A horrible thought...

[JAKMAN]

Greetings all. I haven't posted on here in a while, but I just heard that the Rockford Lightning will likely go dark following the end of this season, provided that the CBA can't find new owners for the team. The franchise itself could survive if they find another owner in another town, but the odds of a return to Rockford are not looking good.

If Rockford goes, there's a damn good chance that Michigan and Gary can go too, because without another team in their geographic area to play, they're screwed. Neither is drawing well. Even if Albany stayed on board, and that Colorado team comes aboard, that would leave league with only 6 teams. The CBA almost died once because it couldn't play with 6 teams.

This bothers me, because if the CBA goes, that leaves the ABA still standing. And as a critic of Joe Newman, I find this to be a soul-shattering proposition. Like it or not, the CBA actually tried to run their business well. The ABA has always sucked--hard.

It may be time for the ABA, CBA and D League to get together and start this giant merger now. I think that's the only way these teams, and minor league ball in general, can survive long term. Then again, things are kind of bleak in general when you consider that the economy is shaky and going to b-ball games isn't as popular as it used to be.

Am I wrong? Are things really this bleak? I don't want good minor league ball to die and while the ABA live somehow lives and sucks at the same time.

IS ALL HOPE LOST?

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Is all hope lost? Of course not. All minor league hoops needs is modern venues like the major leagues (on a minor league scale) to solve the problem. In the meantime, the teams should gear their marketing more toward the SWF's in outlying areas. Inner-city people will not support basketball in ANY economy. Play it, yes. Support it by buying tickets, no.

...of course, I'm generalizing.

[toad455]

I'd leave the ABA out with the expection of 4-6 teams. If the CBA is in danger of losing that many teams a merger with the D-League should be a no brainer. Plus if the merger happens, Fayetteville & Roanoke should fold considering there very low attendance.

The teams:(D=D-League; C=CBA; A=ABA)
Florida Flame(D)
Albuquerque Thunderbirds(D)
Tulsa 66ers(D)
Austin Toros(D)
Arkansas Rimrockers(D)
Fort Worth Flyers(D)
Albany Patroons(C)
Sioux Falls Skyforce(C)
Dakota Wizards(C)
Idaho Stampede(C)
Gary Steelheads(C)
Yakima Sun Kings(C)
Colorado expansion(C)
Rochester Razorsharks(A)
Florida Pit Bulls(A)
San Jose Skyrockets(A)
SoCal Legends(A)
Indiana Alleycats(A)

That makes 18 teams.

[Pounder]

How quickly we forget that Yakama is only alive this year because the Yakama Nation- that was suckered into buying the team- determined it would be more expensive to immediately fold the team than to play for a year.

Without Yakama, Idaho isn't drawing well enough to stick it out.

There are definite reasons for concern.

[Chuck the Writer]

Okay, first off, let's not start charting the demise of the CBA just yet.

1. Wayne Timpe (and since his death, his family) have funded the Rockford Lightning out of their own pocket for years. It isn't that the team isn't drawing well; it's that for some reason the Rockford MetroCentre feels that they can give most of their Friday and Saturday night dates to the ice hockey team, leaving Tuesday and Thursday night games for the Lightning, and very few teams can survive on a diet of weekday home games. For Albany, it isn't a problem; they get first crack of dates at the Armory.

2. Gary and Michigan are surviving by a thread, that's understandable - but let's not forget that with the success (at least in the box office) of the Patroons, there may be more east coast travel partners popping up in the new year, which could help Gary and Michigan in the long run. This is of course speculation, but I keep hearing rumors of Rochester jumping from the ABA to the CBA for 06-07, and if they come in, what's to stop new franchises in Hartford, Allentown, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Trenton and Montreal from following behind? Travel would be more economical for teams on the east coast - bus trips cost less than plane flights.

3. Yes, the Yakama Indian Nation bought the Sun Kings, but even they have to see that their investment in the team has been a financial success. The team is making money. And as long as they make money and the Nation is happy - plus the arrival of another West Coast team, the Colorado 14ers, could give the west coast squads some more push. And then who's to say that other western cities in former CBA hotspots like Wyoming, Montana and maybe even Alberta could help strengthen the west?

4. The CBA hasn't had a franchise fold in mid-season in nearly 10 years (the San Diego Wildcards were the last). Unca Joe can't go ten WEEKS without a team folding. And it's not like Rockford is boarding up the offices tomorrow.

They still have a championship to chase.

[nksports]

I saw a release from the CHL today that the owners of the Broomfield team is also starting a CBA team for 06-07 (the Colorado 14'ers, refering to the 14,000-foot mountains).

[Pounder]

The next time that I hear Colorado is on the west COAST, well, can you say tectonic shift?

Yakima is farther away from Broomfield than Albany is from Rockford (not to mention Gary and Muskegon). Albany is closer to Sioux Falls than Yakima is.

I question whether a month of Rony Turiaf changes the main financial issues in Central Washington. Besides, the attendance numbers in Idaho aren't worth the paper they're written on, and I have a wee bit of reason to question Yak's attendance reporting (at least pre-Turiaf).

Mind you... if you seek to augment the Sioux Falls footprint, Broomfield isn't a bad place to go. Let's see if Rapid City is over previous issues, let's look around within that base. I suspect Montana will be little to no help (junior hockey). Steal Kearney from the USBL... if that's even legitimate. Too bad Fargo's catching the college ball bug (NDSU success this year), too bad Creighton is in Omaha... but maybe an old arena in Des Moines? Pueblo CO? It's not like possibilities aren't out there.

[Ken, Steelheads fan]

Gary attendance actually appears to be UP from last season (visual inspection). Everything in the Steelheads' past has been of the "announced attendance" variety. The team is now required to keep more accurate records as a condition to receiving taxpayer support.

[rice_web]

I always hate to venture this way, but why not build a basketball-loving core in the Dakotas? If Rapid City and Minot can come back even in a limited way, it will allow for cheaper travel and an attendance boost for Sioux Falls and the Dakota Wizards, and certainly this has to be preferable to a mess of a team as we see in Gary and Michigan (especially Michigan). Hell, even Winnipeg was once a big draw, and with the Conservatives now in power in Canada, taxes will probably come down, and the games won't be so damned expensive up there.

The IBA accomplished what the ABA is attempting, and that was to build a base in a small geographic area to lower travel expenses and to build rivalries and thus raise attendance. Yes, they did fold up shop and did not put together the greatest product man has ever seen, but it proved to be profitable even in Minot. So an addition of teams in Minot and Rapid City may not be a bad idea, if only to shift the core of the league to the Upper Midwest, where basketball is king, and where two of the CBA's premiere franchises currently operate. To have a Central Conference in the CBA could be tremendously beneficial to keeping the flagships alive and allow for regrouping and a renewed search for investors on the coasts.

Of course, I have to agree with some here that the prognostication of the CBA's death is a gross exaggeration, and that the CBA should be able to field 8 teams without great effort. Down the line may be another question, but I see no reason that they presently should be so worried.

[Chuck the Writer]

How quickly we forget that Yakama is only alive this year because the Yakama Nation- that was suckered into buying the team- determined it would be more expensive to immediately fold the team than to play for a year.

Without Yakama, Idaho isn't drawing well enough to stick it out.

There are definite reasons for concern.

Well, we don't have to worry about Yakama leaving the league for at least three more years.

http://www.aberdeennews.com/mld/aberdeennews/news/13839801.htm

According to this link, the Yakama Nation voted to keep the Sun Kings in the CBA for three more years. This is huge news for the CBA. Let us all celebrate!!

[Tha Man]

If you want to make a league stronger you need to go to the two strongest leagues and leave the ABA to flounder like it has been doing for years.