Goodman: NBA team won’t be playing Vegas anytime soon

Diana Sahagun

Friday, March 16, 2001 | 12:03 p.m.

A disappointed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman says the timing isn't right to try to bring the Vancouver Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association to Las Vegas.

He said Thursday his efforts to land the Grizzlies were coinciding with efforts by Nevada's congressional delegation to fight a college betting ban.

Goodman said he tried to promote the old "UNLV rule" with gaming leaders, which would have banned betting on the local team only, but said he couldn't get NBA Commissioner David Stern to budge in regard to allowing a team to play in a city where betting on sports is legal.

A meeting involving Goodman, Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley and Stern was scheduled for Monday. But the commissioner said, based on the fact the betting bill is not expected to hit the House floor until April, there is little sense in meeting.

"Unless something happens back in Washington, it doesn't look like the Grizzlies will be coming here," Goodman said.

Heisley has until March 20 to inform the NBA as to where he wants to move his team or whether he will stay another season in Vancouver, where he said he is losing millions.

Goodman admitted that it was hypocritical to ask the gaming commission to allow a ban on a local pro basketball team after state gaming regulators recently lifted a longtime betting prohibition concerning UNLV and University of Nevada, Reno.

"He's in an impossible position," Goodman said of Stern. "How could we say, OK, let's have the UNLV rule for the Grizzlies when we just took it away for UNLV? And I couldn't give him a good answer."

In the past few weeks Goodman has met with Stern, Nevada Gaming Commission Chairman Brian Sandoval and Nevada Resort Association President Bill Bible in an attempt to win their support.

But they refused to budge because of the possibility of a betting ban being pushed through the Legislature.

"The timing stinks for me," Goodman said. "We caught a terribly bad break with the timing."

Goodman said he strongly opposes the betting ban and believes the delegates, other than those representing Nevada, are way out of line.

"I hope that we prevail because I don't think Washington should be sticking their nose in our business," Goodman said.

Goodman's announcement is bad news for architects and developers who have incorporated sports arenas into their plans for possible projects on 61 acres of former Union Pacific Railroad property near downtown Las Vegas.

Architectonia proposed a 24-hour entertainment and residential district, its centerpiece a 20,500-seat multipurpose arena designed specifically for a professional sports team.

Goodman said Heisley would have funded the arena at no expense to taxpayers.

Goodman said he will allow the developers to tweak their projects, if need be.

"No one in their right mind would build a stadium unless we have a team," Goodman said. "But we're still going to be in good shape. Just because we may not have an arena tomorrow doesn't mean we won't ever have one."