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Literally makes too much sense for it ever to happen. But that’s what exactly needs to happen. Raleigh and basketball are like peanut butter and jelly lol
Makes no sense. PNC already has the Hurricanes and NC State games. Where are they gonna find 41 home dates for the NBA?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Raleigh and college basketball. If you want to see the Hornets in even worse shape, make them carve out a fan base in Tarheel/Blue Devil territory.
Precisely. The Triangle never cared that much for the NBA. How would the Hornets get enough corporate support to fill up the suites and premium seating? Raleigh ain't LA or NYC.
Raleigh and college basketball. If you want to see the Hornets in even worse shape, make them carve out a fan base in Tarheel/Blue Devil territory.
PNC seats 19.5k for basketball. The Pack only averages 13k/game, a third of the arena is empty every game on average...
This wouldn't be the case if the NBA was here...
Raleigh never cared for NBA is false, people talk about it all the time here. The reason NCAAB is bigger here is, duh, NCAAB has been here forever and has seen the highest success rate the sport has seen many times over...
NBA ball in Carolina only dates to '88 by comparison, and the franchise in Charlotte is now in its third iteration and has never made the ECF, they are a historical loser in a city that is not as invested in basketball culture as Raleigh...
What casual observers don't realize is how the entire Triangle market would better fit the NBA, the basketball pipeline from prep to pro is substantially greater here. The Hornets would be supported in Raleigh, no doubt about it...
The Hornets have corporate support in Charlotte, a city that doesn't give an f about basketball in comparison. They'd have it in Raleigh...
You'd have to fund a new arena for The Pack or the new NBA team, I agree all three teams can't share the PNC. Pack need a smaller venue, quite honestly, and only use the bigger one for the biggest games...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr BLT
Makes no sense. PNC already has the Hurricanes and NC State games. Where are they gonna find 41 home dates for the NBA?
Precisely. The Triangle never cared that much for the NBA. How would the Hornets get enough corporate support to fill up the suites and premium seating? Raleigh ain't LA or NYC.
PNC seats 19.5k for basketball. The Pack only averages 13k/game, a third of the arena is empty every game on average...
This wouldn't be the case if the NBA was here...
Raleigh never cared for NBA is false, people talk about it all the time here. The reason NCAAB is bigger here is, duh, NCAAB has been here forever and has seen the highest success rate the sport has seen many times over...
NBA ball in Carolina only dates to '88 by comparison, and the franchise in Charlotte is now in its third iteration and has never made the ECF, they are a historical loser in a city that is not as invested in basketball culture as Raleigh...
What casual observers don't realize is how the entire Triangle market would better fit the NBA, the basketball pipeline from prep to pro is substantially greater here. The Hornets would be supported in Raleigh, no doubt about it...
The Hornets have corporate support in Charlotte, a city that doesn't give an f about basketball in comparison. They'd have it in Raleigh...
You'd have to fund a new arena for The Pack or the new NBA team, I agree all three teams can't share the PNC. Pack need a smaller venue, quite honestly, and only use the bigger one for the biggest games...
No sports owner in Charlotte has stated an interest in relocating to Raleigh. However, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has explicitly stated that his MLB efforts for the Triangle could end up going to Charlotte. It can be argued that Dundon is using Charlotte's name so that corporate donors in the Triangle dig deep into their pockets. It can also be argued that out-of-state (by way of Texas) Dundon is a bit envious of Charlotte's corporate presence.
Either way it goes; it sends a deafening message if Raleigh's only pro-sport owner chooses to do his biggest sports expansion in Charlotte instead of Raleigh. It would definitely raise questions about the Canes future in Raleigh for sure. The same guy that is considering Major League Baseball for Charlotte might also be considering sharing an arena downtown with the Hornets too.
And as others have mentioned college basketball in the Triangle is like pro basketball already. The average ticket to a Tar Heels basketball game is more expensive than the average ticket to a Los Angeles Lakers game. Out of all markets that the NBA is not interested in; I can assure you that the Triangle is at the top of that list....
No sports owner in Charlotte has stated an interest in relocating to Raleigh. However, Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon has explicitly stated that his MLB efforts for the Triangle could end up going to Charlotte. It can be argued that Dundon is using Charlotte's name so that corporate donors in the Triangle dig deep into their pockets. It can also be argued that out-of-state (by way of Texas) Dundon is a bit envious of Charlotte's corporate presence.
Either way it goes; it sends a deafening message if Raleigh's only pro-sport owner chooses to do his biggest sports expansion in Charlotte instead of Raleigh. It would definitely raise questions about the Canes future in Raleigh for sure. The same guy that is considering Major League Baseball for Charlotte might also be considering sharing an arena downtown with the Hornets too.
And as others have mentioned college basketball in the Triangle is like pro basketball already. The average ticket to a Tar Heels basketball game is more expensive than the average ticket to a Los Angeles Lakers game. Out of all markets that the NBA is not interested in; I can assure you that the Triangle is at the top of that list....
I never said the Hornets expressed an interest in going to Raleigh. I doubt it would ever happen----->I'm just saying they should. They'd be more supported in Raleigh...
Plenty of people such as myself, live here and are more fans of pro basketball than college basketball. And there are plenty of people here that just love basketball at all levels...
They'd have no issue drawing interest here, though if it was ever a consideration, I agree that the NBA would think very hard on the competition the college schools would present here. What I'd say to that is that there are a number of markets with an existing NBA team that also have a large NCAAB base. So it's not impossible...
Dundon said he'd have the MLB team in Charlotte if he had to but stated for the record that Raleigh is where he wants his team and he's working on bringing them to Raleigh. That's his public statement...
I never said the Hornets expressed an interest in going to Raleigh. I doubt it would ever happen----->I'm just saying they should. They'd be more supported in Raleigh...
Plenty of people such as myself, live here and are more fans of pro basketball than college basketball. And there are plenty of people here that just love basketball at all levels...
The level of support here is the same as it is for most markets when a team is near the bottom in wins. Put an NBA team in Raleigh back in 1988, they earn zero trips to the eastern conference finals since, and the original team relocated to New Orleans; and you'd see the same (if not worse) fan reaction. Probably worse because the fans in the Triangle would place all of their focus on the college teams while demanding that the pro team leave the area.
Charlotte has tolerated nothing but uncompetitive basketball since 1988. Even OKC has gone farther in the playoffs than the Hornets ever had. Since 1988, the biggest moment in Hornets history was a 20 footer that Alonzo Mourning knocked down to win a first round playoff series against Boston. Here we are nearly 30 years since that shot, and the great moments since have been far and few between. It doesn't help that we drafted and traded Kobe and hometown guys like Steph don't play here (but his brother Seth does).
Like any team with attendance issues (and a history of trash performance) you must fix the performance issues. Here recently, the Hornets are on a 3 game winning streak going into All Star break and the energy/culture seems to be changing. I do believe that next year (with some high draft picks) could bring in the talent that excites the fans again. This current team could use another Brandon Miller draft pickup and we'll see a 7th or 6th seed in the east for sure. Losing (for now) is the best way for this team to get better through the draft.
Lol at the “energy and culture changing” with the Hornets off three wins. You’re talking decades of mediocrity and ineptness. The draft isn’t gonna help Charlotte become relevant and move the needle. Maybe Steph will come back home in his last season before retiring lol And really none of Murk’s points were adequately addressed.
Lol at the “energy and culture changing” with the Hornets off three wins. You’re talking decades of mediocrity and ineptness. The draft isn’t gonna help Charlotte become relevant and move the needle. Maybe Steph will come back home in his last season before retiring lol And really none of Murk’s points were adequately addressed.
There's nothing to adequately address when Tar Heels men's basketball is at the top of college basketball in attendance and not NC State which plays in Raleigh.....
It can be argued that Dundon is using Charlotte's name so that corporate donors in the Triangle dig deep into their pockets. It can also be argued that out-of-state (by way of Texas) Dundon is a bit envious of Charlotte's corporate presence.
Either way it goes; it sends a deafening message if Raleigh's only pro-sport owner chooses to do his biggest sports expansion in Charlotte instead of Raleigh. It would definitely raise questions about the Canes future in Raleigh for sure. The same guy that is considering Major League Baseball for Charlotte might also be considering sharing an arena downtown with the Hornets too.
You forgot to mention the recent 20-year extension, and "Tom's" plan for development around PNC. No offense, but "Tom, by way of Texas" is not "envious" of any corporate presence in any city in NC.
It is ridiculous to suggest that the Hornets would leave Charlotte considering their mediocre performance on the court since their return. If the Hornets win, the Hornets will certainly rank in the top 10 in attendance. They have typically ranked in the 15-20 spot in attendance with dismal performance on the court. In the old days, the Hornets led NBA in attendance for 8 consecutive years with almost 8 years of sellouts at nearly 24k seats.
The Panthers are always in the top 10 in attendance. The Knights rank in the top 5 in minor league baseball attendance. Charlotte FC ranks second in MLS attendance. The Checkers usually rank in top 10 in attendance.
And the Hurricanes have only averaged just over 10k fans per game on occasion when they were not winning. Now they are winning so they are drawing well. It is easy to support a team when they are winning. Hurticanes attendance in 2016-17 ( 11,776), 2015-16 (12,203), 2014-15 ( 12,594), 2017-18 (13,320) 1997-98(9106), 1998-99 ( 8187), 1999-200 ( 12,400). The Hurticanes have averaged over 17k per game in only five of 26 seasons.
As bad as the Hornets have been recently they averaged 16,400 in 2023-24, and over 17k in 2022-23. The Hurricanes have had recent success and their attendance has increased over last 4-5 years. But Raleigh has not supported the Hurricanes very well at all. The Hornets have never had seasons with 10k, 11k, 12k fans. Whoever suggested this is delusional. No way in hell would the Hornets move to a smaller market to a city that does not even support the Hurricanes unless they are competing for the Stanley Cup.
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