Hornets owner George Shinn said Friday night that a new, publicly financed practice facility, which was promised to him when he moved his NBA team here in 2002, will now cost as much as $20 million.

"We have a contract. We've honored our end of the contract and we fully expect the state to honor theirs," Shinn said shortly before the Hornets hosted the Seattle SuperSonics. "We're putting up the money to get our people back here and get this thing going and do our part to rebuild this city."

The city has put aside a little more than $6 million, which has sat in escrow since the move. That money will not be disbursed until the team has agreed with city and state officials on a location and design for the building.

Before the storm, delays stemmed from differences over where the building should be built. Shinn initially agreed that it should be in the eastern part of the city on land that was to be donated by the city. But, he later changed his mind, saying it made more sense to put the building on state-owned land next to the New Orleans Arena, where the team will once again play a full home schedule next season.

George Shinn, owner of the Hornets, said that the team is actively exploring trades.

"There's a lot of talk going on," Shinn said. "I've been through this about 20 years. Sometimes you hear stuff and you get excited and it never happens. The best thing to do is not even talk about it, just relax, and bam, something could happen. I'm just leaving it up to Jeff."

This coming week will be a good test for New Orleans in their readiness for next season's All-Star game.

"If we're ready for Mardi Gras, then we're ready for the NBA All-Star Game," said Mary Beth Romig, communications director of the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The Sophomores put a record-setting 155-114 pounding on the Rookies in the 2007 Rookie-Sophomore game Friday night, their fifth straight win in a series that is becoming a mismatch.

MVP David Lee did not miss a shot, going 14-14 from the field on his way to 30 points. He also added 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

Monta Ellis of Golden State added 28 points on a number of dunks as the sophomores set a game scoring record, surpassing the 142 points they scored in 2004. They shot 74.7 percent (68-of-91) and have won the last five games.

Chris Paul, the reigning Rookie of the Year, added 16 points, 17 assists and nine steals.

Rudy Gay of Memphis and Utah's Paul Millsap each scored 22 points for the rookies, who never led and trailed by as many as 43 points.

"Next year, when we come back, we're not going to be as happy to be here," Portland's Brandon Roy said. "We're going to be ready. They caught us off-guard."

The Hornets planned to let a deadline pass Wednesday on the team's option to play a third season at its temporary home in Oklahoma City.

Relocated from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, the Hornets have played the majority of their home games at Ford Center over the past two seasons. The team sought the option for a third year as a contingency plan in case it was unable to return to New Orleans next season as planned.

"Obviously we're extremely grateful for the people in this community, the way they've embraced us and have supported us," owner George Shinn said Wednesday. "It's been an incredible stay for us. But the whole situation is that New Orleans has had problems and they continue to have problems, and the right thing for us to do is to go back and give it our best shot and try to make it work.