NBA Planning to Purchase the New Orleans Hornets

[pohflylice]

Vancouver Hornets

.

If not I'm perfectly fine with Seattle, only a 2 hour drive away.

 

[pohflylice]

Vancouver Hornets

.

If not I'm perfectly fine with Seattle, only a 2 hour drive away.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by CJ003

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Originally Posted by TheGift23

Originally Posted by PMatic

Doesn't Seattle still have to get a new arena?

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's not gonna happen as long as Stern in power.

Steve Balmer would build his own arena. He is that crazy as a basketball fan.

The NBA can keep dreaming that they'll find a buyer who wants to keep them in New Orleans...but it's not happening. You don't say no to Balmer (and Jim Sinegal, Costco CEO, who would likely be in an ownership group).

why didnt he do that when the team was about to move?

I no the starbucks dude try to step in after they lost the team, but seattle dropped the ball.

Balmer tried to step in at the last moment with Jim Sinegal (Costco CEO). The reason Balmer didn't get the team in the first place was because Howard sold it to the out of town owners who were willing to overpay by $50 million. Howard took the money and ran.

Trust me, the NBA would want Balmer as an owner. Super competitive, he'd be the richest owner, and he's also very visible.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by CJ003

Originally Posted by dmbrhs

Originally Posted by TheGift23

Originally Posted by PMatic

Doesn't Seattle still have to get a new arena?

Yeah I'm pretty sure it's not gonna happen as long as Stern in power.

Steve Balmer would build his own arena. He is that crazy as a basketball fan.

The NBA can keep dreaming that they'll find a buyer who wants to keep them in New Orleans...but it's not happening. You don't say no to Balmer (and Jim Sinegal, Costco CEO, who would likely be in an ownership group).

why didnt he do that when the team was about to move?

I no the starbucks dude try to step in after they lost the team, but seattle dropped the ball.

Balmer tried to step in at the last moment with Jim Sinegal (Costco CEO). The reason Balmer didn't get the team in the first place was because Howard sold it to the out of town owners who were willing to overpay by $50 million. Howard took the money and ran.

Trust me, the NBA would want Balmer as an owner. Super competitive, he'd be the richest owner, and he's also very visible.

 

[regal black]

Originally Posted by airmaxpenny1

New Orleans isn't big enough to support a basketball team nor is it a basketball city...Move that team to Seattle.

Yea that's what I'm thinking.  Never understood why they moved there in the first place.

 

[regal black]

Originally Posted by airmaxpenny1

New Orleans isn't big enough to support a basketball team nor is it a basketball city...Move that team to Seattle.

Yea that's what I'm thinking.  Never understood why they moved there in the first place.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by yungchris504

Seattle Attendance Record From 2001 up until they relocated:

2001 - 17th
2002 - 21st
2003 - 20th
2004 - 23rd
2005 - 21st
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 25th
2008 - 28th

Now please tell me why Seattle so overwhelmingly deserves another bball team oppose to N.O.

I posted this a couple weeks ago in another thread, where I completely debunked the myth of attendance stats, as it pertains to the Sonics:

The NBA ranks attendance by the number of butts in the seats, which isjust fine (and convenient). But they ignore percentage of seats filled.I'll use 1996, their best team, as an example: KeyArena was brand new,the team was destined to win at least the conference championship, andevery seat was filled for every home game. Trust me, that was thetoughest ticket in the history of sports in this city...and they stillranked 15th in attendance that season. Why? Because KeyArena was one ofthe smallest venues in the league (and they only ranked so high because the league wasn't full of all these arenas that seat more than 18,000). The Key holds 17,000 for a basketballgame. That would make it the smallest in the league right now. The other myth is that people didn't support the team over thelast couple seasons in town.

I'll break those two seasons down quickly:

2007- 31-win team, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, an optimistic fan base (therewas still a glimmer of hope the team would stay, even though by the end, reality started to set in a bit)...attendance: almost16,000 per game. Not too shabby for a bad team and an increasinglypessimistic fan base.
2008 - horrific 20-62 record, no Ray orRashard, team was led by a rookie, the fan base had given up almost allhope of the team staying...attendance: almost 13,500 per game. That'snearly 80% of the arena filled for a lame duck team and despondent fanbase.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by yungchris504

Seattle Attendance Record From 2001 up until they relocated:

2001 - 17th
2002 - 21st
2003 - 20th
2004 - 23rd
2005 - 21st
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 25th
2008 - 28th

Now please tell me why Seattle so overwhelmingly deserves another bball team oppose to N.O.

I posted this a couple weeks ago in another thread, where I completely debunked the myth of attendance stats, as it pertains to the Sonics:

The NBA ranks attendance by the number of butts in the seats, which isjust fine (and convenient). But they ignore percentage of seats filled.I'll use 1996, their best team, as an example: KeyArena was brand new,the team was destined to win at least the conference championship, andevery seat was filled for every home game. Trust me, that was thetoughest ticket in the history of sports in this city...and they stillranked 15th in attendance that season. Why? Because KeyArena was one ofthe smallest venues in the league (and they only ranked so high because the league wasn't full of all these arenas that seat more than 18,000). The Key holds 17,000 for a basketballgame. That would make it the smallest in the league right now. The other myth is that people didn't support the team over thelast couple seasons in town.

I'll break those two seasons down quickly:

2007- 31-win team, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, an optimistic fan base (therewas still a glimmer of hope the team would stay, even though by the end, reality started to set in a bit)...attendance: almost16,000 per game. Not too shabby for a bad team and an increasinglypessimistic fan base.
2008 - horrific 20-62 record, no Ray orRashard, team was led by a rookie, the fan base had given up almost allhope of the team staying...attendance: almost 13,500 per game. That'snearly 80% of the arena filled for a lame duck team and despondent fanbase.

 

[you big dummy]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]AP Source: NBA has a deal to buy Hornets[/h1]By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
18 minutes ago


NEW ORLEANS (AP)—New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn has agreed to sell theclub to the NBA and the transaction could be completed within a couple days,according to a person familiar with the decision.

The league has lined up New Orleans-born sports attorney Jac Sperling, vicechairman of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, to be the NBA’s administrator of the teamand oversee its sale to a more permanent owner, the person told The AssociatedPress on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been publiclyannounced.

Current Hornets President Hugh Weber will continue overseeing day-to-dayoperations of what will be the first NBA team to be owned by the league, theperson said.


NBA spokesman Tim Frank Sunday declined to comment on the sale.

Shinn has been in negotiations to sell the team to minority owner andLouisiana native Gary Chouest since last spring, but talks have been stalled formonths.

Chouest, who owns 35 percent of the team, runs a business that suppliesvessels to the gulf oil industry. Recently, he has become concerned about hisability to run his family business while taking over the Hornets, said theperson who confirmed the NBA’s planned purchase of the club.

It remained unclear on Sunday night if Chouest would keep his stake in theclub if the NBA took over, or if he could be lured back to the table once theteam is in the NBA’s hands.

Chouest has not responded to repeated calls to his office and e-mailsrequesting comment on the matter since he first entered negotiations to buyShinn’s majority shares of the team.

Attendance for Hornets games has been lower than the club hoped, despite a13-7 record. Through 10 home games, average attendance has been 13,865.

If it doesn’t pick up, the Hornets could have the right to break their leaseat the New Orleans Arena after this season. The lease runs through 2014, but theteam is allowed to break it if average attendance falls below 14,735 during atwo-year period.

The club would have to notify the state of any intent to end the lease byMarch 31, 2011. However, the person who spoke to The AP about the sale said theleague wants the Hornets to remain in New Orleans.

First-year Hornets coach Monty Williams said before Sunday night’s Hornetsgame at San Antonio that he talked to players about the potential sale, butinsisted it wouldn’t be a distraction during what has been one of the betterstarts in franchise history.

Williams said he did not know the details of the planned sale and added thathe did not want to know.

“I’ve heard speculation since I’ve been in New Orleans,

 

[you big dummy]

[h1][/h1]

[h1]AP Source: NBA has a deal to buy Hornets[/h1]By BRETT MARTEL, AP Sports Writer
18 minutes ago


NEW ORLEANS (AP)—New Orleans Hornets owner George Shinn has agreed to sell theclub to the NBA and the transaction could be completed within a couple days,according to a person familiar with the decision.

The league has lined up New Orleans-born sports attorney Jac Sperling, vicechairman of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild, to be the NBA’s administrator of the teamand oversee its sale to a more permanent owner, the person told The AssociatedPress on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the move hasn’t been publiclyannounced.

Current Hornets President Hugh Weber will continue overseeing day-to-dayoperations of what will be the first NBA team to be owned by the league, theperson said.


NBA spokesman Tim Frank Sunday declined to comment on the sale.

Shinn has been in negotiations to sell the team to minority owner andLouisiana native Gary Chouest since last spring, but talks have been stalled formonths.

Chouest, who owns 35 percent of the team, runs a business that suppliesvessels to the gulf oil industry. Recently, he has become concerned about hisability to run his family business while taking over the Hornets, said theperson who confirmed the NBA’s planned purchase of the club.

It remained unclear on Sunday night if Chouest would keep his stake in theclub if the NBA took over, or if he could be lured back to the table once theteam is in the NBA’s hands.

Chouest has not responded to repeated calls to his office and e-mailsrequesting comment on the matter since he first entered negotiations to buyShinn’s majority shares of the team.

Attendance for Hornets games has been lower than the club hoped, despite a13-7 record. Through 10 home games, average attendance has been 13,865.

If it doesn’t pick up, the Hornets could have the right to break their leaseat the New Orleans Arena after this season. The lease runs through 2014, but theteam is allowed to break it if average attendance falls below 14,735 during atwo-year period.

The club would have to notify the state of any intent to end the lease byMarch 31, 2011. However, the person who spoke to The AP about the sale said theleague wants the Hornets to remain in New Orleans.

First-year Hornets coach Monty Williams said before Sunday night’s Hornetsgame at San Antonio that he talked to players about the potential sale, butinsisted it wouldn’t be a distraction during what has been one of the betterstarts in franchise history.

Williams said he did not know the details of the planned sale and added thathe did not want to know.

“I’ve heard speculation since I’ve been in New Orleans,

 

[you go boy]

seattle should get a new stadium before they think of getting a team again... im just sayin

 

[you go boy]

seattle should get a new stadium before they think of getting a team again... im just sayin

 

[DYNAMICS]

^ I don't think Stern would allow the team to go back to Seattle without a new arena.

 

[DYNAMICS]

^ I don't think Stern would allow the team to go back to Seattle without a new arena.

 

[airmaxpenny1]

I doubt they move another team to Canada since every player hates going there but Vancouver and and would support a team. I know Kansas City wants a team as well.

 

[airmaxpenny1]

I doubt they move another team to Canada since every player hates going there but Vancouver and and would support a team. I know Kansas City wants a team as well.

 

[dmbrhs]

Vancouver ain't exactly Winnipeg. It's a great city. But the overwhelming sentiment in NBA circles is that Seattle needs a team.

 

[dmbrhs]

Vancouver ain't exactly Winnipeg. It's a great city. But the overwhelming sentiment in NBA circles is that Seattle needs a team.

 

[futuristic]

How about Mexico City or San Juan?

 

[futuristic]

How about Mexico City or San Juan?

 

[swyftdahoe]

Originally Posted by yungchris504

Seattle Attendance Record From 2001 up until they relocated:

2001 - 17th
2002 - 21st
2003 - 20th
2004 - 23rd
2005 - 21st
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 25th
2008 - 28th

Now please tell me why Seattle so overwhelmingly deserves another bball team oppose to N.O.

Because if it wasn't for the stupid politicians, Sonics shoulda never left.. Seattle has a much richer populace than NO..

 

[swyftdahoe]

Originally Posted by yungchris504

Seattle Attendance Record From 2001 up until they relocated:

2001 - 17th
2002 - 21st
2003 - 20th
2004 - 23rd
2005 - 21st
2006 - 23rd
2007 - 25th
2008 - 28th

Now please tell me why Seattle so overwhelmingly deserves another bball team oppose to N.O.

Because if it wasn't for the stupid politicians, Sonics shoulda never left.. Seattle has a much richer populace than NO..

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by Futuristic

How about Mexico City or San Juan?

1st World countries only, pleeze.

 

[dmbrhs]

Originally Posted by Futuristic

How about Mexico City or San Juan?

1st World countries only, pleeze.

 

[DsLee]

Perhaps Lenny Wilkens knows some info that a lot of us don't know...

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2...anchise-back-to-seattle/

I actually read this article earlier this week and forgot about it until news broke about the NBA preparing to purchase the Hornets.