Via CBSSports Eye on Basketball:
So, as you may have heard, the new owner of the New Orleans Hornets, Tom Benson, wants to change the name of the New Orleans Hornets to the New Orleans Jazz. That's not going to happen, but he seems adamant about changing the name. That got me thinking....what if we changed the Thunder's name back to the Hornets?
"No." -You
Okay, I know that the change sounds kind of silly at first. And perhaps it is. And I know that I'm probably one of about three people who think the Thunder should change their name back, the other two being that guy who wore the beekeeping outfit to Hornets games back in the day and some guy who has had amnesia since 2006.
BUT, I'm going to make my case. Here's 6 reasons why I think the Thunder should change their name back to the Hornets.
1. The Current Logo Is Still Awful
I'm sorry, but whatever the Thunder still try to pass off as our logo is just embarrassing in the scheme of NBA logos. I do admit, some things have somewhat grown on me. I don't mind the uniforms (as much) as I used to. The name can be used in a variety of puns. But every time I look at the logo, I just cringe.
Back in the day, word on the street was that the Thunder were going through a official logo design when someone in upper management saw the current logo and decided to bypass the rest of the process. Again, that's nothing but hearsay, but the move wouldn't surprise me. The logo looks like an alpha version of a video game, unpolished and unrefined. The font is overly basic and cheesy looking. The reasons for having a basketball on a shield? Unclear. Why are there two random paintstripes behind it? To give the illusion of speed? Why does OKC stick out of the shield like some 3D monstrocity?
Below: 5 More Reasons!
2. The Return of Hugo
Hugo was the greatest mascot ever. He was always smiling on the court, yet always aggressive in the logo. He dunked basketballs and shot Cox Cannons. I don't think Hugo should come back and replace Rumble. Rather, they should work cooperatively and form the best mascot team this side of the universe.
3. "Teal Day" Would Have Meaning in Oklahoma City Again
Every November 7th, a holiday sits long forgotten on the Oklahoma City calendar. Back at the beginning of the 06-07 season, OKC Mayor Mick Cornett declared that day to be "Teal Day", commemorating the Hornets' seasons in Oklahoma City. With the Thunder being re-named the Hornets, we could bring it back in a big way! Teal Santa Claus Hugo (AKA Teal Claus) giving out gifts to kids? Dying the Canal teal? Making the sky teal? A teal James Harden beard? The possibilities are endless!!!!
4. Return of David West's The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Sound Byte and Bee-Fense
Hornets games. I bet the second you read that, you heard in your mind, "David West! Wah Wah Wah". That was the greatest sound effect ever. And you probably remember Bee-Fense. That was clever, right? You know, how we said "Bee-Fense" instead of "De-Fense" because our team was bees even though the team was actually related to Hornets and bees are only tangentially related to Hornets through being part of the insect kingdom and it makes not sense grammatically....But oh well! It was AWESOME!
5. Desmond Mason Can be the First Hornet-Thunder-Hornet
Okay, we can't get Chris Paul. Or David West. But you know who's a free agent right now, and has ties to both former Oklahoma City teams? DESMOND MASON! Get prepared to dust off your old jersey and cheer on the only player to ever be a SuperSonic, a Hornet, a Thunder, and a Hornet again. He can't shoot, and he probably can't dunk anymore either, but he played for Oklahoma State! And he paints! And he raps!
6. Valentines Day Jerseys and a Virtual New Orleans Arena
Back in the day, say NBA 2K6 or so, when you played as the Hornets, you always ended up in New Orleans Arena. Why? Because game developers are lazy, that's why. So if we changed our name back to the Hornets, the guys would probably get confused and change our arena back to New Orleans Arena too. They'd also probably add in the old 2007 Valentine's Day uniforms the Hornets wore a grand total of once but managed to show up in lots of subsequent editions of NBA Live. All in all, it would make for pretty hilarious online matches.
As you can see, the Thunder changing their name to the Hornets is CLEARLY the way to go. All aboard!
Thanks go to OKLuschen for helping me develop this story.
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