David Stern NBA chief has kind words in general for Las Vegas' performance as host

If Las Vegas hopes to have the NBA All-Star Game return in the future, it must have a new facility for the league to showcase its best players.

Commissioner David Stern said Sunday before the playing of the 2007 All-Star Game that the NBA will not return to the Thomas & Mack Center.

"No," was Stern's reply when asked whether the league would be willing to return to the UNLV campus for its midseason showcase. "We did a one-time thing at the Thomas & Mack. They're not equipped to hold major-league events at that building."

Speaking at a brunch hosted by Turner Network Television President David Levy, Stern declined to say how much the league spent to raise the 23-year-old Thomas & Mack to today's standards in terms of the NBA's needs, but it was believed to be considerable.

NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver said the building was deficient in a number of areas, including power and lighting capacity.

"We had to bring in a lot of things," he said. "Power. Video screens. There were a lot of things that needed to be done."

Thomas & Mack director Daren Libonati said he understood the NBA's stance.

"With the infrastructure we currently have, I couldn't see them coming back," Libonati said. "We simply don't have the space they need. ... We appreciate that he (Stern) had the courage to select Las Vegas and the Thomas & Mack."

Where Stern didn't have a problem was with the city. He praised Las Vegas for putting on a great show.

"So far, Las Vegas has been great across the board," Stern said. "But it would be nice if they could widen some of the traffic lanes."

There was gridlock Saturday on East Tropicana Avenue heading toward the Swenson Avenue intersection, where the Thomas & Mack Center is located. Fans and participants alike got stuck in the snaillike pace heading to the arena.

Once people were inside, they were treated to a great show, and Stern said everything went smoothly.

"I thought the building looked spectacular. I thought the building did great," he said of the Thomas & Mack. "I felt like I was inside a video game."

That said, Stern said the arena would not be suitable for future All-Star events.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman claims to have five groups prepared to invest in an arena. If he hopes to bring the All-Star Game back to town, he'll need to get a deal done.

"It's a nonissue," Goodman said. "We're going to get a new arena built, so there's no need to worry."

Clark County Commission Chairman Rory Reid said he was "not surprised" by Stern's statement.

"We need a new arena to stay competitive with other cities," he said.

Since he and Goodman formed a task force last year to look at the necessity of replacing the Thomas & Mack, Reid has said Las Vegas risks losing events such as the National Finals Rodeo.

He said the major question -- which officials still are working on -- will be how to pay for the stadium. He said he thought there would be ways to do that without instituting a new tax.

Goodman said he will not expedite his timetable regarding moving forward on the arena.

"It's irrelevant to the timetable," he said. "We don't need to move it up. We're going to concentrate on April 23, then we'll address the arena project."

Goodman will meet with the NBA's Board of Governors in New York on that date as his proposal addressing legalized gambling on NBA games in Nevada is discussed. Stern asked Goodman last week to come up with a plan that deals with the NBA and sports books.

Review-Journal reporter David McGrath Schwartz contributed to this report.