Something big is going on out west.....

[Paul S]

I heard the West Coast teams are ticked off at the ABA and might be going it on their own. We've postulated about this in the past but this time an owner is serious about doing it and has made some calls.

Anyone else hearing this?

[nhamilton88]

I did!! Word is Scott Boras rushed the Texiera negotiations with the Yankees so he could get this deal on the table.

The Yankees signing Teixera??? Screw that, thats not news! The ABA putting a deal together? THATS NEWS! Just ask the thousands of beat writers that cover this amazing league.

[utahstarsticketholder]

Just ask the Salt Lake Tribune sport beat writers! They are on the edge of their seats awaiting an announcement and a quote from Ole Joe or Burrel. jk jack

[grimreaper]

I don't see any news on the San Diego Wildcats website and the ABA website shows them as an expansion under review.... They played last year under ABA....so I thought

[tbayz1]

San Diego folded this year

[preeths]

I heard the West Coast teams are ticked off at the ABA and might be going it on their own. We've postulated about this in the past but this time an owner is serious about doing it and has made some calls.

Anyone else hearing this?

My information is that this won't happen right now. The West cannot get organized.

[Pounder]

West, organized?

Alaska, bye bye. Las Vegas, really? LA Push? Modesto? Phoenix? Sacramento? San Diego? San Francisco? Um, Fresnington-Lucky Eagle? To say nothing of Gallup or Salt Lake...

...and this presumes the Arizona Rhinos are viable. Otherwise, you have a league with Beijing Aoshen Olympic and Maywood... Maywood doesn't strike me as able to fund something like this.

You have to have funds to organize a new league. That roster of misfits don't got it, and Aoshen doesn't appear to be thinking independently.

[OldSchoolBaller]

What other choices are there? Stay in the ABA ? Well, the ABA isn't funding anything, so why stay there? You might as well start a new league. It can't be any worst than the ABA. How much money do you really need to start a new league of already existing teams? Especially when none of these teams are making any money. It won't be anymore expensive that what the teams are shelling out already. At least the new league would bring hope to the teams.

[preeths]

From what I've been told, Pounder's on the right track. Alaska, San Diego and Sacramento are gone. No one wants to travel to play Washington-Fresno, and few would be surprised if the L.A. Push disappeared again. Burrel in Maywood is responsible for the schedule in the West, but it's a revolving nightmare because the league can't present him with a stable group of teams. Even though they're already basically operating as a league, it doesn't appear any of them have the will or resources to do much more than limp through the season. Hey, there's the hope that one or two may win the honor of paying their own way to Nashville for the ABA playoffs! Apparently, that's enticement enough to stay.

[besl]

Also, from what I understand, Aoshen has been trying every off-season to get back into the Chinese Basketball Association. The only thing that stopped them from re-joining this season was that they couldn't find a venue in time back in their home country. They've been one of the longest-running teams in the ABA, but I wouldn't expect them to remain stateside for much longer.

[Pounder]

How 'bout this for a conspiracy theory...

...OF COURSE nobody wants to travel to the hinterlands between Portland and Seattle when that "nobody" is located from San Fran on south.

By definition, probably nobody wanted to travel to Alaska, even if the Dream were footing the flight bills. I doubt they were covering everything. Motels aren't all that cheap up there.

Newman threw Alaska under the bus in that e-mail, and runs away laughing with whatever they paid in. They probably did pay in.

This is shameless speculation, towards a guy that deserves every ounce of it.