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Hornets To Return to Oklahoma City 2006-2007 Season

Discussion in 'NBA Dish' started by WhoMikeJames, Jan 31, 2006.

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  1. WhoMikeJames

    WhoMikeJames Member

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    http://www.nba.com/news/hornets_okc_060131.html

    NEW YORK, Jan. 31 -- NBA Commissioner David Stern announced today that the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets will return to the Ford Center in Oklahoma City to play 35 home games during the 2006-07 regular season. The Hornets will play six regular season games at the New Orleans Arena.

    “While the NBA and the Hornets remain committed to returning to New Orleans, we have agreed with Louisiana and SMG officials that, for now, our collective interests are best served by having the team play the bulk of its 2006-07 schedule in Oklahoma City,” Stern said. “However, we are hopeful that the team will be in a position to return to New Orleans full time beginning in the 2007-08 season.”

    In addition, Stern announced that the league will enter exclusive negotiations with city and state officials to hold the 2008 NBA All Star Game in New Orleans.

    “From everything we have seen and heard, we have little doubt that New Orleans will soon regain its place among the world’s premiere cities for hosting major sporting events,” Stern said. “Therefore, I have committed to Governor Blanco that we will immediately begin exclusive negotiations with her representatives to bring the NBA’s signature event, the 2008 All Star Game, to New Orleans.”

    “The agreement reached today will ensure the Hornets’ stability while the New Orleans market fully recovers and, at the same time, maintains our presence in the NBA,” Louisiana Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said. “The permanent identity of New Orleans as an NBA city is important to the image and the economy of our entire region.”

    “My personal thanks go to Governor Blanco, officials in Louisiana and the NBA for their assistance in agreeing to a good solution for the upcoming season,” Hornets owner George Shinn said.

    Stern also announced that in January 2007, New Orleans will serve as the host city for the NBA’s mid-year marketing meetings – the largest annual gathering of NBA league and team officials.
     
    #1 WhoMikeJames, Jan 31, 2006
  2. JamesC

    JamesC Member

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    They should stay in Oklahoma City.
     
    #2 JamesC, Jan 31, 2006
  3. IROC it

    IROC it Member

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    Why exactly? The Super Dome is supposed to be ready... why not the b-ball arena?
     
    #3 IROC it, Feb 3, 2006
  4. zoork34

    zoork34 Member

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    it has more to do with the city being able to support a team financially than it does with the arena actually being ready. it also has to do with the fact that almost every game in OKC is sold out. There will be 6 games in NO next year, and i would imagine those 6 games will be used as an indicator of whether the city can support an NBA team again. although, its debatable whether new orleans actually supported them before the hurricane.....
     
    #4 zoork34, Feb 3, 2006
  5. Howyalikemenow

    Howyalikemenow Member

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    My parents actually just moved to Oklahoma City and managed to go to a game. They said that they had a blast, and the place is packed. Also, the city is just looking for some professional team to cling to. They said, as a whole the city just loves the Hornets, and are really hoping to keep them. Even before Katirna, New Orleans had horrible attendance, and seriously no fan support.

    I hope they stay in Oklahoma.
     
    #5 Howyalikemenow, Feb 4, 2006
  6. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

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    its good when a city has no sports teams at all. meaning when they get that "one" finally they tend to support it very well.
     
    #6 peleincubus, Feb 4, 2006
  7. hashmander

    hashmander Member

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    New Orleans wasn't supporting the Hornets before Katrina. People seem to forget that before the hurricane there was talk about moving the team. Now they are in an ideal place for the franchise they are talking about going back just so that they don't look like they are abandoning the city? That's silly, NO doesn't care about the Hornets.
     
    #7 hashmander, Feb 4, 2006
  8. MadMax

    MadMax Member

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    This is a city that had a greater metro area population of around 1.3 million people.

    It now has a population of around 200,000, last I heard. I have no idea how many of those people are merely temporary workers. We've witnessed our country, our state and, more significantly, our city absorb an entire displaced city.

    The idea of pro sports being supported in the traditional way it is expected to be supported in other cities is so unlikely it's laughable. I know that the Saints are going back next year. I know that the NFL owners are pouring in $20 million for rebuilding the Superdome. If they keep it there, it will be very very different. I don't think you can expect more than 25-30K people per game...and even that is asking a lot.

    There's a reason cities like Little Rock don't have pro football. They're not big enough...they don't have the economic base to make it work. NOLA is closer to the size of Little Rock at this point than it is to other NFL markets. If it stays there it will be subsidized entirely by the NFL. The NFL will treat it as charity.

    I don't think the NBA will go that direction. It's an even-pricier season ticket, due to the fact there are 41 home games instead of 8. It's not feasible for that market.
     
    #8 MadMax, Feb 4, 2006
  9. TECH

    TECH Member

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    Looks like Stern is just throwing out a few bones to me.
     
    #9 TECH, Feb 5, 2006
  10. IROC it

    IROC it Member

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    "I see," said the blind man... to his deaf ugly wife.
     
    #10 IROC it, Feb 5, 2006
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