Calgary's professional basketball team should be hitting the floor soon. That is, if it can find a floor to hit.

Despite resounding optimism from everyone involved, the lack of a playing surface is only one of many hurdles the fledgling club still has to overcome.

Calgary Drillers GM Ruby Richman said yesterday the American Basketball Association's Cowtown expansion squad is still pondering whether to buy or rent a court for its Saddledome home opener Dec. 27.

That Saddledome lease, by the way, also isn't finalized and adds to the heap of question marks that surround the club's existence.

For months, the details have been sketchy regarding the team's inaugural ABA season while changes to schedules and venues, rumblings about financial shortcomings and frustrating delays have made the team's fate in Calgary anything but a slam dunk.

Head coach Otis Hailey has been grooming some 13 players for the coming season, yesterday putting the team through a two-hour workout at Rundle College while Richman plans to add three former NBA players to the roster by this weekend.

The Drillers, owned by a group of local businessmen, have a website startlingly short on details while there are other question marks surrounding the club's future.

The club still isn't on the ABA website's 2004-05 schedule, although listed among teams in the Red (West) Division that started play three weeks ago.

The Drillers' division is led by Utah's entry that has already won its first seven games while Calgary's squad still doesn't have a date or destination for its first contest.

One of some two dozen expansion teams the ABA added after last season, the Drillers were supposed to hit the court Nov. 15 but have been saddled by numerous setbacks.

Richman, a member of the Canadian basketball hall of fame, insists, despite the many details that have yet to be finalized, the club will open on the road later this month and will soon begin selling tickets for the home unveiling.

"We're going to be playing at the Saddledome -- we expect to sign a lease there on Monday -- we've secured office space on 10th Ave., and expect to be in there on Monday or Tuesday," Richman said. "I've been working diligently the last few days bringing players in and we're starting to assemble some of the better players that we hope to use during the season."

Richman is reluctant to name the prospects prior to their arrival but said three former NBA talents, ranging in size from 6-ft. 10-in. to 7-ft. 3-in., are expected to join the team as early as today, including former 1999 NBA first-round draft pick Leon Smith.

According to Richman, the absence of NHL games in the Saddledome this winter has made the Drillers even more determined to launch this season, even though the club could have used more time to hammer out details.

"That's one of the main reasons we've been pushing so hard to get it to go this year as opposed to waiting a year," Richman said.

"We'd like to play as much as possible on the weekends because we see the high school and college kids as our target audience, so we'll try to get as many weekend dates as we can."

An added incentive for the scheduled home opener against the visiting Orange County Crush is the possibility former Chicago Bulls bad boy Dennis Rodman could bring his act to town.

Rodman has signed on to only play Crush home dates but the Drillers say they are negotiating with Rodman's agent to have the controversial hoops icon on hand that night.

Richman also said the Drillers' 36-game schedule won't be finalized until Monday or Tuesday but the league assures local fans Calgary's tardy ABA entry is legitimate.

"They have in place their entire operation," said Joe Newman, chairman of the 35-team minor-league loop, by phone. "They've already got their offices, their venue and their dates that they'll be announcing very soon. They've got their team that's ready to play and we've even got scheduled dates."

Although some of the questions surrounding the Drillers have been answered, one remains.

Will Calgary, which over the past two decades had relatively successful clubs in both the World Basketball League and National Basketball League, again embrace pro hoops?

The Drillers will have to get on the floor for anyone to find out.