Rick Bonnell and Tim Whitmire of the CHarlotte Observer report: On the eve of an NBA relocation committee's visit here, even Commissioner David Stern has no feel for how the drama over the Hornets' future will play out.

"I wish I could tell you I had a plan," Stern told reporters in Minneapolis on Tuesday. "I'm very concerned about (the Hornets situation). We're wrestling with it."

Stern was scheduled to fly to New Orleans late Tuesday night, where he, Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik and seven owners who make up the league's relocation committee are to meet with officials today.

The committee's recommendation will help decide whether the Hornets stay in Charlotte or move to New Orleans next season, as co-owners George Shinn and Ray Wooldridge have requested.

The league hopes owners will vote on the issue during a meeting in New York April 8-9.

Arriving Tuesday evening in New Orleans, Granik said it's up to Shinn and Wooldridge to make a compelling case for moving the Hornets.

"I think the burden is on the ownership who have requested to relocate, so it's up to them to demonstrate that New Orleans can be a better market for the NBA than Charlotte has been or is likely to be," Granik said. "It's up to them to demonstrate that the request makes sense. They're not under some special, extraordinary burden to prove anything, but they're making a request to their colleagues on the other teams, and so it's up to them to demonstrate it makes sense."

Today, the league representatives and relocation committee are to tour the New Orleans Arena, then meet with Wooldridge and Shinn. The owners will pitch New Orleans' potential as an NBA city and tout the commitments they have so far for season tickets.

On Friday, the Hornets said they had reached a goal of taking deposits for 55 luxury suites, but fell about 2,000 short of their target for season-ticket sales. Much of that shortfall was in the most-expensive seats -- so-called club seats, which are major revenue producers for NBA teams.

The committee doesn't plan to visit Charlotte. But the owners will consider a package of information about Charlotte that was delivered Monday to the league office in New York by business leaders trying to keep the team.

A source close to that effort confirmed Tuesday that the Charlotte presentation avoided direct comparisons with New Orleans, opting instead to present the virtues of Charlotte and the strength of its market for the NBA. "It's not a one-on-one comparison," the source said.

Under league rules, the Hornets need only a simple majority to receive permission to move.

Because the Hornets get a vote, Shinn and Wooldridge need no more than a 14-14 split of the other teams to make the move to Louisiana.

Granik said Charlotte has made some strides toward keeping the team.

"They seem to have produced a willing and able buyer in Mr. Johnson, so it's hard to fault them there," he said. "In terms of the arena, it's certainly not as buttoned-down as I would like it to be, but at least they've taken some steps.

"I think there are still a whole lot of things that would have to happen before they can guarantee that the building is built. There's not a definitive lease arrangement and we don't know exactly under what terms" a team would play there, Granik said.

While Stern is prepared for the Hornets to leave Charlotte, he said Tuesday a move would represent a failure for the league.

"Anytime we have to leave a city, I consider it to be a defeat for the NBA," Stern said. "So I'm very sad about what's going on in Charlotte."