Glass half full. I cheer the team when they win and I am happy for the pick when they lose. An impactful high pick and a healthy Zion could make this team really good really quick.
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Glass half full. I cheer the team when they win and I am happy for the pick when they lose. An impactful high pick and a healthy Zion could make this team really good really quick.
Well in this article Dennis suggests they want a new arena
https://www.fox8live.com/2021/10/01/...-will-be-sold/
In order to ensure a long-term future for the Pelicans, the team will likely need a new or renovated arena to lock up a long-term deal.
“We’re gonna have to find a long-term solution and you know, we’re talking about different ideas now and we’ll see where we go,” he said.
Lauscha said whether to renovate or build a new stadium is a difficult question to answer.
2024 is when our lease expires. That is 2 more years. Has Gayle signed that long term deal?You owe it to this market to put a winner on a court. We haven’t done that yet. Really this franchise has not done that. I mean, we’ve had some starts and stops over the entire course since the Hornets got here,” Lauscha said. “But we have not had a sustained winner like we’ve had with the New Orleans Saints.”
“I think before you can make any requests, you know, or make any long-term decisions about this franchise, you owe it to put a winning product on the court.”
Dennis Lauscha, president of the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans
The likeliest scenarios would be to do a significant renovation to the existing arena or build a new one near the riverfront on property currently owned by the New Orleans Convention Center.
Last edited by 13 - 3; 12-13-2021 at 11:22 PM.
So because we may or may not get a new stadium, they’re going to sell the team?
im afraid to say it, because Mac and Herbjonesfan will call me names, but as painful as it can be sometimes, I *gasp* actually like watching this team. ok don't go too hard on me guys, im sensitive
Not at all. As Zach Lowe said in his podcast the other day, the three-wing starting line up with Herb, Josh and Brandon is actually interesting to watch. It just doesn't have enough top-end shooting, which is the most valuable currency in today's NBA. There are many things to fault to the Pels front office over, but not being aggressive enough in adding shooters to the roster is near the top of the list. Maybe that's what the trade chatter about the Pels possibly being buyers is about...
I’m with you on this. I mean, the San Antonio game was really frustrating to watch, but I’ve enjoyed most of the Pels games I’ve watched lately. Despite the record, they’re still playing hard for Coach Green. I’ve also enjoyed watching Herb’s progression. My biggest frustration probably comes from BI’s fourth quarter play to be honest, I keep hoping he’s going to take that next step up and I just haven’t seen it.
I also enjoy the watch. It's a fun team for the most part. Joel and AD do play a part in that.
Can you imagine this one after going after the state for 400 million to put some suites on the field and tearing out the ramps for steps in the Dome . Hey you got 600 million for a new arena for a team that stinks. Okay we will keep the SKC but we need 200 million for arena renovations for a team that stinks.
The clock is ticking on that long term deal.
Last edited by 13 - 3; 12-14-2021 at 06:08 PM.
I think what he's trying to say is that you shouldn't believe whatever narrative an owner or media is throwing out there. In year 1, Clay Bennett had to publicly make people think that he was making an honest effort to stay in Seattle. When considering how much he wanted to keep the Hornets/Pelicans in OKC, those of us in the know realized it was BS but it's amazing how many people drank the anti-OKC kool aid. Even the more intelligent posters on the old HR.com site wanted so badly to believe that he would stay in Seattle that they ran with Bennett's narrative. The rest of us knew they were gonzo from the time they were sold.
I'm guessing that the poster thinks we shouldn't believe Gayle and Dennis just because they are saying all the right things now. Personally, I think they are honest about their intentions. As long as Gayle is alive, the team isn't going anywhere and if a new arena is built, they'll be locked into a lease.
From my perspective, I trust her. I just wonder who the minority owner is that will take over via succession and their intentions are. You would hope that a new arena is in place while Gayle is alive so we don't have to worry about it.
I remember the poster named IEdmundson. Good guy and one of the better poster in the NO/OKC era. Had a falling out with some OKC posters on their board and was convinced that Bennett was using OKC as leverage to get a good deal in Seattle. Lots of posters ran with his theory out of hope, ignorance or just plain disdain for OKC.
But yes, the situations are different and not comparable in that sense. Again, what I'm saying is that my interpretation of what the poster is worried about is that just because Gayle and the media are reporting that the team is here for good, you have to take it with a grain of salt. I don't see it that way as long as she's alive. My biggest concern is with whoever takes over via succession. Until we know or get a feel for whoever it is, we really can't speculate.
Forget what people say. What is their motivation? For Bennett, as Pelicansfan says, it was obvious that he bought the team to move it to OKC. What is Gayle's motivation to sell/move? She's not a career business mogul or hedge fund magnate...I don't think she's motivated by maximizing the value of her assets. She (allegedly) was the reason behind Benson buying the Pels in the first place. Is she going to sell or move the Saints also (no, she is not)? Is she going to continue to own the Saints here after moving or selling to move the Pelicans? That doesn't make any sense.
What if I told you that Gayle was looking for a liquidity event, and felt that her least profitable investment was the first item she would look to liquidate? She is a philanthropist before she is a sports owner. By selling the team she could get off of a losing investment (and I mean that in a financial sense, not just win/loss), and allow her to put more money behind other endeavors.
If there is a camp saying that the team stays in New Orleans long term, put me in the other camp, as a matter of fact, if there is a wager going down for such a gamble, put your mortgage on it.
On the other hand with the Saints, that team could be liquidated as well, however there is absolutely no way that the team moves now given how ingrained it is in the city’s fabric. Perhaps 17 or 18 years ago the team could have been sold and moved, but today, no way.
Last edited by UNO Gracias; 12-27-2021 at 04:07 PM.
Then I would say that it was really weird that they just had a large unsolicited publicity campaign about how they are going to put the teams in trust after she dies. Nobody made them do that so if she was "looking for a liquidity event" then you would think that she wouldn't put all that info out there.
If she was looking for a liquidity event (and I doubt she is on that kind of scale...I think the announcement that the teams will be sold after her death and the trust proceeds used for charitable purposes is her philanthropy as far as they are concerned, and the Saints throw off plenty enough cash for her to give away annually) then I would bet way more than my mortgage that the brewery operation is way less profitable than the Pels. Probably the horse racing too (she may make money there, I don't know, but that's a dying sport/business). Pels are an appreciating asset, especially with the new TV deal coming. They bought the Pels for ~$350MM and could sell them for 4 or 5x that amount, I wouldn't call that "a losing investment".
They couldn’t sell the Pels for 4 or 5x (3x perhaps). The team is not in the greatest market, and the state isn’t helping matters with regards to the arena bit (they want a new one, or upgrades to the existing). I have no doubt that she could divest from the brewery, horse racing, or various CRE investments, but the one that is a money pit really is this franchise. When you take into account her other investments (and there are hundreds of not thousands) her MO isn’t sports, it’s improving the community around her, and as much as we like the Pels, they aren’t really enhancing anything in the community.
I give it 3 years before we are sold and moved. Anyone want to go in on a friendly wager?
I didn't realize that they weren't making an attempt to be a part of the fabric of the community. The NBA in general has been better than all the sports leagues when it comes to community service. If the Pelicans aren't doing it then they need to be called out.
I will say that in general, NBA games bring people together in ways that other events don't. For a historically divided community like New Orleans, that does have some value.
Forbes values them at $1.53B...which is >4x. And I think the next franchise to sell at or below the Forbes valuation will be the first. Even if it's 3x (it's not), that's still an insane return in a short amount of time...the Pels are a great investment not a losing one.
3 years? Sure. Assuming Gayle is still alive I think there's zero chance they're sold or moved let alone both. Name the stakes.
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