But Oklahoma City Already Has an NBA Team. Nope. Not Anymore.

Hurricane Katrina forced the NBA's Hornets to play most of this and last season in Oklahoma City, but they'll play all 41 of their 2007-08 home games in New Orleans.

The New Orleans Hornets planned to let a deadline pass Wednesday on the team’s option to play a third season at its temporary home in Oklahoma City.

“Obviously we’re extremely grateful for the people in this community, the way they’ve embraced us and have supported us,” Hornets owner George Shinn said Wednesday. “It’s been an incredible stay for us. But the whole situation is that New Orleans has had problems and they continue to have problems, and the right thing for us to do is to go back and give it our best shot and try to make it work.

Why do we care? Because our Sonics are owned by a bunch of guys from Oklahoma City. There was some thought that if the Hornets couldn't move back to New Orleans, they'd stay in OKC, taking away an obvious relocation spot for the Sonics.

Now, Oklahoma City's out there looking for a team again...and Hornets coach Byron Scott seems to think they ought to get one.

They wanted to make an impression to the NBA that this was an NBA-type city, that it can definitely support a basketball team and a franchise, and I think they’ve made their point as well.

It's a point that can't have been lost on the Sonics' new ownership group.