New CBA Owner Isiah Thomas "must consolidate the league
to take advantage of economies of scale and eliminate
inefficient business practices" in order to succeed,
according to Howard Manly of the BOSTON GLOBE, who wrote:
"Transforming the league will not be without its problems.
Thomas wants to expand to about 30 teams and build arenas to
hold as many as 12,000 fans." Thomas, on the CBA: "You
don't have to play Broadway to be successful. The potential
is enormous." More Manly: "Thomas' challenge is providing
quality entertainment in nice arenas without charging NBA
prices." Manly noted that the "best thing about" the CBA is
that the "labor isn't expensive and the pool of talent is
bottomless." Manly, on Thomas' $10M acquisition: "He just
struck gold" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/22). In Philadelphia, Stephen
Smith wrote under the header, "Thomas Has Chance To Provide
Farm System Better Than NCAA," and wrote: "Everyone should
be rooting for him to turn the CBA into a minor-league
system for the NBA." More Smith: "Lord knows, it's needed -
- if for no other reason, to further disintegrate the
present NCAA structure." Smith noted that the NCAA "pulls
in nine figures" in profit, but "still won't let" Temple
Univ. men's basketball coach John Chaney "pay a cab to send
a kid to the airport without slapping Temple with
sanctions." Smith asked, "How does the NBA feel about
joining hands with Thomas? Time will tell." Thomas "must
find" sponsors before "convincing" the NBA that it "should
invest millions." Smith: "Any degree of alternative success
would make the NCAA quiver" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/22).
