Osborne, Duilio spar over IBL
by Sam Amico
Published on September 23, 2006 under International Basketball League (IBL)
A war of words has emerged between United States Basketball League coach Dale Osborne and International Basketball League commissioner Mikal Duilio.
Osborne is the coach and general manager of the Kansas City Cagerz. He told the Dodge City (Kan.) Globe that the Cagerz are among three teams that are considering leaving the USBL for the World Basketball Association. Both leagues tip-off in the spring, as does the IBL.
Osborne told the Globe that the his team would choose the WBA over the IBL because "(the IBL is) basically a weekend league."
He also said, "The IBL has a schedule similar to ours located in the area of Michigan, Iowa and Ohio. The level of play is really, really down. A couple of coaches have told me that (the IBL) is struggling right now."
Duilio defended the IBL in a letter to the media.
"Osborne made mention that the IBL is doing (badly)," Duilio said in the e-mail. "That was an irresponsible and non-researched statement."
Other points made by Duilio in the e-mail:
- "I do not think Dale has even been to an IBL game, yet he describes our play."
- Duilio also said that if another minor league team played an IBL team during the first week of the IBL season, "they might beat us, but after a few weeks, they had better be careful -- our guards are very quick and they can shoot the heck out the ball."
- He also admitted that he had at one time contacted some USBL teams about the possibility of joining the IBL, but "I stopped recruiting USBL teams two years ago because I believe I came to believe was being unethical in doing so."
- Duilio concluded, "The IBL at times did things on the cheap and in fact, as a growing league we had a bad owner or two. But overall we are a very solid league with an excellent definition and vision and we are going in the right direction."
He urged readers to visit the IBL Web site "and compare the enthusiasm and professionalism of our teams with other league teams ... we are committed to continually strive for excellence (and) over time we hope to be an excellent league."
Stay tuned.
MOVING MADNESS
No matter what happens between Osborne and Duilio, or the USBL and WBA, there can be no doubt that the minor league version of musical chairs continues -- as teams have been switching leagues at a rapid pace.
The CBA has undergone a major facelift, recovering nicely after Idaho, Sioux Falls, Colorado, and Dakota left for the NBA D-League. Since then, the CBA has added Butte, Minot, Atlanta, Florida, Utah, Indiana, Great Falls, and Southern California.
Indiana, Southern California, Florida, and Minot (formerly San Jose), all came over from the ABA.
Confused yet?
Well, there's more, as Gary, Michigan and roster will not participate this CBA season.
"It's tough losing one team, let alone as many as we did last season," CBA director of operations Dennix Truax said. "But we are happy with the direction we're moving."
The other active CBA teams are Rockford and Albany.
SCOUT: CBA ATOP TALENT CHART
One pro scout said that the CBA is tied for first when it comes to minor league talent.
"The CBA has been weakened by defections of some teams to the D-League," the scout said, "(But) the NBA still needs somewhere for older players to get a look."
Using baseball as an example, the scout said the CBA and D-League were like "Triple A" farm clubs for the NBA.
"The NBA is running the D-League and wants a place to put younger drafted and undrafted players," the scout said. "Eventually each team will have a minor league team assigned to them and will be able to staff it with their own coaches."
Meanwhile, the scout called the USBL the "Class AA" farm system for the NBA, saying "from top to bottom, it's still the best of the spirng/summer leagues."
As for the other minor leagues, the scout gave them all a "Class A" ranking. "The ABA started strong during its first season, but has gone downhill since," he said. "The WBA has two very strong teams that could probably compete in the USBL. And the IBL is the new kid in the block. It has made great strides in its short history."
- The Albany Patroons have announced that former NBA star Michael Ray Richardson will return as coach.
- Ex-Rockford Lightning coach Chris Daleo will coach the Minot Skyrockets. Daleo is slowly becoming a minor league legend and was named to ProBasketballNews.com's list of the top minors coaches.
- The CBA draft is schedule for Tuesday (Sept. 26). Point guard T.J. Thompson was the top pick last year and went on to be named rookie of the year with Albany. Training camp starts Nov. 17 with the season scheduled to tip off Dec. 1.
AROUND THE RIM
- The IBL's West Virginia Wild have re-signed center J.R. VanHoose. VanHoose keeps a running diary of life and basketball for ProBasketballNews.com.
- The IBL's Cuyahoga Falls Cougars have moved to nearby Akron and will have an entirely new look next season. Former NBA forward and Akron native Jerome Lane will coach the team.
- Former NBA All-Star Sidney Moncrief has been hired to coach the D-League's Fort Worth Flyers. More accurately, Moncrief switched jobs with former Flyers coach Sam Vincent, who is now Avery Johnson's assistant with the Dallas Mavericks.
- Ex-NBA forward Joe Wolf will coach the D-League's Colorado 14ers. Wolf was the coach of the CBA's Idaho Stampede last season. The Stampeded have since moved to the D-League.
- The ABA's Pittsburgh Xplosion have re-signed top-flight scorer Coleco Buie. Also, former NBA forward Armon Gilliam, now 41, will play for the Xplosion again next season.
Sam Amico is the editor of ProBasketballNews.com. He can be reached at amico@probasketballnews.com.
International Basketball League Stories from September 23, 2006
- Osborne, Duilio spar over IBL - OSC Original by Sam Amico
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
