The NBA says if does not start in seven weeks, Cleveland will not be considered for the 2020 or 2021 All-Star Game.
That threat was included in a letter to the , which was included as part of in the ongoing battle of how much public money should be spent on the Q.
Subodh Chandra, whose , says he understands it must be decided quickly.
鈥淲hat is not helpful is when people who don鈥檛 have a direct stake in the matter as litigants are suddenly trying to essentially be extortionists, and say, 鈥業f we don鈥檛 have our way, then we鈥檙e going to do very unfriendly things to the community.鈥� I think most Clevelanders don鈥檛 respond well to blackmail.鈥�
The court issue must be decided by next month in order for a referendum challenging the spending to make it onto the November ballot.
In the letter, the NBA says there is no guarantee Cleveland will be picked to host the games even if the city begins construction before September 15.
