Hornets deny report of new name for club

[Billy bob]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...sEnabled=false

The Pelicans have not been cleared for takeoff.

The New Orleans Hornets have denied a report that the team will change its name - perhaps by the start of next season - from Hornets to Pelicans.

“We’re not confirming that is the name,” Hornets spokesman Greg Bensel told the New Orleans Times Picayune when asked about a Yahoo! Sports story reporting that a name change was imminent.

“This is a process that’s ongoing and still in discussions. And it will be eventually decided by the NBA,” Bensel said.

The Hornets were purchased by New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson in April for $338 million and Benson has said that he would entertain the idea of changing the team’s name - a subject he says fans have brought up with him since he bought the club. The Times Picayune reports that Benson has been pushing for a name change - he’s reportedly owned the rights to the Pelican nickname for quite a while - and his wife, Gayle, has said that she wants to see the team’s colors changed to navy blue, red and gold.

Times Picayune columnist Jeff Duncan polled his Twitter followers about the proposed name change and wrote that the Pelicans nickname was viewed as a dud. Duncan proposed the name Dukes and according to the Yahoo! report, Brass and Krewe were also considered.

“I won’t say when it will happen, but of course I would support a (name) change,” NBA commissioner David Stern told the Times Picayune before the Yahoo! story was published.

New Orleans was home to the Jazz - a perfect name for the team - for five seasons from 1974 to 1979 before founder Sam Battisone moved the team to Utah. The NBA returned to the Big Easy in 2002 when the Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans and kept the nickname along with its teal color scheme. If New Orleans ditches the Hornets nickname, Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has said that he might drop the Bobcats nickname and bring the Hornets name back to Charlotte.

The Brown Pelican is the state bird of Louisiana - it was also the nickname for a minor league baseball team in New Orleans - and would fit right in to the NBA’s animal-friendly landscape of Bulls, Bucks, Grizzlies and Hawks, among others.

Huh? soooo its not pelicans?

[DarkHornet]

Test balloon?

[Smirk]

How do people not know how this works?

They will deny anything until they can officially announce it. And you'll notice that Bensel didn't say "That is not the name."

He said "We're not confirming that is the name".

[ohnosono]

How do people not know how this works?

They will deny anything until they can officially announce it. And you'll notice that Bensel didn't say "That is not the name."

He said "We're not confirming that is the name".

Don't care. I'm still gonna keep holding out hope for voodoo.

[RaisingTheBar]

Don't care. I'm still gonna keep holding out hope for anything but Pelicans.

fixed.

[DroopyDawg]

Same information that was on NOLA the day the name leaked. No new news. I'll hold my reactions/emotions until they officially announce SOMETHING.

[sting]

They leaked name to see how it would be recieved. Looks like they got their answer and are now denying it.

[Southpaw]

"NBA's animal-friendly landscape"?

[FlyGirl]

Stern probably told them to deny it until they can formally announce it. We know the league likes to be the first to announce these kinds of things.

[GeauxPelicans]

Hopefully they go with Brass, Voodoo, or Krewe. All of those are better options than Pelicans, but I'm pretty sure it'll b Pelicans.

[Smirk]

Deadspin has a great article in defense of the name up. Don't know if I can link it since there's some bad language in the story's title and body of the story.

[GeauxPelicans]

Thanks, I'll go check it out. My main quibble is that it's just to long. Three syllables is alot for a nickname

[RaisingTheBar]

Where's that guy that said he had "inside info" that guaranteed it NOT to be pelicans? Has he ever come back?

[Carbon]

Yeah and just calling them "The Pel's" doesn't really sound all that great to me.

[Eman5805]

Ah. The encounters with the so called insiders who come outta nowhere with info guaranteeing or leaking what not.

[Vinny6420]

That'd be crazy if they end up keeping the Hornets.....

lol

[Silverfoxx]

The Philidalphia 76ers is 10 syllables lol

[Silverfoxx]

Where's that guy that said he had "inside info" that guaranteed it NOT to be pelicans? Has he ever come back?

He took an arrow to the knee...

[donato]

As long as it's not (2 Live) Krewe I'm ok.

[bojangles837]

As long as it's not (2 Live) Krewe I'm ok.

Yeaaa Luke can make us a theme song

[WhoDatPelican]

Yeaaa Luke can make us a theme song

But he's Banned in the USA?

[LuckySunday]

How do people not know how this works?

They will deny anything until they can officially announce it. And you'll notice that Bensel didn't say "That is not the name."

He said "We're not confirming that is the name".

Until they officially announce it tho the name could be anything seeing as they have yet to submit any of there 5 trademarks or colors to the league.

[Purple Haze]

To be honest as long as it's not Bounce or Spirit I'm good. Even Angels is ok.

We might see the New Orleans Brass after all folks.

[Trell]

Pelicans are slowly growing on me, I mean slowly. About time this leaked it was 0% but now its 0.2%

[luckyman]

Pelicans are slowly growing on me, I mean slowly. About time this leaked it was 0% but now its 0.2%

I've gone from .003% to -74%.

I no longer see it happening. Seems like they were ready for a big announcement, then Stern said, wait a minute...uhhhhh NO!

Brass or Krewe sells right away. Pelicans needs to wait on a championship contender. Stern is a right away type of guy.