Plus I did a little research on my own. Check out this pelican in Australia going after a TV announcer and tell me that pelicans are docile.
Besides, how intimidating is a Laker? Or a 76er? Or a Piston for goodness sakes? A Nugget? Not unless it’s part of an avalanche.
A Jazz, a Knick, a Magic, a Heat? (One of my favorite columns from many years ago was written by Mike Downey of the Los Angeles Times. After Miami announced its nickname, Downey wrote: What in the hell is a Heat?)
To be honest, I was a little more surprised that Michael Jordan was considering bringing back the Hornets nickname to Charlotte when New Orleans gives it up.
It does seem that part of Charlotte pro basketball history includes owners irritating fans, which is really not that great of a way to run a franchise, and Hornets is a reminder of George Shinn, the first owner, who was once accused of sexual assault. He was acquitted but the trial was on Court TV and was ugly. In the fundamentalist deep South, that is not a way to endure your team to the Billy Graham crowd.
When Shinn left, the NBA was horrified that a great basketball city like Charlotte had been abandoned (although the NBA was not similarly upset when the Sonics left Seattle). In Charlotte, an expansion franchise was quickly granted with billionaire Bob Johnson as the owner.
Johnson’s first act was to take his first name and add “cats” to become the Bobcats, thereby suggesting that he was the Michael Jordan of narcissists.
Jordan has taken much abuse and it is difficult to defend him. But I covered him during his career and I am officially a Jordan apologist, so I will say that despite not making the best of decisions, I still believe the man knows basketball. And I wish he’d do something to make me right.
If I were asked for some free advice – and that’s the only price Michael’s pays – I’d say blow off the Hornets.
Even though there is some nostalgia involved with bringing that name back to Charlotte, I don’t see any magic associated with it.
As someone who once cheered on the Dallas Chaparrals, I would suggest if Jordan really wants to get to the roots of Charlotte basketball, he should name them the Carolina Cougars, who played five years in the ABA and had players like Billy Cunningham, Joe Caldwell, Doug Moe and Mack Calvin.
Larry Brown was head coach the last two years and during his ABA days, he would coach the game wearing overalls.
So think about it. Michael and Larry could bury whatever bad feelings were left from Brown’s brief tenure with the Bobcats. The Carolina Cougars could come up with a cool new logo. And they could have a silhouette of a guy wearing overalls as a secondary logo.
Perfect Southern stuff.
The current issue, however, is the nickname chosen by New Orleans.
The Pelicans.
I like it and I predict it will be embraced by fans. They should be happy with it. It’s not like they named them the Swamp Pelicans.
Jan Hubbard has written about basketball since 1976 and worked in the NBA league office for eight years between media stints. Follow him on Twitter at @whyhub. For Hubbard’s archive from SheridanHoops.com, click here.
You should totally rename the team the Cougars. And then they can grant free entry to all single women over forty.
No, wait, that’s a really stupid idea.
How come my previous post that (thoroughly, systematically) picks apart the author’s assertion that the B**Cats should be rebranded as the Cougars instead of the HORNETS (somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% of the Charlotte fanbase supports the HORNETS rebrand, but you know, whatever) is yet to be posted, while 2 other comments have in the time since I wrote it?
I’d love to share the article, but I can’t, in good faith, let my pals know about a piece of journalism if the author doesn’t entertain good-natured dissent.
My favorite Hornets memory was Game 4 of the ’93 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals when Rolando Blackman came off the bench for the Knicks to hit the game-winning shot. It put the Knicks up 3-1 in the series.
Charles Oakley took a “we bee-lieve” sign and torn it in two for the NBC camera abd the despondent fans leaving the arena.
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The Pelican Brief also highly underrated as a journalism movie.
Nickname for the Pelicans would be the “cans”. Not very appealing. The name is a favorite of the owners wife, and no one else.
The ideal name is still The Jazz. Doesn’t have to be intimidating. Decades of use makes any name acceptable.
NO should pay Utah to abandon The Jazz. Go back to The Utah Stars (surprised Stars not used by any other team) or else, the Utah Energy.
If the owner’s wife insists on a flying creature, Pterodactyl would more menacing (The Dacs).
do you seriously get paid to write this worthless dribble? who cares if you like the New Orleans Pelicans or the Charlotte Hornets. is this not up others? i happen to know that Bobcats (btw, that’s an actual animal and name which has been used by other teams) is popular in North Carolina … I also know that many would not be unhappy should they re-adopt the Hornets nickname. so, whatever. you want to criticize a team for a non-name change, look at Stern’s beloved Lakers. when they moved from Minneapolis, the name should have been changed .. perhaps to the “Refs” since it’s common knowledge the NBA officials already “play” for them.
This is terrible from a Charlotte perspective. There is a huge movement to bring the Hornets name home. Please check out bringbackthebuzz.com, also look at the poll ran in the Charlotte Observer this week where 87% want the Hornets name to return, only 6% want the name Bobcats.
MJ isn’t looking at doing this for any other reason than the majority of fans are demanding it.
Last night while the Spurs were beating the Bobcats, the fans were chanting
“let’s go Hornets”
This is fan driven and we want our name to come home to Charlotte.
Bringbackthebuzz
Your right, Bobcats is very popular in North Carolina..there are numerous middle school softball teams that go by Bobcats..
As for our NBA team, only one name will do.
Charlotte Hornets
http://www.bringbackthebuzz.com