Kansas City Hornets?

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/10566622.htm?1c

Buzz around NBA is that the Hornets might come to KC

JEFFREY FLANAGAN


The Kansas City Hornets?

Yep, that's the latest rumor being whispered around NBA circles, that the New Orleans Hornets might be in line to become the eventual tenant at Kansas City's soon-to-be Sprint Center.

The honeymoon between the Hornets, who relocated from Charlotte in 2002, and New Orleans apparently is over.

The Hornets are a dreadful bunch, going just 2-27 so far this season and well on pace to break the NBA's futility record held by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73 (9-73).

New Orleans sports fans already seem to have bailed on the Hornets, who are drawing just over 14,000 a game — that ranks 29th in the NBA out of 30 teams.

“We've heard a little talk about New Orleans,” Kansas City Sports Commission President Kevin Gray said. “But you always have to consider the possibility of teams using us for posturing or leverage with their own city. I'm not saying that's the case with New Orleans, but we can expect to be in the middle of some arena battles elsewhere.”

New Orleans certainly would fit the profile of a team that would benefit greatly by relocating here. The Hornets play in the New Orleans Arena, which is only 5 years old but is not anywhere near the state-of-the-art condition anticipated for the Sprint Center.

And, let's face it. New Orleans has never proven it can handle another pro team other than the Saints. And even the Saints are rumored to be peeking at Los Angeles.

“It all comes down to what AEG wants,” Gray said. “I trust AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group) will make the best decision for what goes into the arena. Until then, there will be a lot of rumors and a lot of conjectures. There's going to be talk about Orlando or Sacramento or New Orleans.”

 

i dont know if my hate is that transitive. i want them to move cities...i want them to fail but i dont know if i continue to hate them if they move from NO

 

This has become a monumental screw up for the NBA. They should have nipped this thing in the bud quite a while ago.

 

The entire NBA is a screw up.

 

I want people like Stern, Shinn, and other owners to come foward and say, "We fucked up, bad." And I want them to fix it, they need to force Shinn to sell. It's little things like this that make the NBA suck.

 

Kind of ironic that one of the reasons that the Hornets might be looking to move is that the New Orleans Arena isn't "modern" enough.

The NBA should do something definitive with the Hornets. Either force Shinn to sell or tell him that he can keep the team, but he has to keep it in New Orleans no matter what. I feel kind of bad about the Hornets situation because they're still my second favorite team in the league and it's pathetic what's become of them.

 

I feel bad for guys like P.J. Brown, but that's it. The rest of them can go to hell.

 

It would be another team for Kansas City. With KU being the basketball college it is, and being so close to KC, there may be plenty of fans for it to make a go.

Myself? I doubt I would go to a game even if I was given tickets.

 

Shinn will take the Kansas City rumor and attempt to use it for leverage in New Orleans. Hopefully, the powers to be in New Orleans will pay for the moving trucks and help Shinn load the truck. It's wishful thinking that they would call his bluff, after all, we're talking New Orleans here! New Orleans can take this to the bank...If George Shinn can get a better deal in Kansas City or anywhere else, he and the Hornets will be gone like "dust in the wind". The NBA will not be able to stop him! They couldn't in the relocation from Charlotte to New Orleans, even when David Stern was against the move and tried everything in his power to stop it; and they will not be able to now, should Shinn find a better deal than New Orleans. With Shinn, the NBA will always mean a way for him to make more money! The only problem with that is Shinn thinks the "NBA" stands for "New Bigger Arena".