Baltimore Claws
The Baltimore Claws were an American basketball team which was supposed to appear in the 1975–76 season in the American Basketball Association. The team collapsed before the season started, playing only three exhibition games, all losses, in its brief history.
Background
The team that eventually became the Baltimore Claws had earlier competed in the ABA as the
Relocation to Maryland
Prior to the 1975–76 season, a consortium of seven Maryland businessmen led by David Cohan bought the troubled Sounds for $1 million and relocated it to Baltimore. In August 1975, new ABA Commissioner Dave DeBusschere suddenly awarded the franchise to another group in Memphis due to apparent financial problems involving the Baltimore owners. The Memphis group backed out the very next day, and the franchise reverted to Baltimore after the Cohan-led group made a $250,000 down payment.
The team was initially named the Baltimore Hustlers,[1] but league and public pressure forced them to rename it the Claws.
Personnel
In September the Claws gained attention early by gaining the rights to superstar
The Claws entered the preseason under coach Joe Mullaney with a roster that included Mel Daniels and Stew Johnson. The Claws also suited up guard Skip Wise, who the previous year was the first freshman to make the Atlantic Coast Conference all-conference first team. But Wise (a native of Baltimore) chose not to return to Clemson for his sophomore year, instead signing a five-year, $700,000 no-cut contract with the Claws.
Games
The Baltimore Claws played only three games in their history, all preseason exhibitions. The first was on October 9, 1975 in Salisbury, Maryland, against the Virginia Squires. The Squires won 131–121; attendance was reported at 1,150.
Two days later the Claws lost to the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers 103–82 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, in front of a capacity crowd of 1,213 at East High School.
On October 16, 1975, the Claws played the Squires again, this time at Knott Arena, Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. Virginia won again, 100–88, in front of approximately 500 spectators.
Continuing problems
Due to mounting financial problems, the second loss to the Squires ended up being the Claws' final game. Players and coaches were going unpaid and not even getting their per diem meal money. Only 300 season tickets had been sold. The players were still wearing old red Sounds uniforms with a green patch placed on it saying "Claws", along with unaltered red Sounds warmups. Their practice T-shirts had rips under the arms.
On October 16, 1975, ABA Commissioner DeBusschere got word that one of the Claws' banks had yanked its line of credit. DeBusschere responded with an ultimatum: deposit $500,000 with the league as a "performance bond" within four days to cover expenses or be shut down. The Claws got together half of the money but could not raise the rest. Reportedly, the remaining money, plus an additional $70,000, was being held in escrow by the city, to be released only if Cohan resigned.
The ABA disbanded the Claws on October 20, 1975, less than a week before the regular season began.
The Claws threatened to seek an injunction delaying the start of the season until Baltimore were reinstated, citing a provision in the rules requiring ten days notice before any team could be shuttered. However, after both the ABA and the city threatened to file their own legal actions, the Claws quietly folded; the league felt the ten-day rule was trumped by a larger obligation to ensure that its franchises were being run in a professional manner.
Dissolution
The Claws players were put into a dispersal draft. Dave Robisch and
Aftermath
The league's assertion that they had "nine solid teams" quickly proved to be incorrect, as both the San Diego Sails and the Utah Stars ceased operations early in the season. The wobbly Virginia Squires franchise did manage to finish the 1975-76 campaign, but with an awful 15–68 record played in front of small crowds; they too folded, leaving the ABA with only six teams. Finally, the ABA would merge with the NBA in the summer of 1976.
See also
- Ottawa Civics - World Hockey Association franchise that lasted for approximately two weeks and played only seven games.
References
- ^ "It's official – Baltimore gets Sounds of ABA". Lewiston Evening Journal. Maine. Associated Press. August 29, 1975. p. 15.
- ^ "ABA drops Claws; asks admission into NBA". Spartanburg Herald. South Carolina. Associated Press. October 21, 1975. p. B3.