- 1975-76 Baltimore Claws season
NBA season
team = Baltimore Claws
end_year = 1976
wins = 0
losses = 0
division = Eastern
division_place = n/a
conf_place = n/a
coach =Joe Mullaney
arena = Baltimore Civic Arena
playoffs = n/aThe 1975-76American Basketball Association season saw the demise of theBaltimore Claws franchise.Offseason
Draft picks
Preseason transactions
On August 27, 1975 the
Memphis Sounds franchise was dismantled and sold to a group of Baltimore businessmen headed by David Cohan. The franchise moved to Baltimore. It was first called theBaltimore Hustlers but the league objected to the name so the team was quickly rechristened as theBaltimore Claws . [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/TeamMaterial/MemphisMaterial/BuccaneersRosters2.html Remember the ABA: New Orleans Buccaneers Year-to-Year Rosters ] ]On September 19, 1975 the Claws obtained star center
Dan Issel from theKentucky Colonels , the team that won the 1975 ABA Championship.The Claws also traded guard
Rick Mount to theUtah Stars for guards Joe Hamilton and Tim VanBlommesteyn. The Claws signedSkip Wise , the 6'3" star guard fromClemson University who the prior year became the first freshman ever to be named First Team All-ACC while averaging 18.9 points per game. [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Baltimore-Claws.html Remember the ABA: Baltimore Claws ] ]Preseason exhibition games
The Claws played their first game, a preseason exhibition, in
Salisbury, Maryland onOctober 9 , 1975 against theVirginia 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 inCherry Hill, New Jersey .On October 17, 1975 the Claws played the Squires again, this time at Knott Arena, Mt. St. Mary's College, Emmitsburg, Maryland. The Squires won 100-88 in front of approximately 500 spectators.http://www.remembertheaba.com/Baltimore-Claws.html [ [http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAStatistics/ABANBAExhibitions.html Remember the ABA: ABA vs. NBA Exhibition Game Results ] ]
Demise
The Claws only managed to sign up 300 season ticket holders. The franchise constantly had money problems. On October 16, 1975 ABA Commissioner
Dave DeBusschere gave the Claws four days to send $500,000 to the ABA league office as a "performance bond" for team operations. While their players went unpaid, the Claws sent $250,000 of this amount. On October 20, 1975, five days before the start of the 1975-76 regular season, the ABA folded the Baltimore Claws.Regular season
The Claws folded prior to the start of the regular season.
Roster
*
George Carter
*Mel Daniels
* Scott English
*Joe Hamilton
*Stew Johnson
*Bob Rhodes
*Dave Robisch
*Skip Rozenski
*Paul Ruffner
*Ron Styles
*Claude Terry
*Tim VanBlommesteyn
*Chuck Williams
*Skip Wise The above would have been the Baltimore Claws' regular season roster had the team continued into regular season play.
eason standings
eason standings
1975-76 Baltimore Claws season
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-! colspan=2 style="color:#0000FF" | [http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/KEN/1974_games.html 1973–74 Schedule]
Player statistics
Legend
* GP: Games played
* GS: Games started
* MPG: Minutes per game
* FG%: Field goal percentage
* 3FG%: 3-point field goal percentage
* FT%:
* RPG: Rebounds per game
* APG: Assists per game
* SPG: Steals per game
* BPG: Blocks per game
* PPG: Points per game
eason
Playoffs
Awards and records
Awards
Records
Transactions
Draft and preseason signings
Signed
Drafted:
* Lonnie Shelton (stayed in college)
* Rich Kelley (signed with NBA's
* Terry Furlow (stayed in college)
Trades
* September 19, 1975: traded
* September 1975: traded Dan Issel to the
* Traded
* Alex English (
* Joe Hamilton (
* Stew Johnson (
* Dave Robisch (
* Paul Ruffner (
* Claude Terry (
* Chuck Williams (
External links
* [http://www.remembertheaba.com/Baltimore-Claws.html RememberTheABA.com Baltimore Claws page]
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