Bahamas

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

This has the potentential to become entertainingly ugly...

http://www.thenassauguardian.com/sports/321560579776590.php

Taking the 'Show' on the road
By KELSIE JOHNSON, NG Sports Reporter

kelsie@nasguard.com

After months of trying to find a home for his Bahama Pro Show League, Ricardo Smith apparently turned to the American Basketball Association (ABA), where it appears that he was welcomed with open arms.

According to the league's web site, Smith and the Bahama Pro Show were granted permission from the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the ABA Joe Newman, to play in the league beginning this December 1, in Miami, Florida. Since the team did not get the approval of the locally-based governing body, the Bahamas Basketball Federation (BBF), its home base will now apparently be Miami, Florida.

The apparent move by Smith was announced in a statement released on the ABA's official web site under the heading 'Bahama Pro Show to play in Miami this season.' According to Newman, Smith and the Bahama Pro Show met all the requirements necessary to enter a team in the league.

Newman said: "We encourage international teams - we have a team from Beijing that plays in Los Angeles and a team from Mexico that plays in Chicago so the idea of having a team from The Bahamas playing in Miami was certainly appealing to us. There is a large Bahamian, slash Puerto Rican community living in the area of Florida so we believe that they will fit right in.

"They do not need to be sanctioned to play in the league. The ABA is probably one of the largest organizations for international basketball and we have teams from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia and others who play in the ABA, so that goes to show that there is a remarkable showcase for young players that want to have high visibility, so I can't imagine any sanctioning body not wanting to cooperate with the ABA because it only benefits every country and organization.

"As far as we needing the approval of someone to allow a player from China or Japan to play in the ABA I would say that this is the United States of America,

the land of the free enterprise system and capitalist system and so I am not going to get involved in having to get permission for players from different countries to play in our league. They are a Miami-based team, if they were a Bahamas-based team then I would have to work with the federation to get sanctioning."

Newman also revealed that the relationship with Smith and the Bahama Pro Show team started two years ago at the ABA All-Star game and has grown from there. However, Smith has made headlines on numerous occasions surrounding the format of the Bahama Pro Show, especially when he first introduced the league without seeking the approval of the BBF, which disapproved.

Yesterday, The Nassau Guardian contacted BBF 1st Vice President Larry Wilson for the federation's stand on the matter. In the interview, Wilson revealed that the BBF could not stop Smith from participating in the ABA but noted that he had all rights as long as he didn't play as representatives of The Bahamas.

"The Bahamas Basketball Federation is not sanctioning this team nor the players who choose to play for this team," said Wilson. "Obviously Mr. Smith has the right to engage in any basketball action he wishes outside of The Bahamas, the BBF doesn't extend beyond The Bahamas, but Mr. Smith is suspended from anything involving the BBF so it will be in his best interest to contact the federation to see what can be worked out.

"It will also be in the best interest of the players to contact the federation so they can avoid the risk of them being suspended or penalized by the federation. If they don't get the sanctioning, then there is a possibility that they will jeopardize their future which includes being a part of any national team or playing in the night league. Now, I'm not saying this is going to happen to them, but I am stressing that it will be in their best interest to get the sanctioning before they decide to play.

"I don't know if we could do anything about him promoting The Bahamas' name, so long as he doesn't report the team to be The Bahamas' team then he can do that. He can't go out there and make it look like The Bahamas has put a team in that league, if it is a team put together with a few Bahamians on it then I think it will be fine. Like I said before, the BBF only extends within The Bahamas, so we can't stop him from using The Bahamas' name. Mr. Smith has been suspended indefinitely, so I think his first step, to avoid any conflict with us, is to seek to have his suspension lifted and he hasn't done that."

Smith declined to comment on the recent happenings when he was contacted.

[Chuck the Writer]

Another bald-faced lie from Crazy Joe.

They do not need to be sanctioned to play in the league. The ABA is probably one of the largest organizations for international basketball and we have teams from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia and others who play in the ABA, so that goes to show that there is a remarkable showcase for young players that want to have high visibility, so I can't imagine any sanctioning body not wanting to cooperate with the ABA because it only benefits every country and organization.

In the entire seven-year history of the ABA, there has been only one "international" team that actually suited up and played at least one game in the ABA, and that's Beijing Aoshen Olympian. I know there was an attempt to put a Mongolian team in the league, which was I believe supposed to start in the 2006-07 season as Mongolia-Alexandria United, before that fell apart.

There has never been an organized squad from Europe, South America or Australia that played as a team in the ABA. Once again, Joe's applying the shine to fool another person into buying into the ABA.

[TheStandard]

Puerto Rican Community in that area of Florida.

I know hes associating Latinos as Puerto Ricans like Americas would categorize any Latino in the north east back in the old days

Joe Newman you dumb dunce. Miami's Latin population in majority is consisted of Cubans, Colombians and Haitians. With a few very few Nicaraguans, Puerto Ricans and Costa Ricans in that Area.

The has the 4th largest population of Puerto Ricans in the United States is Located in Orlando a city that is 70% Latino out of that 70% Latino 70% is Puerto Rican, Florida you buffoon. Do i have to give you the top 5?? Miami is not even in that list.

Ok here I GO.

1. New York
2. Chicago
3. Boston
4. Orlando
5. Philadelphia
6. Hartford
7. Springfield, MA
8. Tampa, FL
9. Richmond,VA
10. Houston, TX

Then this idiot says that he has teams from other countries.

Oh now go give those two broke BSN Rejects of Rivera and Angulo a team.

Do i have to reveal who had to foot the bill in the end due to this past March's BSN game at the TD Waterhouse arena? Since they didn't have the money to pay for it since they said the funds WENT MISSING?

The owner of the Santurce Crabbers thats who. And these two rejects are stll paying him in payments with interest.

Can someone tell Joe that smoking Crack is bad for his health?

[ABARedWhiteBlue]

And to those who defend Joe and feel there is a vendetta here against the ABA where only the negatives are discussed, it's simple...

we have teams from Europe, Asia, South America and Australia and others who play in the ABA

Prove it.

Which teams have played in the ABA at any time in league history that meet the criteria Joe claims? Where did they play? When did they play?

Now, the expected retort from Joe is that the reporter got the facts wrong; he didn't say that; etc. No reporter in Joe's history of dealing with the media has ever been correct when it came to a story that might shed even a shadow of doubt on the ABA or its organization.

[TheStandard]

I bet Joe is saying that Montreal and Quebec are from France since they speak french.

Joe is a LIAR.

Man i swear. I have a BSN telephone conference to be in in a few since I have a fiasco to handle but I am so going to rant about this ABA crap since we always do and laugh about it constantly