[外電] New Orleans Hornets officials trying to secure business

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New Orleans Hornets officials trying to secure business aspect of franchise Published: Sunday, May 01, 2011, 7:15 AM 原文：http://0rz.tw/qS4HQ Facing the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs was a formidable challenge on the court for the New Orleans Hornets. 季後賽場上面對兩屆冠軍的湖人對黃蜂而言是個巨大的挑戰。 Off the court, the team continues to confront an Everest-sized mountain to climb in the offseason: posting up, if you will, against the ongoing ultimatum of improving the franchise’s financial situation to make it a more attractive investment for a potential owner, identifying that potential owner, negotiating a more favorable, extended lease agreement with the state, increasing the season-ticket base and attracting additional corporate sponsors while maintaining those already on board. 而在場外，黃蜂季後的處境就如同在爬聖母峰的人們一樣的艱難。試著想一下，球隊正在試著在最後時刻努力改善本身的財務狀況，讓球隊對於那些潛在的投資買家而言更有吸引力，而與那些潛在買家談判時能夠取得有利的談判位置，還有和政府的租賃協議也要重新議定，當然還有增加季票的銷售，吸引更多企業贊助，最後還有球員陣容調整等。 The sweaty work has ended for Chris Paul, his teammates and Coach Monty Williams and his staff. 對於CP3和教練Monty和他的工作夥伴而言辛苦的工作已經結束了。 The grueling task of achieving those other goals, already under way, can now shift into overdrive for Hornets chairman and governor Jac Sperling, the man appointed by NBA Commissioner David Stern and charged with accomplishing those goals so the Hornets can be removed from league stewardship and turned back over to a private owner. 而那些季後艱難的任務則已經開始展開了。現在戰場則轉移到黃蜂的總裁和管理人Jac Sperling身上，Sperling是聯盟老大David Stern安插在黃蜂的代理人，主要工作是幫助黃蜂擺脫聯盟託管，將經營權轉移到私人企業手上。 “None of that has really changed,” Sperling said Friday, a day after the Hornets were eliminated in the playoffs by the Lakers. “All those things are still true. I wouldn’t say there’s an order to it. It’s consistent in that they all have to be done simultaneously. And then the ultimate goal is increasing the financial performance of the club so that we can make it attractive for a local buy. 在被湖人淘汰後的隔天，Sperling說：目前還沒什麼進展。不過我們正往正確的方向去走，很多事情都是同時進行的。當然我們最終的目標是讓球隊財務狀況健全，讓球隊可以吸引買家來入主。 “That’s the ultimate goal here. Making it attractive for a local buyer and putting it on sound financial footing for long-term sustainability. We’re making good progress on those fronts. We’re not there yet, but we’re making really good progress. The governor and the mayor have been spectacular supporters for us, and salesmen, and helping us try to achieve those goals. They ’ve been great.” 這是我們的終極目標，讓球隊吸引在地人來入主並把球隊的財務狀況改善到符合長期經營的狀態。我們有取的不錯的進展，但是目前還沒有定案，可是我們真的取的不錯的進展。對我們來說，州長和市長都相當支持我們，還會充當推銷員，幫助我們實現這些目標。 Shortly before the end of the regular season, the Hornets debuted the “I’m In ” campaign aimed at increasing the season-ticket base for next year to 10,000. 在例行賽快要結束前，黃蜂發起了『I'm In』的活動，目的是用來提高明年季票銷售達到 10,000張以上。 Although the team’s surprising six-game run in the first round of the playoffs against the Lakers sparked interest, Sperling isn’t ready to quantify just how many tickets were sold during the two-week postseason euphoria (the team said late last week the number was around 7,600), although he allowed that the spike was “positive and heartening.” 沒去評估因為這輪季後賽亮麗的表現而賣出的季票有多少（銷售小組上星期曾表示，目前季票賣出了7,600張），Sperling同意這令人感到欣慰。 But more than the excitement engendered by the competitive nature of the series against the Lakers, Sperling said the Hornets’ playoff push revealed the potential for positive long-term viability for the franchise in New Orleans, the city of his birth. 不過有個更好的消息是這一系列對湖人的比賽，Sperling表示，黃蜂在季後賽的表現顯示出球隊留在紐澳良是有搞頭的，這也是他出生的城市。 “People are excited about it, but what it shows for the future is that this is a team that’s well-managed, well-coached, we’ve got good players, and the fans should see that,” Sperling said. “And it’s a team that has a lot of heart. The players do. It’s all very positive. I think the future looks very bright. Sperling說：人們興奮了，但這表現出來的是這支球隊有良好的管理團隊、良好的教練和優秀的球員，以及球迷們看到他們所想看的。 “And as a result of that, I think it’s helping us achieve those other goals of season tickets, sponsorships and with the state, as well. Certainly their performance has helped that.” 因此，我覺得這些幫助我們達成其他的目標季票銷售、企業贊助、政府協議以及留在這裡，他們的表現多少幫助了這些事情。 Although NBA teams are forbidden to speak about the possibility of a lockout when the collective bargaining agreement with players ends June 30, a work stoppage might be financially beneficial to small-market teams who could be saving millions in playoff payroll costs if regular-season games are canceled. 雖然NBA禁止球隊在6/30勞資談判結束前發表任何對於封館的言論。但是封館可能對於小市場球隊的財務狀況有利，如果例行賽取消了，他們將可以節省幾百萬季後賽的成本開支。 On the court, Hornets General Manager Dell Demps said he prefers to look at this offseason not as a challenge. 在球場上，Dell Demps並不把這個暑假當作是個挑戰。 “I look at them not as issues, but as opportunities,” he said. “There were challenges coming in, but we looked forward to those. I look at this as opportunities because I think we can do some really big things here. I’m very optimistic. I think the stars are going to line up, and the Hornets are going to be here for a while.” Demps說：我不認為這是個難題，而是轉機。是有些挑戰，但是我們期待著。我覺得這是個好嗆司，因為我覺得我們可以來搞一票大的，我是很樂觀看待的。我認為明星球員要排隊（排隊？我看不懂……），而黃蜂將會繼續留在這裡。 It is that type of optimism which Sperling, a noted deal-maker in the realm of sports, has brought to the organization that, when he arrived, was mired in long-term debt that totaled more than $100 million. 這種樂觀多少來自於運動界著名的交易達人Sperling，是他把這精神帶來黃蜂的，當他剛來的時候，球隊的長期負債總額超過一億鎂。 Since taking his position in December, Sperling has seen an internal commitment within his organization’s staff to meet the challenges that confronted it while taking steps to run the franchise — on Stern’s mandate — in a fiscally responsible way, on budget, and maintaining its competitive edge through Demps and Williams’ work on the court. 自從去年12月上任以來，Sperling就給了他的團隊員工看了Stern的聖旨，聖旨上明示球隊的財務操作步驟以及運用穩健的方式去執行。而在球場上在薪資上限內則讓Demps和Monty 去發揮保持球隊的競爭力。 And in the coming months, Sperling said, the Hornets will continue pressing toward the goals he laid out when he arrived in December. 在未來的幾個月內，Sperling表示黃蜂將會依照當初12月上任時訂下的目標去走。 Early on, Sperling said, he talked with state officials about the Hornets’ lease agreement at the New Orleans Arena, but not substantially. 早些時候，Sperling表示，他曾和政府官員談過黃蜂與紐澳良球場的租賃合約，不過沒有很具體。 “We’ve had conversations, but we haven’t started negotiating yet,” Sperling said. “No specific time frame for it. The season just ended. We’ll all catch our breath here. We’re having conversations and talking concepts. I wouldn’t characterize them as negotiations at all. Obviously, you want to get something done sooner or later. But there’s no sense of urgency. The season-ticket piece and sponsorship piece have more urgency to it, and we’re working hard on those. ” Sperling說：我們有討論過，但還沒進入談判階段。這件事情並沒有時間表。球季剛結束而已。我們將在這裡好好聆聽各種意見。我們正在互相討論以及交流雙方的意見，我不認為這算是談判。季票的銷售和企業的贊助比這件事情更急迫，我們對於這些事情都很努力去執行。 And sooner or later, Sperling said, the prospect of a buyer for the team also will emerge, although the league’s expected new economic structure, once a new CBA is in place, might come first. Sperling表示，遲早球隊未來的老闆會出現。雖然聯盟目前期待著新的財務結構，但是一旦新的CBA定案之後，未來球隊老闆很可能就會出現了。 “We look forward to having a team in New Orleans for many years to come,” Sperling said. “Honestly, I’m an optimist by temperament, but we have some big hurdles to overcome, both in season tickets and sponsorships and a long-term relationship with the state. Significant hurdles. Sperling說：我們希望能有支球隊能夠長久留在紐澳良，老實說我抱持著樂觀的看法，雖然我們還有很多障礙需要克服，像是季票銷售、企業贊助和與地方政府的關係維持上。 “But I would say the community has responded great. We’re moving in a really positive direction. The team’s performance was spectacular. I’m optimistic, but I’m also pragmatic. I understand we have to achieve certain objectives that are not necessarily easy to achieve. But I think they’re doable.” 不過我認為社會上已經有很大的迴響，我們正往著正確的方向前進。而球隊的表現又讓人驚豔。我很樂觀，但也必須務實看待。我明白我們要達成預計的目標沒那麼簡單，但是這些是可行的。 Jimmy Smith can be reached at jsmith@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3814. Related topics: jac sperling, new orleans hornets ownership -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 114.36.10.175