Charlotte Hornets? Update on Page 9

[QC Thundercats]

As I like to do here, let me address your points:

I just seem to think it's sad that KT's points are being so easily dismissed because he think's race plays a factor when it actually does. Hear me out on this, I understand the historical significance behind the name for the Hornets, but at the same time, has anyone really tried to look at it from KT's perspective?

KT's problem is that he's fallen under the "boy-who-cried-wolf" syndrome. Whatever validity he has in his point of view is undone by his repeated, overbroad blanket statements and implications of how everyone in the city is being racist if they don't love Bob. That and the fact that this is his only purpose.

There are multiple threads about the coaching search, franchise models to build on, player evaluations, free agency, etc., but he doesn't join any of those threads, ever. I've actually refuted most of his points logically, with citations, but he can't bring himself to acknowledge the facts I've brought up, and then reverts back to calling people biased and wanting to whitewash everything. So to me, his credibility is shot until he can rationally discuss any of these proper points without overgeneralizing and stereotyping everyone.

Let's be real here, no one is saying Bob Johnson was this great owner, he wasn't, he failed MISERABLY at a great many things (CSET, Jumper Classic, community outreach, hiring qualified basketball people)...but at the same time let's not act like George Shinn was any better. George Shinn was responsible for bringing pro sports to Charlotte and proving that it was a viable market, and no one around here will ever forget that, nor should they.

Nobody thinks Shinn is better, nobody is even comparing owners. Is there any sport franchise in the country that is beloved because of an owner? The Knicks hate Dolan, the Clippers hate Sterling, but they love their teams. Bob was bad and is rightfully disdained, but George was worse and is actually hated - they are regarded based on their failures in the city.

Please read my post that covered this exact point: http://www.bobcatsplanet.com/vb/show...800#post212800

But when you objectively look back, the only difference between the Hornets and the Bobcats is the fact that the Hornets sustained a period of playoff success.

To be fair, a sustained period of playoff success is a HUGE difference. Even the people who don't care about the rebrand say "if you win, they will come." This isn't a minor detail.

Other than that Shinn left here and burned all of his bridges(just like Bob),

Agree...

gave away talent for pennies on the dollar(just like Bob and now Jordan).

Actually, it was more that they never resigned any free agents and let them walk, but when they did trade, boy did they kill it. Though it still sucked that we never kept our own.

The only difference really is that the Arena that people initially didn't want, is now beginning to bear fruit for all of Charlotte and without Bob pushing for that, downtown charlotte wouldn't be thriving nearly as much as it does.

This is another repeated fallacy that needs to be corrected. Bob did not bring the arena to Charlotte. The arena push was in motion before the Hornets even left town, and a new arena was approved by the Charlotte City Council in February, 2002: http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte....html?page=all

The Bobcats were awarded to Bob Johnson in January of 2003, almost a year later. He can not get any credit for the arena or any downtown revitalization, as it was the city that decided to have the arena downtown, with the purpose to bring more business there and turn it into a central, thriving area.

And when people wan't to erase the good that Bob Johnson did do(as little of it as there is), it comes off as a slap in the face to some people of color, because they feel as marginalized as they do in their everyday lives, especially when people are talking about bringing back a name that extols George Shinn, not the city of Charlotte.

I don't understand this idea of people wanting to erase anything. Any money he contributed in the community - great. I hope any playgrounds or buildings bear his name if he financed it. The fact is, Bob isn't revered in this city because he didn't embrace it, and offended many business leaders by his own words and actions. And he bailed on the city when he didn't get his way. As for the Hornets name, you said you understood the historical significance of it, yet here you say it is to extoll the virtues of Shinn, and not Charlotte? Was Shinn born in the 1700's during the revolutionary war, or around during the early 1900's when we had a football and baseball team named the Hornets.

In fact, let me cite myself again. I know this thread is unwieldy at 39+ pages, but this summarizes the significance of the name and insignificance of Shinn now and forever more: http://www.bobcatsplanet.com/vb/show...788#post212788

And to be quite honest, a lot of these people who want the Hornets name back are looking back on the past with rose-colored glasses on. And it's really similar to the guy who's still pining for his ex that he screwed up with, only she's married with children and has a nice secure home. I respect the hustle of the "We Beelieve" movement, I really do, I just hope that a good portion of those members are looking at the situation with those same rose-colored glasses, rather than looking at the situation through the glass of something else.

I like to think of it as not an ex that left, but more like Jaycee Dugard, where our baby was kidnapped by a sex offender, and then later discovered in the hands of her evil captors, and now she needs to be returned to her rightful home. The rose-colored glasses you speak of are for a team, not a man. Find a video of our playoff run when Zo hit the series winning shot against the Celtics, or the double overtime win against the Knicks in the second round. Tell me you don't get goosebumps from the crowd, the energy, everything surrounding it. Whats rose-colored? Thats as good as you can get for a young team, its what OKC has now, and what I hope to have for the future with Charlotte's team.

And again, this race stuff is nonsense. I'm a person of color, MJ, Higgins, Whitfield, and Cho are the 4 most powerful people in the organization and are all people of color, the heroes of the past that people loved were LJ, Muggsy, Dell, the original Hammer Armon Gilliam, Rice, Baron - hey, they are all people of color. What racist is rooting for all of these people? The only argument is that Shinn is white, and guess what, every race who actually loved the Hornets hates that man. So that is why KT's points about race are completely disregarded, because they have no basis, point, bearing, place, validity, or any importance to the matter at hand, and repetition of a point doesn't or will ever make any of it true. And if you see comments on a Charlotte Observer message board that are racist, please see the comment sections at CNN, NY Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, etc. The internet is the anonymous haven of racist e-thugs, and it doesn't make a particular populace of that ilk.

[JGib23]

I nominate QC Thundercats as president of the internet.

You hit it out of the park everytime...Well said

[John Morgan]

QC...I'm at a loss for words.

Wow. Well done, sir!!!

[Proudiddy]

Man, QC... You are my favorite internet person ever, lol. Your posts work 100% of the time, EVERYtime. Thank you.

[JGib23]

Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory who is running for Governor of NC was on WFNZ this afternoon and said he preferred the Hornets name over the Bobcats and also the city tried to retain the name Hornets for Charlotte when the team was leaving but that S.O.B. Shinn wouldn't do it.

All the calls that McCrory took mentioned support for the Charlotte Hornets name.

[teej]

That's nice, but having McCrory behind the movement doesn't help the racist image much

[JGib23]

That's nice, but having McCrory behind the movement doesn't help the racist image much

I see the tounge out so I know your joking. Going forward anyone that mentions race should be forced to read QC Thundercats posts until they raise their IQs high enough to have a rationale discussion.

[teej]

I was definitely joking, but I said that mainly because I think KT or whomever else would've if I didn't, considering Pat's recent NYT exposure...

[King Taharqa]

Has the tea party lite got our name changed yet? I went to nba.com and we're still called the Bobcats. Catch the buzz is a very monolithic movement that doesnt get results. It simply riles people up, while revising history. Just keep spending money on us guys. Keep supporting our Bobcats first, then cry about Bob Johnson and logos.

[QC Thundercats]