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Artist rendering of the proposed downtown/Cordish arena.
Sunday, July 15, 2012 | 2 a.m.
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- Mayor Goodman talks about the chance that more tourists than locals will use stadium
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Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has a perfect view of Las Vegas’ future.
A balcony adjacent to Goodman’s seventh-floor office at City Hall yields a panoramic view of Symphony Park, where a proposed downtown arena could be constructed to highlight the 61-acre city neighborhood. From her balcony vantage point, Goodman’s view to the northwest isn’t too amazing — there is nothing but vacant land in the roughly 13 acres where an 18,000- to 20,000-seat facility is envisioned.
In her mind’s eye, however, the building has been constructed. And, since the charismatic leader is dreaming her own dream, the arena is packed with locals and tourists enjoying a night of NBA action featuring a Las Vegas team.
Isn’t it fun to dream — the Las Vegas Kings or Las Vegas Hornets, right?
“That is the beauty of Las Vegas,” she said. “We are forever creative and forever reinventing ourselves.”
Goodman has long told anyone willing to listen that the project has a legitimate chance at becoming a reality. And, she contends, if the arena is built, an NBA franchise would be able to finally and sincerely consider relocating to Las Vegas.
That’s the theory Goodman and her husband, Oscar, who spent 12 years as mayor before Carolyn was elected in 2011, have championed since rumors surfaced in 2005 about Las Vegas being a participant in the race to land an NBA team.
The city has hosted an NBA All-Star weekend, the NBA Summer League and U.S. National team training, but it’s essentially been stuck in neutral in luring a franchise.
On a handful of days, the chances of bringing in a team, or building a stadium, seemed better than others. But, for the most part, the idea of the NBA in Las Vegas is just that: an idea.
Even with a brand-new arena, whether it be in downtown or the Caesars proposal near the Strip or in Henderson, the Las Vegas Valley would have to get in line to land a team.
Kansas City and Anaheim have facilities, and leaders in those communities have expressed their desire for an NBA franchise. The same holds true for Seattle, which in 2008 lost the SuperSonics to Oklahoma City.
“You definitely have to have an arena built to be in the conversation,” said Jerome Williams, a Henderson resident who played in the NBA for nine years. “Cities such as Kansas City and Anaheim already have arenas in place. They are ready. If you have an arena, it would make it that much easier when a team wants to move.”
That is, if a team wants to move.
Two franchises — the New Orleans Hornets and Sacramento Kings — were the best candidates to relocate. This spring, however, New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson dished out $338 million to buy the Hornets, keeping them in the Big Easy.
That leaves the Kings, owned by the Maloof family, which also owns the Palms. The Kings were always Las Vegas’ best option. Because of an ongoing dispute over a new arena, the Kings are guaranteed to play in Sacramento only through the 2014 season, and the family’s ties to Las Vegas could make the city an enticing destination.
Still, last year the Kings were set to apply to move to Anaheim — which has an arena — before giving Sacramento one more crack at securing a deal for a new facility. That one last crack resulted in voters finally approving a deal in March. Then the Maloofs balked at terms of the deal, putting the Kings essentially back on the free-agent market, showing they appear determined to leave Sacramento.
But don’t expect the moving trucks to head our way. Anaheim, which is also a bigger media market, seems to have an inside track.
“Anaheim/Orange County is ripe for the NBA, and we offer an incredibly attractive package to any team,” Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait said in 2011. “As a world-class sports and entertainment destination, Anaheim will continue to move forward, and we remain optimistic to one day welcome professional basketball to Anaheim.”
Similar optimism exists in Las Vegas.
The city in December 2010 entered into a $2.4 million agreement with the Cordish Cos. of Baltimore to design a downtown arena. Cordish designed the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville and has the reputation of being one of the best in the industry, giving the Goodmans reason to be optimistic about the prospects of an arena and team.
“I believe as soon as we have an arena — this is my belief, I have nothing that is signed in blood, there’s no contract — but I believe we’ll have a team,” Oscar Goodman said in 2009. “These are serious people. These are not people who are operating on a wing and a prayer. Cordish has a proven track record. They don’t have time to play games.”
Even if the Kings, or any other team, wanted to come to Las Vegas, they would need the approval of the NBA’s Board of Governors — which isn’t exactly a lay-up. Commissioner David Stern has been on record saying Las Vegas wouldn’t be considered without a proper facility. He’s also expressed concerns about how Las Vegas sports books would handle posting betting lines on a Las Vegas team.
“That is such a myth in this day and age,” Williams, the former NBA player, said of gambling’s influence. “This isn’t the old days. All (gambling) in Vegas is closely monitored.”
Carolyn Goodman surely agrees. She’s determined an arena will be built and a team will come and said she won’t take no for an answer.
“I can’t tell you the number of people who say to me, ‘Save me a (luxury) box. We’ll buy a box,” Carolyn Goodman said. “These are successful businesspeople, and they are ready.”
Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or ray.brewer@lasvegassun.com. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.
NBA playoff thugs and the NBA commissioner ingrate who "didn't like the facility" should take a hike. They wrecked their chances.
Las Vegas would easily support and NBA team and an NHL hockey team. triple A hockey has always had great turnouts here from the Thunder to the Wranglers.
As they say "Do a #2 2 or get off the pot" build it already.
The naysayers wanted to stop T-3 at the airport 4 years ago. now we have a world class airport as tourism picks up and overseas flights are added. Move forward Las Vegas, invest in her future
Excellent article, Mr. Brewer. However, one thing you didn't mention is that the franchise owners want to own the new arenas, and to keep 100% of the revenue their events generate, without paying. I know this sounds ridiculous, but anyone following the efforts to build a new arena in Sacramento will tell you that it's true. That's why there isn't an NBA team in Kansas City.
I love the NBA and I would whole-heartedly support any team that moved here, but as long as this is the posture of the NBA and it's billionaire lodge, the City would be best served by staying out of it.
Mayor, forget the NBA. Forget pro sports as the centerpiece of this new stadium. Mayor, concentrate on UNLV and most importantly, a revitalized UNLV football team, which is now happening.
LV has to show the country that LV is more than just about The Strip, even though the rest of the country has that image & will last for some time.
The excellence of UNLV as an educational institution and its atheletic programs has been, well, cheapened by too close a connection between UNLV and the Strip.
LV has to show that UNLV is not The Strip, nor vise versa. With Livengood and the current UNLV administration, UNLV athletics are clean of corruption, and the country will not only learn that but accept it to the benefit of LV.
You and LV must promote building the new stadium on the UNLV campus. You will not only benefit UNLV, but LV, itself.
The NBA teams will be lining up to come to Las Vegas....all you have to do is build them a $500 Million arena, give major tax breaks, assign them the majority of concessions and parking revenues, a few other exclusive rights and BINGO, you have an NBA team!!!
"That leaves the Kings, owned by the Maloof family, which also owns the Palms."
The Maloof family lost 98% ownership of the Palms. They hold 2%. Calling them "owners" is beyond a stretch. George has been reduced to a figurehead in the organization.
obviously everyone has forgotten what happened during the nba all star game a couple years ago--many, many shootings and gangsters scaring all the tourist. keep all this trash down town if u want--they will fit right in there.
Right down to crossing the T's and dotting the I's good ole Oscar is still in office , he just has a puppet now to do the formalities. If you think there is corruption in the local government now , wait til we get professional sports here . It's gonna get ugly you watch and see.
also---could you think of a group that is bigger stiffs crybabies and thugs than the nba players???
the one industry that will benefit from the nba players is the strip clubs--where these guys love to hang out all day!
I don't like basketball and could care less if we have a professional team in town. Professional athletes are just a big bunch of babies who cry if they don't get their way. They are all overpaid and we do not need them here. We already have enough here to keep people entertained. As a taxpayer I do not want my taxes to go to paying for something that will sit idle and lose money. Look at the monorail fiasco.
One thing is for sure, take it to the bank!
If you build it, the bills will come.
For years.
Any arena built should cater to the UNLV basketball program and be able to accommodate the continuing growth of rodeo at the same time. In addition, it should be able to handle soccer games, ice shows and concerts.
"The Pond" in Anaheim would be a good model to go with.
Outdoor sports aren't even a consideration given our climate in the summer. Any climate controlled environment that could host baseball, football or similar activities would be much too expensive to support.
No they will not come.....is either that or if basketball, will not be able to bet on the home team. Will be dark, as the fear of potential impropriety has loomed and will continue to loom in a town that lives and dies off the point spread. Baseball won't work as you typically need a minimum of 46K seats, football won't work (need 100K seating to even be viable), basketball will never happen with David Stern at the wheel. So what does that leave for our NEW stadium, Arena football league, soccer, maybe a NHL team. Not a lot of options available, for this type of financial commitment. And as WE the PEOPLE pay for upgrades, maintenance and repair, the owner (more than likely Caesars Entertainment), will enjoy the profit.
I want to build a water park. I want the tax payers to pay for it, I want the city/county to provide emergency services, I want the city/county to pay for repairs and maintenance (as it IS their building), give me all these things and then you can pay me (the owner) a premium to use it. What a great gig.........where do I sign up.
Sound bytes that's all this is with the " Build it and they will come" or better yet " The pro teams will line up if you build it" I say show me the data where this has ever happened or better yet the team owners want commitments from the players before they enter a bi-lateral agreement and so should the taxpayer. If these team owners would line up then they certainly should be willing to make a public press conference or are they afraid if they do that then it would show they were giving the shaft to there current commitment?
It's a pig in a poke!
Privatizing profits and socializing the expences furthermore it may not even be constitutional for the government to partner with private business.
who is the idiot who wants the nba here???? bunch of thugs, crooks and cheats---did you forget about the nba all-star game???? hello- gangsters and guns is just what we need more of in vegas??? These are the employees who jump into the crowd and beat up the paying customers!
the downtown government has a wonderful track record of blowing almost a billion taxpayer dollars building downtown and still no one wants to come down there---you know who will get stuck paying for this piece of crap---the taxpayers again!
Keep dreaming Mayor