The Hornets "want to own and operate their own franchise" in the NBA D-League, and team execs have "contacted officials from seven cities around the Carolinas to gauge interest in being home to a D-League franchise," according to Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. The goal is to "have this franchise in place at the outset" of the '16-17 season. The Hornets previously "shared a D-League affiliate with one or more other NBA teams." The team has identified Asheville, Fayetteville, Greensboro and Raleigh in North Carolina, along with Charleston, Columbia and Greenville in South Carolina as "potential host cities." Greensboro and Columbia "would be closest to Charlotte, both about 92 miles away," while Charleston is "most distant from Charlotte at 209 miles" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/3). Fayetteville hosted the D-League Patriots from '01-06. The team in its last year of existence contained players from the Bobcats, Knicks and Pistons (FAYOBSERVER.com, 5/3). The Hornets are the latest team to express an interest in their own D-League franchise. The MLSE BOD last week approved the Raptors' request to buy a D-League affiliate that could begin play in '15-16, though a host city is as yet undecided (THE DAILY).
