Boston Massacre
SEASON 1
Record: 14-48, no playoffs
After the GBA fell through, the city of Boston was elated to have a new basketball team in town. The city felt it would be appropriate to keep the same uniforms and nickname. Before the inaugural draft, the consensus was to draft young!
INAUGURAL DRAFT
R1: Chuck Henderson
R2: Henry Jordan
R3: Ted Schulz
R4: Mike Reardon
R5: Mike Mays
R6: Bob Murphy
R7: Joel Pearson
R8: Tony Wills
R9: John Wolfe
R10: Roy Williams
R11: Tim Smith
R12: Bubba Bradshaw
R13: Jim Connors
R14: Jim Kellogg
With the #7 overall pick, the Boston personnel was torn between Chuck Henderson and Dave Short. Fortunately, they were able to draft Henderson, and later trade to get Dave Short. However, the team gave up a plethora of future talent, surrendering three future first round picks and two second round picks. Prior to the Dave Short trade, the Massacre practically gave away their season, letting Henry Jordan, Ted Schulz and Mike Mays go for future picks. “We knew with the players we had, we weren’t going to be able to contend,” remarked Boston GM/Coach Cory Bowen. “Our main focus was to establish a foundation – we did so with Chuck Henderson and Dave Short.” Nevertheless, the supporting cast for Henderson and Short was plain awful. Many of the players like Bob Murphy, Joel Pearson, Mike Reardon and Tony Wills were too young, and under skilled to take care of the “garbage work.”
The highlight of the season came when 3-point ace, John Wolfe, notched a WBA season high seven 3-pointers against the team that traded away Dave Short, North Carolina. It was also extra nice, because Dave Short and Coach Bowen are both Carolina natives. But all good things come to an end – and John Wolfe was later traded to Midland, for two second round picks. Boston struggled mightily, winning just 14 games. “I can’t honestly imagine this team being any worse,” said all-star point guard, Chuck Henderson.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Chuck Henderson, Dave Short
SEASON 2
Record: 66-14, #2 seed
With Washington’s 1st round pick, Boston got a fortuitous bounce in the lottery draft, ending up with the #2 pick. The Boston front office was pleased with the pick, but they were also very adamant that they needed another “quality player.” In result, Boston gave Albacete three players (Murphy, Pearson, Reardon) and four draft picks for the #7 overall pick.
Season 2 Draft
2. Bill Yeager, 7. Jeff Bailey, 29. Gomer Cummings
While the team was hoping AJ Schulz would still be around at #7, Boston ended up with two great selections. The atmosphere in Boston was electric. The fans, players and coaches all knew this team was legit. The team was strengthened when two backup youngsters, Don Terrell and Eddie Stuart, signed in the off-season.
The Massacre took off at blistering pace, winning the pre-season with a 10-1 record. The fabulous quartet of Henderson, Bailey, Short and Yeager was soon dubbed, “The Four-Headed Monster.” The regular season did not start out as smooth as the pre-season. Boston went 5-3 in the first 8 games, and the lack of depth started to show. Gomer Cummings and Eddie Stuart were swiftly shipped to Albacete, for interior players, Steve Felix and Woody Summers. Felix and Summers would share roles with Don Terrell and Tony Wills, to complete the garbage team. But ultimately, the difference in attitude and winning, from this year compared to last year – the two rookies, Jeff Bailey and Bill Yeager. Jeff Bailey, the first-ever GCBA player of the year, was more than what Boston asked for. He averaged 18.4 ppg, 4.7 reb, 5.5 ast and 2.7 steals a game. Bill Yeager, arguably the MVP of the team, put up close to 23 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks. Chuck Henderson, Dave Short and Bill Yeager were all rewarded to the annual all-star game.
Season 2 Playoffs
Boston d. Maine 3-1
Boston d. Berlin 4-1
Boston d. London 4-0
Boston d. Roswell 4-3
Boston stormed through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, with an 11-2 record. Waiting for them in the finals, was a very confident team in Roswell. The XT players appeared to be too much, even for the four-headed monster. Roswell had a comfortable 3-1 series lead, and their coach, Bryan Hasho, was already making celebration plans. “That fueled us – we knew the series wasn’t over,” said Dave Short. Boston was indeed resilient, and won the next two games. For the third consecutive series, Roswell would be playing in a Game 7. This Game 7 was an instant classic, as the title came down to a mere two points. Boston held a 100-98, with just seconds to play. Ironically, John Greene, a Massachusetts native, would get the chance to be the villain in his home state. However, as Greene found an open seam, waiting for him was Bill Yeager, who sent his shot, and the Roswell team down.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Chuck Henderson, Dave Short (Game MVP), Bill Yeager
Rookie Game: Jeff Bailey, Bill Yeager
All-Rookie Team: Bill Yeager
THE 14 MEMBERS OF THE SEASON 2 BOSTON MASSACRE WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED: Bill Yeager, Dave Short, Jeff Bailey, Chuck Henderson, Tony Wills, Steve Felix, Don Terrell, Woody Summers, Tony Marshall, Charlie Devlin, Tim Elliot, Darby Terry, Chris Hubbard, Stump O’Connell
Interesting to note: Tony Marshall was a member of the Season 1 WBA Champs, Fernie Firestarters. In addition, Peter Aiello, the original coach of this team, left during the middle of the season. So therefore, Boston is the first team to win a title with a coach!
SEASON 3
Record: 60-20, #4 seed
The defending champs were in awe at how little a rest they had. In fact, the Season 3 Draft was held on the same day that Boston won the title. Boston only had the #35 pick, but still felt overwhelmed with the lack of preparation.
Season 3 Draft
35. Abu Zimmerman
The Boston Staff sent two assistants to discuss the possibilities of the draft day. These two were a bit oblivious as they let Dave Williams pass by on their pick. The Boston Staff was furious, and later fired these soon forgotten coaches. “We had Williams as a lottery pick – passing up on him is not excusable,” wrote the Boston Front Office. Even so, Boston landed with a decent Abu Zimmerman, who would take over Tony Wills starting job.
The free agents in season 3 were reasonably good. Boston signed former Roswell player, John Erickson and two rookies who weren’t drafted, in Raul Qvevdo and John Felton. All three were very nice pickups, but Boston felt they could rely on the big four to guide the team back to the finals. These three free agents, who signed with Boston, were all traded to other teams for future picks. Doing so may have been Boston’s first major mistake – the big four were logging in huge minutes, ranging from 43 to 47 a night. The lack of depth on the team was evident, when Abu Zimmerman, a second round pick, was playing 38 minutes a night. The season 3 draft was exceptionally strong, and the Boston staff did a poor job of finding opportunities for more of those players. Boston did acquire one good bench player, Jimmy Waters. He was an upgrade from Steve Felix – but, one person doesn’t make a good bench.
Being the defending champs, and having the presence of the amazing quartet, Boston was still armed and feared by others. Henderson, Short and Yeager were named as starters in the all-star game. Henderson averaged an amazing 16 assists per game; Short averaged 26 points and 13 rebounds; Yeager averaged 27 points, 11 boards and 3 blocks. When the season came to an end, Boston had another fantastic season with 60 wins. But, the consolation was being a #4 seed, and playing a 58 win team in Berlin.
Season 3 Playoffs
Berlin d. Boston 3-1
“We were too tentative and too scared,” stated Chuck Henderson. “We were playing as to not lose; we should have played as though it was a must win.” Boston also suffered an untimely injury to Bill Yeager in Game 2. The injury was only for one game, but it was a huge momentum shift.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Chuck Henderson, Dave Short, Bill Yeager
All-WBA: Chuck Henderson, Jeff Bailey
All-Defense: Chuck Henderson
Interesting to note: Jeff Bailey didn’t make the all-star team. But, he was 1st-Team All-WBA. Also, in the first three seasons, there was no second or third team for All-WBA honors.
SEASON 4
Record: 51-29, #5 seed
Boston was not overly concerned with the Season 4 Draft. With only the #39 pick, Boston was not expecting much talent to be left on the board. In addition, Boston was more concerned about free agency, as Dave Short and Chuck Henderson could go a separate way.
Season 4 Draft
39. Jose Pearce
Boston has made it known that they regret drafting Pearce, instead of the much more hyped, Arnold Eaton. Boston was looking for need and not talent. This mistake would certainly not be the worst of the off-season. The most shocking event in franchise history came when Chuck Henderson announced his long term deal with the Berlin Blaze. Many analysts criticized Boston, for not offering the maximum contract. “We made a huge mistake,” said Boston GM, Cory Bowen. Henderson admittedly had a tough time picking between the hated rivals of Berlin and Boston. Much to the dissatisfaction of Henderson, Berlin promptly moved to Rochester.
With the loss of Henderson, Boston had to move on to more important issues. They signed their new franchise player, Dave Short, to a seven year contract. With the available money from Henderson’s departure, Boston sought players looking for one-year deals. Wes Mullen and Mike Taylor were quickly added to the team.
With a different looking team, Boston was in no hurry to start the new season. They needed to practice together, as much as possible. While practice is always good, a little too much can be costly. Such as the case with Jeff Bailey, who was burnt out over the summer practices. Much to the dismay of Boston, his capabilities seemed to have worn down in the off-season. Bailey was traded a month into the season to Nebraska, for Sheldon Maloney.
The absence of a star point guard, severely hurt Boston’s passing game. The assists per game went down from 33 to 22. Mike Taylor, a SF, led the team in assists, with 4.4 per game. Short and Yeager were frustrated they could not get the same looks they once had a year ago. Talent still existed on this team, but cohesiveness did not. The bench may have been less noticeable than last season. Abu Zimmerman took a drop in minutes and production as well. With all of the trials going on in Boston, effort was still made to attempt a playoff run.
Season 4 Playoffs
Boston d. London 3-1
Rochester d. Boston 4-0
Boston surprised many when they beat London in four games. But, in the second round against Rochester, an excruciating series came about. Rochester was the #8 seed, but they played like a top-tier team. Getting swept by the team that stole your point guard was demoralizing to the franchise.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Dave Short, Bill Yeager
All-WBA: Dave Short (2nd)
SEASON 5
Record: 47-33, #7 seed
Boston’s off-season wish list included: getting a productive point guard in free agency and a rookie who can contribute right away. With the #21 pick, Boston wasn’t too optimistic about a rookie who could impact in his first year.
Season 5 Draft
21. Jerry Kumanchik
Management was pleased when, Jerry Kumanchik, the scoring machine from Siberia, was still available. Re-Signing Mike Taylor was unlikely, so Kumanchik was a nice fit. Wes Mullen had the duties of point guard last season. While he gives a nice effort, he is more of a two guard. Boston found it rather easy to lure away WBA Journeyman, Andruw Williams. The pieces were set for the season, and Boston could only hope the players would perform as expected.
This team was slightly worse than the year before. Even with a more experienced ball handler in Andruw Williams, the passing game did not improve. This is because no one else on the team could pass very efficiently. Jerry Kumanchik was a solid rookie, but his playing time was limited, due to his lack of stamina. Fred Cane, Craig King and Wes Mullen all came off the bench to try and pull their weight; but, it was not enough. This team relied on Dave Short and Bill Yeager too much. They have trouble scoring and turning the ball over, when they feel pressure in their path.
Boston stuck with their team, and didn’t make a single trade in season 5. The franchise appears to be dwindling, with very few transactions made in the last few seasons. Dave Short did earn an appearance to the all-star game for the 5th time; he carried this team on his back with his leadership, court skills and positive attitude.
Season 5 Playoffs
Washington d. Boston 3-1
Down 0-2 in the first round of the playoffs, against the defending champs — the odds were not looking to good. Furthermore, Boston was without the services of Dave Short for the next two games. Boston demanded Fred Cane to fill a big hole. He helped propel Boston to victory in game 3 – but in the end, Washington was too much. During the series, Cane averaged an impressive 8 points and 9.5 rebounds in just 25 minutes.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Dave Short
Rookie Game: Jerry Kumanchik
All-WBA: Dave Short (1st)
SEASON 6
Record: 69-11, #1 seed
Boston was slowly turning into an old-team that could not compete with the big boys. Season 6 featured a talented rookie class and free agent class. If there was going to be a change, the time was in the Season 6 off-season.
Season 6 Draft
15. Charlie Daidone
Boston was ecstatic when Cincinnati passed on Charlie Daidone. Never did they think a player of Daidone’s caliber would fall to #15. Even more, Boston still had lots of cap space for one big-time player, or two good players. The Massacre expected they could land either Parker Mason, Kent Mercer or Cristobal Dasher. But, all three offers didn’t meet their demands. So, Boston signed two of the “good players” — Camron Diaz and Jim Wilson. Andruw Williams was lost to Roswell, so Boston would have to ask Don Terrell to step up again.
Much like the team from Season 2, this squad dominated from the get-go. They cruised in the pre-season and won the tournament. The Hopes of the Boston faithful were renewed. Many teams wondered why this team was so successful. There passing game was atrocious, to say the least. Boston was 26th in the league in passing, and Daidone led them with 4.2 per game. What Boston did have though, are players who could score. The team averaged over 110 points a game. “I would rather have five guys who can score, than five guys who can pass,” said Coach Bowen. Boston’s successful season can also be contributed to the bench. None of the starters played more than 36 minutes. Don Terrell, Jerry Kumanchik, Joe Menendez and Jim Wilson all saw a good 12-20 minutes each game. Joe Menendez is a player who does not get much publicity at all. But, he was very efficient, putting up 14 points and 13 rebounds per 48 minutes.
When the all-star game came around, no Boston player was selected. The Boston fans were appalled with the voting. “Surely the team with the best record should have at least one all-star,” said an angry fan. The Boston coaches believe this happened because they played the bench quite a bit. Coach Bowen stated to his player that, “individual awards mean nothing. Don’t get caught up in this.” The Boston players responded well, and finish the season with an 18 game winning streak.
Season 6 Playoffs
Boston d. Rochester 3-0
Boston d. London 4-1
Boston d. Washington 4-3
Cancun d. Boston 4-1
The Boston players and coaches got their revenge in the first round, by knocking out Rochester with authority. Boston ousted London in the second round, but struggled with Washington in the conference finals. This series was hard to watch because there was so many fouls; four of the six highest foul totals in the playoffs, came in this series. Even with the home court advantage, Boston narrowly escaped. The WBA Championship would not be as kind. Boston was outplayed in every facet of the game. Everyone thought Boston would win – but, they did not perform. Cancun showed up, and Boston didn’t. This series was eerily similar to Det-LA 2004 NBA Finals.
AWARDS
All-Stars: None (Crazy)
Rookie Game: Charlie Daidone
All-WBA: Dave Short (1st), Bill Yeager (2nd)
GM of the Year: Cory Bowen
Note: how can Short and Yeager make the All-WBA teams and not the All-Star team?
SEASON 7
Record: 53-27, #3 seed
With the exception of the Finals, everything went right last season. The only position Boston could improve at, was the point guard spot. Felipe Juarez and Danny Hainge were the two intriguing prospects. There was not a lot of room for free agency, but if something good comes around, Boston would prance on it.
Season 7 Draft
28. Danny Hainge
With the last pick in the first round, Boston picked a very fragile, Danny Hainge. Hainge is not a good man to man defender, and he is very injury prone. Otherwise, he is the perfect compliment to Charlie Daidone. Cincinnati released Jerry Sims during the off-season, and Coach Bowen was all over it. Boston’s bench was looking stronger and stronger.
The starting lineup was the same as last year’s: Daidone, Sheldon Maloney, Camron Diaz, Dave Short and Bill Yeager. Danny Hainge, Jerry Kumancik, Jerry Sims and Jim Wilson were the key reserves. The Season 7 Draft included some big names, so the WBA was much more balanced than last season. The two Jerry’s, Sims and Kumanchik were unhappy with their playing time. Sims and Kumanchik weren’t get any playing time for a good portion of the season; they combined to play just 86 games. Boston simply did not have enough minutes to go around. Also, Don Terrell and Joe Menendez both suffered minutes because of the great depth. Towards the end of the season, Danny Hainge was given the starting point guard spot. There was a bit of contention in the locker room. But, when you’re winning, a lack of playing time does not always matter. After last year’s surprise, Short was voted back to the all-star game, averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds per contest.
Season 7 Playoffs
Boston d. Rochester 3-2
Washington d. Boston 4-2
The Eastern Conference Champs knew the playoffs would be a fight in every round. Boston survived a Game 5 elimination game against Rochester. In the Conference Semifinals, Washington was looking to get payback on Boston from last season. Boston was looking sharp, with a 2-1 series lead. But, Hainge was lost for the playoffs, with an injury. Many Washington people feel it’s only right that Hainge got injured – Dominik Lang had an injury during last year’s conference championship.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Dave Short
Rookie Game: Danny Hainge
All-WBA: Dave Short (2nd)
SEASON 8
Record: 42-38, #7 seed
Last season, Boston probably should have considered trading either Sims or Kumanchik. Sims & Kumanchik couldn’t both get the minutes they wanted, and a future pick would have more than compensated for it. On the day of the Season 8 draft, Boston was involved in a three way trade, where they received Mike Taylor and relinquished Jerry Sims and the #24 pick.
Season 8 Draft
No picks
Trading for Mike Taylor was a mistake. Giving up the #24 pick was a mistake. Taylor had a salary of $6 million, which gave Boston very little cap room to re-sign Jerry Kumanchik. Not surprisingly, Kumanchik fled to New York. The trade with Taylor and Sims ruined any chance for Boston to get new young talent, or affordable/productive talent.
Boston was not impressed with Charlie Daidone’s work ethic in the off-season. So, most of his minutes went to Danny Hainge. With Daidone in the final year of his contract, and Boston in no need of someone playing 14 minutes a game for one more season, Boston gave him away to Carolina for two 2nd round picks. After the Daidone trade, Boston’s passing game suffered even more; the team averaged fewer than 20 assists per game. Sheldon Maloney was second on the team in assists, with 2.6 a game – while playing 38 minutes a night. In addition, when Hainge was injured, Boston would start SG/SF Gannon Moore at point. The team could only hope Yeager and Short would do their normal load of work, and that Hainge would stay healthy. Boston’s game plan was get the ball to the big boys (Jim Wilson included) and hope the other players could get to the foul line. All five of the starters were lethal from the charity stripe. In one game against Omaha, the team made 51 of 54 free throw attempts. But, when the end of the regular season came, Boston finished with a disappointing 42-38 record.
Season 8 Playoffs
Albacete d. Boston 3-2
As a #7 seed, Boston actually like their chances in the first round. Albacete only has big scoring threat – Harry Jarvis. If Boston could contain him, they would have a chance. Jarvis can create a lot of fouls, so Boston put a very patient Joe Menendez on him. Boston played about as well as they could, but still came up short. It was a challenging 5 game series for the defending champs.
AWARDS
All-Stars: Dave Short
All-Defense: Sheldon Maloney (3rd)
SEASON 9 / TEMPORADA 9 (by P. del Pino)
Preseason / Pretemporada
Boston’s nineth season in the WBA was an important landmark in the history of this franchise. Cory Bowen, Massacre’s owner, had opened negotiations to sell his team. However, it all remained top-secret so as not to provoke any crisis that could affect the performance of the players or disturb the relationship between the club and its fanbase. Therefore the main objective was clear: business as usual. Nevertheless, that did not imply any lack of activity in the transfer market.
La novena temporada de Boston en la WBA iba a marcar un antes y un después en la trayectoria de esta histórica franquicia. Cory Bowen, propietario de los Massacre, había iniciado conversaciones para una posible venta del equipo. Sin embargo, todo se había mantenido en el más alto secreto con objeto de no generar ninguna crisis que pudiera afectar al rendimiento de los jugadores ni enturbiar la relación de la entidad con la masa social. Así que el primer objetivo era claro: normalidad. Sin embargo, eso nunca significó pasividad a la hora de reforzar la plantilla.
Regular Season / Temporada Regular
In a move that provoked great controversy in the Boston sports media, Massacre offered the Gabon Giants, the veteran center Jim Wilson, the promising newcomer Marty Feldman, Boston’s first round pick in season 10 draft plus 1 million in cash for legendary player from Tatum, NM, Magic Toby. The stage was set, in a league where the rebounding and defensive ability is ever more important, the Massacre Board, still believed in the scoring talent of a player who, despite his undoubted quality, didn’t seem to be able to fit in any franchise, after having been with 4 different teams in his previous 6 seasons as a professional. The Boston board, determined to use Toby’s technical skills, feels forced to play him as shooting guard, nothing to do with his natural position of power foward/center. Whilst the team did not suffer because of this, neither did it give the expected improvement in quality. In Cory Bowen’s final attempt to turn the team into something more than a mere playoff dreamers, Boston sends Camron Diaz, Sheldon Maloney and several draft picks to New York in exchange for the one-time league’s best player John Greene. The fans were hopeful about what an injury-prone man, whose quality was beyond all doubt, could bring to the team. After this season’s last trade, the final piece of the team’s jigsaw was in place for the playoffs or more. Danny Hainge at point guard supported by former Paris University player Hank Pynn, the versatile Toby playing at shooting guard, Greene taking charge of the small forward with Art Campbell, and the legendary duo Dave Short and Bill Yeager with a mission to stop the opposition’s big men.
En un movimiento que en su momento provocó una gran controversia en los medios deportivos de Boston, los Massacre ofrecieron a los Gigantes de Gabon, el veterano pivot Jim Wilson, la joven promesa Marty Feldman, la primera elección de Boston en el draft de la temporada 10 más un millón en metálico a cambio del legendario jugador de Tatum, NM, Magic Toby. La polémica estaba servida, en una liga donde el poder reboteador y defensivo aumentaba año tras año, los directores deportivos de los Massacre, apostaban por el talento anotador de un jugador que, aunque su calidad estaba fuera de toda duda, no parecía encontrar su hueco en la liga, como lo demostraba el hecho de haber estado en 4 equipos diferentes en las 6 temporadas que llevaba como profesional. La dirección técnica de Boston, empeñada en aprovechar las cualidades técnicas de Toby, se ve obligada a situarle de escolta, muy alejado de su puesto natural de Ala-Pivot. El equipo no sufría por este hecho pero tampoco dio el esperado salto de calidad que marcara la diferencia. En un último intento por parte de Cory Bowen de llevar al equipo a algo más que a ser un mero aspirante a los play-offs, Boston manda Camron Diaz, Sheldon Maloney y varias elecciones del draft a New York a cambio del que una vez fuera el mejor jugador de la liga, John Greene. Los fans se mostraban expectantes sobre lo que podría aportar el equipo un hombre tan maltratado por las lesiones, pero cuya calidad quedaba fuera de toda duda. Tras este último movimiento de la temporada, el equipo quedó finalmente configurado en su camino hacia los play-offs y en principio a algo más. Danny Hainge de base apoyado por el ex-jugador de la Universidad de Paris Hank Pynn, el sorprendente Toby llevaba las labores de escolta, Greene se hacía cargo junto a Art Campbell del puesto de alero pequeño, y la legendaria pareja Dave Short y Bill Yeager se cuidaban de parar a los hombres altos de los equipos contrarios.
Play-offs
Masacre reached the playoffs clearly with a record of 45-35. But the worst was yet to come. Boston’s first round rival were their bogey team, the Brooklyn Rage, led by Rondall Reynoso. The fans’ worst fears came true. Brooklyn thrashed Boston mercilessly 3-0, including an injury to John Greene, whose poor body said “enough” in the first game of the series, where the Rage defense was dominant. It was the end of an era for the Masacre franchise, Cory Bowen finally abandoned the ship, leaving behind him an uncertain future.
Los Massacre alcanzaron claramente los play-offs con un record de 45-35. Pero lo peor estaba por venir. El rival de los de Boston en primera ronda era una de sus bestias negras, los Rage de Brooklyn, comandados por Rondall Reynoso. Los peores augurios de los fans se hicieron realidad. Brooklyn arrasó sin piedad a Boston por 3-0, con lesión inlcuida de John Greene, cuyo maltrecho cuerpo dijo basta en el primer partido de las series, donde la defensa de los Rage fue contundente. Se acababa un ciclo en la franquicia de los Massacre, Cory Bowen finalmente abandonaba la nave y tras de sí dejaba un futuro cuanto menos incierto.
Key stats (regular season) / Estadísticas destacables (temporada regular)
PTS: Dave Short 22.4 – Bill Yeager 20.7
REB: Dave Short 10.5 – Bill Yeager 7.0
A: Danny Hainge 5.5 – Magic Toby 4.6
BLK: Bill Yeager 2.5 – Magic Toby 1.8
STL: John Greene 2.4 – Danny Hainge 2.2
SEASON 10
Part 1 of 3 – Hainge and the Free agency
Still in charge of the franchise, Cory Bowen decided to take the risk of giving Danny Hainge Free Agent status, hoping to renew his contract under better conditions for the organization. While a Free Agent, Danny Hainge was believed to have received tempting offers from a variety of other teams, especially the Texas Juggers, who were looking for the final piece in their championship jigsaw. Finally, as expected, Danny Hainge re-signed with Boston on a contract of $8,50 for 8 years, clearly showing that the team will rely on him in the future. The rest of Boston’s Free Agency signings were Herman Burke, Felipe Juarez, Pedro Otis, Bennie Armstrong, Lou Boone and Michael Huryta.
Part 2 of 3 – Cory Bowen quits and what now for John Greene?
Following Cory Bowen’s unexpected sale of the team and departure to Rio’s Carnival, the rest of league owners were wondering why he had made so many Free Agency signings if his intention was to quit the team so soon. This probably explains why Boston had such a bad season. The new owner del Pino inheritated a team clearly over the salary cap. Trying to kill two birds with one stone and forced by the circumstances of the market, John Greene was traded to New York for Jimmy Foster. Boston therefore regained a true Point Guard and at the same time cut their payroll. But still Boston needed another trade to get themselves under the salary cap. The legendary Bill Yeager was traded to Cape Town for George Holt. These deals concluded the preseason transfer activity.
Part 3 of 3 – Season is over after Day 40, here is the next season
Things didn’t work out as planned after the complicated preseason. Jimmy Foster, Danny Hainge, Magic Toby, Dave Short and George Holt made up the starting five. Foster was no longer the player he once was and Toby scored points but had no rebounds. Defeat followed defeat and by halfway Boston had no chance at all. The planning for next season got under way. John Greene came back from New York in exchange for Jimmy Foster and Art Campbell. Felipe Juarez went to Roswell in exchange for Ajani Valentine. Matthew Pitcher came from Cancun in exchange for a first round draft pick. Magic Toby went to Albacete in exchange for Jim Donnelly. And Lou Boone and Bennie Armstrong left for Alaska. The idea of the new project was clear, a team of rebounders and defenders built around the franchise player, Danny Hainge.