NBA Still Crunching Data Before Making Decision On Hornets

The NBA is still waiting for the Hornets to "provide final ticket-sales numbers and other information from New Orleans before making a decision on whether the team can move," according to Scott Dodd of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, who notes NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik expects a decision by May 1. NBA Senior Dir of Sports Media Relations Tim Frank said, "Obviously, it takes a while to put something like that together." But Frank "dismissed speculation that the league is holding off until the Hornets are eliminated from the playoffs to avoid embarrassing media coverage." Frank: "The conspiracy theorists are out." Dodd notes Hornets co-Owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge, who "skipped both playoff games" in Charlotte, "will be in the stands" for Game Three Saturday in Orlando. Meanwhile, after yesterday's shareholders meeting, Bank of America Corp. CFO Jim Hance said of the Hornets: "My guess is that they are gone. Very little is going on" (OBSERVER, 4/25).