Hoops

Does the league need to step in and bail out the Hawks?

As a Cats fan, I am pleased that they went out and addressed the weakness in their aging core, and provided a buffer for the future. And they didn't do anything other teams haven't done.
And obviously its a win-win for Kay and Norton.

But how are the Hawks supposed to compete when their players simply get filched because they don't have the money to retain them.

Bevo and even McLeod did well over the years despite being behind the other teams financially, but I fear that now the gap is growing.

Job going at Hawks - https://au.indeed.com/cmp/SKS-Telecommunications-Pty-Ltd/jobs/Corporate-Sales-Executive-51ebd1e409fabf4d?q=Executive&vjs=3

Is it silly to suggest that the Illawarra Hawks drop only the Illawarra bit and re-locate. And, for the hell of it, I am going to put up a case for the NT.

I am not a Territorian but have heard smidges of what happens in Darwin basketball. Apparantly (applies to any and all of the following) they have mini Asian tournies, run some quality basketball festivals etc. Don't know anyth re their local standards but if a team was relocated then several curent players would get to go. What, shift the whole team? Well, the vast majority of most teams' rosters would not be locals either. So not out of the question but I admit, it would be a hurdle but so is staying as Illawarra.

Top reason for me though, is that the NT has no national sporting representation (as far as I know, anyway) so it just may work. The NT "ROCKERS" to honour their iconic Uluru, Crocs is obviously out. Jackaroos? Drovers? nah! Desert Rats (would possibly need RSL appro). A national sports team for NT/Darwin. Or Alice Springs, then we could call then anything from "Wonderland" (possibly where I belong!!?).

Sydney remove Gazeand replace him with Bevo.

Trust me, they admitted being bandwagoners. It may be a NSW issue, i.e. poor NRL crowds, low crowds even when Kings three-peated under Goorjian.

"All the fans told you that did they?"

No. The rest weren't there because they were waiting on the finals games.

I've been to Wollongong for away games. The fans all admitted to me they only come out for finals and not interested in season memberships. What can you do?

I guess the point is whether you can have a sustainable team in Wollongong? However that money comes in.
I'd suggest they need to do both. Inject some cash to get them some talent, AND put the hard word on fans. Turn up, or say goodbye.

Still around ;-)

That's a possible alternative.

Shut down Illawarra.

Allow them to make a case for a return to the NBL years later.

Other examples.

Sydney.
Brisbane.

It doesn't matter if the Hawks win the championship every year if their fans don't support them. The NBL is a business and as such it doesn't make sense to keep propping teams up forever. Maybe if LK gave the Hawks a timeline e.g. 2-3 years to be viable or you will be relocated or removed from the league then it might rally the community. When Clay Bennett moved the Seattle Supersonics they were one of the worst attended teams in the league which is why it made sense to move them, but when the move came and ever since theres been a push for a team to relocate back to Seattle or an expansion team to be placed there.

"What to do with the only original team left in the league? Sure just kick them out. Who cares hey? LK has already shown that history means nothing to him. "

So the league should continue to prop them up forever, because history?

"Make no mistake, the Hawks are not alone in making no money out of the current model. The only difference is they don't have someone willing to shell out for the short fall. "

Another difference... FANS ARE NOT TURNING UP TO THE GAMES. The Hawks fans have some blame here. If you're not going to turn up to games don't expect a team and don't expect some investor to see the potential in investing in something that no one seems to care about.

Illawarra fans are like the kid with the toy who only cares about the toy when they see another kid play with it. You wont bother going to games, but be damned if anyone will take your precious Hawks away. Either put your money where your mouth is or stop holding the league back.

I don't want the Hawks to go.

They are a team with a proud tradition and often punching above their weight, their presence in the league is generally a good thing.

However, if their fan base continue to show a little regard for supporting their team, and the team is in a constant state of loss with half empty stadiums, it might be better for the league to let the Hawks go.

The league cannot continue to prop them up if they are not willing to do the hard yards to promote themselves. It's not that hard to fill such a small stadium.

What to do with the only original team left in the league? Sure just kick them out. Who cares hey? LK has already shown that history means nothing to him.

Make no mistake, the Hawks are not alone in making no money out of the current model. The only difference is they don't have someone willing to shell out for the short fall.

If the league was doing as well as everyone suggests, this wouldn't be an issue. But again, its all a show.

It would be unfortunate if the league loses its only original team, ideally keep the hawks name and share games with Canberra. Obviously base all staff in one place. Its only a 2.5 hr drive and 8 games a year in each place may actually mean theres a greater turnout. Southern Sydney has a good basketball history in St George region and the red n white NRL team shares those two homes but theres no basketball stadiums big enough in sydney outside of homebush.

Hawks 1979-present, 40 years in the NBL. The only original club left. Take that capital city haters!

I believe the ticket prices have come down this season which is good and might not be known by the public

I dont think anybody calling for the Hawks to be thrown out is because of a 40 point loss to Perth. That isnt the issue at all. Its the fact they consistently, game after game, that they fail to get anywhere near 3000 people showing up to support them.

It would be unfair to expect them to pack out their venue each week with the up and down squads that they get each year due to a shoe string budget, but it would be reasonable to expect on various occasions (such as their season opener against the champs on a Friday night) to at least draw 3500 to games like that.

Over the last 10 years, which has included a few grand final appearances, how many games did the Hawks get over 3000? And even that is a very low base to start from.

Its not an overreaction. Its a genuine concern for a club that has for so long now been unable to gather a respectable level of support.

A massive overraction for sure, but ME/Ivan Drago makes a pretty solid point in that what SHOULD be a concern is the attendance to their first home game against the reigning champs... That number is NOT good enough and is continuing the poor attendance trend and I can seriously see them going down Townsville's path, which would be a disappointment, both as an opposing fan and a fan of NBL in general...

That too. The last time they got beat by 40 in Perth, they went on to make the playoffs.

The over reaction is stupid considering Hawks have been getting thumped in Perth since forever. Despite totally different ownership and players they never show up out west. They would be by far the worst performing team in Perth.

Clearly Dazz didn't watch the game in Illawarra.

Can we just not massively overreact to one game, positively or negatively? Is that at all possible? Two days ago Illawarra were contenders, now we're kicking them out of the league, FFS.

Ummm Dazz Perth traveled to the US.

When the league expands and there is in my opinion at least another team to join Perth, Melbourne and Sydney as legitimate powerhouses, then we may see the Hawks have no choice but to exit unless they can address their poor attendances and shoe string budget.

As it stands now with only 8 teams (9th coming next year) its in the league's best interest to keep them in the comp. If nothing else they are there to make up the numbers, and the perception that the league is stable (folding would look bad). At least until theres some expansion.

Brisbane will need bailing out soon too.

If they have cash, they could go after a big fish who recently got waived by an NBA side. That'd make them a serious prospect imo, because Conklin is still really good and Jett is a low-key stud.

If Jackson is to be cut, if do it now. Bite the bullet. If not now, don't even bother

Results on the court aren't the problem. They almost beat Melbourne in an epic battle and then were too tired to truly mount a fight against Perth.

The problem is attendance. Wollongong are not turning up and haven't for a few years now. They've been bailed out before and they have had community groups bail them out. But I can see them going the way of Townsville.

Oh yes, the general public will care if you tell them the team might fall. They'll raise some money and try to keep it. But that wont equal sustainability, and wont equal asses on seats.

If Wollongong dies, they die. It is not up to the league to keep them alive. They've had more than enough chances. The ball is in their court. And if they die, give the license to Tasmania.