New Orleans Can Handle All-Star Duty

In the aftermath of last weekend's wild All-Star extravaganza in Las Vegas, the rumblings are already starting: If Sin City couldn't handle it, how on earth is New Orleans going to cope?

The NBA awarded the Crescent City the 2008 All-Star Weekend as a make-good gesture, hoping that the infusion of tourism dollars would help the city's recovery and the Hornets' return from Oklahoma City next season. But in the wake of the troubles in Las Vegas, some folks are second-guessing the decision.

Most recently, players' union head Billy Hunter cast doubt on New Orleans's ability to host the event capably and safely, suggesting it move someplace like Miami or New York. He even brought up the possibility of suing the league to move the game if he felt players' safety was in jeopardy.

Having been in Las Vegas during the weekend in question, I can confirm that there was a staggering crush of humanity that overwhelmed the city. Roughly 300,000 people arrived for the weekend, or about 20 for every seat that was available at the game. As you might guess from those numbers, most people showed up with no intention of going to the game, but rather hoping to indulge in all the parties and festivities during the weekend leading up to it.

And despite Las Vegas's being accustomed to huge crowds, the masses completely swamped its infrastructure. Cab lines extended for an hour or more, the Strip turned into a parking lot at all hours of the day, and even getting around one's own hotel could be an ordeal because of the swarms of people in the casinos.

Perhaps as a result, people didn't feel safe. I'm not going to say things weren't safe — not without a flotilla of facts to back me up — but Hunter was far from the only person to point out that the mobs of people combined with the seeming invisibility of law enforcement made a lot of people uncomfortable.

The cops did find enough time to arrest 430 people during the weekend, most notably Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones after a shooting incident at a Las Vegas strip club. Of those arrests, 239 were for vice-related activities (i.e., prostitution), and I'll go out on a limb and guess that one them involved the scantily clad prostitute strutting down Tropicana Avenue in broad daylight on All-Star Saturday who nearly caused our bus driver to swerve off the road.

But as I often point out, stats can be extremely deceiving if you don't analyze them properly. We have no idea how many crimes were committed in Las Vegas last weekend. All we know is that 430 people got caught and that those who decided to venture out at night wanted to see a lot more blue on the streets.

With that as the backdrop, the question of New Orleans's ability to handle the 2008 event seems a legitimate question. Unlike Las Vegas, the Big Easy has plenty of other baggage to deal with as it tries to recover from Hurricane Katrina, rebuild its police force and its scattered civilian population, and jump-start its flagging economy.

"I don't think it's the right city to have this type of event right now," said Houston Rockets guard Tracy McGrady. "Safety comes first ... If I don't feel that I'm going to be safe, if I am on that team, I will look into probably not even going."

But having frequented New Orleans many times both before and after Katrina, let me offer a few thoughts on its suitability as a host vis-a-vis Las Vegas, and on why I think it will do just fine.

For starters, the main tourist areas are in a compact, walkable area rather than spread out along a fivemile boulevard. This is incredibly important and underrated, as it should keep nearly everyone out of a car or cab in the first place. Besides, the cops are smart enough to close off the rowdiest streets to traffic at night. That alone is likely to completely change the dynamic, as the choking traffic and endless cab lines have been a factor not just in Vegas but also at several other All-Star Games (most notably Atlanta in 2003).

Second, New Orleans probably is better suited for this kind of crowd than Vegas. It already hosts a little event each winter called Mardi Gras that, even in its now-reduced state, drew close to a million people; the All-Star Game in Las Vegas barely pulled in a third of that total. Although New Orleans in general has lots of problems with crime, the city has always known where its bread is buttered, which is why Bourbon Street has a nearconstant police presence.

But most of all, the reason folks like Hunter shouldn't worry so much is simply because New Orleans isn't Las Vegas. The fact that Las Vegas is the gambling capital of the world, not to mention a fourhour drive from Los Angeles, drew in tens of thousands of people who otherwise would have given it a pass. In contrast, reaching the Big Easy from almost any city of consequence requires a plane ticket, and the depressing images being beamed across our TVs from the city are likely to further diminish the Vegas-sized hordes.

That's not to brush off the legitimate questions the Vegas experience raised. I stayed in Vegas for two days after the event, and nearly every cabby and hotel employee mentioned at some point how it was as rude and boorish a crowd as they'd ever had. And for the league, the reports coming in about last weekend remain a black eye — even if a player from another sport was involved in the worst behavior.

Nonetheless, I have a feeling that the experience of New Orleans in 2008 will be a lot more like Houston in 2006 than Vegas in 2007. Yes, we'll have some crowds and some traffic, and like every other year, there's going to be mayhem at the airport the day after the game.

But unlike Hunter, I don't fret about New Orleans's ability to host the event. In this case, I'm willing to bet that what happened in Vegas will stay in Vegas.

jhollinger@nysun.com