Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Vegas would be a smart bet for the NBA

Everything I know about gambling, I attribute to a lesson from my brother.

It happened one April desert night, almost 19 years ago. I was in Las Vegas to cover the Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns title fight. Terry was pulling an all-nighter, on his way back from a trip with friends to Southern California. They stopped at my hotel on the Strip, just after dark, to stretch their legs and load up on junk food.

He asked if I was up for a couple games of blackjack, to which I replied I didn't know how to play. Until then, the only gambling I'd ever done was ordering the fish burger at McDonald's.

He said it was easy, he'd show me.

Soon we were standing in the casino of the Aladdin at a $2 table, across from a man wearing a black vest and a bored look. Terry had $20 in chips.

I don't remember much else about my first lesson in gambling, except that in less than five minutes his chips were gone.

"Well, anyway," he said, easing away from the table, "that's how you do it."

That experience convinced me gambling is a losing proposition.

Even so, I can't help but feel the possibility of Las Vegas becoming an NBA city isn't a gamble. It's a good bet.

This week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Sacramento Kings co-owner Gavin Maloof said Sin City is their pick for the 31st NBA franchise (Charlotte becomes the 30th next season).

"My first bet would be Las Vegas," said Cuban in a conference call.

"I would second that," said Maloof. "I think Vegas would be a great market."

Think of it -- "I Love This Game" meets "Viva Las Vegas!" The city has a nice airport, sunny weather, plenty of hotel rooms and all- night room service.

All-night everything, actually.

Unfortunately for Las Vegas, the NBA has frowned on putting a franchise there. It figures the city couldn't be good for the league's image. There's the gambling, the prostitution, the sports books, not to mention all those awful sequins.

Still, any league that employs Rasheed Wallace can't be terribly worried about image.

Why is the NBA so afraid of Vegas? It's not like NBA players don't go there anyway. Dennis Rodman spent half the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals there. He has been known to fly there in the dead of night, on a whim. Michael Jordan skipped the 1993 All-Star Weekend media day to go to Vegas. Charles Barkley was a noted high roller when he came to town.

If the NBA is so worried about gambling, it should have pulled out of several cities already. The Knicks, Sixers and Nets are just a dice-roll away from Atlantic City. Detroit is home to the MGM Grand Casino, among other gambling establishments. New Orleans has casinos on the waterfront, Memphis is only minutes away from gambling houses across the river in Mississippi, and Minnesota has casinos on its Indian reservations.

NBA players have even been known to make trips from Salt Lake to Wendover to gamble the night away.

While shunning the gambling and prostitution capital is understandable, those vices are easily accessible in many NBA cities. Think a player can get in trouble faster in Las Vegas than New York, L.A. or New Orleans?

Pete Rose proved you don't have to be in Vegas to bet on sports events. Also, online betting is available now to anyone, anywhere.

Las Vegas is nearly as large as Salt Lake, Portland and Sacramento, and larger than Memphis. It's a great destination stop, were it to ever host the All-Star Game or NBA Finals. Halftime entertainment would be world class. And finding someone to sing the national anthem would be a snap.

Any place that can provide jumbo shrimp cocktail at 4 a.m. can't be all bad.

Clearly, the city knows how to host big-time events, from world title fights to major golf tournaments to auto racing to championship tennis to football bowl games. It would actually add glamour to the league. And it would be a great rival for the Jazz, Suns or Lakers.

Should the NBA gamble and put a team in Las Vegas? As Marv Albert would say, Yesssss!

Or as the athletes like to say, put a team there and let the chips fall where they may.

E-MAIL: rock@desnews.com