Reply With Quote
come on whistles!!!! sons I had to change my sig and avatar now. no more KC!
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/s...e=NBAHeadlines
You all will win the NBA championship this season, sons. Early congratulations.The NBA is weighing whether to buy the New Orleans Hornets from longtime owner George Shinn to have greater control over the permanent sale of the franchise, according to sources with knowledge of the league's thinking.
Two sources likened the NBA's potential involvement to Major League Baseball's purchase of the Montreal Expos before the team was ultimately sold and moved to the nation's capital as the Washington Nationals in 2005.
It's believed, though, that the NBA's intent -- if it goes through with buying the Hornets -- would be to try to secure a buyer willing and able to keep the franchise in New Orleans now that Shinn's anticipated sale to minority partner Gary Chouest has apparently collapsed.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune, after ESPN.com's initial report about the possibility of the Hornets becoming the first franchise owned and operated by the league, quoted sources on its website Friday night saying that Chouest no longer thinks he can devote the time needed to run an NBA team as well as his private business.
The league office and the Hornets declined requests from comment Friday from ESPN.com.
Shinn controversially moved the Hornets from Charlotte to New Orleans for the 2002-03 season and the team was later forced to make Oklahoma City its home for two seasons in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Times-Picayune reported earlier this week that the Hornets can opt out of their current lease with the state of Louisiana and might have the freedom to move yet again if they average less than 14,213 fans during a 13-game stretch of home dates between Dec. 1 and Jan. 17.
The Hornets averaged just 13,826 fans through their first nine home games despite the team's promising 13-5 start and attracted a crowd of 14,020 for Friday night's home loss to the New York Knicks.
The future of the Hornets has commanded strong interest throughout the league since Shinn's plans to sell the team to Chouest were revealed back in April, largely because Shinn's ongoing presence and limited financial resources are widely seen as factors that would prompt star guard Chris Paul to leave the only team he's ever played for when he's eligible to become a free agent in the summer of 2012.
Great local optimism initially greeted the news that Chouest would be taking over, but fears that his deal to buy out Shinn would collapse have been mounting for months because so much time has passed with almost nothing said publicly by either side about the state of the sale. Chouest's primary business interests, furthermore, are in the offshore service industry, which took a heavy hit after the recent BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Times-Picayune reported on its website Friday night that Chouest has withdrawn his offer and that he did not attend Friday's game against New York.
Sports Illustrated reported that the prospect of the NBA assuming temporary control of the Hornets, much like MLB did with the Expos, was discussed at the league's Board of Governors meetings in October.
Amid the sale uncertainty, New Orleans has been trying for months to convince skeptics that Paul will not be made available to interested teams under any cir stances. Numerous clubs besieged the Hornets with trade calls about Paul throughout last season, but external interest only increased after a June interview with ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard in which Paul said he wants to remain in New Orleans but would be "open to a trade" if the Hornets aren't trying to compete financially with the league's elite.
Hornets team president Hugh Weber responded with a housecleaning that led to the hiring of general manager Dell Demps from San Antonio to team with rookie coach and former Spurs teammate Monty Williams. Through a series of aggressive trades, improved defense and with Williams and Paul bonding quickly, New Orleans followed up a painful preseason with a stunning 11-1 start. Team officials also pointed to the $15 million in additional salaries that the Hornets have absorbed as a sign that the team is on its most solid financial footing with Chouest more involved than Shinn.
Paul has generally revealed little in the way of firm declarations about how the Hornets' brightened outlook affects his future plans. But he has acknowledged in numerous interviews he's excited by the team's new direction under Demps and Williams and reiterated his fondness for New Orleans after establishing deep roots in the city.
"I'm excited about my teammates," Paul told ESPN.com on Nov. 15. "We've got a lot of guys on our team that are hungry. I think we're in a good spot right now."
Back in August, Weber expressed confidence majority control would eventually be transferred from Shinn to Chouest, telling ESPN.com: "We have two great partners that have a similar mission that they're trying to get accomplished. George does want to sell this team -- I think it's time for him to move on -- and Gary does want to run it."
It was widely reported in early May that Shinn and Chouest had struck an agreement in principle for Chouest -- who possesses a 25 percent stake in the franchise -- to become majority owner. Delays were initially attributed to haggles over the final purchase price and Chouest's reported search for new minority investors to reduce his overall investment.
Shinn founded the Hornets in 1988 and announced last season that -- now in remission after being diagnosed with prostate cancer a year ago -- he was prepared to sell his majority stake. It's been a controversial two-decade run from Shinn with a franchise that moved away from its fervent followers in Charlotte largely because of the locals' distaste for the owner.
The Times-Picayune reported Monday that the Hornets would be free to relocate if the 14,735-fan benchmark is not reached for the 13 games specified, but actually leaving New Orleans would require a $10 million exit penalty payable to the state and a formal notice to Louisiana no later than March 1, 2011.
Weber told the newspaper the franchise isn't looking to relocate again, saying: "We all know basketball can work in New Orleans. We've seen it work."
come on whistles!!!! sons I had to change my sig and avatar now. no more KC!
wasnt the grizzlies bought by the nba, was then sold to heisley then moved to memphis?
Oh when the Hornets go marching out
Oh when the Hornets go marching out
BRHornet will cry a riveeeeeeeer
When the Hornets go marching out!
I can't wait for Stern's version of "The Decision". I've decided to take Chris Paul's talents to....
so all of your ing and moaning about whistles ...will cease when you are on the puppet strings ... of Stern?
Everybody was saying this when the Hornets were in Oklahoma City and thriving. Why go back to New Orleans? Why keep this garbage owner that has no intention of sticking it out for the long run? Sell the team to Bennett and let them stay in OKC.
No, instead the team returned to New Orleans and has hit major issues there and the Sonics were ripped from Seattle.
Oh well.
So now you know what's going on. It's not that fans don't want to support a team that started blistering hot. It's the FO pulling a fast one and tanking the sales/attendance numbers to have the freedom to move. Not only the NBA, but also the state of Louisiana should get involved and see what's going on there.The Times-Picayune reported earlier this week that the Hornets can opt out of their current lease with the state of Louisiana and might have the freedom to move yet again if they average less than 14,213 fans during a 13-game stretch of home dates between Dec. 1 and Jan. 17.
So you think that the most corrupt state in the union (arguably at least - I'm looking at you Illinois) should get involved with investigating corruption? Riiiiiiiiight.
Son it will even out when we play the Lakers so don't get all pussy hurt on me now. Kobe will continue to receive his usual help from the refs and free points from phantom calls. Glorified Paul Pierce
If it's so easy to get out of the lease (paying off some official), they would have signed a waiver already. No need to pull this numbers crap.
People are so quick to blame the hornets fans but not the $hitty organization. I have a friend that lives in the nola area and he doesn't have access to hornets games. He went on to say that most peole don't know when the hornets are playing due to lack of advertising.. What type of is that LOL???. My opinion if the team committs to the city, fans will come out. Get rid of Charlotte's history, rebrand the team, start over. Just a few weeks ago someone on espn referred to the team as if it was still in carolina LOL..
Agreed the team name should be changed something that appeals to the town of NO. Like New Orleans crime rate is now down because they all moved to houston.
will they redo the divisions if the hornets become the new sonics?
If the hornets do move, it won't be seattle. No arena, no TEAM. I guess the okc drama left a lot of sonic fans delusional with short term memory. If keyarena wasn't good enough for the sonics, what makes you think stern will allow any team to move there LOL. Best shot is kansas.
I would think so ..... move OKC to the Southwest and Seattle with the Jazz, Blazers, Nuggets and T Wolves ......
that Southwest would be like ugly .....
Spurs
Thunder
Mavs
Rockets
Grizz
And what is Paul a poor man's Derron williams? LOL
Seattle Super Hornets?
I think the NBA is stepping in so they can renegotiate a new deal with the state. That will then give the new owner more leverage to work with. The league wants the team to stay in NOLA. The arena is already there. They just want new ownership to have better commitment from the state government and also want a more competent owner instead of Shinn.
Hornets aren't going to Seattle. Seattle ain't getting a team anytime soon. It will be years.
The NBA will do whatever it can to keep the team in NOLA. Unlike Seattle, NOLA has a NBA arena. They just want a better lease deal and a more competent owner.
Good news for Hornet fans, all the Katrina victims are still ravaging their violence in Houston, Arizona, and Atlanta...
STEIN_LINE_HQ Marc Stein
CP3 and rest of Hornets will be playing for first-ever team owned by NBA by Wednesday vs. DET. Updated ESPN.com link: http://es.pn/g3dRJU
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
