from Dan Bickley of azcentral,

Robert Sarver believes in the future of basketball and soccer. He's not so certain about hockey in Arizona. His viewpoint will be very important in the coming years.

Don't get him wrong. He's not against the idea. The Suns majority owner says he'd have no problems sharing a multipurpose facility with the Coyotes somewhere down the road. But he's a very successful businessman who didn't get rich buying into pipe dreams, and there are some numbers you might not know.

Sarver says his Suns pay $23 million a year just to play at US Airways Center: $12 million in debt service, $8 million in arena management costs and $3 million in rent. A new arena capable of housing a NBA team and a NHL franchise starts at $500 million, and that's being conservative.

There will be contentious fighting over the levels of public subsidy, guaranteed. Sarver and his people have already studied that subject extensively, from construction tabs to political costs to emotional scars left behind. At the end of it all, it's going to take a partnership and a lot of upfront money to make any new stadium a reality.

After living under sweetheart terms in Glendale, can the Coyotes afford that kind of high-rent neighborhood?

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