NBL SEASON 08/09 ???

[Mr_Black]

This may sound a tad dramatic, but does it seem to anyone else as though the league is about to implode?

[Stumps]

I've been predicting exactly what is happening now for the last few years but of course have been laughed down.

[WilloWildWaves]

Well picked Stumps, you waiting for a prize or sumthing :lol:

[curious]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.

[Stumps]

Well picked Stumps, you waiting for a prize or sumthing :lol:
No, rubbing it in the face of the halfwits who ridiculed me is more than enough reward.

[DoubleA]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.

Of course its available, that doesnt mean 9 would give up their spots to NBL, plus its also state dependant i.e: NRL in NSW/QLD on Friday Night.

It would have to be Saturday Night on 9 only.

[boz_novocastrian]

has anyone thought about basketball on sbs

[sixers33]

Two major clubs on the sell list, major source of income gone, and letting teams who can afford it buy whoever they want letting others get the scrap players...

NBL is screwed, and it's majorly their own fault (with exception to the Bullets)

[An5w3r]

has anyone thought about basketball on sbs

I've been watching SBS and thought about basketball before..

I think they'd be a good station to televise the NBL on FTA too!!! They love soccer, so why not another "foreign" sport?!?!

[Mike]

Soccer
Basketball
Sex


not necessary in that order

[Poida]

Yeah, it goes :

Sex
Basketball
Soccer

[An5w3r]

Yeah, it goes :

Sex
Basketball
Soccer

Thanks for pointing that out dude.. I was struggling to think what other order it could go in ;)

[Big Shot Joey]

NBL isn't in trouble...........just NBL in NSW is

A FIRED up Dave Claxton has made an impassioned plea to southern clubs to get their acts together and called on them to follow the Blaze's model for success, which has `lifted the bar' in the NBL.

But the Gold Coast's general manager strongly hit back at media speculation that the NBL is on life support, declaring it is the NSW clubs that have been 'dragging the chain' over the past decade in marketing the sport and only have themselves to blame.

"There is nothing wrong with the sport," said Claxton.

"They (the kings) have measured their success by how many championships they have won -- not by what has been done in terms of the promotion of their club and of the NBL in the big metropolitan area of Sydney.

They are the ones that have been dragging the chain in terms of marketing of the game. I don't think that is a true reflection of the entire NBL but we all get pained with that picture."

[Stanley]

Wonder what makes him think Hawks do no marketing/promotion.

ALL players do school promo's, all are required to attend sponsor promos (AHM had them at Wollongong's Australia day festivities with Steve Waugh, and season opening of Jamberoo Recreation/Fun park)

The School Holiday basketball camps have been recording big numbers.

Hawks now help with the ABA Seahawks, they have a full list of players this season putting their hand up to rejoin (Pope, Jackson, Goodall, former Hawks Gleeson and Woods along with Dom Cooks and others who didnt want to play for the team last season).

[Statman72]

Common sense says spending more than you make = a loss

While Eddy and others might put up with a loss over the short term the big picture says losing money isnt sustainable and when our rich benefactors who have been using an NBL side as a bit of a hobby get bored or run out of cash it all falls in a heap as we are seeing now.

For the long term survival of the league the teams must make money - simple as that!
Having the league actually policing a salary cap rather than shoving their heads in the sand would surely be the first step in the right direction!

[Statman72]

ALL players do school promo's, all are required to attend sponsor promos (AHM had them at Wollongong's Australia day festivities with Steve Waugh, and season opening of Jamberoo Recreation/Fun park)

The School Holiday basketball camps have been recording big numbers.


Why all clubs dont do this is beyond me. The resources are all there and all it takes is someone to coordinate the visits. Young kids ae normally in awe of players due to their height and would talk about when they met Pero or CJ or whoever for days.

[oziwi]

Wouldnt playing in winter clash with rugby league? For supporters I mean? I know my other half who loves basketball but loves rugby league more and would not go to basketball if league was on.

[fahootie]

If a national ice hockey league can survive in Australia....surely the NBL can keep going.

http://www.iha.org.au/aihl.asp

[Stanley]

Wouldnt playing in winter clash with rugby league? For supporters I mean? I know my other half who loves basketball but loves rugby league more and would not go to basketball if league was on.


The talk of June -> December makes sense.

Good timing for GF Game 5 if it gets that far, opening night of the NRL 100th season....

[boz_novocastrian]

to me the real football is more of a factor over going to a league or union match these days. i know ppl from my old school will say traitor

[singy]

I'm a fan of the winter season, and I'd be happy with the June-Dec model as well. Having said that, I'd go whenever, so I'm not the person to consult on this issue.

It's a winter sport all over the world, except here. Indoor sport during summer doesn't make sense to me. I still think a lot of fans dropped off when we moved to summer, and we can't keep going "with the flow" as we are now.

[boz_novocastrian]

very true singy. i also think it would help with the scheduling of games esp in melbourne cos of the australian open.

could the timing of the season be anything to do with foxsports. i can't remember exactly but when did fox start telecasting nbl games was it 1998/99 or before

[singy]

could the timing of the season be anything to do with foxsports. i can't remember exactly but when did fox start telecasting nbl games was it 1998/99 or before

Not 100% sure, but I'm thinking Fox has been telecasting NBL from pretty much when Foxtel first went to air. So, that'd be 1996-ish.

[havrilla the gorilla]

Foxtel were definately broadcasting in 1996. They even had the Foxtel Cup playing every Wednesday starting with the bottom teams playing off in elimination and the winner of each week working their way up the finishing ladder from the 1995 season. Perth defeated North Melbourne by 2 points in the final.

[GordonG]

Indoor sport during summer doesn't make sense to me.

Come and live up here - you'll soon figure it out. Give you a clue:

A.. C.........

:D

But yeah, I can see where it wouldn't make sense anywhere else on a regular basis except maybe Singapore. The other problem we have up here is that summer is the Wet Season, so often you have to just about swim from your car to the venue.

[eysc]

Having read the above, I have two comments:

1. A return to a winter season will be a net positive for the League - the NBL enjoyed its peak popularity during the time it was played in winter.

2. Clubs that are truly run like businesses will assure the survival of the League - this is why we should welcome the return (if it happens) of the likes of Mike W. He had the Kings returning peak profits during his reign, and at a time when the general economy was wallowing in the "recession we had to have", credit squeezes, etc. The current crop of entrepreneurial 'whizkids' pale by comparison.....

[blueberry]

As long as the games did not clash with the NRL games I do not mind a winter season but my beloved Roosters come ahead of anything else except maybe a playoff

[Earnie Shavers]

A move to winter isn't immediately roses. I definitely think it would instantly add loads of bums on seats - no argument there, for more people attending the games, winter all the way - but Fox would be a real problem. You're going to be asking them to add to an already busy winter schedule, while also taking away about 9-10 hours of prime time summer scheduling (plus however many hours the replays cover during the day). It puts the NBL in not the greatest position scheduling/bargaining wise. With NRL/AFL all on the weekends (and Mondays) and the NBL NEVER getting prime time over those two, you might see an increase in the weeknight games + no more live weekend games. No more live weekend games isn't too much of a bad thing in my opinion, delayed games being better for live crowds, but more weeknight games would be a problem, probably moreso in winter than in summer. Especially when Fox would be pushing the NBL to make those live weeknight games the marquee ones.

[Skindog the Hawk]

What about the possibility of FTA??

[Earnie Shavers]

Do you mean exclusively FTA? What do you realisticaly think a FTA deal would include?

[King of Kings]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.
Curious, where do you get that from? What network has come out and said they will air the NBL if it goes June to Dec? And what would they pay for the rights. Mik W would be agood asset for the Kings, but I think he was saying what might work better, not that FTA would show the NBL in that time of the yer

[King of Kings]

has anyone thought about basketball on sbs

Yes. And they said NO.

[Earnie Shavers]

Here's what I think about FTA:

There's only one realistic window for live games: Saturday/Sunday afternoon.
They're more/most likely going to give one or two delayed games, either soon after or a long time after (LATE Saturday night, VERY LATE weeknight, Sunday morning, Saturday afternoon etc).
They *might* give the NBL a weekly magazine/highlight show.

How that is better than the current arrangement, I don't know:

Three live games a week on Fox.
Half hour weekly wrap on Fox.
Delayed Game of the Week on Nine.
However many replays of games on Fox.

The missing piece of the puzzle is really only a true highlight/magazine style show on FTA. The NBL needs that promotional/educational exposure badly. Have that on just after the Game of the Week on Nine and you've got a perfect TV mix, IMO (excluding Fox scheduling issues that I think need dealing with).

[DDFan]

Well picked Stumps, you waiting for a prize or sumthing :lol:
No, rubbing it in the face of the halfwits who ridiculed me is more than enough reward.I'd rather be wrong & the game continues, but I dream. :wink:

[curious]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.
Curious, where do you get that from? What network has come out and said they will air the NBL if it goes June to Dec? And what would they pay for the rights. Mik W would be agood asset for the Kings, but I think he was saying what might work better, not that FTA would show the NBL in that time of the yer
Channel 9 is my understanding.

[glockers]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.
Curious, where do you get that from? What network has come out and said they will air the NBL if it goes June to Dec? And what would they pay for the rights. Mik W would be agood asset for the Kings, but I think he was saying what might work better, not that FTA would show the NBL in that time of the yer
Channel 9 is my understanding.

What kind of timeslot are we talking about would be the real issue here? Woudl we lose fox coverage?

[boz_novocastrian]

if it was channel 9

say a 8:30 start on saturdays thus making ppl go to the game first

fridays it would not be telecasted until 11:30pm cos of NRL double header

Sundays games say 8:30pm

midweek games after nightline

[Earnie Shavers]

The NBL will never be broadcast in prime time on FTA again.

[curious]

FTA TV is available if the NBL moves back to winter as Mike W would like to see.
Curious, where do you get that from? What network has come out and said they will air the NBL if it goes June to Dec? And what would they pay for the rights. Mik W would be agood asset for the Kings, but I think he was saying what might work better, not that FTA would show the NBL in that time of the yer
Channel 9 is my understanding.

What kind of timeslot are we talking about would be the real issue here? Woudl we lose fox coverage?
I guess that depends if Fox re sign with the NBL.
Slingers minimal coverage and I know the Razors move to Penrith is a problem for Fox.
Maybe fewer teams covered if they do re sign.

[Stumps]

Surely Fox wouldn't be interested in showing the NBL in winter. They have enough trouble sometimes fitting them in in summer as it is!

[Big Shot Joey]

Surely Fox wouldn't be interested in showing the NBL in winter. They have enough trouble sometimes fitting them in in summer as it is!

exactly....it's not even the proper afl/nrl seasons yet and last week they had to show a playoff game on the fuel channel as there was no space on any of the 3 fox sports channels.......

[boz_novocastrian]

that is why i am saying isnt the whole reason of nbl in the summer got something to do with fox needing a sport other than the real football and cricket in the summer months

[Voice(s)]

Surely Fox wouldn't be interested in showing the NBL in winter. They have enough trouble sometimes fitting them in in summer as it is!

Finally some sense outta ya! Fox would tell the NBL to go jump if the NBL were ever actually stupid enough to move it back to winter.

[TIGERS13]

Here is the Melbourne Tigers Home Fixture for 08/09 Season:

Sat Sep 20 v Brisbane
Wed 8 Oct v Perth
Sat 11 Oct v Adelaide
Sat 25 Oct v Townsville
Sat 1 Nov v Gold Coast
Sat 8 Nov v Singapore
Sat 15 Nov v New Zealand
Wed 19 Nov v Cairns
Sat 13 Dec v Singapore
Sat 20 Dec v Wollongong
Sat 27 Dec v Adelaide
Sun 11 Jan v Perth
Wed 14 Jan v West Sydney
Sat 24 Jan v Sydney
Mon 26 Jan v South Dragons (Australia Day)
*All games with a Tip-Off time of 7.30pm

[Dunkin' Dan]

... and here are their results:

Sat Sep 20 v Brisbane Slap!
Wed 8 Oct v Perth Slap!
Sat 11 Oct v Adelaide Slap!
Sat 25 Oct v Townsville Slap!
Sat 1 Nov v Gold Coast Slap!
Sat 8 Nov v Singapore Slap!
Sat 15 Nov v New Zealand Slap!
Wed 19 Nov v Cairns Slap!
Sat 13 Dec v Singapore Slap!
Sat 20 Dec v Wollongong Slap!
Sat 27 Dec v Adelaide Slap!
Sun 11 Jan v Perth Slap!
Wed 14 Jan v West Sydney Slap!
Sat 24 Jan v Sydney Slap!
Mon 26 Jan v South Dragons (Australia Day) Advance Australia Slap!

[Stumps]

Actually, by the time the season rolls around, it might be more like this:

Wed 8 Oct v Perth Slap!
Sat 25 Oct v Townsville Slap!
Sat 1 Nov v Gold Coast Slap!
Wed 19 Nov v Cairns Slap!
Mon 26 Jan v South Dragons (Australia Day) Advance Australia Slap!

[Voice(s)]

That sky's still falling in is it? :wink:

[DoubleA]

In the HS today they said the BUllets were struggling to get owners due to a lack of interest shown by Foxtel, as they want to beef up their A-League coverage. They already do every single home game live and a 1 hour preview show, how much more can they beef up?

If the NBL loses Foxtel.......its over.

[curious]

In the HS today they said the BUllets were struggling to get owners due to a lack of interest shown by Foxtel, as they want to beef up their A-League coverage. They already do every single home game live and a 1 hour preview show, how much more can they beef up?

If the NBL loses Foxtel.......its over.
Heres the article.

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/stor ... 89,00.html (http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23392631-10389,00.html)

[Lisa]

I was just listening to 6pr in Perth and Peter Vlahos was doing his sport segment saying there are strong rumours of Fox dumping their NBL coverage.
He mentioned the Kings and Bullets in financial trouble as well.

[singy]

If the NBL loses Foxtel.......its over.

And, Foxtel loses me!

[LegoSHAQ]

I cancelled my Foxtel straight after Game 5.. :lol:

Foxtel's coverage was crap anyway.. people are saying we had 3 games a week? WTF? Some weeks we were lucky to get 2 games.. and the only time you got 3 games is when they showed the NZ broadcast delayed from Marori TV.. :roll:

[bucky]

If the NBL loses Foxtel.......its over.

And, Foxtel loses me!

Ditto. The only reason I ever got Foxtel was for NBL.

[West]

If the NBL loses Foxtel.......its over.

And, Foxtel loses me!

Ditto. The only reason I ever got Foxtel was for NBL.

Perhaps thats NBL's problem. Foxtel dont care about the eight people on this forum who get Fox to watch NBL

[West]

Make the comp a 6 team comp. No more scrub boring teams. The finals were awesome but the regular season is boring as

[meg]

Make the comp a 6 team comp. No more scrub boring teams. The finals were awesome but the regular season is boring as

Just out of interest, West...what team do you follow? One of the top 6, perchance?
My team didn't make the playoffs, so the game didn't hold quite as much interest for me, but I wouldn't describe watching them as boring. Frustrating sometimes, but NEVER boring!

[havrilla the gorilla]

Make the comp a 6 team comp. No more scrub boring teams. The finals were awesome but the regular season is boring as

I can't imagine anything more versatile or exciting then watching the same teams go head to head every month. How about we select the six teams based on an elimination tournament like a pre-season blitz, or better still just make it BRISBANE, GOLD COAST, CAIRNS, TOWNSVILLE, SINGAPORE AND NEW ZEALAND so the all-star game can be Queensland versus overseas.

10 maybe. 6 no

[Mr_Black]

RIP east coast Basketball :(

[Mr_Black]

This may sound a tad dramatic, but does it seem to anyone else as though the league is about to implode?

Seems like the perfect time to bump my post from the start of March

[Stumps]

I've been ridiculed for calling it for the last couple of years, yet it's been unfolding precisely as I predicted.

[isaac]

Curious and Curiouser! ;)

[Stanley]

I'll jump on the "I told you so" bandwagon, too.

It didn't take a genius to see that this is one thing that could/would happen by not enforcing a salary cap.

Somehow the NBL and Club doing this blatant rorting couldnt see pass the W-column for that season.

[Voice(s)]

Of course it has, stumpy. Putting aside your "teh Kings iz gone, we're all doom3d I tells ya!!!1!" crap for a second, what exactly has unfolded precisely as you expected? Is the league dead? Yet you "threaten" to take your patronage to the A-League which is losing shit loads, clubs losing big money and is propped up by a billionaire? Isn't this the type of business model you continually derided the NBL for supposedly having?

Take a deep breath FFS, the Kings have a joke of an owner and the Bullets lost a major sponsor.

[Stumps]

Of course it has, stumpy. Putting aside your "teh Kings iz gone, we're all doom3d I tells ya!!!1!" crap for a second, what exactly has unfolded precisely as you expected? Is the league dead?
You think it's not at least halfway there? We're halfway through my five year prediction.

Yet you "threaten" to take your patronage to the A-League which is losing shit loads, clubs losing big money and is propped up by a billionaire? Isn't this the type of business model you continually derided the NBL for supposedly having?
Absolutely. Do I think it's a viable long-term proposition either? No, it will die when Lowy gets sick of propping it up just like the NBL is now dying as its benefactors disappear.

Take a deep breath FFS, the Kings have a joke of an owner and the Bullets lost a major sponsor.
Do you think for a second that Fox will keep televising the league this season if the Kings aren't in it? Why do you think they were shafted with so many Wednesday night games?

[sixers33]

I don't think Kings going down will kill the league, but Brisbane AND the Kings would definately put the NBL in a coma.

[Voice(s)]

You think it's not at least halfway there? We're halfway through my five year prediction.

No I do not. I think after your "Beasley could/would/should lead the league in rebounds" and "Kendall had nine steals" statements we've all learnt to take what you say with a grain of salt.

Absolutely. Do I think it's a viable long-term proposition either? No, it will die when Lowy gets sick of propping it up just like the NBL is now dying as its benefactors disappear.

The NBL's dying is it? Who's the squillionaire propping up the ABL?

Do you think for a second that Fox will keep televising the league this season if the Kings aren't in it? Why do you think they were shafted with so many Wednesday night games?

Who said anything about the Kings not being in the league this coming season? They were "shafted" with so many wednesday games because Fox won't be back and the Kings are folding?

The Bullets are "back" in Eddy's care who I believe still has the money to keep the team going sans sponsorship but even so the Queensland Government have said their door is open if need be. Which means the Bullets aren't going anywhere. They're effectively just looking for a new major sponsor. Supposedly the Kings have now paid Smith. Are the Kings even in Administration as they previously have been?

If you want to continue making an absolute fool of yourself by all means keep doing so just don't expect the more rational here to follow you in to your underground bunker.

[Stumps]

The fact that you have to resort to ad hominems and outright lies about me to try to refute my position shows how weak yours is. The "more rational here" have agreed with me all along.

As I said two (?) years ago, the NBL as we knew it then will not be around in five years (now three obviously) unless some major changes occur. Those changes are yet to happen. Let's hope they do, and soon.

If you don't believe me, I'd be interested to know what you see as the main revenue sources that will fuel the significant costs each team currently faced with in order to just put together a baseline competitive outfit. I know you're a huge fan of relying entirely on other people's generosity, but surely you don't think that's a longterm strategy for a professional sporting league?

[sixers33]

Absolutely. Do I think it's a viable long-term proposition either? No, it will die when Lowy gets sick of propping it up just like the NBL is now dying as its benefactors disappear.

The NBL's dying is it? Who's the squillionaire propping up the ABL?


The State and Federal Governments...

Why do Fox like showing the Kings..? They aren't as popular as other teams in the league...

We need a new league, the NBL cannot survive on the Slingers getting 200 people, 2 foundation clubs struggling, one may not be here next season (Bullets, Hawks) and the Kings about die after bad financial management from the team and the NBL. To go with that, the NBL has done no marketing and the league does not look good for the future. I cannot see it surviving.

What do you do? Get rid of the league, and start again.

Season goes through Winter (i'm hardly convinced but sponsors, crowds and tv seems to like it)
12 Teams from Australia/NZ
Only sell licenses to owners that can afford it long term (such as McPeake etc.)
Look for National FTA deal, if not each team negotiates local deals. Backup plan could be ESPN.
Board members should NOT have team owners.
Enforce the Salary Cap.
Introduce new ideas ie. Marquee players
Matches played on the weekends
Scheduling Saturday Daytime matches
Increase in Marketing

[Stumps]

Why do Fox like showing the Kings..? They aren't as popular as other teams in the league...
I'm guessing when it comes to Fox subscriber numbers they are. There are probably more people with Foxtel in Sydney than there are people full-stop in most NBL cities.

And of course, the fact that they save a shedload of money by not travelling has been done to death.

[havrilla the gorilla]

The Bullets are "back" in Eddy's care who I believe still has the money to keep the team going sans sponsorship but even so the Queensland Government have said their door is open if need be. Which means the Bullets aren't going anywhere.

I would love that to be true more than almost anything in the world right now, but you are sorely mistaken. Eddy is handing back the license on June 30 right or wrong. He is basically broke. The Queensland Government told the Bullets to f*ck themselves when approached last month when the shit first went down. No joy there. I think Narelle in tears on the ABC news tonight pretty much summed it up.

R.I.P. BRISBANE BULLETS 1979-2008