Hornets need savin!!

[2poor]

At least bring yourselves up to speed with the way things are unfolding before making the stupid comments about them moving.

read

and read

The ignorance on these boards is overwhelming.

[Carl_Monday]

At least bring yourselves up to speed with the way things are unfolding before making the stupid comments about them moving.

read

and read

The ignorance on these boards is overwhelming.

Hey 2poor, one question that I never heard an answer to: why couldn't the local market watch Hornets games on TV? Just seems crazy to me that fans couldn't watch their home team on TV.

[2poor]

Hey 2poor, one question that I never heard an answer to: why couldn't the local market watch Hornets games on TV? Just seems crazy to me that fans couldn't watch their home team on TV.

Due to a carriage dispute between CST (the network that broadcasts Hornets games and is owned and operated by Cox Communications Louisiana, LLC) and Charter (the cable provider for the north shore), Hornets games are not on the air in St. Tammany Parish, a core segment of the team's fan base.

CST is also unavailable on satellite, so all the homes that switched to DIRECTV and DISH after Katrina are now also in the dark.

Before this season, Cox failed to reach an agreement with Charter to have its all-sports channel, Cox Sports Television, available to subscribers in St. Tammany Parish.

"Prior to Katrina, the Hornets generated over $100 million per year in New Orleans -- important dollars for our city," Fielkow said. "Cox Communications is also a franchise of New Orleans, and we derive significant sales-tax dollars from their operations.

This will actually be resolved within the next 2-3 weeks though, fortunately. Over 250,000 people in these areas are unable to see the Hornets on TV. I might add that the radio coverage is equally as abysmal, but is starting to look up as well.

http://www.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=748091

[Carl_Monday]

Thanks.

So the lack of coverage has only been for this season, and it's essentially stemming from a pissing contest between a couple of billion-dollar corporations. Good to hear that it's getting resolved real soon.

[2poor]

What only fuels the fire is that OKC is getting something like 30 televised Hornets games this year, while the locals in the blacked out regions have had to rely on the sparce national TV coverage to watch their team.

But yeah, at the very least the cable dispute should be wrapped up within the coming weeks, as well as a deal with Dish. DTV might take a bit longer because they seem more focused on their HD programming, but who knows.

[chocodog]

i know there are a lot of business parameters making the following much more logical scenario from happening but is there anyway the hornets can go to OKC rather than the sonics? I really don't want either team to move to be honest but they are the two most likely to relocate and of the two it makes much more sense for the hornets. Sonics have been in their city for 30 plus years, have a championship, if they leave that leaves only portland for the entire northwest market (as a blazer fan i still think thats a bad thing), and they still have strong fan support aside from this current roadblock for a venue. On the other hand, the hornets have only been around for a few years and have proven unstable having already relocated once. Both teams have bright futures but the hornets have less prestige and a bleaker economic future in their own city. I know katrina cannot be pinned on a shinn but he has repeatedly proven to be a poor owner (even though he has made some recent efforts to prove otherwise) if is team fails so soon after unjustly pulling them from a great situation in charlotte cannot the owners and the commissioner vote to remove him from the league for being a detriment or something along those lines? Could he at least agree to swap franchises with the sonics so bennet could still get a team (with just as bright a future and on top of that an established following having played half a season there) in OK. I love New Orleans but right now a team may not be able to survive there. OK would love to have them and it would be a shame to rip the sonics from seattle just for a recent rough patch. There has to be something stern could 'suggest' to get this scenario to happen if if it inevitable that OK is getting a team.

[2poor]

I'll just quote a post from a member on another forum who breaks it down pretty nicely. The scenarios you're describing are highly highly unlikely, and people really need to realize that the only obstacle facing the Hornets right now is getting butts in the [cheaper] upper bowl seats. Butts that will no doubt come once the TV deals get taken care of and your "casual fan" can watch his/her local team again. Corporate support is at an all-time high and they're having no problems getting the more expensive lower bowl and luxury suites occupied.

Anyways, the aforementioned post:

If you notice in the article, the attendance figure used is what was averaged here in NOLA before Katrina. Shinn is just asking that we support him like we did before Katrina hit. We seem to have all the elements in place for that, but we need better attendance. Teams don't move because of attendance, but corporate sponsors, in most cases, base their support on how many people they think they can reach. If the sponsors started to diminish their sponsorship or TV revenue went down, then the whole thing starts to fall apart. In order to keep things going the way they have been going before Katrina, the Hornets just want that average met. Which ought to tell you something. With that number, it is clear that the Hornets were profitable here. We have been told by the naysayers that we didn't support the Hornets before Katrina. Bull****, and this ought to put all of that to rest.

So does the agreement make it easier for the Hornets to leave? Sure, if we don't support them. Does the agreement give us some finality that the Hornets will not bolt on us prematurely? Sure, if we support them.

Yesterday, Arnie Fielkow convened a meeting with all the players regarding the TV problem on the northshore. Don't expect for a second that this isn't relevant here. It's up to us to get it together and make it work here. That meeting was a step in the right direction. Arnie clearly expects this matter to be resolved and seems to be adament about it.

As for the PF, again, it's a win/win for both. Many here have complained, why build a Practice Facility if the team is going to leave? Shinn has said that the original agreement required him to have the PF. Looks like the baby has been cut in half on this one. The Alario is fine through at least 2014 with the addition, and if the Hornets leave, our Alario, which was there before the Hornets, got a nice upgrade, so we don't totally lose out either.

I can understand the anxiety here. But the reality is this, Shinn wants us to support this team more. We have two ways that we can view this amended agreement. We can say scroo Shinn he is trying to leave and not support him at all, or we can go out and support this team and realize that if we do, everything else will take care of itself.

Which choice will you make?

I'll be in the arena later this month doing my part from afar.

Edit: let me add one thing. How many people here have said that if Seattle wants to keep the Sonics, all they have to do is take care of the arena situation? Well, this is a similar situation. All we have to do is actually go to the games and everything is good, which is true no matter what year it is. So try not to focus on any year indicated in the contract. Just go out and support the team, or not. The choice is yours.

I will say this, no more excuses. If we don't support the team, then there is no reason for any complaining here. This is something that is actually in our control, one fan at a time. Go out and do your part. And if you aren't doing your part, I'd think twice about complaining.

[Scoot McGroot]

as for seeing a team in Las Vegas, tourists wouldn't support it unless their "home" team happened to be playing there.

I feel like the casino's alone would snatch up a TON of season tickets to give to high rollers or to give away as prizes for things like slots clubs, competitions, etc.

Plus, it would just be another option in the entertainment options there and would compete moreso against guys like Danny Gans, Cirque du Soleil, and whoever else is headlining casinos. Many guys would support a basketball game before heading out to spend the rest of the night on the strip, or with a strip...per.

[That Nicka]

as for seeing a team in Las Vegas, tourists wouldn't support it unless their "home" team happened to be playing there.

Las Vegas is a pretty large city (and i believe its still the fastest growing in the country).... Las Vegas residents would support the team not tourists...

The Utah Jazz even played some home games in Vegas in the 80s when Salt Lake City wasnt supporting them very well

[farzi]

Is it wrong of me to hope that your financial problems continue through free agency period next year so that Chris Paul becomes a FA?

[2poor]

Is it wrong of me to hope that your financial problems continue through free agency period next year so that Chris Paul becomes a FA?

Yeah, makes you a pretty crappy NBA fan. I gathered as much from some of your previous posts anyways.

After listening to those homer-ass Portland announcers though, I can imagine why you'd have such a grim look on things. As long as you get what you want who cares about how well New Orleans rebuilds, right?

[Optimus_Steel]

The Hornets will never make it in NO long term. They were never embraced and never will be. For PR reasons, Stern is gonna try really hard to keep the Hornets in NO but its just not a suitable place for basketball. The people in Seattle actually want the Sonics to stay. Most people in NO prob wouldn't care much if the Hornets left. I wouldnt be surprised if the Hornets ended up in OKC.

[dacrusha]

Wow. 15,605 to see the Lakers. Nice support.

That's pretty bad attendance for a losing team... but it's TERRIBLE for a winning team like the Hornets.

[2poor]

The Hornets will never make it in NO long term. They were never embraced and never will be. For PR reasons, Stern is gonna try really hard to keep the Hornets in NO but its just not a suitable place for basketball. The people in Seattle actually want the Sonics to stay. Most people in NO prob wouldn't care much if the Hornets left. I wouldnt be surprised if the Hornets ended up in OKC.

They were never embraced because the city had a whiney superstar in Baron Davis who forced his way out, which led to an 18-64 season (in which they still averaged over 14k per game).

"Prior to Katrina, the Hornets generated over $100 million per year in New Orleans -- important dollars for our city," Fielkow said. "Cox Communications is also a franchise of New Orleans, and we derive significant sales-tax dollars from their operations.

Granted, happiness for the Hornets now would be about 3,000 more fans per game, because the number 14,735 looks pretty distant from where the Hornets are sitting. Entering Wednesday night, they'd averaged 11,871 for the previous 15 home dates, with every excuse other than gout being used as a reason for the disinterest, which means they're a hell of a lot closer to first place in the Western Conference than to 15,000 fans.

But that proposed benchmark means the New Orleans Arena would be more than 80 percent full, and it reflects the team's average attendance for the three seasons before Hurricane Katrina. Sure, New Orleans' footprint has shrunk from a size 12 to an 8, but chew on this: the Hornets averaged 14,221 in 2004-05 -- the worst season (18-64) in franchise history.

It isn't unfathomable that 3,000 more people would want to go see a team that's about 15,000 times better.

[Optimus_Steel]

They were never embraced because the city had a whiney superstar in Baron Davis who forced his way out, which led to an 18-64 season (in which they still averaged over 14k per game).

Man you are such a homer. The Hornets were a playoff team their first 2 years in NO and never got embraced. Its not like they inherited an expansion team, they had a playoff team right away and never embraced them to begin with, and this was before Katrina. Things wont get better after Katrina. The Hornets dont have a positive good long term future in NO.

[2poor]

Homer, please. Do your research before you even bother posting, this thread has enough regurgitated "I heard it on ESPN" posts already.

[Blame Rasho]

Homer, please. Do your research before you even bother posting, this thread has enough regurgitated "I heard it on ESPN" posts already.

So he is incorrect in what he said?

The Hornets weren't a playoff team when they moved to New Orleans? Ok....

Why don't you reply to ours point instead of going off the tangent like you done before?

[Copperhead]

Wait! Hold the phone! Why is this thread 5 pages long? How the h*ll does it benefit any of you people (outside of OKC or Seattle) on where the Hornets play?

[2poor]

What point was he making? He called me a homer and claimed the city hadn't embraced the team but should have...because they were in the playoffs. Of course that doesn't account for the disarray the team was in; Silas being abruptly fired, Floyd's not-so glorious run, the whining, antics, and phantom injuries that the faces of the franchise (Mashburn/Baron: the 'star' that taught the other 'star' how not to be a 'star'), not to mention a 2-29 start that lead to the worst season in franchise history.

The city hasn't had a team with an identity. No faces to acclimate themselves to. Shinn put his money where his mouth is and has put a winning product on the floor. He is committed to the city and to the team. They now have a team to embrace and a team with genuinely good guys on their team. Not complainers and poor coaching staffs.

So really, excuse me if I don't feel the need to respond to the same generic negative opinion that regurgitates the same sentiment shared by media outlets across the country. I prefer opinions with foundations.

[Copperhead]

What point was he making? He called me a homer and claimed the city hadn't embraced the team but should have...because they were in the playoffs. Of course that doesn't account for the disarray the team was in; Silas being abruptly fired, Floyd's not-so glorious run, the whining, antics, and phantom injuries that the faces of the franchise (Mashburn/Baron: the 'star' that taught the other 'star' how not to be a 'star'), not to mention a 2-29 start that lead to the worst season in franchise history.

The city hasn't had a team with an identity. No faces to acclimate themselves to. Shinn put his money where his mouth is and has put a winning product on the floor. He is committed to the city and to the team. They now have a team to embrace and a team with genuinely good guys on their team. Not complainers and poor coaching staffs.

So really, excuse me if I don't feel the need to respond to the same generic negative opinion that regurgitates the same sentiment shared by media outlets across the country. I prefer opinions with foundations.

Abandon the thread 2poor because there is none to be found here.