Right now the ABA is scheduled to field 60 teams for the 2005-2006 season. Assuming that doesn't change (which is unlikely), here's how I would realign the league from the three divisions it has now:

Pacific - Ontario (CA), Orange County, Long Beach, Los Angeles, San Jose, Visalia, Tijuana, San Fernando Valley, Bakersfield, Fresno

West - Vancouver (BC), Calgary, Utah, Bellevue, Everett, Portland, Reno, Phoenix, Gallup (NM), Las Vegas

Central - St. Louis, Kansas City, Minneapolis, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Texas, San Antonio

South - Atlanta, Carolina, Georgia, Jacksonville, Mississippi, Tampa Bay, Raleigh-Durham, Miami, Birmingham, Orlando

East - Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Scranton-WB, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Detroit, Kentucky, Nashville

Atlantic - Montreal, Boston, Harlem, Brooklyn, Long Island, Rochester, New Jersey, Maryland, Baltimore, Norfolk

You'll never see 60 teams. That league does not deserve to live.

Two words: Ponzi scheme. That thing is a complete joke. $10,000 for entry, games not coming off as scheduled because teams "decide" not to make the trip, the league never acknowledging that there are 4-5 teams that have shut down, convicted criminals owning teams, a milleu of high school venues... very low comedy.

I'll say it again, since it's been so long, but it amazes me that the team sport that involves the fewest # of athletes and has such high interest is also the one that seems most sensitive to expansion and dilution of talent.

I know the NBA is to review the development league after this next season, and talk is of expanding there in hopes of restructuring the agreement with the players union to allow more up and down between the DL and the NBA. If ever a league needed/ could benefit from an organized minor league system it's the NBA.

60 teams? Who knows. At this point you're basically trying to whitewash the college game, but even then I don't think the sponsors would be there for this. But if a league were to be this large they'd less likely be divisions but they'd be more like conferences, since you couldn't play everyone. Whole lotta busing going on!

The ABA plays a 36 game regular season schedule, so all the teams already do not play each other.

Also, does anyone know what the deal is with Jacksonville, Cincinnati, and Detroit? They are listed in the league standings as having played very few games.

Here's the thing- the league has not acknowledged with a press release that ANY team has folded, but those with no life who give a darn have determined that 8 teams HAVE folded, one or two more are on the brink, and most of the rest should. This is determined by what teams are involved in rescheduling games, which has been something of a constant. I believe two of those teams have actually been removed from the standings. YET, Joe Newman still characterizes his league as currently having 35 teams this year instead of 27.

BTW, yes, those numbers of teams folding tend to need to be updated on a weekly basis.

That's not the kind of league that I'd give the time of day. I'd prefer a police investigation, frankly.

While I'm bouncing around here, I need to clarify something.

I made no comment about teams not playing every other team on the schedule, and I do have some sympathy with Gunner's comments. My beef is that teams have a hard time playing the games they actually have scheduled in this league (check out how many teams actually played 36 games last season). That's just one of many reasons that this thing is basically a sham. Given reports that the one team (Arkansas) that actually drew flies this year is contemplating a move to the NBDL, you'd think this thing would die the grisly death it deserves.

The ABA and the Arkansas RimRockers have parted ways:

http://www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2005041906001

The ABA has announced it will play in ten divisions in the upcoming season:

http://www.abalive.com/news/releases/?newsid=2005061306001

Division 1: Northeast
Division 2: Northeast
Division 3: East
Division 4: Southeast
Division 5: Midwest
Division 6: Midwest
Division 7: South
Division 8: Southwest
Division 9: West
Division 10: Northwest

Right now it looks like this would be the likely alignment

1 (6) - Montreal, Rochester, Queens, Harlem, Boston, Long Island
2 (5) - Northeast PA, Buffalo, Maryland, Baltimore, Newark
3 (6) - Charlotte, Charleston, Norfolk, Richmond, Georgia, North Carolina
4 (7) - Chattanooga, Atlanta, Orlando, Florida (Miami), Nashville, Birmingham, Mississippi
5 (6) - Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, Detroit, Ohio, Pittsburgh
6 (6) - Minneapolis/St. Paul, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha, Indianapolis, Kentucky
7 (6) - Louisiana, New Orleans, Lake Charles, Austin, San Antonio, Texas
8 (7) - Nex Mexico, Gallup, Las Vegas, Inglewood, Long Beach, Orange County, Ontario
9 (6) - Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Tijuana, Central Valley, Fresno
10 (6) - Bellingham, Tacoma, Bellevue, San Jose, San Francisco, Valley

Division 4's alignment has been mentioned in a Chattanooga press release, although it did not include Birmingham and Mississippi.