"The Los Angeles Lakers made their annual pilgrimage to Anaheim Tuesday night to play a preseason game at Honda Center.
For some local fans, it was an exciting chance to welcome their favorite team and send a reminder that Lakers fans come from Orange County, too.
But for others, it was a reminder that Anaheim - home to world-champion professional baseball and hockey - has yet to land a National Basketball Association team.
That could change soon, an Anaheim official said this week.
"I'm pretty confident that, maybe not next year, but within the next five years, Anaheim will have its own NBA team," said Greg Smith, executive director of sports, entertainment and conventions for the city.
Smith said he couldn't elaborate on behind-the-scenes negotiations, but he said he would expect to see an existing team move into Anaheim rather than an NBA expansion team.
Smith has worked for the city for more than 35 years and participated in previous negotiations that nearly landed an NBA team earlier this decade.
"I've seen a lot, and I can definitely feel the momentum building," Smith said.
The city and Anaheim Arena Management, the company that runs the Honda Center, are in the planning stages of making changes to the arena that would bring it up to NBA standards.
When the arena opened in 1993, it met those standards, Smith said. But in the 15 years since, those standards have changed, and the arena will have to adjust.
That includes building larger locker rooms, better sports medicine facilities and a half basketball court under the arena for practice and warmup purposes, Smith said.
"The Ducks have proven than an Orange County team can do extremely well," Smith said.
And the Angels continue to set attendance records, consistently drawing more than 3 million fans each season for the past six years.
The NBA has been extremely close to landing in Anaheim before.
From 1994 to 1999, the Los Angeles Clippers played several regular season home games at the arena - then called Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim. And at one point, the Clippers were about to move to Anaheim, but the deal fell through at the last minute and the team stayed in Los Angeles.
Anaheim was also a finalist when the then Vancouver Grizzlies announced they were looking for a home. But the team fled for Memphis instead.
An NBA development league team - named the Anaheim Arsenal - came to the Anaheim Convention Center in November 2006. Attendance at home games has averaged fewer than 1,000 fans. The city had hoped for 3,000 or more fans per game.
But with so many entertainment options in Orange County, no comparison can be made between a minor league team and what an NBA team might draw, Smith said.
A pro basketball team also would help the Honda Center make enough profit for the city to see money from it, Smith said.
Currently, the city only sees money when the Honda Center makes $12 mi
News: Lakers in Anaheim tonight. Could city's own NBA team soon follow? | anaheim, team, smith, city, nba - OCRegister.com 
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