” he said. “But that doesn’t change our view that they will be coming back to Louisiana.”
Stern said it was important for the franchise to play games in New Orleans this season. Three games are scheduled for the New Orleans Arena in March, the first professional sports events in the city since Hurricane Katrina hit in August.
“They (the games) are going to be successful because we are going to make them successful,” Stern said. “and that doesn’t mean they have to be sellouts. But the important thing is that they are there.”
The league originally scheduled six games for Baton Rouge, La. One of the those games was played, Dec. 16 against Phoenix, and drew 7,302 fans. One was played in Oklahoma City, Wednesday night’s contest against Memphis, the other in Norman and the rest will be played in the New Orleans Arena.
According to the newspaper, the Hornets’ lease agreement says that if the Hornets do play games in the arena, they are obligated to return to New Orleans next season. Hornets officials have said they are not sure of that clause.
“When the arena is playable, we’re supposed to come back,” Stern said. “That’s just the way it is.”
The Hornets do have an option to play in Oklahoma City next season, which is there to cover short-term issues about New Orleans, Stern said, including repopulation of the city and the “concentration on the Saints.”
The decision on the team’s future will come from a vote by the advisory findings committee of the NBA Board of Governors. “That will be the group that will handle it,” Stern said.

[Luke]

Business sense (and cents) says that the Hornets can't afford to go back. One news article says that for every game played at the Ford Center, the Hornets organization makes one million dollars. I can't imagine a hugely successful NBA team would go back to a town of 90,000 (USAToday, December) to play where they didn't build success to begin with all the while playing in the shadow of the Saints (good luck to them).

It's just conjecture, but other than sentimentality, one would be hard pressed to find a good reason to go back to New Orleans. And when you get down to it, sentimentality is nearly a cop-out. How sentimental can you get after 2 season?

The decision will be interesting...

[Nachos_Rule]

First off, don't think I'm from New Orleans or am defending the stupidity of the New Orleans fans on our message boards. This is just my opinion:

Consider other teams in the league like Atlanta and Orlando that consistently report losses and have a very small fan base. Both of those teams have firmly committed to their cities (even if Orlando just did a couple of weeks ago).
Commissioners are the bosses, not the owners. Look at Tags and Benson in the NFL. The Hornets will catch some flack if the NFL goes back and they stay here regardless of the money. I think politics and PR will win the day and the Hornets are as good as gone. Stern was pretty clear about that 2 days ago.

[metro]

It's all PR. Stern is just saying that to cover himself because he has too. Again, it all comes down to profitability and marketability. NOLA can't support and sustain a franchise, the economy base isn't large enough any more.