Sports: ABA promises new look for pro basketball

The outlaw league, which introduced the three-point shot and brought to life the acrobatic open-court skills of its marquee players, returns Dec. 26 with the opening of the 60-game season. And basketball purists are likely to be shocked.

In ABA 2000 there are unlimited fouls. Four-point baskets. Zone defenses. No salary cap. Special "shirted" players. Only two referees. A 30-second shot-clock. Heck, each franchise must designate 3,000 seats ranging from $6 to $8 for dating teens, families, senior citizens, members of the military and the disabled.

"The biggest thing is we intend for this league to be the most fan-friendly, community-oriented sports entity in each area we place a team," said Gregory Smith, interim general manager for the Tampa Bay ThunderDawgs. "We plan on making our seats very reasonable. Seventy-five percent of our seats will be $17 or less, so right away anybody can afford to come to a game. It should be a blast."

Fun, however, won't ensure that the new ABA will not suffer the same fate its predecessor endured, folding.

Founders of ABA 2000, which begins with its draft at 7 tonight, think they have taken the necessary steps to secure the league's longevity.

The goal of the ABA 2000 is to bring back the fast-paced and open-court style that became its mark in the 1970s. Its intention is to compete with the NBA for some players while also targeting players undrafted by the NBA, released by NBA teams or experienced in overseas leagues. It does not intend to be seen as a "minor-league" organization and plans to have salaries that average about $100,000 per season, a sizable jump from the pay scales of the Continental Basketball Association.

Although there is no salary cap, franchises are expected to have a uniform salary stucture that pays out between $1.2-million and $1.5-million in player wages every year.

"Each franchise will use its discretion when it comes to paying their players," Smith said. "Obviously the best scenario would be to have a salary structure of $500,000 and be the best team in the league. That's why we put a ceiling on it, not a cap, to try to keep it even throughout the league."

ThunderDawgs coach Darryl Dawkins said the salary structure should serve as a big draw for a number of players and likely will bleed the CBA.

"Guys in the CBA will not make that kind of money, I can tell you that right now," Dawkins said. "That kind of money is going to take players from them. It's going to attract guys who do not want to go back overseas."

Dawkins, who played 14 seasons in the NBA and five in Europe, said that when it comes to NBA talent, the league will attract two major types.

"First, we'll have the players who didn't make it to the league, who got cut early in their careers," Dawkins said. "These guys are going to want to come to the ABA and improve their skills so they can have another shot at it.

"Then, we're going to get the veterans who are going to be released, and they will come to us and say, "I'm going to prove to you that I can still play."

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