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Charlotte Hornets and the Arena

Raintree21

By Raintree21
in Charlotte Coffee House

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CharlotteWkndBuzz
CharlotteWkndBuzz

Here it is guys...just announced tonight: NBA TNT tonight has had nothing but positive things to say about Kemba and the city. Aerial shots and all the marketing of the city and the all sta

birky
birky

New uniforms

captainjack
captainjack

The logo for next year's All-Star Game was unveiled:

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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Posted

Sources: New offer for Bobcats

It's no secret that Charlotte Bobcats owner Robert Johnson has been trying to sell his franchise, and multiple league sources have told ESPN.com that he should get his wish by March.

Former Houston Rockets president/CEO George Postolos -- whose first attempt to purchase the team, according to the Charlotte Observer, fell apart last summer -- has made a new offer that Bobcats president Michael Jordan has until the end of February to match, according to sources.

League officials in New York, when asked about the state of the Bobcats' sale, declined comment.

Jordan negotiated a right of first refusal after Johnson made it clear he intended to sell the team, according to a team source. But it was not immediately known whether the group of investors Jordan has assembled has the wherewithal or inclination to match Postolos' offer.

One source close to the situation told ESPN.com that Postolos does not plan to retain Jordan or his staff if he is successful with his bid.

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HopHead City

HopHead

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I'm kind of torn about the whole MJ thing. Part of me was just frustrated with him from day one as he made bad decision after bad decision. Not to mention he's there maybe 1/3 of the time. The other part of me wants him to stay because I feel like he finally got things right. Hiring Larry Brown proved to be a great move and MJ was instrumental in getting guys like Stephen Jackson (who's the reason we have a winning team now) and dumping some dead weight. However, I think the Postolos group would be willing to spend to upgrade the team and energize the fanbase since Bob Johnson as we all know has pretty much alienated a lot of Charlotteans. Tough call. From what I've heard Postolos has offered over $350 million for the team which is what BJ was looking for. I don't think there's really any threat of the team leaving either. They have a favorable situation with the arena and that could be a money maker for the franchise/ownership group once it's managed right (which I don't think it is currently). Also throw in the prospect of the AHL being here next year, which is a better brand of hockey.

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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Returning to the advertising issue - Bobcats are offering a Wallace-All Stars two game package for $33 for the upcoming Saturday/Hornets and Tuesday/Wizard games.

This is something that they should have put on local tv/and print - Hell, just alert the bloggers and the media and tie in the story about the All Star angle and you could probably get free media coverage about the tickets.

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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It is unfortunate, but what happened to him with viewers of BET is now happening here. Charlotte has largely turned its back on Johnson because his commitment to the Bobcats – and to the city for that matter– has never felt like anything beyond business. The thing about sports is that while everybody knows it’s a business, it’s the game people love. Too bad for the Bobcats that the man who inspired the team’s name doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about what they do for a living. The quarters that really excite Johnson are not played on hardwood.

I really like Ron Stodghill's addition to the Observer and his latest article about Bob Johnson is spot on.

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hokiehigh Whistle-Stop

hokiehigh

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Good weekend for the arena with a sold out Bobcats game and Black Eyed Peas. I went to both and was impressed with the arena and the ease to get from the Light Rail to the arena. I don't think they were prepared inside b/c they ran out of different types of beer fast. Having a downtown arena is a big plus for the city considering how many people go to local restaurants/bars after these events. I am so happy we didn't follow Raleigh's lead and build an arena outside of downtown. Great weekend for Charlotte!

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HopHead City

HopHead

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^^ Yea, I agree. I went to the Bobcats game on Friday night and my wife went to the Black Eyed Peas show on Saturday. The one gripe I do have with the arena is that the food and beverage service lacks speed. Too many times I'll barely make it back for the start of the 3rd quarter. My wife had the same complaint about the BEP concert. You'd think that since they are charging you $7.50 for a beer, that they'd be quicker. Downtown this whole weekend was just absolutely crazy. The only other time I remember it being that busy was when the ACC tournament and NCAA Regionals were here a few years ago. Having those two events definitely brought out the crowds, in addition to the usual weekend party goers. I'm sure every downtown business was quite happy. A friend of my wife's went to the official opening of Butter. The Black Eyed Peas went there after their concert and did some DJing and mingling. I did hear it was a cluster trying to get in (can't say I'm surprised given who was there).

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HopHead City

HopHead

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Great weekend for the Bobcats... They won back to back home games on Friday and Saturday night against the Lakers and Warriors. Both games were sold out (actually over the listed capacity both nights). Now, a big game on Tuesday against Miami. Still in driver seat for a playoff spot!

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New Name Burg

New Name

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Great weekend for the Bobcats... They won back to back home games on Friday and Saturday night against the Lakers and Warriors. Both games were sold out (actually over the listed capacity both nights). Now, a big game on Tuesday against Miami. Still in driver seat for a playoff spot!

Wahoo! And... apparently, if you are a member of the Johnston or Dowd YMCA, you can get free tickets to the Heat game - just go in to your Y and see what's up!

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HopHead City

HopHead

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Looks like Jordan may be bringing in Charlotte-area natives once he takes over: Could Bobcats be in Worthy's future?. For those not familiar with James Worthy, he is a Gastonia native that played for UNC and then with the Lakers in the 80s during their championship runs. He currently lives in LA, but his family is still here and he frequents the area still. This would be a great coup IMO... Help bring the local ties to the team. Worthy would work in a PR capacity, something that we know lacked under the BJ era.

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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I wasn't a big proponent of changing the Bobcats name as I thought Michael Jordan and the team would be able to rid itself of the bad feelings that Bob Johnson caused in this town.

Ex-Bobcats owner blasts Charlotte: Johnson calls the city's business community 'arrogant,' 'incestuous' in dealings with minorities

http://www.charlotte...l#ixzz0iosJPC6w

I've rethought my opinion and now think a name change is necessary. The "Bobcats" name is beyond repair.

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HopHead City

HopHead

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^Well, to no ones surprise the comments section has been de-activated for this article. I'm sure it was full of nothing but some colorful commentary, LOL. I've always thought the team name is secondary to the on (and off) the court performance. If someone isn't going to be a fan of team because of the name, well I really don't think they take being a fan too serious. However, I can see the cries for renaming the team growing louder after BJ's most recent mistep. I'd be shocked to see him at another Bobcat game again. Not a very smart businessman...

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Urbanity Burg

Urbanity

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Posted (edited)

If someone isn't going to be a fan of team because of the name, well I really don't think they take being a fan too serious.

I fully agree.

The real irony is that MJ has an open letter to Charlotte in today's paper and it's all about doing what is necessary to build local support and that letter and step in the right direction is going to be lost (temporarily) on most due to the antics of Bob Johnson who Jordan thanks publicly in the letter.

Again, I wasn't a fan of changing the name, but I think Johnson's latest rant just probably moved a whole lot of people towards the "let's get rid of the 'bob' cats moniker and start clean" camp.

Edited by Urbanity
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HopHead City

HopHead

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I know it's early, but I think Jordan "gets" the Charlotte community. He's definitely going in the right direction with the open letter to the city. He seems to want to be engaging, which he does need to be. He's open to listening to everybody and will consider making whatever changes he needs to, to have a winning organization (both on and off the court). The Bobcats making the playoffs this season would be a great start for him. And what will improve that start even more is what he does after the season is over.

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