not sure how my comment created this penis measuring contest between cities. The NBA wanted to help make New Orleans recover from Katrina (and show their support for them and the franchise). No where did I make fun of New Orleans or compare it to Portland or any other city.
I spent 4 years for my undergrad in Cleveland. The only thing great about it was LeBron. And he left the city when I did.
It has more to do with cities the players want to visit, and the celebrities who go to the game, than it does about spreading it around. I think they should have it in Vegas every year. I also think that the 2005 game in Denver was a thank you present for the Pepsi Center. New Orleans has next year's game again, so I do give the NBA credit for finally stopping the excuses for why Portland didn't get a game in the Rose Garden, and basically making it about fun cities. I could not care less if Portland ever gets an NBA All-Star game, but I do care about another NBA Finals!
from what I recall, Vegas had a horrible time with the ASG, the people who lived there hated the gangsta/hiphop element in the city that weekend and it pretty much killed the support for any NBA team moving there.
Vegas is growing with a more techy/art community in the downtown area. They definitely don't want it to turn into a ghetto destination.
Grandma and Grandpa taking a senior's tour to the Casino Royale for nickel slots while using their Best Western points for $49/night doesn't count!
I don't think that an All-Star game is going to turn it into a ghetto destination. Brilliant move by Nevada to attract all of those CA businesses, though. I wish the leaders of CA Jr., er, Oregon had the foresight to become business-friendly.
Imperial Palace is getting rennovated as is Bills Casino/Barbary Coast. They're building a huge entertainment complex, Vegas is definitely not slowing down. But yeah, you're right, making it a destination for the black community is sure to keep those white tourists coming back! face it, when that allstar game was going down, people were warned to stay away if it ever comes back to. Its a huge gangster clusterfuck of ghetto shit. I had friends go down there and said it was wack as hell that weekend.
It did last time, and the local residents were less interested in getting an NBA team. Everyone living there is a lakers fan anyway since a big portion of those people are from SoCal or fobs.
