Guest Report post Posted March 14, 2009 INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers co-owner Herb Simon passionately says he doesn't want to see the city without his franchise. His wishes and the bottom line appear to be at odds. Among the key issues for the struggling franchise is its operation of Conseco Fieldhouse. The building where the team plays its home games belongs to the Indianapolis Capital Improvement Board, and the Pacers have been paying its $15 million operating cost. Pat Early, the board's vice president, said the Pacers have made it clear that they no longer can pay that amount, in part because they could lose $30 million this season. Early said the Pacers haven't threatened to leave, but the team would be forced to make some "very difficult decisions" if it remains saddled with the operating cost of the facility or if attendance continues to lag near the bottom of the league. "It's possible they could move the team," Early said. "It's possible they could sell the team. It is also possible they could shut the team down. What's not possible is the Pacers losing the kind of money they're losing this year indefinitely." Simon said he doesn't want to move the team, though he acknowledges that the financial losses have accelerated the past three years. "I have no thought of leaving Indiana," he said. "Only a thought of preserving the Pacers and keeping them in Indiana. That's the only issue right here." Simon, who has owned the team with his brother, Mel, since 1983, said he doesn't need help with the Pacers. "We can handle the team," he said. "It's the operation of the facility that's causing us the problem. We're not asking anyone to pay for us. It's just the operating of the facility." The Pacers and the Capital Improvement Board struck their current deal 10 years ago, and Early said they are in the early stages of renegotiating. He said the board can't pay the operating cost because it already faces a $43 million shortfall, and he's unsure who would. "That's the big question," he said. "Really, we do not have the funding sources to allow us to be able to do this. We've contacted the state, the Legislature ... we're trying to figure out, are there solutions?" At the heart of Simon's desire to rework the deal is the fact that he's 74 years old and wants to pass the team along to his heirs at some point. "The whole reason to do this is to put the team in the financial spot where it can stay here forever," he said. "I'm getting on. I can't be here forever. I can't pass on a structure that doesn't make sense to other people." Conseco Fieldhouse hosts many other events such as circuses and concerts, and Early said the city would suffer if no one picks up the operating cost, rendering the facility unusable. "All the arts and entertainment and all that stuff is part of the overall environment we've been able to develop the past 40 years," Early said. "You start taking pieces of the puzzle out, and I don't know at what point it starts falling apart." The Pacers have lost money nine of the past 10 years, were last in the league in attendance last season, and are only slightly better this season. Pacers fans will have a great deal of say in whether the team stays. "Maybe the cost of keeping an NBA franchise in Indianapolis is more than the people of the city are willing to incur," Early said. Sad. A league without the Seattle Sonics and Indiana Pacers is a pretty shitty league. I just can't fathom this. Being that keeping the team isn't the problem, how many more stories are we going to hear about this? Teams want an arena, but they can't operate them. I don't know what to say about this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EVIL~! alkeiper 0 Report post Posted March 14, 2009 Tell teams to quit fixing the books and asking for corporate welfare. Pretty simple. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Star Ocean 3 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 A league without the Seattle Sonics and Indiana Pacers is a pretty shitty league. Really? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AboveAverage484 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 A league without the Seattle Sonics and Indiana Pacers is a pretty shitty league. Really? I have heard conflicting statements concerning the following question, so I will ask it with the hope of getting more clarification. So when the Sonics move and become the Thunder, did the Sonics franchise become defunct as an organization and the Thunder become a new one, with new records and everything? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cheech Tremendous 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 The city of Seattle retained rights to the Sonics name, colors, logo and all the team's history. Should another team move to Seattle at some point, they would be the Sonics and recognized as former NBA champs. The Thunder are a first year team. I think it's ridiculous, but that was part of the settlement when they left of OKC. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 A league without the Seattle Sonics and Indiana Pacers is a pretty shitty league. I just can't fathom this. As a former Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Paces is great. Make it happen, NBA. As Al kind of said, I'm getting sick of these teams crying poor just to get a new stadium or more money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Favre 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 As a current Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Pacers would suck. Sports is about rivalries and to see any team leave that you love to hate is never a good thing. I'd miss the Pacers. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YourKock'sReallyGreat 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 As a current Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Pacers would suck. Sports is about rivalries and to see any team leave that you love to hate is never a good thing. I'd miss the Pacers. Knicks/Pacers rivalry has been dead for the last 9 years. It's amazing to think that the Knicks played the Pacers in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2000 in the playoffs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaxxson Mayhem 0 Report post Posted March 15, 2009 This shit better not fucking happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lt. Al Giardello 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2009 As a current Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Pacers would suck. Sports is about rivalries and to see any team leave that you love to hate is never a good thing. I'd miss the Pacers. No kidding. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2009 Here's what I think the NBA could look like in 2010: Baltimore Pacers Anaheim Kings New Seattle SuperSonics (just move Memphis, nobody gives a shit about them) The Hornets in Kansas City just to name a few... This recession is going to change the NBA big time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightwing 0 Report post Posted March 16, 2009 The NBA, like the NHL, should just declare the Southeast as a deadzone (outside of perhaps Florida) for their business. College sports and the NFL rule the day down there, and they just aren't going to make a dent in that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 Few people here really appreciate the thePacers, anyway. It's all about the Colts and the local high school football team. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike wanna be 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 Pacers move to Seattle & send New Orleans or Memphis to the Eastern Conference. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 Memphis is stuck in a lease, though I know they want to get out of there. You can't compete against the Tigers Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alfdogg 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 I don't want to go into the whole "room is spinning" tone over this, so all I can really say here is I hope something can be worked out. It would be so weird to have a basketball league and not have the state of Indiana represented. I'd say the Knicks-Pacers rivalry has been dead four years. As long as Reggie Miller was still there, it was still relevant to a degree. As a former Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Paces is great. The league is already without the Indiana Paces! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lt. Al Giardello 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 As a former Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Paces is great. The league is already without the Indiana Paces! Heh. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bob_barron 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 As a former Knicks fan, a league without the Indiana Paces is great. The league is already without the Indiana Paces! Heh. No. I don't want to go into the whole "room is spinning" tone over this, so all I can really say here is I hope something can be worked out. It would be so weird to have a basketball league and not have the state of Indiana represented. I don't think the Pacers ever recovered from the Malice at the Palace. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PUT THAT DICK IN MY MOUTH! 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 The Hornets in Kansas City just to name a few... The Hornets might not be going anywhere for a while NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Hornets' ticket sales have been strong enough to eliminate the need for financial inducements from the State of Louisiana this year. Those inducements could have run as high as $6.8 million if the Hornets had consistently played to crowds below 80 percent of capacity at the New Orleans arena Instead, the arena has been nearly 99 percent full in terms of tickets sold and complimentary tickets used, Hornets president Hugh Weber said Thursday. [...] While the NBA has taken out a line of credit to help struggling teams' cash flow, with 12 teams electing to borrow a combined $200 million, Weber said the Hornets have not sought any such help yet. "I think we're running counter to many of the stories that are happening in professional sports right now," Weber said. The Hornets' season-ticket base is just short of 11,000, a new franchise high since moving to New Orleans from Charlotte in 2002. The club has sold out 14 games, one more than all of the previous regular season. The team still has nine home games remaining and is on track to make the playoffs for a second-straight season. During last season, the Hornets negotiated changes to their arena lease with the state to include the potential for new "performance-based" subsidies, which ended up costing the state about $6.5 million last year. The amended lease also included an escape clause allowing the Hornets to leave New Orleans if average attendance fell below 14,735 during a two-season period. That benchmark will be easily eclipsed, Weber said. The Hornets' average attendance this season has been 16,853. Link Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Agent of Oblivion 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 Few people here really appreciate the thePacers, anyway. It's all about the Colts and the local high school football team. Lemme tell ya, it never used to be like that. Football taking the reigns in this state coincided almost exactly with Peyton Manning's success in Indy. Growing up in this state, basketball ruled all things until 1998. Even when the Colts made a couple runs in the mid 90's, they were a clear second or third fiddle to the Pacers and Big Ten Basketball. If you lived in the southern part of the state, it might've been Kentucky basketball. The Colts probably weren't even the most popular football team in the state, behind Notre Dame. Two out of three driveways in the state had either an IU or a Purdue backboard and hoop, or a chain-net hoop on the side of the barn. Prior to the mid 90s, it was College Basketball, Big Ten/Notre Dame Football, or nothing. Back me up here, alf. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bobobrazil1984 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 The TEAM was paying $15 million a year to keep the ARENA upkeep? is that normal??? That sounds pretty... odd to me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jaxxson Mayhem 0 Report post Posted March 17, 2009 Few people here really appreciate the thePacers, anyway. It's all about the Colts and the local high school football team. Lemme tell ya, it never used to be like that. Football taking the reigns in this state coincided almost exactly with Peyton Manning's success in Indy. Growing up in this state, basketball ruled all things until 1998. Even when the Colts made a couple runs in the mid 90's, they were a clear second or third fiddle to the Pacers and Big Ten Basketball. If you lived in the southern part of the state, it might've been Kentucky basketball. The Colts probably weren't even the most popular football team in the state, behind Notre Dame. Two out of three driveways in the state had either an IU or a Purdue backboard and hoop, or a chain-net hoop on the side of the barn. Prior to the mid 90s, it was College Basketball, Big Ten/Notre Dame Football, or nothing. Back me up here, alf. I got your back on this one. These are all true. It's Miller time was huge back in Miller's heyday. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
