Friday, May 03, 2002

INTERESTING: Why Las Vegas isn't getting an NBA franchise anytime soon:

Las Vegas, the first choice of the Grizzlies a year ago as they looked to leave Vancouver and an intriguing location for the NBA as a whole, has backed way off on its push to land a team through relocation or expansion. It was barely in play as the Hornets went window shopping before settling on New Orleans, suggesting city officials who once tried to rally support are conceeding they are fighting a lost cause. The league won't go there unless sports books stop taking action on the NBA, and the casinos won't agree to that concession, more because the hotel industry doesn't want outsiders dictating their business than out-of-financial concerns since basketball bets are a very small percentage of the gambling take. Without that holdup, the Grizzlies would probably be there now and the league would be in a market it considers extremely promising.

From Scott Howard Cooper's latest ESPN column.

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