Arena Proposals: Houston Says No, San Antonio Yes

Houston voters rejected a proposal Tuesday to use tax money to build a $160-million downtown sports arena for the Rockets while San Antonio was handily approving a new arena for the Spurs.

In Houston, Harris County voters went against the notion of committing existing hotel and rental-car taxes to fund half of a downtown arena. With 95% of Harris County precincts reporting, the issue was losing, 55% to 45%.

The Rockets had complained about a lack of luxury boxes and other problems at the 23-year-old Compaq Center, where the team’s lease expires in 2003.

In Bexar County, Texas, with 45% of the votes in, residents were voting, 60% to 40%, in favor of increasing hotel and rental-car taxes to help fund a $175-million basketball arena for the Spurs.

If the Spurs get their new building--one they plan to share with the rodeo three weeks a year--they will move into an 18,500-seat arena by 2002 and gain most of the revenue generated at the site.

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Toronto Raptor guard Dee Brown was charged with impaired driving north of the city after getting pulled over for speeding Sunday, the team announced.

Brown was charged with speeding and subsequently failing a Breathalyzer test, a club spokesman said.

Brown, who led the NBA in three-point attempts and field goals last season, is on the injured list after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Meanwhile, rap mogul Percy Miller, better known as Master P, criticized the Raptors for not giving him a fair chance before waiving him last week.

“I was disappointed in my teammates. I worked hard, but nobody said how hard I worked,” said Miller, who averaged 2.2 points in six exhibition games.

Raptor Coach Butch Carter said Miller, 29, was simply not good enough.

“The truth of the matter is that Miller is not unlike 60% of NBA players. They think they are better than they really are,” Carter said.

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First-round draft pick Leon Smith celebrated his 19th birthday by telling the Dallas Mavericks that he is ready for the NBA, forcing the team to offer him a three-year, $1.4-million contract.

The Mavericks had hoped to send Smith to a developmental league for most of the season, then add him to the roster for the final month. League rules, however, mandate that first-round picks be tendered contracts.

Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward, averaged 25.5 points and 14.5 rebounds as a high school senior in Chicago.