NO/Oklahoma City Hornets

[sooner333]

Well, with the announcement of 35 home games to be played in OKC, I'm officially a Hornets fan (to go along with my loose Warriors allegiance). Either way, I'm really pumped about going to some NBA games in the Ford Center.

[CamEdwards]

aren't you at northwestern? or am i thinking of a different sooner fan?

[JeeberD]

Enjoy the NBA sized ticket prices...

[Neuqua]

I think he transferred out from NU.

[vex]

Enjoy the NBA sized ticket prices...
Actually there will be $10 and $20 tickets.

[Blackadar]

Well, with the announcement of 35 home games to be played in OKC, I'm officially a Hornets fan (to go along with my loose Warriors allegiance). Either way, I'm really pumped about going to some NBA games in the Ford Center.

Don't support George Shinn. He's a bad, bad man.

[rkmsuf]

Actually there will be $10 and $20 tickets.


And you can move down to all the empty seats!

[sooner333]

aren't you at northwestern? or am i thinking of a different sooner fan?

I was there, transferred to OU after a year and a half at NU.

[duckman]

Don't support George Shinn. He's a bad, bad man.
They're not. They would be supporting Oklahoma City because they get half the profits.

[Young Drachma]

Their web site even says they're the Oklahoma City Hornets. That's pretty nuts. I mean, it's probably a smart move since they're playing so many games there and it'll help them sell stuff. But...still. Weird.

[Young Drachma]

They don't have any OKC gear out yet, though. So I guess they haven't completely sold out. But what's with New Orleans having two really bad owners? Benson and Shinn are pretty shady, seemingly. Shinn especially. What a joke.

[sooner333]

Went to the Hornets/Sixers game tonight...an exciting finish, a really fun game, and the fourth Hornets sellout of the season, over 19,000+ in the Ford Center for the game. This is a really fun team and its great that they are getting excellent fan support here with high attendence figures and good crowd involvement.

[Cuckoo]

Went to the Hornets/Sixers game tonight...an exciting finish, a really fun game, and the fourth Hornets sellout of the season, over 19,000+ in the Ford Center for the game. This is a really fun team and its great that they are getting excellent fan support here with high attendence figures and good crowd involvement.

Yeah, it's too bad they're only a rental. I think OKC has shown the NBA that they really should have a permanent team. I heard that the Hornets are something like 6th in attendance in the NBA. That's pretty amazing, I think.

Personally, I hate the NBA, but I still need to go catch a Hornets game.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I haven't been following the Hornets this year, but please keep in mind that the Hornets are drawing so many fans because they're something new to Oklahoma City. The Hornets brought in a lot of fans in their first year in New Orleans, and then they went into the tank. New Orleans really couldn't support an NBA franchise. Now, I don't know Oklahoma City at all, so maybe it's different, but a small part of one season really doesn't prove anything.

I have to admit that I'm still bitter because the Hornets indirectly caused New Orleans to lose its minor-league hockey team (of which I was a huge fan). Still, that first year made everyone think that the NBA was going to be a big deal in New Orleans, and it didn't take long before things changed. It turns out that the NBA was pretty much a dud in New Orleans, and I just think it's too soon to say whether that'd be the case in Oklahoma City, too.

[vex]

I really think people underestimate sports in Oklahoma. There is NOTHING else to do. OU football, soldout. OSU basketball, soldout. Hornets, 6th in ticket sales.

[Cuckoo]

Yeah, I see what you're saying Pumpy - the novelty of them and everything. But the Redhawks draw very well in OKC for AAA baseball, and they've been doing it for several years since the move to the Bricktown Ballpark. I think vex is right - sports are very important in Oklahoma.

My personal opinion is that OKC would continue to support a NBA franchise, especially given the Ford Center and the tremendous expansion in Bricktown. It's really making the city something unique.

[Karlifornia]

I'm glad for Oklahoma. I liked the state, and the people in the state when I stayed there (Kinta, right by Lake Eufaula)

[vex]

I'm glad for Oklahoma. I liked the state, and the people in the state when I stayed there (Kinta, right by Lake Eufaula)
My father was the pastor at First Baptist, Kinta, in the early 90's. Small world.

[Airhog]

I don't think OKC could keep a NBA franchise. Anyone remember the CAV's?

[vex]

I don't think OKC could keep a NBA franchise. Anyone remember the CAV's?
CBA was less entertaining than high school basketball.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Yeah, I see what you're saying Pumpy - the novelty of them and everything. But the Redhawks draw very well in OKC for AAA baseball, and they've been doing it for several years since the move to the Bricktown Ballpark. I think vex is right - sports are very important in Oklahoma.

My personal opinion is that OKC would continue to support a NBA franchise, especially given the Ford Center and the tremendous expansion in Bricktown. It's really making the city something unique.
Again, I don't know OKC at all, but New Orleans draws pretty well for its AAA baseball team, and the Zephyrs have been pretty bad for the past couple of years. I don't know if that's really a way to gauge how well the city can support something as expensive as an NBA franchise. Maybe Oklahoma City can do it -- its median household income is 25% more than New Orleans' -- but going to major-league sports events is bloody expensive. Is Oklahoma City really ready pack people into that arena 41 times a year?

I haven't been following the situation at all. If OKC pushes for an NBA franchise, would they be trying to get the Hornets or an expansion team? I think the NBA really understands that moving a team to New Orleans was a flop, and I would bet that George Shinn wants out of there. If OKC managed to get the Hornets, I really only wonder if it'll be good enough for Shinn. As Blackadar said over two months ago, Shinn is a bad, bad man.

[Airhog]

I think the novelty would wear off. From what I have heard, tickets are pretty cheap, but that may just be because they have no home. I think our other problem, is that we do not have a dedicated basketball arena. The ford center already hosts our hockey team, and our football team, not to mention every other big event that comes through here. It seems like the conflict between Hockey and basketball would be pretty significant.

[duckman]

I think the novelty would wear off. From what I have heard, tickets are pretty cheap, but that may just be because they have no home. I think our other problem, is that we do not have a dedicated basketball arena. The ford center already hosts our hockey team, and our football team, not to mention every other big event that comes through here. It seems like the conflict between Hockey and basketball would be pretty significant.
The Ford Center was built to draw in an expansion NHL team, but failed to so. Hockey is an extremely popular sport here, so I'm expecting that they are still courting teams that are looking to move from their current situation.

[LloydLungs]

I haven't been following the situation at all. If OKC pushes for an NBA franchise, would they be trying to get the Hornets or an expansion team? I think the NBA really understands that moving a team to New Orleans was a flop, and I would bet that George Shinn wants out of there. If OKC managed to get the Hornets, I really only wonder if it'll be good enough for Shinn. As Blackadar said over two months ago, Shinn is a bad, bad man.

I'm not ready to call old New Orleans a flop with the Hornets. The market would have required a lot of time for the team to become a true part of the city, yes. Last year they fielded a CBA team (it's true that we didn't want to spend money watching Matt Freije start games for a 2-29 club). During this offseason, the Hornets were supposedly in the top 10 in new season ticket sales and #1 in group sales. For the first time the team was genuinely upbeat about support. Couple that with the surprising start, plus the Saints' unbelievable ineptitude, and I really believe we would have been supporting this team had Katrina not happened. Likely not as well as OKC, but reasonably well.

I'll say this, in New Orleans we went through a year of Freije and Junior Harrington and the like, with Baron Davis and Jamal Magliore being malcontents and missing months and months over relatively minor injuries, so the team could get Chris Paul... for Oklahoma City. It's just so wrong. I know there are more important things, but I sure am conflicted watching their games.

I will say I don't think you're right about Shinn wanting out of there (at least not before the storm) -- I have no doubt he is a bad, bad man, but he was making craploads of money off the Cox TV deal and assorted sweetheart deals with the state. Nobody was happy with the attendance, but he was not losing money. Now he's making even more selling games out in OKC while spreading the team over two separate markets. Next year will feature the same arrangement. After that, we'll see.

[sooner333]

I'm in the lower corner of the Ford Center for 18 games this season. It's not very cheap for my budget, but I decided to make it work this season because it was new, good for the area, and also because I thought it would be pretty cool to see an NBA team play here, and it would be fun to root for the Hornets (and I will continue to do so until OKC gets another team...I was a Warriors fan before, and usually don't change team afflilations, but I haven't been close to the NBA since my elementary school days). That being said, I wasn't sure if I'd do it again next season. I can tell you right now that I'd do it again next year in a heartbeat...the games are really fun, a nice change of pace from the OU games...there is enough of a difference between the two to make basketball fun all winter. It's a fun, young team to root for, and the quality of basketball is really amazing.

[Karlifornia]

Sooner, you picked the wrong time to jump from the Warriors ship :)

[sooner333]

Sooner, you picked the wrong time to jump from the Warriors ship :)

I didn't really jump off, they are my second favorite team, I guess. However, I think I even went to a game the last season they were in the playoffs. This was before the San Jose excursion...the last time I went to one of their games. The last real Warriors memory I have in the Coliseum is when Keith Jennings was on the squad, if that says much.

[Karlifornia]

that's "Mr. Jennings" to us

[sooner333]

that's "Mr. Jennings" to us

haha, I remember that now. Funny, I still have a picture taken with Carlos Rogers on Warriors FanFest from one year. It must have been in the 1994-95 season because they had the computer game NBA Live 95 and I was just blown away...

[IMetTrentGreen]

I was there, transferred to OU after a year and a half at NU.

you missed high school, huh?

[Butter]

What's up with the abbreviation being "NOK"? I've seen that a few times now. Pick one, NO, or OKC, not NOK.

[Airhog]

The Ford Center was built to draw in an expansion NHL team, but failed to so. Hockey is an extremely popular sport here, so I'm expecting that they are still courting teams that are looking to move from their current situation.

But would people make the switch from the blazers to an NHL team so readily? I love the blazers, even though I rarely watch them. But I wonder how many diehard fans, would make that switch easily

[vex]

But would people make the switch from the blazers to an NHL team so readily? I love the blazers, even though I rarely watch them. But I wonder how many diehard fans, would make that switch easily
Well, they certainly didn't want the IHL team a few years back.(It was IHL, right?)

[duckman]

But would people make the switch from the blazers to an NHL team so readily? I love the blazers, even though I rarely watch them. But I wonder how many diehard fans, would make that switch easily
If the team was marketable and made steady improvements, I would think that a NHL team could flourish here.

[CamEdwards]

Well, they certainly didn't want the IHL team a few years back.(It was IHL, right?)

That would have been a horrible move for the city. I did a lot of reporting on that issue, and the city was willing to give up a ton of money for a team that was near bankruptcy in Kansas City.

The city government has always had a frosty relationship with Express Sports, and I've never understood why. Remember when Brad Lund wanted to bring in an AFL2 team called the Bullfrogs? Then Mayor Humphries got involved, said no deal, and wooed the penniless Memphis AFL team to town. Lasted all of a season. Now OKC has... AFL2. Go figure.

[sooner333]

you missed high school, huh?

haha...I think I missed Oklahoma and also being in an actual college town more than anything. I think I realized I would just enjoy being at OU better, and I'm 100% glad I made that decision today.