Despite the apparent hope of some folks in New Orleans, Utah's Jazz have no intention whatsoever of returning their moniker to the NBA city from which it came.
Name one reason they should.
Larry H. Miller cannot, and that, Jazz public relations vice president Dave Allred said, is why the Jazz owner won't even consider selling the nickname to the franchise recently relocated from Charlotte to New Orleans.
"The main reason why he hasn't entertained (the notion)," Allred said, "is we're the Utah Jazz — and that's our name."
Earlier this week the Charlotte Observer reported the Hornets will take that name with them to New Orleans, retaining it at least through the 2002-2003 season.
According to the Observer, "The team has made no decision about whether to find a nickname more appropriate to New Orleans, although team co-owner Ray Wooldridge has been quoted in New Orleans media as saying he'd be delighted to take the name 'Jazz' if the franchise in Utah is willing to give up that name."
But the Jazz are not — for a multitude of reasons, Allred said. Before getting to those, a short history lesson is in order.
The Jazz kept their nickname after moving to Salt Lake from New Orleans following the 1978-79 NBA season.
At that time, a change was pondered. Several Utah-related possibilities were considered, including Pioneers, Crickets, Seagulls and Bees.
All were rejected, Allred said, in part because then-Jazz co-owner Sam Battistone "didn't like any of the suggestions."
Another reason, according to Allred: Battistone "wanted people to remember this was the team that was real pathetic in New Orleans — and, since then, we've had a lot of success."
About six years ago, the Jazz revised their logo and team colors. Other teams throughout the league were doing it, too, a trend that made some traditionalists cringe.
"All of a sudden," Allred said, "you started to lose the concept of 'Who's playing?' "
Along similar lines, the Jazz feel taking on a new name now makes no sense.
Foremost, such a decision would be cost-prohibitive.
"There's the marketing costs, the costs associated with the image — all of those kinds of things that just doesn't make any sense for us to do it," Allred said. "There's just not enough upside to make us want to do it."
Besides: "We're not inclined to change our name just because somebody wants us to do it."
Allred said Miller won't sell the Jazz name even if Wooldridge and Hornets co-owner George Shinn try to entice him with highly lucrative financial incentives.
The Jazz won't feel the least bit guilty about it, either, even if jazz is as native to Utah as green Jell-O is to Louisiana.
"You know, there aren't any lakes in Los Angeles, either," Allred said with reference to L.A.'s Lakers, who took their nickname west when they moved from Minneapolis.
"Besides," he added, "I don't think anybody equates the Jazz with jazz music anymore anyway."
In the Big Easy, new home of the Hornets, that must really sting.
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com