HOWARD'S DEPARTURE SHOULDN'T HARM ARRIVAL OF MCI CENTER

     Losing Juwan Howard to the Heat is no reason for Bullets
Owner Abe Pollin "to abandon" construction of the new downtown
MCI Center, writes Maryann Haggerty of the WASHINGTON POST.
Though bigger crowds have accompanied new arenas in Portland,
Seattle and Boston, those increases may not be permanent.
Washington State Professor of Economics Rodney Fort:  "It lasts
two to four years, then it goes away and it's all about winning
again."  Stanford Economics Professor Roger Noll, who feels team
owners must "perform a balancing act" between the strength of the
team and the price of tickets, says losing Howard may not be a
"financial disaster" for the Bullets.  Noll:  "If they can pick
up somebody 10 percent worse than Howard for half the money,
that's a better strategy for them" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/16).