Basketball: Minor league choices

As the fall season approaches, sports fans can look forward to major league baseball's World Series. Stadiums filled with fans watching their favorite college or professional football teams. And along with the NBA, several minor basketball leagues will fight for your attention and dollars.

Which minor league will survive the 2001-2002 season?

The strongest contender for survival will be the National Developmental Basketball League.

The NDBL consist of eight teams from eight different cites. With the NBA's backing and the promise of a ten-day contract, they may not be the top choice of fans, but definitely the top choice for a player still hungry for hoop dreams. This league will definitely give a player the exposure and connections to all the "right" people. With a three-year contract with ESPN network, this league takes the top spot and may have staying power.

During the 2000-01 season, the Continental Basketball Association quietly closed it doors and filed for bankruptcy. Unless you lived in a CBA city or you are an avid basketball fan, the passing of the oldest minor league went unnoticed.

However, in the summer of 2001, the league was reborn, bringing with it remnants of the IBA and the IBL. With talent from all three leagues, the CBA will start its season with seven teams, mainly from the mid-west. Playing in this league can still keep hoop dreams alive. The newly formed CBA will continue its agreement with the NBA for call-ups.

The last contender is American Basketball Association 2000, now known as the ABA 2000. The ABA 2000 hobbled along to the finish line in 2001, bringing with it a lot of controversy. Several things worked against the ABA 2000 last season, a season that ended abruptly in April 2001. Lack of funds was the biggest catalyst, along with little or no marketing efforts to promote the league. Players and staff are still waiting on paychecks from last season. Fans of the ABA 2000 are wandering how the league plans to reemerge from the ashes for a new season. Negotiations on the league survival are ongoing. A proposal has been made to try and play with the six teams that have committed to the league. Fans are still waiting in anticipation to see if the ABA 2000 can get off the ground again. At this point the ABA 2000's future continues to be uncertain.

If you are fortunate enough to either live in a city, or visit a city that has a minor league basketball team, check it out.

Minor league play offers good competition, at an affordable price. Players that are apart of the NDBL, CBA, and ABA 2000 are hungry, and playing not for a large paycheck. Players are a part of the minor leagues in order to keep their NBA dreams alive and for the love of the game. Minor league players are untainted by the spoiled life of the NBA. Their meal allowance and lodging doesn't even come close to that of a NBA player. They know what it is like to ride on a bus for several hours for a chance to play, and to show their talent.

The NBA is the major contender, and the major player is here to stay. However, there are other choices, minor league choices.