Vegas tough sell as host for NCAAs

Maybe Las Vegas' time soon will come.

The recent announcement the Pac-12 Conference will move its men's basketball tournament to the MGM Grand Garden next year gave the city its strongest argument to serve as host of early-round NCAA Tournament games.

The Pac-12 is part of the establishment, and its presence in Las Vegas brings a legitimacy the other three conference tournaments here -- Mountain West, West Coast and Western Athletic -- can't match.

Its move signals to the NCAA it's OK to play sub-regional games here, that point guards aren't going to purposely start throwing errant passes because sports books are nearby.

But it's still a tough sell.

So many in the NCAA are entrenched in the idea that playoff games in any sport shouldn't be staged here. Good luck convincing them how well Las Vegas regulates the sports books, that point shaving is more likely to occur outside our state line than inside it.

If Las Vegas, however, can show the NCAA that doing business here is a good thing, maybe that can spread to professional sports.

■ KENT... WHO? -- It's a good thing ESPN isn't one of the 124 networks showing NCAA Tournament games because Bob Knight isn't doing much to enhance the network's reputation.

He had gone out of his way to avoid saying "Kentucky" because of his childish feud with coach John Calipari. That is until Wednesday when The General finally gave in during an ESPN Radio show.

Faux relief sprang up throughout the Internet.

"Now we just have to wait for ESPN to not renew Knight's contract when it is up -- apparently, he has one year left -- and college basketball fans will finally be rid of Bully Knight, the worst person in college basketball," The Big Lead wrote.

ESPN will have an interesting decision. Knight isn't truly part of the media, and he wasn't hired to be. He's on the network to be combative and create controversy, but maybe even ESPN has had enough.

■ WE LOVE OUR FANS! -- Golden State Warriors fans are known as some of the NBA's most loyal, supporting a team that spends each spring hoping for a good spot in the lottery.

Even those fans have their limits.

After hearing talk about the Warriors possibly moving to San Francisco and watching the club trade Monta Ellis, they lustily booed owner Joe Lacob on Monday night.

During what was supposed to be a feel-good halftime ceremony.

The Warriors were retiring Chris Mullin's No. 17 jersey, and when Lacob was introduced, the fans booed so loudly and ceaselessly that the owner seemed shaken and couldn't finish his speech.

Mullin stepped in to quiet the crowd, which went right back to booing when the former great finished speaking.

Rick Barry tried to come to the rescue, saying, "Come on, people. You fans are the greatest fans in the world, as everybody has said that. Show a little bit of class."

Hard to blame the fans, though, after years of watching the Warriors. Maybe a message needed to be sent.

COMPILED BY MARK ANDERSON LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL