(New Orleans Hornets)
The New Orleans Hornets management have announced that they are no longer able afford the team and have handed over ownership to the NBA. The Hornets can now be purchased by just about any investor interested in the team and could also be relocated anywhere within North America. NBA commissioner David Stern has said all the right things in terms of keeping faith alive in New Orleans, saying that he would like to see the team remain in Louisiana. However, the truth is that the team is up for sale to the highest bidder. How soon a sale or when a possible relocation would take place is unknown, also taking into consideration the possibility of an NBA lockout next season, the whole process could take a minimum of 2 years to take shape.
This, however, is nothing new in the world of sports. We all know sports teams are moved in and out of cities every few years for pretty much the same reasons the Hornets might be. For example, MLB's Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals and the NHL's Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche. Their situations may not have been identical to the Hornets, but similarites in the scenarios resulted in both Canadian franchises being relocated to the U.S.
"What does all this mean" and "Why should I care" you ask?
It means that the economy as we know it is far from recovered. It also means the newly rejuvenated and winning Hornets team, even with All-Star Chris Paul at the wheel, is still not enough to fill seats in the New Orleans Arena. This could lead to the team being moved out of New Orleans to a market that may be more likely to support them. For example, the Montreal Canadiens are without a doubt one of the most supported NHL franchises in history. Even during seasons when the Canadiens don't do particularly well, every home game is sold out in the 22,000 plus seated arena. It is also well know that hockey is a major part of Canadian culture, but I have no doubt that even if the Canadiens fail to make the playoffs for the next 4 years, it would not affect ticket sales.
"Why should you care"? Well if you are a basketball fan, especially a fan with a team already in your city, this takeover lets you know that no team is safe. Support for your home team, if you can afford it, is a must. Many teams have a history of not winning yet remain in the same market for years due to fan support and great ownership. You should also care because this means a new city could get themselves an NBA franchise for the first time. This could also be a great boost to the NBA and hopefully have a new team follow in the Oklahoma City Thunder's footsteps, with possibly the most enthusiastic fan base in the league with less than 10 years under its belt. Friends of mine have already chimed in on cities they would like to see have a team, which included Seattle, Vancouver, Las Vegas and my obvious choice, Montreal, my home town. With a sell out pre season game featuring the Toronto Raptors vs the New York Knicks hopefully not being a one off, Montreal could be a great market for NBA basketball. It is clear fans from surrounding provinces would trek to Montreal to catch a few NBA games much like they do to watch the Toronto Raptors play.
As I mentioned earlier, we are months if not years away from seeing the team moved, if at all.
But I would still love to know what you think.
What city do you think should have an NBA team?
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