NEW Silverbacks Skip ABA Season ...

[The Magician]

I think it's pretty funny ...

From this press release today:

New Ownership Group To Operate The Buffalo Silverbacks
09/25/07

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3543588

"The timing couldn't have worked out better for us," said Lesh. "Our entertainment business has been going well, and the addition of the Buffalo Silverbacks just makes sense, given the promotional network we've established from working with many other local and regional businesses."

To this release on the very same day ...

Silverbacks likely to skip season
By Rodney McKissic - News Sports Reporter
Updated: 09/25/07

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/170348.html

Vincent Lesh, who completed a deal on Tuesday to purchase the Buffalo Silverbacks, said the American Basketball Association franchise probably won't play during the 2007-08 season. Lesh, who owns Buffalo-based Concerts Plus, hopes to field a team for 2008-09.

"I don't see how we can play this year, it would be very, very difficult," Lesh said. "We're going to start working on getting things together for next season. Our intention is to try to put it together, but I think it's going to be very difficult to do that."

The ABA tips off in November, giving Lesh just six weeks to put a team together and find a venue, which has been a problem since the franchise's inaugural season in 2005.

"We don't have one ticket sold, we don't have any season tickets, we don't have any sponsors, we don't have any entertainment lined up," Lesh said. "We don't have an arena. It would be difficult and detrimental for us to rush and to get it done for this year."

Lesh is the team's third owner. The original owner was Gary Nice, who was later suspended by the league and was replaced in December 2005 by Todd Wier. Wier was in negotiations for two months with Lesh on the sale of the team.

rmckissic@buffnews.com


And this is "good timing" ... for WHO???

Oh how the ABA loves to keep teams on the ABA Current Teams list, even though, they know, that a team is not going to play.

A competent CEO would have had the Buffalo matter handled along time ago ...

[nksports]

"We don't have one ticket sold, we don't have any season tickets, we don't have any sponsors, we don't have any entertainment lined up," Lesh said. "We don't have an arena. It would be difficult and detrimental for us to rush and to get it done for this year."

I don't know. This puts him pretty high on the business acumen poll for an ABA owner. Too many ABA owners would try to play anyway.

[tbayz1]

Im going to have to do some investigating :)

Its also funny that all the news by the Buffalo News like the one from yesterday about the sale, isnt even in today's paper

[CorningFan]

Corning has three home games against the Silverbacks. If the Silverbacks aren't playing, who will the league send to Corning?

[a1sports]

New ABA rules:

Play the closest team to you 18 times at home and 18 times away and then Joe will make the power ranking.



Looks like owners are hiding under the table hoping joe doesnt look there way and say...YOU GO TO HALIFAX !!

Why worry, there probably will be 10 more teams added bewteen now and game 1...LOL

I still like the 4 ABA teams per city idea...really keeps travel costs down.

[barkley34]

If you cannot afford travel costs of at least plane tickets, $30 per diem per day and a $69 hotel room for 2 players, what the hell are they doing owning a team?????? Come on, what is it; $8,000-$10,000 per trip total for a team? That should be pocket change for a sports team owner.

[CorningFan]

New ABA rules:

Play the closest team to you 18 times at home and 18 times away and then Joe will make the power ranking.



So does that mean Syracuse will come fill in those 3 games on Corning's schedule? Might be good to build a rivalry, but that is an awful lot of times to play one team. We lready play them 4 times, so that will be 7.

[a1sports]

In my opinion: Buffalo will play this season because:

1. Joe will probably give the new owner his "if you dont play this season Ill give the franchise to someone else" speech.

2. He would like to hurt Rochester as best he can, even though the city is an hour away. You know, the former ABA champs who averged over 4,000 fans a game that he said was garbage after they left the ABA( see Vermont paper) to start a new league with real businessmen and money.

[OneBetter]

In my opinion: Buffalo will play this season because:

1. Joe will probably give the new owner his "if you dont play this season Ill give the franchise to someone else" speech.

2. He would like to hurt Rochester as best he can, even though the city is an hour away. You know, the former ABA champs who averged over 4,000 fans a game that he said was garbage after they left the ABA( see Vermont paper) to start a new league with real businessmen and money.

and how exactly is the PBL doing these days? By the complete lack of press and announcements, it appears they are in huge trouble!

I'll admit I'm one of those that love to bash the ABA, but at this point, the PBL should not be immune either! They need to step up and get their act together, or we need to be just as hard on them.

[tbayz1]

In my opinion: Buffalo will play this season because:

1. Joe will probably give the new owner his "if you dont play this season Ill give the franchise to someone else" speech.

2. He would like to hurt Rochester as best he can, even though the city is an hour away. You know, the former ABA champs who averged over 4,000 fans a game that he said was garbage after they left the ABA( see Vermont paper) to start a new league with real businessmen and money.


I actually agree with you on this one a1

#1 is probably what Joe will do lol

[tbayz1]

I cannot find this article now on the Buffalo News' sports page, the only way I found it was doing a search, and no mention of this whole deal was in the paper today, investigating is still under way


I wish this new owner would get us out of this hell hole league :) But we'll still prolly be stuck in the good ole ABA, where its alright to not play all your scheduled games!

[rams80]

Corning has three home games against the Silverbacks. If the Silverbacks aren't playing, who will the league send to Corning?

Either a van full of Egg McMuffins, or some fans randomly chosen out of the stands (call them "contest winners"), who will be handed blank jerseys with a piece of duct tape on the front that has "Bufalo" (spelling intentional) written on it in permanent marker.