Patrick
01-28-2006, 06:54 PM
The Times-Picayune stated that the Hornets would return to NOLA in 07-08. The NBA today disputed that today as being false. Wishful thinking on their part. No long term decision has been made. With OKC getting the team almost as long as NOLA had them, it's looking more like OKC will keep the Hornets.
Hornets will return next season
By Andrew Gilman
The Oklahoman
MEMPHIS - The Hornets are coming back to Oklahoma City next season for a majority of their schedule, but their long-term future is still uncertain, despite reports.
http://newsok.com/images/icon_story_white.gifArena use agreement (http://www.newsok.com/docs/hornets_arena.pdf)
http://newsok.com/images/icon_story_white.gifRelocation memorandum (http://www.newsok.com/docs/hornets_relocate.pdf)
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Saturday that there was "an understanding" the team would return to New Orleans for the 2007-08, according to league sources.
“That’s somebody leaking out the final proposal (the Hornets) haven’t agreed to,” a source close to the NBA told The Oklahoman. “There is no deal (for the long-term). What was in the Times-Picayune was inaccurate. The Hornets have not agreed to anything.”
The NBA is set to announce this week their plans for the Hornets future - at least in the short-term.
The plan will be similar to this season, according to sources, with the team playing a majority of its games in the Ford Center, with a handful in New Orleans.
“I don’t think anything has changed,“ said Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, who was part of the negotiations which relocated the team to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina. “I think we’re fundamentally where we’ve been all season, with people wondering if New Orleans will be ready next season. Doesn’t seem likely. Who knows after that?”
The long-term future of the team rests in New Orleans’ ability to support the team - both in the stands and through corporate support - as well as the continued negotiations over the team’s lease.
According to the lease, the Hornets would pay the state of Louisiana an exit fee of $10 million to break the lease “in the event this agreement shall not have been terminated prior to June 30, 2012 and if the Hornets do not renew this agreement...” It is unclear whether the Hornets would be responsible for an exit fee if they left New Orleans before 2012, though it has been reported that they could not break the lease at all before 2012.
“We believe the Hornets’ lease agreement requires them to return to New Orleans for the 2006-07 season,“ Superdome Commission chairman Tim Coulon told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in a statement. “We are aware of their concern regarding the ability of the market to support a 41-game season.”
The Hornets also have a deal with Oklahoma City, which includes an option for next season, which includes revenue guarantees of between $35 and $40 million.
Since coming to Oklahoma, the team is averaging 17,641 fans, 11th in the league. In their final season in New Orleans, the team was last in the league in attendance. Meanwhile, coach Byron Scott and many of the players have said that they want to return to the Ford Center, due in large part to the home-court advantage Oklahoma City has provided.
And while the long-term decision won’t be made by Scott or the players, Scott may have helped facilitate moving two games from Baton Rouge, La., back to Oklahoma City, suggesting his team would have won a December game agains Phoenix in Baton Rouge if the crowd (7,302) would have been similar to the Ford Center’s regular crowds. The Hornets won both of the games they moved out of Baton Rouge, beating Sacramento in Norman on Jan. 18 and beating Memphis at the Ford Center on Jan. 25.
Hornets will return next season
By Andrew Gilman
The Oklahoman
MEMPHIS - The Hornets are coming back to Oklahoma City next season for a majority of their schedule, but their long-term future is still uncertain, despite reports.
http://newsok.com/images/icon_story_white.gifArena use agreement (http://www.newsok.com/docs/hornets_arena.pdf)
http://newsok.com/images/icon_story_white.gifRelocation memorandum (http://www.newsok.com/docs/hornets_relocate.pdf)
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported Saturday that there was "an understanding" the team would return to New Orleans for the 2007-08, according to league sources.
“That’s somebody leaking out the final proposal (the Hornets) haven’t agreed to,” a source close to the NBA told The Oklahoman. “There is no deal (for the long-term). What was in the Times-Picayune was inaccurate. The Hornets have not agreed to anything.”
The NBA is set to announce this week their plans for the Hornets future - at least in the short-term.
The plan will be similar to this season, according to sources, with the team playing a majority of its games in the Ford Center, with a handful in New Orleans.
“I don’t think anything has changed,“ said Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett, who was part of the negotiations which relocated the team to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina. “I think we’re fundamentally where we’ve been all season, with people wondering if New Orleans will be ready next season. Doesn’t seem likely. Who knows after that?”
The long-term future of the team rests in New Orleans’ ability to support the team - both in the stands and through corporate support - as well as the continued negotiations over the team’s lease.
According to the lease, the Hornets would pay the state of Louisiana an exit fee of $10 million to break the lease “in the event this agreement shall not have been terminated prior to June 30, 2012 and if the Hornets do not renew this agreement...” It is unclear whether the Hornets would be responsible for an exit fee if they left New Orleans before 2012, though it has been reported that they could not break the lease at all before 2012.
“We believe the Hornets’ lease agreement requires them to return to New Orleans for the 2006-07 season,“ Superdome Commission chairman Tim Coulon told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in a statement. “We are aware of their concern regarding the ability of the market to support a 41-game season.”
The Hornets also have a deal with Oklahoma City, which includes an option for next season, which includes revenue guarantees of between $35 and $40 million.
Since coming to Oklahoma, the team is averaging 17,641 fans, 11th in the league. In their final season in New Orleans, the team was last in the league in attendance. Meanwhile, coach Byron Scott and many of the players have said that they want to return to the Ford Center, due in large part to the home-court advantage Oklahoma City has provided.
And while the long-term decision won’t be made by Scott or the players, Scott may have helped facilitate moving two games from Baton Rouge, La., back to Oklahoma City, suggesting his team would have won a December game agains Phoenix in Baton Rouge if the crowd (7,302) would have been similar to the Ford Center’s regular crowds. The Hornets won both of the games they moved out of Baton Rouge, beating Sacramento in Norman on Jan. 18 and beating Memphis at the Ford Center on Jan. 25.