<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">When Oklahoma City opened up its Ford Center three years ago, its residents surely hoped that it would one day host a major professional sports team. After all, it was built to satisfy both NBA and NHL specifications. The size and the overall lack of events in the arena look to be in the city's favor when the NBA figures to announce the location of the home games for the New Orleans Hornets next week. The New Orleans Arena was not severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina, but it's possible that no games could be played in the facility this year. A person with knowledge of the league's negotiations told ESPN.com that it is very likely that some of the Hornets games will be played in the state of Louisiana -- in Baton Rouge -- but Oklahoma City is the clear front-runner if the team needs to play somewhere else. Complicating factors in Baton Rouge, where the New Orleans Saints will play four of their home games, is that LSU's Pete Maravich Assembly Center is currently serving as a temporary home to evacuees. NBA officials spent Wednesday and Thursday in Baton Rouge to inspect the facilities and to donate their time and goods to the storm victims. Representatives in Louisville, Ky.; Nashville, Tenn.; San Diego; and Kansas City, Mo., also offered to temporarily host the team, but no city can offer the state-of-the-art facility with as many open dates as Oklahoma City can. </div> source
