Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha during a conference call with season-ticket holders said that the club is "on track to do much better next season" in attendance, according to John Reid of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The Pelicans averaged 16,677 fans per game last season at Smoothie King Center, ranking 24th in the NBA, with the club recording only 24 sellouts. Lauscha: "We're very pleased and happy to say that we're now in the top three in the NBA in new tickets sales for the season. We've had the highest renewal rate in the history of the franchise, well over 90 percent." He added that "deposits on group tickets" are up 55% from the same time last year. Meanwhile, Lauscha added that the interior of the arena "will have a different look with a new hi-definition scoreboard that will stretch from foul line to foul line, which will be similar to one that was temporarily installed" for the '14 NBA All-Star Game. He said that a "tribute to Louisiana basketball history" also will be coming to the concourse (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/9).
