Some more bits on information:
NOLA.com wrote: The sample of games used to determine the final attendance benchmark will not include the seven games the Hornets played this season in October and November. Officials didn't think it was fair to include games from those months because fans, at the time, weren't aware of the terms of the new deal.
In the eight games played since Dec. 1, the Hornets average attendance was 12,215. To raise the average to the 14,735 target, attendance will need to be 15,036 in the remaining 76 games that will be played this season and next season.
The attendance figures are based on actual tickets sold and include complimentary tickets the club issues for charity and special guests.
Officials arrived at the figure of 14,735 because it equals the team's average attendance for the three seasons in New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina. The figure equates to roughly 86 percent of the 17,188 capacity the team goes by at New Orleans Arena. Playoff games will be excluded.
NOLA.com wrote: The Hornets were encouraged by attendance at the nine games played in New Orleans during the two seasons when they were based in Oklahoma City. In 2005-06, they averaged 17,485 in the three games in New Orleans, and last season they averaged 17,129 in six games, including 18,535 on March 23 against the Lakers, the most fans to ever see a regular-season game at the New Orleans Arena.
The Hornets averaged 14,221 in their final season in New Orleans before Katrina, a year in which they went 18-64.
NOLA.com wrote: Shinn said Chouest made it clear during ownership negotiations that he did not want to invest in a team that would not play in Louisiana. Shinn also said Chouest has plans to increase his stake in the club and that he will remain the only other partner in the ownership group.
"This is just the start of what we hope is going to be an even longer renewal, and we want to keep this team here until the lights go off," Chouest said.
George Shinn wrote:"We are going to make this work; we have to," Shinn said. "Everyone in the organization is in New Orleans because they chose to be here. We want this to be our home for a very long time, and we have great confidence that we will succeed."
NOLA.com wrote: "This is not about an opt-out; it's about an extension," said Jimmy Clarke, Blanco's chief of staff. "I understand the skepticism, (but) I personally have a great belief in the people of south Louisiana. I know the governor does. And I know the governor has a belief in the Hornets organization. I think we have confected a model agreement that brings forth common sense that I think will win the day."
If the team's struggles continue, officials must notify the state by Feb. 1, 2009, of their plans to pursue a renegotiated lease or other options. In that scenario, Shinn said his desire would be to meet with Gov.-elect Bobby Jindal to find a way to make things work in New Orleans.
"I'm 66 years old. Hell, I'm tired of moving," Shinn said. "I've moved from Charlotte to here to Oklahoma and back to here. I don't want to move again. I got a home here. My son's got a home here. We want to make this damn thing work. We're using prayer power and manpower and everything we can. I really think it's going to work. It's a situation where somewhere along the line we've got to have some trust."
NOLA.com wrote: Thornton, the lead negotiator for the state, said state officials understand the risk of losing the team in the new deal and are well aware of the rampant speculation it might engender.
However, he said a new deal was necessary both to assist the Hornets and to relieve the state of wasteful financial inducements to the club. Under terms of the original agreement, the state would have been on the hook for up to $6.2 million a year in inducement payments to the club for the next five years, in addition to the $20 million to $25 million practice facility
"The question would be: Does it make sense for the state to fund the continued operation of a basketball franchise if people aren't interested enough to buy tickets?" Thornton said. "If we're losing money, then they're losing money, and they could potentially be losing more than we're losing. Why would we want to both lose $30 million the next four years just so we could keep an irreplaceable asset?"
With an identifiable target now in place, state officials are confident fans will respond to the challenge in the same way they did six years ago when the NBA required the city to hit a season-ticket benchmark of 8,000 before approving the relocation to New Orleans from Charlotte.
"We believe in George Shinn and we believe in the Hornets," Clarke said. "We see this as opportunity to extend the lease by two years, not to shorten the lease. And at the same time it's a fiscally responsible move to the taxpayers. This is a win-win agreement for both sides."
