Mark Cuban Doesn't Feel George Shinn's Pain

Mark Cuban has some advice for George Shinn, whose Hornets are struggling to draw 13,000 fans at home games: try harder. From Gary Washburn of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (via SbB):

"Somebody's got to get off their ass and sell tickets," Cuban said earlier this month. "They've got the best record in the Western Conference and they can't get people to come? That's not New Orleans, that's effort. There's enough people. There's enough basketball fans to get 16, 17,000 people to come, even if they're weekend games. So they have bad nights Monday and Tuesday." [...]

"When I took over the Mavs, we sucked," Cuban said. "I hired 40 salespeople to get out there and get on the phones and I got on the phones and was calling people. Whatever it took. We had concerts after games. If I found a pretty girl, I gave her free tickets so she would tell her guy friends to bring people. Whatever it takes to get people in the arena, you gotta do it and that's what they're not doing down there."

I have to agree to Cuban. Yes, there may be some extenuating circumstances given all that the city of New Orleans has been through, but Shinn also has a history of alienating his fan base to the point of losing fans.

If you remember, the Charlotte Hornets were once one of the most popular teams in the entire league, boasting a sell-out streak that lasted nearly nine seasons. It was only after Shinn refused to spend some of the money that his fans were giving him hand over fist to retain icons like Alonzo Mourning did attendance begin to wane and he bolted for supposed greener pastures.

He's no longer skimping on the payroll but has committed the cardinal sin of flirting with other cities to move his team. Given his track record of botching even ideal situations, I can't imagine he's doing all that he could to make this work.

Previously on FanHouse:
Shinn Says He's 'Tired of Moving'
Hornets Bounds to New Orleans ... For 18 Months
Hornets Can't Move Back to OKC, League Says