Commissioner David Stern said Wednesday night the NBA is close to finalizing a deal to keep the Hornets in New Orleans with a very favorable lease, important capital improvements, intense tax benefits and a new television deal. Stern made the comments before Utah's game against Phoenix. He's in Salt Lake City for a luncheon that in part will honor late Jazz owner Larry H. Miller. Stern prefaced his comments by telling a joke, saying "soon" when asked about the Hornets' deal. But he said the league was in intense negotiations with three groups. He was hopeful he could tell team owners at a meeting next week the deal was done, close or that he was on the verge of a deal. Read more: http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7776840/david-stern-says-deal-close-keep-hornets-new-orleans