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June 30, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA) News Release


Question from Paul W, Portland, OR: "What did you think of the NBA draft?"

Answer: Paul (and others): "First, you did very well. Portland certainly got a top quality superstar in Greg Oden (from Indianapolis) and an outstanding young man. The future is very bright for your team. Congratulations. And congratulations also to Kevin Pritchard, a former ABA coach, for the tremendous job he is doing there. It is amazing how many people have asked what I thought of the NBA draft. It's like asking McDonalds what they think of Burger King's Whopper. I think the NBA drafted some really outstanding talent that will help the teams - both from the NCAA level and from international teams. Like you, I've seen most of them on TV and they are great players. And of course, we're proud that Sun Yue was among them.

Personally, I wish that there were more ABA players drafted and genuinely believe that many of the ABA All-Stars can play in the NBA and are every bit as good or better than many of the players drafted. I don't know how players like Jamal Staten, Donnie Beacham, Rob Sanders, Aaron Cook, Curtis Haywood, Kareem Reid,

and many others can be bypassed. I really hope that teams will look at them as potential free agents and invite them to their camps. Many ABA players should be in the NBA. Period.

Another thought is about the players in the NBA Development league who worked very hard this past season believing that their next step was the NBA. They must also have been disappointed seeing all these "new" faces. I hope some of them are invited back to NBA camps and given another opportunity. And finally,

I wonder about the 60+ NBA players who will be given their "pink slips" when they are replaced on the rosters with the new draft picks - their dreams of a long NBA career shattered. They are welcome in the ABA of course. Thanks for the questions. If you have a question, please email conniejoenewman@aol.com.

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.

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American Basketball Association Stories from June 30, 2007


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.


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