Hoops

BA announce 7 team Elite Competition

I was listening to Larry talking to radio fiveaa , yesterday at about 5.10pm, for about 10mins , and his other phone rang out.

LA Boy, you'll find that people are generally idiots.

They think if you post to follow a certain model, that we will follow ALL of it and not just take WHAT WILL WORK FOR US.

I would put my money that a 15+ team that plays 40 min games and allows up tempo play due to a dilution of Aussie talent across the board would be sweet.

And two teams in Perth and Adelaide would be frickin awesome.

How about this....

Look at a successful model, in this case the NBA, and MODEL yourself on it.

Some time ago, the NBA realised it was better to market the stars and not the teams. People will follow teams regardless, its called patriotism and 9 times out of 10 you will follow your local team.

To get extra interest, promote the players on rival teams that supporters can have a vested interest in.

I know for me, when the Sixers are done, i'm done. Couldn't care less about the other teams.

The NBA stretched out the number of teams, diluted the talent pool so that teams would each have one real superstar, that every play would run through and that player was marketed to the masses, not just within their city.

A diluted talent pool also meant that the star players could also take advantage of some weaker players who sneak into the league. (Kobe v Toronto?)

The result? My Jazz said goodbye long ago, i'm still 100% into the finals because of the players i know and like from other teams.

7 team comp will be terrible. The teams will be stacked, the play slow and boring.

We need a 15+ team comp that will give us the star per team and the diluted talent pool to make them shine.

Two teams in Perth and Adelaide so we can have some local rivalry for once.

I couldn't care less that melbourne aren't in the 7 team comp, my team is and I'll be supporting them all the way. Get over the negative and lets focus on the positives like Wortho and Anstey don't have a team to play for and that the Breakers should be the favourites for the title lol

Knox Team,

"Unfortunately the 09/10 season will just be another year of lost money making it hard for these teams continue when the REAL reform happens- hardly a positive outcome for the sport id say."

As a fan of the 36ers (1 of around 6000, or 1 of around 25,000 is you count the other 6 teams as well), you are forgetting the huge positive that comes out of this for them. They get to continue their love and support of the league. As a person mindful of the welfare of the players, the positive is that around 80 of them will have a job. 7 head coaches and a dozen or so assistants will also be employed. Administration staff will keep their jobs. People that make money from game nights like caterers, cleaners, security personnel, court announcers, hospitality staff etc etc etc will have work.

Its obvious you follow the same mentality that the Melbourne clubs follow and that is to think only about themselves and do things following there own rules to ensure their success and the downfall of others. Well the message that came out of the announcements made today is that passion for the sport is always going to win over the greed of certain club owners.

I thought the whole plan was to blow up the NBL and start with something completely different. Not this hybrid fix it on the go. I feel zero confidence in Sengstock and Gaze. Why are these guys running the freaking league? Gaze especially just doesn't seem that sharp at all. I was stuck behind the man at the local noodle shop and he couldn't even make his freaken mind up when ordering; holding up the whole que it was maddening. The man is too wound up in how amazing he was in the league and he and Sengstock are too scared to blow it up because then it diminishes their achievements. Why does the head of the board need to be an NBL player, I want someone with a business and marketing clue.

The 1m guarantee is not required at all, it is completely naive. The most important thing is that the NBL is familiar with the balance sheets of all teams and feel confident they have adequate equity, this is a judgement call not a fixed amount. They need to focus intently on the monthly p&l's of these teams and make sure their forecasts and cash flows make sense. When alarm bells ring they need to step in, there can't be any last minute surprises like there has been in the past.

An NBL can't exist without representation in the three major markets. Otherwise there will be no TV coverage, no news coverage and no marketing money. To me they need to focus on 8 teams and major population centres. I don't give a crap that some little town gets a good turn up. Small markets aren't going to keep the league going. They need to get some sort of audience of mass (although small mass) or they will never be able to generate the marketing and tv cash to keep the comp viable.

Is there a strategy at all? It seems like things are just getting bolted together on the fly. Screw next year, what is the five year plan, ten year plan? How much money do we need to get this league working properly? How do we generate that kind of money (TV, marketing)? How do we come to an agreement with a naming rights sponsor that has a realistic understanding in the level of exposure the league can provide right now and is willing to commit for at least three years. Are these guys thinking about this stuff? It pisses me off because I love basketball and want it to be sucessful in this country.

Anyway I didn't mean to write that much.

day 1 hasn't started yet....

reading thru all this stuff, what is so interesting is the people with the same views...stay strong and stuff the teams who are wanting out...

well done to BA for now having the balls....but they must now stay strong, and support the teams who have showed faith from day 1.

Man the Melbourne players just look after themselves, Anstey and Wortho think its the end of the world because there clubs dont exist,just listened to anstey on sen.com.au i agree with boti on that issue, it can easily happen the tigers had one of the smaller attendances or atleast no better than average, the top crowd pullers are still in!
The players and owners themselves have to take responsibility, if anstey n wortho were not demandin so much $$$ clubs may be able to turn a profit and if they got out and promoted it more they may have got more sponsors for the league and clubs, and the owners like mcpeake pretty much ran the old nbl, look what happened to that, so instead of taking responsibility they just blame others, good on BA for not letting them do that again and not giving in to their demands, the new league wont be much different, just less teams, most of the same players and coaches will be involved many just will be paid less, which is what needs to happen as many have mentioned before.

IMO you can see Boti has been reading this board....plenty of opinion similar to ours....which is good....

Thanks for your reply LA Boy. If I assume you are correct, it is intriguing that the Tigers could make a profit, when teams like the Sixers, for example, who have far better crowd numbers year in and year out, and presumably have spent less on their players, cannot remain viable.

I think I have heard someone talk about how the Tigers model relies heavily on sponsorship rather than gate takings, so perhaps that is what is happening.

If this is the case, however, then you have to wonder whether the Tigers model is one that can work in smaller cities and regional centres where there are less sponsorship dollars available? Certainly Adelaide can't seem to cover costs with current sponsorship and gate takings.

In the end, the league needs to set up a structure where ALL of its teams (not just the Tigers) can field competitive line-ups without making a loss every season. Hopefully BA can finally take us down that road.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25467290-12428,00.html

If it hasnt allready posted, this article by boti is a great read, u agree with Boti on this one!

Im with Loco cant wait to see the new league and just pumped that the 36ers are in!!!
Better than no league guys, they need to take baby steps forward!

I'd post something, but it'd just be exactly what Isaac replied.

One happy camper here - can't wait to support the league and get me some tickets.

BTW i think sengstock will also be on the show shortly

Just heard Anstey he spoke abit along the lines of Worthington, he said he probably wont play for 12 months as he doesnt want to move due to family, which is fair enough.
Obviously the Tigers and Dragons players are not happy, surely the players as i said need to realize that bagging BA is not useful for anyone! if you have constructive criticism say it to them privately not tarnish the product that has made you wealthy!
Smyth mentioned there maybe a association team coming out of victoria and said after the interview that his view was obviously melbourne centred and he didnt seem to feel it is as bad as anstey was saying, but he didnt overly express an opinion.

KG and Phil Smyth have spoken to Chris Anstey , today at about 3.30. I didn't hear it - but would be interesting.

Yea i agree with Isaacs assessment on Seamus.
He needs to now leave the sport alone if he isnt going to enter a team. Its time to put up or shut up for everyone.
Out of the 2 id let the dragons back in earlier, atleast Cowan doesnt publicly bag the league as much as others, he has put alot of time and effort into marketing the league and his team the last few seasons and it seems he was all for the next season he got stuck when his partner pulled his funds, maybe he will be able to afford to run a lower budget team himself??
With Worthington and the players they need to stop bagging BA, even if they dont agree with their decisions say it to them privately not publicly, they have to realise the more investors/sponsors that the league/clubs attracts the more money will end up in their pockets, they should be out selling it as positively as possible. Them bagging it out is like a sales man earning commission bagging out the product he is selling and still expecting to earn big money. Sanctions should be slapped on anyone including Seamus who bags BA publicly for now on, sure Seamus can say im not in the league and not pay, but make it a condition that the fine is to be fully paid before he is able to have a direct role in a nbl club again, for Seamus make it $1 million, he still has a fine owing from the finals and constantly talks about his deep pockets if it means he never re-enters well so be it, same could go with players along with boomers suspensions, so there are still sanctions available.
Worthington was a interesting one, i thought he was a great guy by volenteering to help out Wheeler with the charity game and showing up, having fun and giving the fans some entertainment, it was him who got wheels his dunk also, he sorta undid this the other day with his comments, but i think his goodwill and quality as a player will hold him ok in most peoples eyes if he from now on makes no more negative comments and doesnt bag people like gaze and BA publicly, and plays well should he chose to stay in Australia. I think most fans, me included, hated him bagging his sport and australian basketballs greatest player in Gaze.

Anyways i look forward to the new league and hope all fans get behind it to support the owners and thank them for taking the risk in keeping their teams alive and giving us a top quality league to follow!

The Tigers have been profitable in previous seasons, but last year suffered badly due to the loss of two major sponsors and a drop in crowds.

LA Boy, a little earlier, Isaac said that the Tigers and Dragons also lost money in 08/09. So which of you is right?

I'd be very interested to know which, if any clubs, have made a profit, in any of the last six years?

I'm guessing there will be very few examples of profitable seasons. Can anyone enlighten me? Because I have read a lot of conflicting information, and I think if we all knew more about how much clubs were making/ losing each season, we would all be able to reach a more informed view on the type of league that can currently be supported financially.

As I have said earlier, I tend to lean more towards a return to a lower cost, semi-professional league. But if someone can show me how a fully professional league with a $1 million plus cap would be successful in today's economic climate, by all means go ahead!

BG's Resume:

Player - Tigers (Withdrawn)
Assistant Coach - Geelong (Folded)
Coach - Eastside Melbourne (Folded)
Coach - Magic (Folded)
Coach - Titans (Folded)
Coach - Sydney (Folded)
Coach - Dragons (Withdrawn)

Who's next?

Maybe teams will make money when their fans bother to rock up and see a potential victory, instead of a guaranteed Tigers or Dragons win.

I would say that if another Melb consortium put in a proposal to enter, then they would have to have a clause in there that they would be the only Melb team for minimum 5 years, stopping any competition for fans and allow them to gain a decent fan base.

Fans may be fickle and stay away, but basketball lovers will join no matter the team..

Well done to BA for not caving in, they were often critisiced for letting the Mcpeakes controll the league and minipulate to his benefit, last few years tigers rosters was an example of this, and they pretty much sent teams broke who were tryin to compete but didnt have as much $$$.
I think Sengstock has shown he wont be pushed around and finally tigers and dragons have been shown no one is bigger than the league and they cant hold it to ransom cos everyone else will continue without them. At the end of the day they are now basketball clubs with no league to play, as what competition are they going to join in Australia??
I doubt they would be able to start there own and get enough investors unless they put up the funds for several clubs each, which would cost stacks of $$$
I look forward to the 7 team league, possibly a few add ins and the 19 grandfinalists being spread round the league in theory 2-3 each should make each club stronger on the court, we could end up with a stronger more balanced competition!

I really think this a decent way to go...without the game going ahead we would have been in a poor way, unable to retain players..coaches would be looking at different options...

as i have said before, this is a 10 tear project to get things on the sort of track required for a national comp...a rule from this that Larry and his board has sent is we will not be bullied by anyone, any team, any time...we will run the comp...dont like it...dont play!

now they sit out, they have lost any power in the negotiations...$1M buy back in for them...abide by the rules and there voice on the boards have been reduced..
..i have been in support of the BA from the get go...never show yr hand, and never show weakness...BA have done this so far...

Might there be an opportunity for a Melbourne based community club to join? Dandenong or another big club might get on board. Two teams worth of sponsors no longer have that money tied up (Haier, Dodo, Crazy Johns etc.), who knows.

Keep some people in a job for a while, we might even get some good recruits from the melbourne clubs

Make that 19 players. Wortho can go and (Mod: Beep!) himself.

Alamo, I don't know who you are trying to defend basketball to and don't know why you need to. Basketball is for the people that are passionate about the sport and don't need to be defended. You can only hope that it will attract a lot more by providing a great product. I believe the best decision has been made in view of the fact that I never supported the new $1m guarantee and the hardship it was presenting to club owners. At least this way that fans don't have to take a 1 year break, they don't have to put up with a lesser 2nd tier setup and players can continue earning an income in their trade. I believe with 7 teams the quality should increase without the need to pay over the top dollars to a select few. They can either take it or lump it considering the opportunities have decreased for them. Some of these select few that had been paid over the top in the past are from the Melbourne teams so whilst they were happy to take what they could while it lasted, the clubs have opted not to continue for this coming season. Their opportunities have changed.

What about Fox?

I'm rapped they are going ahead but i'm gonna wanna watch some of it.

What makes you say that Paul?

Good chance it will end up as more than a seven team comp before tip off.