Columnist Steve Carp: NBA can work here, if done right

Steve Carp is a Las Vegas Sun sports writer. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4087.

Watching Wednesday's NBA Draft waiting to see where Shawn Marion landed, it gave me a chance to daydream a little.

I could hear commissioner David Stern's words, With the first pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, the Las Vegas High Rollers select ...

Crazy, you say? Before you dismiss such a notion, consider some of the numbers being bandied about from a poll released at the Bellagio Wednesday. Without boring you with the details, it basically said that Las Vegas would enthusiastically support an NBA franchise.

Steve Wynn believes pro sports are essential to the continued growth of Las Vegas. He is willing to be a partner in such an endeavor, witness Mirage Resorts commissioning pollster Dr. Frank Luntz to come up with the numbers.

But Wynn made it clear he's not ready to buy a team and build a downtown arena by himself. He did sit down recently with Stern to discuss the possibilities of Las Vegas someday being an NBA city and Stern gave him no reason not to pursue it.

"I'm not looking to buy a team," Wynn said. "But if the community supports the idea and they can get an arena built, I'd be interested in investing."

Wynn's no dummy. He could have bought a team years ago. He could have built his own arena like the MGM Grand did. But he knows owning a sports franchise is not a moneymaker. And he has had enough vicarious thrills running his hotels that he doesn't need a basketball team to massage his ego.

But he would get some thrills knowing he helped improve the quality of life in this city. His sensational art gallery at Bellagio is one way to do it. Having a major league team is another.

What was Phoenix 30 years ago? It was Las Vegas without gambling. Then the NBA put a franchise in the city and the Suns helped boost the town's image. Today, Phoenix has teams in the four major sports and a revitalized downtown.

Mayor Oscar Goodman has the same vision for Las Vegas. He will be a driving force in the months to come in an attempt to bring the NBA here. And he said he's committed to doing it at minimal taxpayer expense.

Hopefully, he'll keep his word. There will likely be some public money involved in building a downtown arena. But the bulk of it has to come through the private sector and/or soft taxes such as hotel room taxes.

We are a growing community. We have a lot to offer. It's why thousands of people move here every month. And while the NBA doesn't come cheap (the average ticket price is between $50-$60 per seat per game), it does give Las Vegas something it is lacking now -- a big-league image.

Don't sell that short. We may be the gaming capital of the world, but that doesn't play well in every social circle. To have major league sports gives you a sense of community that can be good, wholesome and fun.

Don't think so? Ask the people of San Antonio, who are still celebrating the Spurs' NBA championship. Ask Sacramento, which prior to the Kings' arrival in 1985, played host to the Pig Bowl, a charity football game between the cops and the sheriff's department that was the biggest sporting event in town.

So don't just write off the notion of the NBA here as folly. The wherewithal to get it done is here and David Stern may be talking about Las Vegas sooner than you think.

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