OK--so these two tycoons get together and plan an intricate deal to make each other happy. That's legitimate in the business world; but then the NBA, supposedly the organization with its sights set towards sports first, steps in and approves this self-centered swindle by a 21-1 margin.

So the NBA board of governors just reminds the public that it is an organization of wealthy businessmen who care about money; financial security and personal happiness before they give regard to the sporting world.

Look at the trade they approved. Never mind that San Diego is a city that has failed to support two past basketball franchises; personnel-wise, the trade is a big joke. Brown walked off with all the goods for his Celtics and left Irv Levin with nothing but nice coast weather.

Expensive

The Celts get money players Nate Archibald, Marvin Barnes and Billy Knight--albeit, with a lot of question marks--while San Diego gets a good deal in terms of quantity, but little in the way of first-rate quality.

Bowie Kuhn would probably have had a seizure if someone presented that trade to him and labelled it "in the best interests" of the sport.

So the NBA board of governors sits back like a bunch of foolish yes-men and watches two tycoons manipulate their organiztion. Well, that's their problem because it undermines their credibility as a spearhead for a professional sports association.

But this trade does not only cast a bad light on the board of governors; it dramatized the real problems behind the billion-dollar expansion of professional sports.

For all the animosity and public scorn John Y. Brown generated during his short tenure as the Buffalo owner, he did make one statement that points to the heart of the business dilemma in sports.

In an "open letter to Buffalo" that Brown released to the Buffalo Courier-Express July 8, Brown hit the woeful facet of this whole trade. In his letter, he wrote:

"Unless you're the only pro game in town or unless your city is populated in the multi-millions, the average ticket price is $7 and season ticket cost of $350 has priced it self out of reach of a large segment of fans. This is not necessarily the fault of the owners, players, cities, but rather it's all part of the American system of free enterprise.

"The loser in all this is the fan. He's the ultimate one to either lose his team or have to pay the expense of the sport."

That's it, Mr. Brown. Big-business sports is leaving disaster for the fans. Multibillion dollar television contracts, and million-dollar players are driving sports into skyrocketing financial straits.

Now for New York, or Boston or Los Angeles, that's fine. Those cities are big enough to encompass a wealthy population of prospective fans. But John Y. Brown had to abandon Lousiville, the city he said he really wanted to move to, because the wealthy market to support the team just wasn't there.

It's the small city and the middle-class fan that get trampled in this financial whirlwind.

Maybe John Y. Brown and the Celtics won't make off with such a great deal. Red Auerbach just may leave the organization for New York. Maybe Dave Cowens will follow Red out the front door, as is suspected currently. Maybe Dave Cowens and/or JoJo White will follow Red out the front door, as is also suspected, currently. Maybe then, the Boston fans will scorn the new ownership and Brown's dreams will go up in smoke. Maybe San Diego will again fail to support the new team and this whole affair will be one large, sad joke.

But whether all of that or none of it transpires, the wound has already been salted. Once more, owners have reminded the public--the fans--that professional sports are increasingly growing subservient to big bucks. That is both a sad and disillusioning state of affairs.