Hornets Have a Place to Call Home in 2005-06

The New Orleans Hornets, driven from their usual base of operations by damage from Hurricane Katrina, will play all but six of their 41 “home” games at Oklahoma City this season, the NBA announced Wednesday.

The Western Conference team’s six other home games are scheduled for Baton Rouge, La. But three games in March, among them a March 8 date against the Lakers and a March 21 date against the Clippers, could be moved to New Orleans if circumstances allow, league attorney Joel Litvin told Associated Press.

“It was important to the Hornets and the NBA that we maintain a presence in Louisiana in anticipation of a return to New Orleans next season,” Commissioner David Stern said in a statement released by the league.

The Lakers will play the Hornets Feb. 4 in the Ford Center at Oklahoma City, part of a seven-game trip that includes a game the night before at Charlotte, N.C. The Clippers will play the Hornets on Dec. 14 at Oklahoma City, after playing the previous night at San Antonio.

The New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets have played since they moved from Charlotte before the 2002-03 season, suffered hurricane damage and was not expected to be ready for use by the Hornets until well into the season.

Even if damage to the arena were to be repaired earlier, however, the Hornets are locked into their 35 dates at Oklahoma City, which also would play host to playoff games if Coach Byron Scott’s team were able to greatly improve upon its last-place finish from last season.

Several other cities and arenas had offered to serve as a temporary home to the Hornets, among them San Diego, Las Vegas, Nashville, Kansas City, Mo., and the Forum. The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim, which for years has tried to lure an NBA team, was not among the facilities bidding to play host to the Hornets, Arena Management Chairman Mike Schulman saying, “It just doesn’t make any sense for us.”

For the Hornets, Oklahoma City made the most sense, with its 19,675-seat arena and few scheduling conflicts. The Ford Center also is home to a minor league hockey team and, in the summer, an Arena Football League franchise.

“Few American cities have experienced the level of tragedy as Oklahoma City,” Mayor Mick Cornett said in a statement, referring to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. “I think for that reason our community has a heightened sensitivity for those impacted by Hurricane Katrina. We accept that we are the best solution to solve one of the many problems and pledge our best efforts to support the Hornets.”

Oklahoma City, about 700 miles from New Orleans, will provide for the displaced Hornets a practice facility, downtown office space and housing for the 2005-06 season.

Hornet owner George Shinn expressed gratitude to his temporary hosts but said the Hornets would “remain devoted to our home and have set our sights on returning to a rebuilt and vibrant New Orleans for the 2006-07 season.”

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Associated Press contributed to this report.