Should Athletes Avoid the Denver Nightlife?

Few people think of Denver as an urban warzone. But in the wake of the Darrent Williams murder, Julius Hodge's shooting, and the armed robbery of three NBA players during 2005's All-Star festivities, the league is getting anxious. According the Mitch Lawrence of the Daily News:

"Seeing what's been going on in Denver with these shootings, I will mention to our coaches to say something to the players, that if they do go out, they've got to be careful," said one GM whose team plays in Denver in the next few weeks...

Apparently, the league isn't go so far as to warn teams about Denver specifically. But the dangers posed by these medium-sized cities of particular concern to the Stern Gang as they make preparations for this year's Las Vegas ASW. Which is like Denver, with a few added pitfalls:

The league is heavily focused on its first trip into Las Vegas for next month's All-Star Weekend. Security experts say potential dangers exist because of Vegas' proximity to Los Angeles, along with the fact that Sin City has a thriving gang element that is being blamed for the stickups in Denver two years ago...

"The challenge is that the hotels in Vegas are dependent on people walking through their doors to get to the casino," a league source said. "There's always a lot of people walking in and walking around. That can make limiting access very difficult."

That said, according to one source, law enforcement in Vegas is a lot more grizzled and experienced when it comes dealing with large events, celebrities, and possible problems. So the real problem might be Denver, where for some reason players are particularly vulnerable. Must be the example of those thugged-out Nuggets, and the enthusiasm over new felon Allen Iverson.

NOTE: That last sentence was a joke. That and an effort to save some of our more pleasant commentors the trouble of typing.