George Shinn Quotations

When we come back and what we do is a real good question. We're looking at Oklahoma City and here in Baton Rouge. Playing in the Arena has good and bad possibilities. If we could do it in a way that we'd have a full crowd, it would be ecstatic. If we have 1,500 people, it would be horrible. That might send a signal there was no hope there.

When we go back to New Orleans, this city will get a franchise, I'm convinced. Whether the NBA is smart enough to come here or the NHL or the NFL or baseball, somebody will come here. This market is going to be too good for them to pass up.

When we go back to New Orleans, this city will get a franchise, I'm convinced, ... Whether the NBA is smart enough to come here or the NHL or the NFL or baseball, somebody will come here. This market is going to be too good for them to pass up.

We're going to have national exposure here; you don't want to have only 1,500 people in the seats.

We need to make sure everything is ready so we can sell tickets and promote it. We don't want to embarrass the city and have only 1,500 people show up.

We want to make sure, ... that you and the elders of this community will say after all this is over that this was worth it.

The plan, again, is to come back here. I'm not God. ... If another Katrina hits here and hits dead on here, what's going to happen? I don't know the answer to that question, but it's probably not going to be good. We've all got have our eyes open and we've all got to make the right decision.

My exact words were, 'Oklahoma where?' ... I said, 'You've got to be kidding me, David. Do they have an arena?' I knew nothing about Oklahoma City.

New Orleans is our home, and we are committed to rebuilding that great city and playing there again. But at the same time, we feel that it's important to acknowledge the way Oklahoma has embraced this team. Wearing an Oklahoma City jersey is the biggest way we can say thank you for a very special season.

Right now, I think everybody's got to accept the fact that New Orleans is not ready for this coming season. They're not ready, so we should play in Oklahoma City next year, and then start working and putting everything together to come back.

But we've got to remember the economics have to be there to support it,

I feel like the guy that's got two women that's fighting over him. It would be nice if it was two women instead of two states.

From a business standpoint, it's always benefited me. The more I give, the more I get back.

From the state of ... this great state.

Fortunately, Oklahoma City is an ideal home for this season and we greatly appreciate the good will shown by Mayor Cornett and the local business community.

If we sell out that game. That's a loud message. We're just trying to find out if these people are serious or not.

If we sell out that game, that's a loud message.

The people in Oklahoma City ... have stepped up and proved to the whole world that they are a major-league city. We are very blessed to be here, very fortunate to be here. We're looking forward to next year with a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of excitement.

We've gone from being last in the league in attendance last year to being a t op 10 team in season-ticket sales this year, ... The fans here have really stepped up and made it happen.

We are going to prove to the world that Oklahoma City is a major league city.

I was in New Orleans just this past week. It is a terrible, terrible feeling to see all the homes that, to me, look destroyed. It's not just the arena. If the arena is in playing condition, will there be fans there? I don't know how many people will come back and how quickly they'll come back.

Our goal is very clear, to go back to New Orleans. Does that make good business sense? We have got to use obviously good judgment.

Rod said that (Scott) had a problem with one of the players for something Byron said to the media.

Our objective is not to abandon ship here or to get out of dodge, ... Our plan is to hope and pray New Orleans rebuilds. And I think it will with everyone's support and the federal money that's coming in there. I think it will be stronger.

My personal thanks go to Governor Blanco, officials in Louisiana and the NBA for their assistance in agreeing to a good solution for the upcoming season.

Like so many businesses and families uprooted by Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets were forced to leave New Orleans while the city recovers from this tragedy,

This whole thing is somewhat bittersweet. I've got a fine line to walk. I want to be enthusiastic to the people here and let them know I'm proud and that we're going to make this thing work. I also want to make sure that people in New Orleans have hope because they've gone through a lot.

There is no self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.

You have been absolutely incredible and we are so grateful. Tonight is a celebration for Oklahoma City with what you have done for us. We will never forget this. We are so grateful. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I see what Tom Benson is going through, ... I don't want to be the bad guy, OK? I'd rather the NBA be the bad guy. I ask David (Stern) every day, 'What should I do? What should I say?' I can't read the tea leaves, but the day of the announcement, I knew we had hit a home run.

I've told him that I want him back. I think he's a great coach, and he's good with the guys. So I told him if he wants to talk, he can talk to me. But I'm not going to talk to an agent. If he has an agent involved, he has to talk to (General Manager) Jeff Bower, not me.

The team would be an absolute financial success to stay in Oklahoma. I can't deny that. If everybody here, the state and everybody, can step up and give us some confidence, than everything's going to work here. ... I want it to work.

The thing everybody's got to remember is our goal is simple. We want to play in New Orleans. That's our home. But we can't. We can't come back even if the facility was clean because there's nobody else there. The city will come back. We don't know how long it will take, therefore we've got to find a temporary home.

Some people have asked, particularly from New Orleans, do I think that the fact that it's going to be a sellout is reason enough to go back there? My feeling is that these three games couldn't be like a referendum. Supporting one, two or three games is not akin to the whole season.

That's my intent. It has been from the beginning and it still is.

This law is important because it allows us to continue to offer our fans in Oklahoma City the most affordable tickets in the NBA.

It's a sellout, which sends a signal around the country that New Orleans is coming back.

It's a sellout, which sends a signal around the country that New Or-leans is coming back.

It was electric. It was absolutely electric. It was as good I've seen it.

It's absolutely great for the city. It will be one of the craziest weekends that this city has ever had. And the international exposure you get is incredible. It puts the international spotlight on this city.

It's not just about if the arena is in playing condition. Will there be any fans? I don't know how many fans will come back, or how quickly they'll come back. I'm convinced New Orleans will rebuild. I can see maybe even being stronger. But how long it's going to take, I'm not going to touch that. This option was just a cushion, just to make sure if it got to this point.

It's not just the arena (being) in playing condition, but will there be any fans there. I don't know how many will come back, how quickly they'll come back. I'm convinced New Orleans will rebuild. With the dollars that the federal government is putting in, I can see it rebuilding and even being stronger. But how long is it going to take? This option (for a possible second year in Oklahoma City) was just a cushion just to make sure if it got to that point.

It's been absolutely incredible. We've set standards for the entire NBA and Oklahoma City has proven it is a major league city.

It's not even real. It's unreal what they're going through. I want to try to give them hope and to let them know our goal is to come back.

I've got to be very careful. I've got to keep my options open, and I don't want to make (NBA commissioner) David (Stern) mad. I've got a lot of things I've got to do. Our goal and plan is to go back.

I've got all the confidence in the world New Orleans is going to be back. The question all of us have is when.

I've got a fine line and I've got to be very careful because if these people have no hope, they don't want to support it. If the people in New Orleans have no hope, then they're not going to come. So it's a situation that I've got a very delicate balancing act here to try to make it work.

These people deserve something with the money they're guaranteeing,

This is just the beginning of our commitment to provide relief to our family, friends and fans who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, ... New Orleans is our home, and we are focused on helping to rebuild and revitalize our great city.

On behalf of his teammates, coaches and the entire organization, we wish him well and hope he learns from this experience.

The NBA said we'll be announcing it at the end of the month, and I'm predicting a few days after that. The end of the month is not until Tuesday, I think, so just hold your breath until then.

I'm not going to be crazy about it but our goal is to get better.

I just want the best to happen to this city. Everybody politically or business-wise, whatever, wants us to come back, so that's good. But the bottom line is, it's got to make sense. What would be bad is ... if we come back and three years later have to leave. That doesn't help anybody.

If you do that, the community feels like you're part of their community and they want to support you.

I haven't heard from Louisville, ... Lots of cities have made contact through the league. I know we're taking a look and listening to a few. But we're trying to get something close to Louisiana.

I had doubts at first. Quite frankly, I was scared. I didn't know we'd have the success we've had and I've been very pleased. It's good for New Orleans, it's good for us.

I think New Orleans is going to come back. I don't think it can be this year, but I think next year if they keep heading in a positive direction, they've got a good chance of coming back. All indications I see, they're going to come back stronger.

Loving life is a two-way street... We don't receive care and compassion if we don't extend them to others.

Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.

There is no such thing as a self-made man. You will reach your goals only with the help of others.

Believe you can do it. Believing something can be done puts your mind to work for you and helps you find ways to do it.

If I don't generate money, I'm I trouble. These people have stepped up to try to keep us whole. I couldn't ask for anything else. I was seeing myself going to the bank borrowing lots of money. I don't see that happening now. It's bittersweet. We've got a place to land and a lot of support, which is positive. But you know, I don't know how the hell to explain it. It's not home. We've got to come back home to help with all the suffering there . . . . it's just hard to describe.

If everything was back now, we wouldn't be going through this thing. It's unfortunate, but this is a tragedy we're trying to deal with. We've got to do what a lot of other people have done with their lives and businesses. And that's go somewhere else. It's temporary. But we don't have a choice.

I don't think there's a better city in the country to have an All-Star Game because of all the hotel rooms they have and all the restaurants. Is everything going to be open? I don't know the answer to that. The league, they're not guaranteeing they're going to have the All-Star Game.

I'd rather have a full house at a medium price than half-full at a high price.

I believe it's going to come back. I feel its going to come back bigger and stronger. We're here (Oklahoma City) for this year. New Orleans has a lot do to get back and when they come back, we're coming back. I want the people there to have hope. In a lot of ways that's all some of them have, and I'm not going to take that away from them.

This hire will help us become a premiere franchise in the National Basketball Association. Paul's remarkable experience in professional sports and the leadership skills he has exhibited throughout his career as an executive, an educator and a coach will help us enhance the position of our organization both locally and nationally. I believe I hired the best coach in Byron Scott, and now I've added the best front office man in Paul Mott.