The Hornets may be gone, but Charlotte may have a fighting chance to land another NBA team.

NBA commissioner David Stern told ESPN on Sunday that if a group led by Larry Bird and M.L. Carr proposed a suitable plan for a new arena in Charlotte with proper financing, there is a "strong chance" that the league's Board of Governors would back a bid for an expansion team.

Bird and Carr, former Boston Celtics teammates, had written a letter to Stern to ask about the possibility of a new franchise in Charlotte.

Stern said that he did not think it was likely that an existing NBA team would move to Charlotte. He would also not place a timetable on how soon Charlotte could get an expansion franchise.

On May 10, NBA owners voted 28-1 to approve the Hornets' move to New Orleans. In their last season in Charlotte, the Hornets advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, losing to the New Jersey Nets in five games.

After a referendum to finance a new arena was defeated last year, the Hornets' owners said they needed to relocate to avoid millions of dollars in annual losses, in part from drastically declining attendance.

The team lost $15 million in Charlotte last season and could lose $20 million this season, co-team owner Wooldridge said recently.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.