NEW ORLEANS — The state-owned Smoothie King Center opened another season of NBA basketball Wednesday night.
Pelicans’ fans told WWL Louisiana, the arena could use a few upgrades, but at 25 years old they say it’s still a good place to watch a game.
“Maybe it doesn’t have some of the new fancy things that some of the new arenas do, but I don’t think it lags behind in any real category like that,” Pels fan Trevor Watkins said.
“We love the Smoothie King Center,” Jessica Maurin, Pels season ticket holder said. “We have no issues with it. We love everything there, the staff, everything.”
The building completed a multi-phase renovation in 2014.
But according to a recent physical assessment, the Smoothie King Center has undergone minimal changes since opening in 1999.
It also found most systems in the arena have reached or exceeded their expected usable life.
Among the high- and medium-priority items that need attention identified in the report are new seating, upgraded lighting, a modern center-hung scoreboard, new video screens, and upgraded concession stands.
“It can definitely hold NBA games,” Locked on Pelicans host Jake Madison said. “You can still have fun going to it and the good thing about it, is tickets are cheap. But it doesn’t really hold up to modern-day NBA standards.”
Madison says the NBA seems to be pushing brand-new, state-of-the-art arenas where the league and home team can generate higher basketball-related income.
“That counts as ticket sales. That counts as merchandise. That is concession sometimes too. Newer arenas tend to drive those sorts of purchases. It brings in more revenue for the league which then gets split amongst the owners, the players and that’s how everyone makes their money.”
The debate over a new or renewed arena comes at a time when the state and the Pelicans are negotiating a new long-term lease agreement in New Orleans.
The team has about 5 years left on its current contract.
“If there’s no long-term lease agreement, there’s nothing tying the team to the city and if a new owner comes in, they would be able to move them at that point in time,” Madison said.
The Pelican organization expressed a need to get moving on both a new contract and a plan for where they will pay long-term.
“As from the earlier LSED study, the building’s numerous issues need to be addressed,” the team said in a statement. “Our lease in (the) Arena expires on June 30, 2029. That does not give us much time to find a solution. We look forward to working with all parties to find solutions.”
A new modern NBA-ready arena could cost billions of dollars.
WWL Louisiana took to social media to get local reactions to the Smoothie King Center's viability:
Here's some comments posted WWL's Facebook post:
"When I go, I get a beer, sit in the seat and watch the game. It’s comfortable and has good site lines. Not sure what else they want." — Steve Pixberg
"It's modern enough with other venues. Could use some new bathrooms and updated food venues but overall nothing wrong with the venue." — Joey Demoulette
"Tear down the old Charity hospital and build a new stadium there. Use the old smoothie king center as a tailgate location." — Frank Caracci
"Any public $ should be spent on fixing the city’s roads. Don’t want to arrive at the arena with a flat or something worse." — Scott Ellis
"Seat 100% need to be renovated. Maybe even new concourses like the Superdome." — Austin Villerreal
"It's an okay arena for an okay team. Don't let your tax dollars be used to buy a new one while the city is a giant pothole." — Sean Clay
"It is comfortable and hardly ever lacks room. LEAVE IT BE." — Coleen Perilloux Landry
"Needs some work but I enjoy going to it." — Pete Morel
"Any public $ should be spent on fixing the city’s roads. Don’t want to arrive at the arena with a flat or something worse." — Scott Ellis
"It needs people in those empty seats or it won’t have a team in it for much longer." — Darren CoSaint Williams
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