Larry H. Miller is banking on David Stern's thus-far golden business touch.

The Utah Jazz owner has agreed to bring one of eight inaugural Women's National Basketball Association franchises to Salt Lake City.No doubt, many will ask why Miller would want to get involved in such an enterprise. Women's professional team sports leagues have cropped up before; most have been short-lived.

On the surface, at least, this doesn't seem like a venture the relatively conservative Miller would gamble on.

Miller couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday, but Jazz spokesman David Allred said this decision was based largely on Miller's gratitude to the NBA and respect for NBA commissioner Stern.

"It's probably a little bit risky, but if anybody can do this and minimize the risk, it's the NBA," Allred said. "To me, David Stern is an amazing guy. He's got a track record. He hasn't been wrong very many times."

According to some estimates, the NBA-sponsored WNBA will need to average crowds of at least 8,000 per night to be financially viable. Allred said that figure sounds about right.

Just by comparison, the Jazz's Rocky Mountain Revue summer league, which annually offers low-pro-level players in reasonably priced games at the Delta Center, draws an average of 3,500-4,000 - if the Jazz entry is playing.

Allred says those figures were considered.

"We looked very seriously at Rocky Mountain Revue numbers to having something to compare this to," he said, further noting that they weighed the wisdom of trying to compete with Salt Lake Buzz baseball games.

"There's not tremendous risk because the league's behind this," Allred said. "On the other hand, there's not a tremendous upside, either."

What he means by "the league's behind this" is that, in addition to lending its name, the NBA is going to perform some of the functions normally performed by teams. Allred said he wasn't entirely sure how that was going to work, except that the Jazz's main focus would be on marketing, promotion, and providing the venue.

As for there not being a tremendous upside, Allred explained that nobody expects to become wealthy through involvement with this league.

"Obviously, we're not going to generate enough money to subsidize the Jazz players," he joked.

"A lot of this has to do with Larry being a team player, and feeling the NBA's been good to him," he emphasized.

There will probably be speculation that this move is politically motivated, in an era when women are demanding and getting more equal treatment in the sports world, but Allred said he doesn't believe that's the case.

"Maybe I'm naive, but I kind of feel we've turned the corner in sports," he said. "I don't know if there will ever be a WNFL or WMLB, but this is a sport women can play. I think this is just being very opportunistic.

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"I think the NBA is managed by a genius," he added. "He sees the future."

The league begins play in June. It has already secured national TV contracts with ESPN, Lifetime cable and NBC.

Other cities and team affiliations include the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings in the Western Division, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and New York Knicks in the Eastern.

Team names, logos and schedules will be released in February. The first draft is scheduled for April, with training camps set to open late May. The regular season begins June 21, culminating in a championship game Aug. 30.

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