"The war is on!" So declared Jack Dolph, commissioner of the American Basketball Association, after the breakdown of last year's merger talks with the rival National Basketball Association. Dolph's plan of attack: "To raid any and all talent from any and all leagues." The N.B.A., which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, responded in kind, ambushing the four-year-old A.B.A. at every turn. The result has been a series of messy battles that make pro basketball's Greco-Roman skirmishes under the boards look like child's play.
Last week's N.B.A. draft was a case in point. The...
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