But there is still a long list of questions that need to be answered before the city should embrace the idea of inviting a team to Southern Nevada and many of them are tied to the tourism and gaming industries.

The three biggest questions:

A few details on each of these questions:

While gambling is an accepted practice in every state that has an NBA franchise except Utah where the Utah Jazz play home games, Nevada has been the subject of debate in the commissioner's office because it is the only state that offers wagering on sports.

Most people seem to think the answer to the first question is to reinstate a policy lifted in 2001 commonly referred to as the "UNLV rule." (Incidentally, I don't think that's how it's referred to in Northern Nevada, where the University of Nevada-Reno adhered to the same policy.)

For many years, bettors couldn't wager on UNLV or UNR because state gaming rules prohibited action on the state's teams. That changed when supporters of legislation that would have banned wagering on all college sports pointed out the hypocrisy of keeping UNLV and UNR on the board.

Industry leaders looked at each other and said, "They're right," and state regulators decided to allow gamblers to bet on UNLV and UNR games.

Gaming industry experts have exhausted themselves attempting to point out to the NCAA and lawmakers who want to ban wagers on college games about how Nevada's sports books are an effective means of detecting point-shaving schemes. Because they monitor games closely every day, sports books can detect when an unusual amount of money is wagered on an underdog team.

Surprising influxes of money led sports books to tip off the NCAA about irregularities on Arizona State University basketball games in 1994. Investigations that followed led to the conviction of former ASU student Benny Silman for rigging and gambling on the outcome of Sun Devil games.

Over the years, students and players at several other colleges have been convicted of illegal gambling and fixing games with sports books having various degrees of assistance in providing information.

Despite Nevada sports books' help in detecting problems and reporting irregularities, NBA Commissioner David Stern has been vocal about casinos removing NBA games from the boards as a condition of placing a team in Las Vegas.

In the spirit of compromise, proponents say, sports books could bring back the UNLV rule and take home games or maybe all games played by the Las Vegas Oscars off the board.

Would the NBA buy the compromise? Stern seemed pretty stern in his desire to keep all games off the board. That, experts say, would be too big a price for the casino industry to pay to get a team to come to Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, the state Gaming Control Board doesn't track how much money is wagered on NBA games versus college games so it's difficult to quantify how much the industry would lose if 42 or 84 games in a season, not counting playoff games, were taken off the board.

Ideally, Las Vegas shouldn't even offer the UNLV rule compromise because the NCAA was right: It is hypocritical to remove any team when the information sports books can provide could help keep the games clean.

If one team or one league is kept off the board, how many other requests will there be from other sports leagues to remove their games? Would the precedent put undue pressure on Las Vegas, its sports books or the industry?

Bottom line: Nevada's well-regulated sports-book industry and a UNLV rule compromise should not be used as a bargaining chip to bring a team to Las Vegas.

Having a suitable arena is another gnarly issue.

A special commission already has determined what the NBA trumpeted just before last month's NBA All-Star Game - that the Thomas & Mack Center isn't adequate for an NBA team.

It's a given that Las Vegas is in need of a new arena, but the drive to attract an NBA team shouldn't be the reason why.

One of the city's most important events - December's National Finals Rodeo - has been comfortable at the T&M since 1985 and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association has committed to Las Vegas through 2014. But the city can't afford to rest on its laurels.

An arena that would solidify the city's grip on pro rodeo's Super Bowl would be a great investment in a tourism event with participants and followers to fill the hotels and casinos in a month that used to be dismissed as just a time to do repairs.

The T&M also plays host to a number of special events throughout the year and a new arena and its state-of-the-art luxury boxes could improve any event's gate and profile.

Because a number of properties have big-event arenas - the MGM Grand Garden, the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the Orleans Arena - that compete for big acts, it would be unconscionable for taxpayer money to be used to finance any venue that would compete against existing facilities.

While some say it would be impossible for private enterprise to build an arena for NFR and other events - and the Las Vegas Oscars - many, including the mayor, feel it can be done. And that's the direction city leaders should take.

I can almost here the phone call from the mayor's office: "Hello, Wall Street? Let me talk to some of those hedge-fund guys who believe in Las Vegas enough to spend a gazillion dollars to buy Harrah's because there's money to be made in an investment on an arena we've been thinking about ¦"

As for community support, much has been said about how Las Vegas isn't very good at supporting sports teams unless they win. But the fallback position is, "Don't worry - with thousands of tourists in town, the arena would always be full."

I've held a pretty skeptical view of that opinion, figuring that an NBA team would find the competition tougher with "Mystere," the Blue Man Group, big-name groups like Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones and "Spamalot" battling for the same entertainment dollar. And don't forget that one-third of our visitors come from California, which already supports four NBA franchises. Are they going to want to go to a game when they already have the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kings in their back yard?

But there are experts who believe visitors would help fill an arena.

NBC tourism guru Peter Greenberg says he thinks who is on the team will dictate whether tourists will want to see it. A flashy favorite like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash could draw crowds every night, he said, just as Michael Jordan helped fill arenas nationwide when he played.

In addition, the Las Vegas Oscars probably would take some cues from the Orlando Magic, an NBA team in a city that may best mirror Las Vegas. A team spokesman said the Magic works closely with Orlando hoteliers and the Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau to identify potential group sales. Large groups meeting in Orlando for trade shows, meetings and conferences look to games as potential entertainment outings.

While the team wouldn't disclose what percentage of its business is in group sales, the impression left was that it is pretty good.

So if a team can influence the NBA schedule-makers to plant a few home games around the Global Gaming Expo, the Consumer Electronics Show and the National Association of Broadcasters (what a match - the NAB at the NBA), it could assure that many of the 20,000 seats at a new arena wouldn't go empty.

But a team can't be too reliant on tourists. A healthy season-ticket base would be critical to the success of any franchise locating here.