Empty the Bench

Not far from Hong Kong lies the gambling mecca of Macau, which brings in more cash, annually, than Las Vegas despite having almost 20 less casinos. So far be it from David Stern to refuse an overseas publicity opportunity, as well as a hefty chunk of change, when Macau knocked on his door and asked if any of his teams were available on loan for a few days. Originally reported in the South China Morning Post, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic will join England’s Manchester United for a series of exhibitions in celebration of the new 3.2-billion-dollar Venetian Macau-Resort hotel in August:

It said the two NBA teams would play a two-game series, one in Macau and another in Shanghai, while Man U would travel to Macau as part of their Asian tour. The relaxation of foreign ownership rules that ended tycoon Stanley Ho’s 40-year casino monopoly brought a flood of investment from the United States and Hong Kong that has rejuvenated the once moribund sector.

For a guy who seems rather hung up on the negative impact gambling has on “his” league, it’s odd that Mr. Stern will now have taken the NBA into the two most lucrative venues for that very activity within the same year.