The New Orleans Pelicans

According to Yahoo! Sports, the New Orleans Hornets are expected to change their nickname to the “Pelicans” as early as the 2013-14 NBA season.

Owner Tom Benson, who purchased the team in April of this year, owns the rights to the nickname.

Here’s the Yahoo! article, which has more information on the name change, including possible (and likely) color scheme changes.

Anyone intimidated by a team called the Pelicans?… Maybe it’s just me, but three syllable nicknames usually don’t turn out too well. We call the Knickerbockers ‘the Knicks’, Trail Blazers ‘the Blazers’… so what do we call the Pelicans?

Alex Kennedy hints at a Charlotte rebranding

Once the New Orleans Pelicans' name change is official, don't be surprised if the Charlotte Bobcats once again become the Charlotte Hornets.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) December 4, 2012

Spurs Gone Wild

For the first time in the 40 year history (or at least since I can remember) of the San Antonio Spurs, they are the subjects of not one, but TWO national media controversies in the same week (same season for that matter).

All basketball fans are familiar with the $250,000 fine leveled on the organization by Commissioner David Stern last Friday. In case you missed it, Stern got his feelings hurt when Head Coach Gregg Popovich sent Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green back to San Antonio to rest instead of suiting up for their nationally televised game against the defending champion Miami Heat.

Whether you agree with the fine or not (and you can probably guess my stance on it), there’s something happening down there in San Antonio. Besides the Tony Parker-Eva Longoria relationship that descended on the team for a few seasons, the Spurs are generally very comfortable being considered the soft, under the radar team who has moseyed its way to four NBA championships in the past 13 years.

It would seem that, regardless of intentions, the Spurs are beginning to garner some negative attention for once. Check out this photo that surfaced on Reddit yesterday.

 

Yes, that’s Tim and Tony pointing fake guns at the head of a faux Joey Crawford. And yes, it is hilarious. 

New Orleans Hornets Win NBA Draft Lottery

A quick summary of the feelings for basketball fans nationwide after the above headline, courtesy of USAToday.com

USA Today Online Poll Thursday May 31, 2012 at 1:00 pm

Skeptics see the Hornets win the lottery after the canceled Chris Paul trade prior to the season and are clearly raising a collective red flag.

Although they will not admit it yet, the New Orleans Hornets will add Kentucky’s Anthony Davis with the first pick.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who had the worst win percentage in NBA history this season, will pick second.

Only once in the past 22 years (2004 Orlando Magic, picked Dwight Howard) has the team with the worst record won the NBA draft lottery.

UPDATE: A photo has been making rounds on the Internet this morning that was apparently taken a few weeks ago. Does it mean anything?

Coincidence?