Reply With QuoteThats flat out harsh. They better find a home soon. I don't want the only non be son owned sports franchise going defunct.
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Just heard them talking about this on the news. It's mostly about the Voodoo but there are mentions of the Hornets. If anyone is wondering when they plan on beginning renovations, they're saying around May 1.
http://www.wwltv.com/sports/VooDoo-M...166169806.htmlNEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans VooDoo is looking for a new general manager.
GM Jon Norris was fired by the Arena football team after a disappointing loss in the first round of the playoffs this year.
The team will spend the off-season trying to improve on an 8-11 record and finding a place to play many of its home games.
That's because the home turf at New Orleans Arena will not be available.
"We're anticipating closing the Arena down around May 1 to start this construction work and it will probably be closed for about five to five and a half months just in time to start the Hornets new preseason," said Arena General Manager Alan Freeman.
The state agreed to pay for $50 million in renovations as part of the lease deal that keeps Hornets basketball in the Arena through 2024.
Freeman says the work cannot be done with the VooDoo in the building.
Thats flat out harsh. They better find a home soon. I don't want the only non be son owned sports franchise going defunct.
Zephyrs?Originally Posted by Pilot172000
Why don't they play at the Lakefront Arena???
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Tell them we can push back the renovations if they give the Hornets their name.
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With their (lack of) attendance they could play at the Orpheum downtown.
"Hornets means nothing." - Tom Benson
What a terrible thing to say about the Orpheum!
May 1 would mean no NBA Finals for the Hornets this season :.(.... Those are real tears, haha.
Ha, couldn't agree more! Seriously, it really is a shame that the theatre's just sitting there in the condition it's in. If you do some digging, the owners are in to some really shady business...not a promising situation.
"Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under taxes and frauds and maladministraions so that it has become a study for archaeologists...but it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio."
— Lafcadio Hearn (Inventing New Orleans: Writings of Lafcadio Hearn)
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I was just about to post the very same suggestion. It makes sense!
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No, they need to fold and sell the name to Benson.
Reading between the lines, it appears to me that the renovations/refurbishment to the NOrena will be substantial. I know the state is kicking in about $50 mill, but I wonder if the NBA or the Benson folks are putting up come $$$. If I'm not mistaken, the NFL contributed millions to the Superdome renovation.
The NFL put up $15m to help refurbish the Dome after Katrina.
The upgrades had nothing to do with the NFL as far as I can tell.
For those playing along: The venue issue completely destroyed the Brass.
Last edited by 42; 08-15-2012 at 01:18 AM.
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about the same size of building... if not still bigger... than the Arena they played in Bossier-Shreveport as the BattleWings
I'm a Voodoo season ticket holder and I'm outraged about this firing because I met that guy last week and he was going to be on my podcast.
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This article says it's unsuitable.
http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/voo...ess-story.html
Do you have some data, or are you kind of eyeballing it?
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Unsuitable? I'm sure that they could make the necessary adjustments for one season if they had to. I mean, the improvements to the main arena are only going to help both franchises in the long run. It just seems like unnecessary belly aching over being displaced for a moment. It's not like they're being asked to go play in the convention center or something!
It's actually going to be two seasons.
Agreed on the two seasons.
One season for 'inside' improvements, one for 'outside', roughly speaking.
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Norris should have been gone before the team even moved. He was useless.
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Two seasons...well I guess it's good bye Voodoo! Not unless they opt for the super dome. Then it would be like any Tulane game. Empty!
Not that the arena wasn't empty this year right :P.
Too bad the Municipal Auditorium isn't up and running. I don't see an issue with them going to BR something.
eyeballing... so I'm prob. wrong
I did hear somewhere that a 3/4 empty NOArena still had a bigger draw than what they were getting in Bossier-Shreveport
I wonder if Benson has enough juice to keep them from finding an "available" alternative. If they have to move to survive, or just straight up fold, then it seems like selling the Voodoo name would become pretty appealing.
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