Few other cities sport the resilience of Las Vegas.

The financial bomb of Floyd Mayweather’s July 18 comeback bout against Juan Manuel Marquez being postponed because of a Mayweather rib injury resonated like a solid body shot. The city could have been figuratively doubled over by the multi-million dollar impact that suddenly won’t come from the MGM Grand Garden.

Yes, it hurts the city during this awful economy. But no, you can’t break Vegas.

Its diverse entertainment lineup includes mixed martial arts, darts and a prominent NBA link.

The NBA has become a strong fixture here and unfolds its sixth annual summer league tournament July 10-19 at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. It’s a showcase for upcoming talent, a springboard for players making a final NBA push and a chance for athletes to stay in shape.

Fans can monitor the progress of specific players, like single-game point record-holders Von Wafer and Marcus Banks. Both had 42 points in the 40-minute games, a pace of more than 50 for a regulation contest.

Wafer has played the last two seasons in the Summer League. He is a young athlete who may be ready to prosper after struggling mightily. The Lakers made Wafer a second-round draft pick after his sophomore year at Florida State University in 2005. Yet the high expectations did not pan out. Like many early NBA draft participants, he labored early on.

The Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets and Trail Blazers had Wafer for brief spells before releasing him. He may have found a home in Houston, however. An injury to Tracy McGrady gave him a starring role in the second half of last season, and he performed reasonably well. Wafer averaged 20 minutes and 10 points a game, including a season-high 23 points early in 2009. He has an excellent chance to become a starting player next season. If he continues to develop, Summer League fans will know they saw Wafer while he was still battling his way up the line.

Banks, meanwhile, is a local product. Born in Las Vegas, he played his final two college seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and was a defensive specialist. He was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies, but has also bounced to Boston, Minnesota, Phoenix and, most recently, Toronto. For a player like Banks, the sharp eye brought by a summer league could determine whether he stays in the NBA in a given year.

Around the Horn
The Las Vegas lineup includes two Mandalay Bay events from the opposite ends of the spectrum. Darts—yes, darts—concludes its championship July 1-5. The Professional Darts Corporation event awards $250,000 in prize money. Because the event is extremely popular in England and will be televised by Sky network, matches take place in the morning.

On July 11, the UFC invades.

The 51s will also be busy. They play July 1-3 (Reno), 16-19 (Tacoma) and 20-23 (Colorado Springs) at Cashman Field, all at 7:05 p.m.

By Dave Bontempo

Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.