George Shinn is a man of many faces.  In New Orleans, he praises the city, pledges to return, but then slams the slow pace of recovery.  In Oklahoma City, he wines and dines the locals, tells folks that his preference is to stay there (hearsay, but entirely believable) and rakes in millions from OKC's passionate fans.

Would the real George Shinn please stand up?

Trouble is, he can't at the moment, so he has become the Shinn that Charlotte remembers: praising the city he's in with a crap-eating grin while making all haste to "get out of dodge."  The NBA and Shinn are placating the fears of New Orleans Hornets fans by pledging to return for the 2007-08 season.  Here's my flyer-in-the-breeze: sometime next season, look for the NBA to announce that New Orleans cannot support an NBA team and that Oklahoma City will be chosen as the permanent home for the Hornets.  The NBA will graciously award the city of New Orleans an NBA All-Star Game, but it will allow the Hornets to set up shop permanently in Oklahoma.

In Charlotte, Shinn  tried in vain to get the new arena built for him.  The city thumbed their collective noses at Shinn, let him leave, then built the arena to attract the Bobcats.  New Orleans has a similar and less expensive choice: build the practice arena next to the Superdome or he's gone.  His lawyer, Bill Hines, has stated this publicly already. 

Shinn's not a dummy.  He's covering his ass-ets, as it were.  By saying the politically-correct things about staying and helping the recovery of the city of New Orleans, Shinn is buying time for the political process to work itself out in New Orleans (quickness being measures in decades) with the ususal result of nothing being done.  Afterwards, he will express "bitter disappointment" that he will be "forced" to leave New Orleans for greener pastures when the move to OKC is what he's wanted since his team went 18-64 before Hurricane Katrina.

The city of New Orleans, having to chose between the two, will always choose the Saints first.  Shinn knows this.  He wants to be the top dog--and being the only game in town in OKC will fit him nicely.  He just can't move yet.  NBA fans in New Orleans just have to hope that the recovery is quick enough and the practice facility built to put the smile back on Shinn's face. 

Until then, fans in New Orleans and Oklahoma City will be curious as to which face they are seeing.