Saturday, April 14th, 2012 at 3:03 pm  |  167 responses

Hornets Owner Wants To Change Name, Logo


A leftover from when George Shinn moved his team from Charlotte, the “Hornets” goes together with New Orleans as much as “Jazz” goes with Salt Lake City. New owner Tom Benson is on the (long) list of people who want to change the franchise’s name. Via the Times-Picayune: “Benson said he is also trying to change the name of the NBA team to better fit the ambience, culture and charm of New Orleans. ‘We need to find a name like (Jazz),’ Benson said, referring to New Orleans first NBA team that relocated to Salt Lake City in 1979. ‘Whether we can get that or let us use that, you’ve got to know we’re working on it. We’d like to change it tomorrow. We have not gotten that approved, but we’re not letting up on it, either. Because we’ve got a good relationship with the commissioner and his people and we’re going to be on them daily to do something.’”

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  • Tim

    New Orleans Chocolate City

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    New Orleans WTF

  • Jay cole

    New Orleans Bounce?

  • Mike From Spain

    New Orleans Blues is good… going by the tradition of naming teams with animals, maybe some animal as dangerous as the team would be a good fit. An animal that lives in the Mississipi. How about New Orleans Catfish?

  • MELO

    another vote for New Orleans Blues.

    plus Utah vs N.O games would have 1000 bands outside. Blues & Jazz. (not in Utah tho!)

  • IAMORANGE4EVER

    New Orleans Blues it is then.

  • jimmer

    New Orleans Blues. Change the uniforms to block colors. It’s just too neat not to do it.

  • Larry Johnson’s Gold Tooth

    New Orleans Sound
    New Orleans BLUES (LIKE YHIS< ANOTHER VOTE)
    new ORLEANS Brad Pitts
    ……..

  • sam

    I like blues, jazz, royals and lyons.

  • lakernation

    New Orleans Jazz sound like music to my ears! I love it!

  • Anon

    No Blues! I’m hoping the Grizzlies will someday become the Memphis Blues.
    Blues != Jazz
    I do love the New Orleans Brass. Isn’t the Vodoo the name of the arena league football team down there?

  • timbo slice

    new orleans basketball reasons ftw!

  • allen3
  • http://redoftoothandclaw.ca/ niQ

    Did I miss the part that said this was a Name Contest?

  • sam j

    New Orleans shamans
    New Orleans bayou
    New Orleans blues
    New Orleans smoke
    New Orleans fleur de lis

  • JD

    If this happens, does it mean the Bobcats can become the Hornets?

  • GFoyle

    N.O Cayenne
    N.O Peppers
    N.O Soul
    N.O Gators
    N.O Cajuns
    N.O Salty Dogs
    N.O Deltas
    N.O Zydeco

  • Rugulose

    The Ragin’ Cajun

  • allen3

    to keep the medieval note why not the NO Chandlers

    or a religious side with the NO Chris’s

  • allen3

    All the “Saints” persons in New orleans are very happy

    PENNY hardaway di not play there

  • bike

    The N.O. Blackened Souls.

  • ab40

    So the hornets name can go back to charlotte and they can honour mourning, mashburn, johnson and bogues with jerseys in the rafters now?

  • http://yahoo.com Ed Garcia

    I Have a good nome The New Orleans Bayou Blues that’s sounds like a good one

  • Vandy

    Mew Orleans Mir d’Noms

  • MELO

    Tom Benson purchased the rights to the New Orleans Pelicans name (former baseball team) according to Wikipedia. That would be awful.

  • Billy Jay T

    The Louisiana Purchase
    The New Orleans Bayou (which is better than the Minneapolis Lakers, and WAY better than the Los Angeles Lakers. Both L.A. team names make no sense in relation to the City of Angels.)
    The New Orleans Charm
    The New Orleans Accent
    The New Orleans Crescendo
    The New Orleans Hot Sauce
    The New Orleans Skeeters
    The New Orleans Desire
    The New Orleans Humidity (The Humidity vs. The Heat would be one hot ticket game.)
    The New Orleans Brass is an excellent suggestion.
    Not the New Orleans Sorta Frenchmen.

  • Jason

    It doesn’t matter what they rename the team, fans are still going to stay away because pro hoops in the Big Easy just are NOT a draw & never have been!
    Don’t give me the line of “they just need to win and then the fans will show up” that’s juts BS! either your fans support your team or they don’t and if attendance hinges SOLELY on winning then you are in the wrong market!
    I find it crazy that David Stern allowed that team to stay there as long as he did without a real owner, it took HOW long to find not just a local buyer wanting to keep the team there but ANY buyer?
    In addition the value of that club – according to Forbes is 280 million which means that Benson paid about 30 million more than what the club is worth AND he did so knowing the league was having trouble finding a buyer.
    New Orleans lost the Jazz to Utah in ’79 and it’s only a matter of time before Benson loses lots and lots of money and the novelty of being a part of David “Napoleon” Stern’s exclusive club wears off and he wants out.
    Sure fans will buy the merch of whatever the new team name is but will they show up and will they do so in consistent #’s commiserate with a successful NBA franchise thus allowing Benson to reap a profit?
    The answer to that remains to be seen but if the past is indication of the future and perception IS reality than Mr. Benson & Mr Stern are in for a RUDE awakening, for Stern it COULD be an epiphany about the non viability of pro basketball in New Orleans but he’s so stubborn & obstinate NOTHING short of a full bankruptcy of the club would illuminate his thinking the least bit.

  • Lonnie

    Just swap with Utah. And get the name that make the most sense the Jazz.

  • price

    They should just trade their name to Charlotte. Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Stray Cats.

  • mark064

    New Orleans Brass or New Orleans Crescent

  • RedRum

    I think if they don’t get Jazz the Blues would make the most sense

  • iknowmybasketball

    i think new orleans and charlotte should combine their teams and form a super team called the new charlotte horn-cats

  • http://sportsbybrooks.com/boxscores-never-lie-or-exaggerate-on-twitter-30011 Allenp

    We should have been the Bullets.
    We’ve got the crime for it.

  • LA Huey

    Shouldn’t have kept the team there in the 1st place. We should have kept our Sonics and Stern should have had Bennett buy the Hornets. Katrina may have leveled New Orleans but screwed the NBA in Seattle.

  • Jerome

    I can read the headline now … !!BRASS, BALLIN’ OUT OF CONTROL!!
    It works.

  • CC Rider

    Name that team is an exciting game, but I’m not sure everyone realizes the collateral costs involved. The team isn’t the only entity which would be financially affected. Benson can afford it but some of the others can’t.

  • JerseeJerry55

    How about the New Orleans Bounty Hunters. Fits in well with a rich tradition with New Orleans sports teams

  • http://artcabral.com Artca

    I agree with Bash- the name should or could be “Good”
    or “alibi as in N.O. Alibi

  • http://artcabral.com Artca

    I agree with Bash (posted on the 15th) the name should (or could) be GOOD-
    or the ALIBI
    AS in N.O. ALIBI or N.O. GOOD

  • OD

    I agree with Jersee……….NO Bounty Hunters would be a fitting and appropriate name.

  • voobah

    New Orleans Mudbugs

  • susan

    New Orleans Kings!

  • http://same Joe C

    Shorten it to the HORNS

  • Nashty

    NEW ORLEANS LOSERS

  • hayden pfister

    the new orleans “benson’s”

  • hayden pfister

    bourbon st. ballers

  • BRYANT BYNUM GASOL 24 17 16

    New Orleans penis

  • al dankk

    It makes ALL the sense in the world. The name of the team
    has mostly to do with the city. If the team moves it SHOULD
    ACQUIRE it’s OWN IDENTIFYING NAME.

  • http://itsahardwoodlife.blogspot.com omphalos

    Was thinking about all these name changing shenanigans, and here is what should happen in my opinion.

    Utah Jazz become the Utah Raptors.
    New Orleans Hornets become the New Orleans Jazz.
    Toronto Raptors become the Toronto Huskies again.
    Charlotte Bobcats become the Charlotte Hornets.

    Those names not only sound better in every case (except maybe the Toronto Raptors), but make a lot more sense geographically.

  • http://averysmith.org Avery

    New Orleans Seraphs…It’s a celestial being, like a Saint…You’re welcome.

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