A hoops dream that came true - Buy in a franchise and lovin it!!!
Published on August 29, 2005 under American Basketball Association (ABA)
Montreal Royal News Release
Montreal, Canada -- Are you as excited about the Montreal Matrix as I am? Can you believe it? Pro basketball in la belle province! That has got to be some sort of oxymoron. They haven't even played a game yet but the Matrix is already my favorite hometown team. Add to the fact that former Knick Jerome Williams is their owner and I really love this team already. (Williams getting waived is a whole other story for a different day. Basically the Knicks continue to shock me in how poor they are in evaluating talent. Great managing Isiah. Get rid of the hardest worker on the team - the only guy who was truly proud to wear the Orange and Blue. I can't believe the Knicks gave up on JYD and decided to stick with a stiff like Maurice Taylor. Somebody shoot me now.)
The ABA. Now, don't get it twisted - this isn't the NBA. It isn't the NCAA, the NBDL, the CBA or even the Euroleague. Hell, the current verson of the ABA is completely different than it once was. Gone are the afro days. Gone are the days when players would choose to play in the ABA over the NBA. If you aren't familiar with the original ABA and are familiar with the great "sport" of professional wrestling think of it as ECW: A small-time promotion with a hardcore fan base that produced some of the greatest talents ever. Consider the fact that Dr. J, George Gervin, Moses Malone, David Thompson, Connie Hawkins and so many more got their start in the ABA and you will realize what this league was really about. It was the perfect league for the 1970's: A rebel organization not afraid of expressing itself. It was also the league that is responsible for inventing the 3-point line and the first to use the tri-color ball.
However, those days are long gone. Today, the ABA is a real minor league form of basketball that has teams in such hotbeds as Tijuana, Mexico and Lake Erie. The closest most of, if not all, the players in the league will get to the NBA is if they buy a ticket like all of us. That all being said, it doesn't really matter what form of ball it is because some form of basketball has finally arrived in Montreal. (And in case you are thinking that I am overlooking the NBL's Montreal Dragons, I am not. That team and that league were horribly mismanaged and shouldn't qualify in this discussion). When I first found out that Montreal was getting an ABA team I was ecstatic. As a kid, I always dreamed of the day that my hometown would also be one to an NBA franchise. When Toronto and Vancouver were awarded franchises I was certain we were next. When the Molsen Center opened up I truly believed that all the chips were in line for that dream to be finally realized.
Nevertheless, over time that dream faded faster than the fad on Kid 'n Play's head. When cities like Halifax and Hamilton were hosting preseason games and we weren't, I knew that the writing was on the wall. The NBA didn't have any faith in the fan base. In retrospect they were probably right. I mean, if Montreal supports A-level soccer and minor league football over Major League Baseball they don't deserve a pro basketball team. Given that line of thinking they would probably choose to watch Putt Putt on RDS than see Tim Duncan play in person. Nothing against the city of Montreal, I think it is one of the greatest in the world, but their judge of talent and entertainment is completely out-of-whack. Claude-Robillard Stadium is as far away from downtown Montreal as is the Big O. How could one choose to watch minor league soccer players over superstars such as Barry Bonds and Vladmir Guerrero? By the way, this is coming from someone who love soccer. But I know talent when I see it. Montreal will forever regret letting the Expos leave town. And don't let anyone tell you differently. Montrealers are the only ones responsible for the death of the Expos. Not MLB or anyone else.
Perhaps that is why I was so surprised to hear that Montreal was joining the ABA. I remember attending the Montreal Dragons games and being completely disappointed withe the fans. First off, there were very few of them and secondly they seemed to care more about the mascot than the actual game. But as Bob Dylan once said: "The times they are a changin'."
All you need to do is look at this Web site. It would have been an afterthought 10 years ago but today it is thriving beyond anyone's expectations. Walk through any neighborhood and you will find kids of all ages playing basketball. It took some time, but Montreal seems to be finally warming up to the greatest sport in the world. That is why I think the Montreal Matrix will succeed.
Like I said before, I don't know much about the team. I don't know what their jerseys will look like no do I care. I don't know who their players are nor do I care. I am not even sure I know what a Matrix is. All I know is that on any given night I can go with my friends to see a basketball game. Sure. Allen Iverson and Dwayne Wade won't be out there but competitive ball is competive ball. If you love it like I do you will support the team. In the meantime and in between time, I'm out like Mike Finley from Big D.
For more information, e-mail thefranchise@qball.ca
Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.
American Basketball Association Stories from August 29, 2005
- Buzz hold basketball clinics - Maywood Buzz
- A hoops dream that came true - Buy in a franchise and lovin it!!! - Montreal Royal
- Meet the San Francisco Pilots - San Francisco Pilots
- Rochester to play at Blue Cross Arena - ABA
- Orange County Buzz to hold youth basketcall clinics - Maywood Buzz
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
