ABA teams to stay

[South Atlantic]

If I had $500,000 to blow on a hobby, I would start a rival league to the ABA tomorrow. Now since I dont, there is no need to worry. However it wouldnt be the first time a team from the ABA raided.

I would organize my league to be only centered on one region (and one country for the first few years). But below would be my teams that I would select from current ABA squads plus teams I would like to see added.

Eastern Conference

Arkansas
Kentucky
Mississippi
Nashville

Carolina (not the current ABA squad)
Maryland
New York (somewhere on the eastern part)
Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Chesapeake area

I would like to add a Georgia team but none seem stable enough.

That gives you 8 teams with four clustered for travel purposes. The first year play a 20 game regular season (four against each cluster team (12 games) and make a one week road trip to the other four teams (4 games), plus host the other four teams when they make their trip your way (4 games).

I think that each team should make the playoffs and should be played on home courts of teams rather than gather at a distant location (playoffs can really help create a local buzz because truth is, no minor league basketball team will create a road buzz in their first season).

This is just my little league that gets played in my head, only if I had $500,000.[/i]

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

You would keep Kentucky and Maryland?

I rank Kentucky's $100,000 in arena renovations plan right up there with, "we will build our own arena if one cannot be found". You also might want to read the Washington Post article on the ABA and Maryland before considering them a keeper.

Fuel costs are still pretty high. I don't think it's time to start a new league anyway. It seems to be more of a time for established leagues to simply hang on.

...I consider the ABA a new league because they have yet to establish themselves.

[South Atlantic]

I apologize for the previous post with its lack of comments along each team. The Maryland and Kentucky teams were states, not necessarily the ABA squads. I guess I did make a note next to the Carolina squad but I apologize for the mistake of not noting the others.

Nashville and Mississippi are the only two teams from the ABA groups I would take. But like I stated at the beginning, I am not today, soon, or later actually going to start a league.

The initial comments came on the heels of me reading that article at 430 this morning. What a nice article about the inadequate ways to run a league. Hopefully they can right the ship soon.

[Sam Hill]

Meanwhile, Cincinnati has no owner and no place to play (http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041203/SPT/412030426/1078/SPT).

Hey, Joe, ever think maybe phone interviews aren't the best way to vet prospective owners?

EVER THINK?

Visalia, Ontario, Las Vegas and Portland are jokes in the West and Calgary just came back in. They'll be a dog, too.

In the Central, Cincinnati is homeless and ownerless. Motown is a joke, Oklahoma City is already dead, St.Louis will be next, Colorado is in and out and in, Baton Rouge is new and will be a dog, and I'm going to bet Chicago will be a problem as well. Arkansas looks like the class of the league organizationally.

In the East, New Jersey's a joke, Pennsylvania will fold, Jacksonville will fold and if Wayne Butler's still in charge in Philadelphia, they'll be a joke, too.

Nice league, Joe. Really well done.

[toad8098]

Out of all the teams in the ABA I think about 16(out of 34) will return next season.

WILL RETURN(10)
Arkansas
Kansas City
Kentucky
Long Beach
Mississippi
Nashville
Orange County
Texas
Tijuana
Utah

ON THE BUBBLE(14)
Bellevue
Boston
Carolina
Fresno
Georgia
Harlem
Hermosillo
Las Vegas
Los Angeles
Louisiana
Maryland
Ontario
Portland
Visalia

WILL FOLD(11)
Atlanta
Calgary
Chicago
Cincinnati
Colorado
Jacksonville
Motown
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia
St. Louis

[Pounder]

http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203~29584~2580379,00.html

Another sucker in SoCal?

You think Long Beach will survive?

I shudder to think what Joe Newman does with that phone.

[Sam Hill]

Thumbnails of the teams from an organizational standpoint, just based on what I've read so far:

Already gone
Oklahoma City Ballhawgs - see ya

Apparently gone
Jacksonville Wave - gee, didn't see that one coming, did ya?

Next to be gone
Calgary Drillers - completely disorganized
Motown Jammers - a bad song.

In bad shape
Cincinnati Blaze - no owner and no place to play? No problem.
Colorado Storm - do they have it together or what?
Kentucky Colonels - organizational dustup? Did I read that somewhere?
Las Vegas Rattlers - typical. Playing in front of 150 people at a roller rink doesn't exactly project a strong image.
Long Beach Jam - 215 for the opener? Can you clone Rodman?
Los Angeles Stars - no owner, no money, no chance.
Maryland Nighthawks - not drawing flies.
New Jersey SkyCats - their new "media team" can't write, new owners at the last minute doesn't bode well.
Ontario Warriors - no one knows they're there.
Portland Reign - Mary Mary quite contrary, where does your money go?
St. Louis Flight - probably about to crash land.
Visalia Dawgs - sick as Dawgs. Do they have a place to play yet?

Can't get a read
Atlanta Mustangs
Bellevue Blackhawks
Boston Frenzy
Carolina Thunder
Chicago Soldiers
Fresno Heatwave
Harlem Revival
Hermosillo Seris
Kansas City Knights
Mississippi Stingers
Orange County Crush
Pennsylvania Pit Bulls
Philadelphia Fusion - though if Wayne Butler is running the show, it's only a matter of time.
Reigning Knights of Georgia
Tijuana Dragons

Too early to tell
Baton Rouge - they just got here. Which may not be a good thing either.

Seem safe
Texas Tycoons - not great, but winning at least

Class of the league
Arkansas Rimrockers - got it going on.
Nashville Rhythm - and their coach is hot.
Utah Snowbears

This is, realistically, about a 12 team league.

[BBall Fan]

I beleive Atlanta is done too. Apparently nobody has been paid yet and didn't they "not travel" to a game in the northeast the other day?

Or am I mixing Atlanta up with the other Atlanta (Georgia) team?

[hoopsjr]

i don't think georgia traveled to pennsylvania this week...

[Chris]

FYI, Carolina did not travel to Arkansas for tonight's (Friday) game. I've been told the players did not get paid. St. Louis is making the trip to play the RimRockers, instead.

[meyes]

St. Louis filling at Arkansas would be OK except that the schedule has St. Louis playing at Kansas City. What about the Knights-the only original team left in this league?

[Sam Hill]

Schedule, schmedule.

Got a spin for this one, meyes?

[Chris]

Arkansas beat St. Louis 125-89 in front of 3,377 fans in Arkansas.

Arkansas plays KC on Sunday.

KC was off on Friday.

[jdp932]

I can only speak of what I know for sure since I'm involved with the Pennsylvania team... gone at the end of the season. They have no plan to bring people in to the crowd. They have no way to market themselves. Heck, I bring up most of the ideas to their PR guy and I only run the scoreboard. If there is one downfall to the ABA, it's poor ownership and management with the exception of Nashville, Mississippi, Long Beach, Arkansas, Kentucky, and I believe Utah.

To respond to previous posters, Georgia did cancel on PA last week due to "travel problems". Also, Jacksonville did indeed fold the rest of their season.

[Chris]

Chicago and Carolina are both done for the season ....

[Sam Hill]

Where'd you hear that, Chris?

I mean, not that I don't believe you - it wouldn't surprise me. I'm just wondering where you heard.

[Chris]

Carolina was supposed to play Arkansas last Friday, and when they didn't show Arkansas' coach called down there and found out there would be no Carolina team.

As for Chicago, Brandon Dean is a former ABA Chicago player (and former Arkansas Razorback). He was at RimRockers practice on Tuesday, and said Chicago had folded. Dean will likely be joining the RimRockers.

[Houston Caldwell]

The Rhythm have a road game scheduled against Carolina tonight. If it doesn't happen, I will know quickly and will report.

[dereksmith]

I spoke with the ticket person at the Cabarrus Arena tonight and she said that the team practiced yesterday and that she was planning on working the game tonight. Not that I'll be there, but that's what I know.

[Houston Caldwell]

Carolina and Nashville DID play tonight, and Nashville won (the game was at Carolina). We don't have final stats yet; Dan, when he contacted me, believed final score was 103-92. Should have final box score soon, and will e-mail to OSC and the other places I e-mail it to when I have it.
So Carolina did get it together to play one more HOME game. They still make me nervous, as they are the Rhythm's opponent for the Rhythm's first 2 January home dates, and my level of confidence that they will show up is not high right now.

[Houston Caldwell]

Final score was Nashville Rhythm 102- Carolina Thunder 91. OSC has received an e-mailed download of the boxscore of the game. Nashville is now 9-2.

[Chris]

Carolina and Nashville DID play tonight, and Nashville won (the game was at Carolina).

I'm glad to say I'm stand humbly corrected. Carolina did at one time tell Arkansas they weren't going to make it, so it's good to see they played a good game against one of the league's top teams. Do we think things are going to stabilize now that we're well into the season?

[Sam Hill]

No.

Instability is in the league charter.

But hey, they're on low-power TV so they have that going for them.

[Houston Caldwell]

There is no reason for you to be apologetic; that was a valid assumption to make, given Carolina's failure to make it to Little Rock.
Just because Carolina management satisfied their players enough to get one more HOME game out of them doesn't mean they are going to last the season. Unless something drastic happens, I look for this team to fold soon.
Nashville, however, WILL make it to Little Rock. Those are 2 home dates you can feel good about.

[Pounder]

How's this for one of the "stable" teams?

http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=2715764&nav=0RZFUOf8

Same as it ever was.