k.hunt wrote:do you mind pasting text?
THE overhaul of the NBL into a new competition next season could cost the Melbourne Tigers or South Dragons a spot in the league.
The recommendation, which has come from the review of basketball in Australia and will be considered by stakeholders and administrators, is for the new league to have just eight teams in its first season, growing to 10 by the third season.
But with the report advocating teams in all eight states and territories, the Melbourne teams could feel the squeeze if they apply to be members of the new competition, scheduled to start next September.
It is unlikely all eight states and territories will have teams (Darwin, Tasmania and Canberra would probably not be in the frame).
But there is a push for Brisbane, which dropped out of the league this season, and an opening for a New Zealand team.
If the new entity starts with eight teams, as suggested, at least two teams from the 31st and final edition of the NBL will not be present next year.
Some of the initiatives recommended in the report include a player draft; increasing the salary cap to $1 million; a marquee player signed outside the salary cap; a 28-game regular season; top-four finals; and ownership to include state associations.
The new league will still play in summer, even though many basketball people say the new league should revert to winter or be a June-to-December operation.
Teams will have to negotiate a tender process for inclusion in the league and provide a bank guarantee of $1.5 million, while there will also be annual fees to the league to cover travel, marketing and other various costs.
"Clubs . . . should not only meet strict criteria, but their inclusion must also be in the overall interests of the sport," the report recommends.
"Whilst the initial participant clubs will in all probability largely derive from existing NBL clubs, it is quite possible . . . groups currently not involved in the NBL will be attracted to the new competition.
"In order to cast the net as widely as possible and attract such new interest, a general public tender or expression of interest is proposed."
