I was listining on the radio that Charlotte will have another team in the NBA by 2004. The new owner will be the first African-American owner in pro sports.
Yeah that guy that started up Black Entertainment Television. Get this...there was a rumor I heard on ESPN Radio that perhaps Grampa Jordan will help run the team after he retires from the Washington Bullets .
Re: Re: Charlotte back in the NBA? That's not exactly true; the owner demanded a new arena, and the darn place was built in 1988. They told him where to stick it and he did. Crowds dwindled after that, but they'll support a new team very well.
Don't forget that George Shinn was caught doing some nasty law-breaking stuff (something of a sexual nature, I do not remember) ... and the city of Charlotte pretty much didn't want to support any team that Shinn owned. If i'm wrong, someone let me know.
iginally posted by SoccerAndy5 [/i] Don't forget that George Shinn was caught doing some nasty law-breaking stuff (something of a sexual nature, I do not remember) ... and the city of Charlotte pretty much didn't want to support any team that Shinn owned. If i'm wrong, someone let me know. [/QUOTE]I think the city would have forgiven Shinn for his sins if he weren't so damn incompetent. He refused to pay for free agents so there was very little continuity. He also refused to sell a majority share of the team to Michael Jordan, but then turned around and partnered up with Ray Wooldridge, with whom he entrusted the Hornets' day-to-day operation. Wooldridge antagonized city officials during negotiations and alienated Charlotte citizens even more. If anyone else had been in charge, there would be an Uptown arena right now and there would be no New Orleans Hornets.
Yeah, because the talent pool isn't stretched thin as it is. There are players starting on NBA teams nowadays who'd probably get their arses kicked down at the local Y.
Nicknames Maybe now Charlotte can get the Hornets name back, New Orleans can get the Jazz back, Memphis can give Utah the Grizzles moniker, and Memphis can be called the Express to go along with their new arena, FedEx Arena. The only problem is that Utah might want to wait for Stockton and Malone to retire. There is a minor league hockey team called Grizzles, so a deal would have to be struck. Memphis shouldn't have a problem with this because they have no history anyway. This is wishful thinking, but if it happens it would make a whole lot more sense than the strange names brought on by relocation.
I thought Memphis all ready tried to change their name to Express, or contemplated the change, but the NBA said no because they have a policy against teams being named after corporations.
That's true. FedEx offered a nice little sum if the team was willing to change it's name to the Express.
Johnson getting the team over Bird is League payback for all those white player dominated Celtic teams of the 70's and 80's.
This is pathetic. I am a Hornets supporter, and I find this very gutting. I guess I will always support the 'Hornets', but why would they have a team back in North Carolina if they struggle to get 10,000 fans to a game?
If you read the other posts in the thread, you'd see that fans stayed away, because of their contempt for George Shinn, not disinterest. If the new ownership group is anywhere close to competent, doesn't openly antagonize Charlotte citizens and can avoid sexually assaulting women, an arena will get built and fans will come back.
Charlotte's a rare case sportswise. One that will see fans embrace a new team (for reasons stated in this thread) right from the get go after the team/league left them. I can't see most NHL/NBA/MLB/NFL/MLS cities going nuts over a new team 3-4 years after one left without some hard feelings, though the Browns are one case of the otherwise.
I lived in Charlotte from 1993-1996 and then again briefly in 1999. The Hornets were very well supported during my first stint there, infact leading the NBA in attendance every year. Back in the "heyday" of Young Zo and LJ the city was nuts for the Hornets. Strike 1: After the fiasco starting with giving LJ a 50 zillion dollar contract, and Zo being traded to Miami, the fans were NOT happy. Strike 2: Charlotte Coloseum (The Hive) is literally, out in the middle of nowhere on Tivola Road, near the airport. Even with Tivola being a 3 way road, it would take an hour just to leave the parking lot, and get back to the 85, then more traffic...then if you were lucky you got home within 2 hours of the game ending Strike 3: Shinn. The porblems have already been stated here. Strike 4: Even if the City Council/voters would have approved funding for a new building...there was nowhere to put it. Well, there was, but the landowners wanted way too much for it, and there was no way that the city could afford it, and parking uptown was near nonexistant They have now chosen a site, near Ericsson Stadium, which is not bad for parking...but the thing that always puzzled me was...back in 1998 Charlotte opened up a gorgeous state of the art Convention Center...Even from the outside it looks awesome...and the OLD one, is still sitting there, on College and 4th (i think) and the damn thing literally takes up a whole city block, and is a total eyesore...I always wondered why they didnt just knowck the thing down and build the new stadium there...would have been perfect...