Chad Shinn Bloggerview - Part 2

A few weeks ago I noticed that Michael Thompson, the Director of Corporate Communications for the Hornets, had become active on the Hornets Report Fan boards and was passing along invaluable information about the Hornets and their efforts to reintegrate into New Orleans. So I figured I'd send that web-savvy guy an email and see if I couldn't get an interview with him or someone else in the organization. I, of course, used Ron Hitley's name in vain multiple times so that a respectable blogger was associated with my request, and it wasn't just a poor schmuck like myself looking for a handout.

Happily, not only was Michael extremely responsive, he took the time to arrange a Bloggerview with Chad Shinn, the Executive Officer of the Board for the Hornets, and owner George Shinn's son. Ron and I were each allowed to submit six questions, and together we came up with the most incredible set of questions you will ever see! Really!

The first six questions, succinct and to the point, were submitted by Mr. Hitley and they can be found at Hornets247.

The second six questions, wordy and convoluted, are posted below, in all their glory. Thanks to both Chad Shinn and Michael Thompson for taking the time to do this.

1. With New Orleans ' financial strength being her tourism industry, I was wondering if any sort of partnerships were in the works to draw those tourists to Hornets games. Something like "Beignet, Bees, and Blues in the Bayou", providing reservations at good restaurants in the French quarter and easy transportation to the Arena and back again for late-night music. As a non-local Hornets fan, I'd love to see something like that.

This area has always been a challenge for us to tap into consistently. We have a good relationship with the NOMCVB and we just signed a partnership with Express Jet that includes some ticket messaging opportunities with their customers. Somehow we have to communicate to tourists that coming to a Hornets game is just as authentic a New Orleans experience as great dining and walking the French Quarter, and that coming to a game can be part of their night out on the town - not something they have to choose over something else. We've tried a lot of different and creative things to reach that market, but haven't found a silver bullet yet. Jim Eichenhofer’s Rival Report on Hornets.com has gone a long way in attracting fans from other cities to our site, and potentially to our games. But we’re always looking for new ideas. Got any?


2. While I know the merchandise bearing the Fleur de Bee logo wasn't released until October 15 th, the friend I dispatched to New Orleans to buy me stuff(okay, begged, not dispatched) had some problems locating Hornets merchandise in the New Orleans area. Since she didn't have tickets, there wasn't any way she could get into the team shop on the night of the New Orleans - Indiana preseason game, and was left buying slightly older stuff at a local Footlocker. Is there an upcoming push to get the new merchandise out to the rest of New Orleans ? Make the team shop more extensive? Will the new merchandise appear on the online NBA.com store or be made available some other way online?

Merchandising is a whole new world to me, and last month we had some experts in the field and from the NBA come visit with us to talk about ways to improve our efforts there. I'm proud to report that our team store is up and running, and we have some great merchandise available inside. The store has normal business hours that are open to the public, but on game nights it's accessible only from inside the Arena after 5pm.

As far as getting Hornets stuff in local stores, there's a schedule for buying merchandise and a schedule for putting it on the shelf and we're way behind both. That doesn't mean you won't be able to find stuff at the mall or other outlets, but it will be much easier to find with better options once we get on-schedule with retailers.

3. There's been criticism directed at the Hornets by their fans about a perceived failure to stick with and develop young players – particularly those that have landed in Byron Scott's doghouse. The trades of Kirk Snyder, Cedric Simmons, and to a lesser degree, JR Smith, for very little in return are prime examples of the sorts of transactions that have given the fans pause. Is this a reflection of Byron Scott's hard line towards mistake-prone youngsters, or a general feeling in the organization that it must "Win Now", or is even a general team philosophy that players who are slow to get it are likely to never get it and should be cut loose?

I totally disagree with this perception about us bailing on young talent too early. David West has emerged as a great player in this league and led our team in scoring the past two seasons, and I doubt anyone would have guessed that would be the case in his second year with us. Hilton has made huge strides from his rookie season until now, and he's only going to get better. And I think we'll stick with our young point guard for a while too.

As far as trading young players for nothing in return, I think the deal that sent JR to Chicago for Tyson Chandler has turned out pretty well for us. And while cap space isn't the sexiest thing in the world for fans to get excited about, signing guys like Peja and MoPete, and re-signing guys like Pargo and Rasual, are made possible because Jeff Bower has done an amazing job of managing the cap through things like the trades we've made. I don't want to take anything away from the young players we've had, but I love the roster we've got now.

4. Do you secretly love that the Saints are sucking right now?

Not at all. We're Saints fans too because we know they're good for the morale and spirit of this community. We're working hard to have the same kind of impact on the Gulf South as they did last year. And it's just as important to us to find success off-the-court as it is to be successful on it. If we can build a legacy of service in the community, put a winning product on the court, and generate a lot of pride in this community then we can call this season a great success. If the Saints can match that kind of success, then New Orleans is going to be feeling pretty good about its sports teams.

5. When CP3 gets his extension – and I'm assuming he will – the only sizeable contracts that will have come off the cap are Bobby Jackson's and Rasual Butler's – and possible extensions for Hilton Armstrong and Julian Wright will be looming. If the team was a contender and New Orleans is supporting the team, would the organization be willing to spend over the Salary Cap? As high as the Luxury Tax threshold? Over the Luxury Tax Threshold?

Wow. You just set up the entire roster for the next 3 years. How did we do?

I'm not in a position to get into the specifics of our future cap situation and talk about contract extensions that are years away, but what I can tell you is that, as an organization, we are commited to championship performance. That includes the business side as well as the basketball side. We've got the roster we have now because Jeff Bower was smart with how he managed the salary cap, and I don't think he gets nearly enough credit for the job he's done.

6. I love the NBA draft and devour anything I can read in the weeks leading up to it. Can you give us some insight into the Hornets draft process – what system is used to rank the players, how heavily do you consider the physical measures that come from the Pre-Draft camp, and if you're feeling generous - who did the Hornets rank as the top 14 talents in the draft that should go in the lottery?

Well, I could tell you all about our system for evaluating talent, how heavily we consider physical measurements, and our super secret plan for identifying surefire All-Stars from a pool of dozens of prospects - but then you wouldn't buy my book "Draft Strategies and Super Secret Plans for Picking All-Stars in June" and I know you're all looking forward to that.

So let me talk about our philosophy on draft night, because that's where everything stems from. “Best player available vs. need” is the age old question, and I think you already know where we stand on that based on our selection this past June. But we absolutely take character into consideration right alongside talent when ranking players and making final decisions. Each prospect has skills that make them NBA-caliber players. The question is, which one will help you get to the next level, and often times the answer is the one with great character.


Personally, I'm looking forward to that book. I'm sure after reading it I can do a better job than say . . . Isiah Thomas or Kevin McHale.