NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans and Louisiana-based Smoothie King have reached a 10-year agreement to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said such a deal had been a "gigantic" piece of owner Tom Bensons business plan since he bought the long-struggling small-market franchise from the NBA in the spring of 2012. "Finding a naming rights partner was key to the long-term financial viability of this franchise in this market," Lauscha said. Benson, who has owned the Saints since 1985, purchased citys NBA franchise — formerly called the Hornets — for $338 million and has consolidated the headquarters and many of the business operations of both clubs. The hope was that with the two franchises sharing resources and cross-promoting one another, the region could better support two major professional sports teams. Officials with both the club and Smoothie King declined to release financial terms of the deal, which also gives Smoothie King an option for a 10-year extension. Smoothie King owner Wan Kim said sponsoring an NBA arena in New Orleans helps his company demonstrate its commitment to the community where it is based while promoting its brand globally. Smoothie King, founded in suburban New Orleans in 1973, has 674 locations in 31 states and in Asia, and is looking to expand both nationally and overseas, Smoothie King President Tom OKeefe said. Of 30 NBA cities, 21 currently have Smoothie King franchises, he said. The arena is officially being renamed on Thursday, in time for next weeks NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans. Kim, a native of South Korea who attended college and business school in the United States, bought the company in July 2012. He said he initially considered moving its headquarters to Atlanta or Dallas. "I started to realize a lot of people who live in New Orleans, for them, its very difficult to leave the city," Kim said. "Its a very different city. Its very unique, culturally, and I did start to see why people didnt want to move. "At the same time, I did feel our root is here and I shouldnt give up on that," Kim said. "Not only did we decide not to move out, but we are pretty much telling you (with the naming rights deal) that our group is here and we are sticking with it." As part of the agreement, Smoothie King will be airing commercials during Pelicans broadcasts, as well as sponsoring pregame and postgame segments. The companys smoothies will also be available at concession stands around the arena. Team officials said there were "two or three" other candidates for a naming rights deal, but that Smoothie Kings interests seemed most aligned with the Bensons goals of promoting the business climate in his home state. "Theres no more perfect story to say how businesses can root themselves in New Orleans and grow," said Rita Benson LeBlanc, Bensons granddaughter and a part owner of the Pelicans and Saints. She added that the agreement is "a testament to how New Orleans has recovered (from Hurricane Katrina) and how Louisiana is redefining itself as an economic development engine." The deal might have been completed before this season began, but because Smoothie King products contain nutritional supplements, NBA rules required that all of the companys products be tested to ensure there were no banned substances. LeBlanc said that process took about eight months. "We couldnt have any question as to what are the contents of the products that Smoothie King actually offers," LeBlanc said. Nike Tn For Sale Nz . 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Judging by what they did to the Utah Jazz, it appears they are getting the message. Carmelo Anthony scored 34 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and the Knicks pulled away for a 92-83 victory on Monday night that kept them one game back of the final Eastern Conference playoff berth. Tyson Chandler added 15 points and nine rebounds, while J.R. Smith scored 13 points and Raymond Felton chipped in 12 points and six assists to help New York (32-43) finish 3-2 on its western trip. Anthony knew it would be tough for the Knicks to pull it out in a traditionally tough road environment. "Any time you play against Utah on their home court, it is always going to be a grind out there," Anthony said. "Ive been playing them for years. Coming in and out here, a lot of battles and a lot of scars. They are always going to play tough." It wasnt just Anthony willing his team to victory. The Knicks made a collective effort to clamp down on the perimeter in the second half and keep Utah from shooting its way back into the game. New York shot 47 per cent (33 of 70) from the field while holding Utah to just 39 per cent (33 of 85). "We really got into them with our perimeter play," Chandler said. "The guys did an excellent job tonight of closing off the dribble. Even when we did get beat, we would kind of stand on their hip and funnel them into a tough situation, which allowed myself, Cole (Aldrich) and some other bigs to come over and help." Gordon Hayward scored 18 points, Alec Burks added 17 off the bench and Derrick Favours chipped in 13 points and 13 rebounds for the Jazz, who lost for the 16th time in their last 18 contests. Utah controlled the glass, outrebounding New York 50-38. The Jazz had a 19-7 edge in second-chance points and a 42-36 edge in points in the paint. It didnt matter in the end because Utah went ice cold in a crucial second-half stretch where it produced a single basket in 7 1/2 minutes. "We hit that little lull where we just cant score and tthat is the difference in the game," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said.dddddddddddd "It happened again tonight and we just have to keep fighting and get better." The Knicks scored on four straight possessions during a 15-2 run in the third quarter. Chandler punctuated the spurt with a layup, giving New York a 63-55 advantage. The Knicks hit 6-of-9 shots to open the quarter. The Jazz chipped away and tied it at 67 on Burks 3-pointer over Anthony, but the Knicks turned up the defence to seize control. The Jazz then made just one basket over a 7 1/2-minute stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters as the Knicks went on a 17-2 run. Anthony drained a pair of baskets to cap the run and give New York an 84-69 lead with 9:53 left in the fourth quarter. "Hes doing a lot of the little things," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "Hes done that all season. Hes been there when we needed him and now everybody is starting to chip in. It doesnt matter who plays. Theyre really taking advantage of the minutes theyre getting." New York jumped on the Jazz quick before quickly fading in the first quarter. The Knicks hit 7-of-9 shots to open the quarter and took a 15-10 lead when Smith drained a jumper and Chandler threw down an alley-oop dunk on consecutive possessions. The Jazz hit their first four baskets from 3-point range. The third one, from Trey Burke, put Utah in front for the first time at 18-15 and the fourth, from Hayward, put the Jazz back ahead 21-19 after Anthony made a pair of baskets to help New York reclaim the lead. Burks made back-to-back baskets and then fed Favours for a layup to boost Utahs lead to 40-30. New York trimmed the lead down at the free throw line when the Jazz got into foul trouble. The Knicks made 5-of-6 free throws before Smiths fadeaway 3-pointer a second before halftime cut it to 49-48. NOTES: Tim Hardaway Jr. left the game with a sprained right ankle. The Knicks said X-rays were negative. ... New York improved to 7-10 on the season in the second game of back-to-back games. ... Favours had his 23rd double-double of the season and the third in Utahs last four games. .... Chandler fell one rebound shy of having his 11th straight game with 10 or more rebounds. ' ' '