Mr.Bottomtooth
12-19-2007, 06:01 PM
No buzz for Hornets in Big Easy
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Pro basketball fans seeking a peek into the future have plenty of reason to head for KeyArena on Wednesday night. Not only can they catch Sonics rookie sensation Kevin Durant and young point guard phenom Chris Paul of New Orleans, but in the visiting Hornets lies a potential solution to the long-term NBA outlook in Seattle.
While Oklahoma City has its arms open to the Sonics if owner Clay Bennett gets his relocation wish, that avenue could be filled before the pending KeyArena court case settles should the NBA determine New Orleans isn't working as a viable home for the Hornets.
Given that Oklahoma City hosted the Hornets for most of the past two years in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, it's conceivable New Orleans owner George Shinn could boomerang his way back into the Ford Center, thus blocking a Sonics flight.
That scenario is bolstered by the lack of buzz surrounding the Hornets' return to the Big Easy, where a league-low 11,478 attendance average has raised eyebrows for a team off to an otherwise-successful 15-10 start.
Or some NBA followers envision Bennett moving the Sonics to Oklahoma City, with the Hornets then shifted to Seattle after their New Orleans lease expires in 2012, assuming a new arena could be built here in the meantime.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/344109_sonx19.html
By GREG JOHNS
P-I REPORTER
Pro basketball fans seeking a peek into the future have plenty of reason to head for KeyArena on Wednesday night. Not only can they catch Sonics rookie sensation Kevin Durant and young point guard phenom Chris Paul of New Orleans, but in the visiting Hornets lies a potential solution to the long-term NBA outlook in Seattle.
While Oklahoma City has its arms open to the Sonics if owner Clay Bennett gets his relocation wish, that avenue could be filled before the pending KeyArena court case settles should the NBA determine New Orleans isn't working as a viable home for the Hornets.
Given that Oklahoma City hosted the Hornets for most of the past two years in the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, it's conceivable New Orleans owner George Shinn could boomerang his way back into the Ford Center, thus blocking a Sonics flight.
That scenario is bolstered by the lack of buzz surrounding the Hornets' return to the Big Easy, where a league-low 11,478 attendance average has raised eyebrows for a team off to an otherwise-successful 15-10 start.
Or some NBA followers envision Bennett moving the Sonics to Oklahoma City, with the Hornets then shifted to Seattle after their New Orleans lease expires in 2012, assuming a new arena could be built here in the meantime.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/344109_sonx19.html