Report: Hornets' Benson wants 'Jazz' name back

The NBA has a name problem.

The Jazz play in Utah where, as the movie Baseketball put it, they don't allow music. The Lakers play in L.A. where there aren't really any lakes. The Hornets play in New Orleans, where nothing of this earth can stand the humidity and alcohol.

And it is that last point that new New Orleans Hornets owner Tom Benson takes issue with, as related by the Times-Picayune:

Benson said he is also trying to change the name of the NBA team to better fit the ambience, culture and charm of New Orleans.

"We need to find a name like (Jazz)," Benson said, referring to New Orleans first NBA team that relocated to Salt Lake City in 1979. "Whether we can get that or let us use that, you've got to know we're working on it. We'd like to change it tomorrow. We have not gotten that approved, but we're not letting up on it, either. Because we've got a good relationship with the commissioner and his people and we're going to be on them daily to do something."

via Tom Benson buys the New Orleans Hornets from the NBA | NOLA.com.

Good luck with that, considering the Jazz have been a playoff team for most of the past 25 years and have an absolutely rabid fanbase which would cost tens of millions to replace all the gear and signage for. So that's not happening.

I have long said, however, that the best approach for the league is to simply move the names of three franchises. Under this change, the league would now feature the Memphis Hornets, the Utah Grizzlies, and the New Orleans Jazz. Then all we need to do is change the Wizards back to the Bullets and have the Bobcats rename themselves anything else and we're set!

In reality, it will have to be a new name for New Orleans, and that's probably for the best. That franchise never got a fair shake until now, and a fresh start would be the best thing for it, new name and all.