Aussie Basketball Discussion

[koberulz]

Figured this was probably worth its own thread, even though making a new thread for it basically guarantees the discussion will die off quickly.

I don't think proximity is an issue when it comes to professional sports in Australia. Eight of the 20 NRL teams are based in Sydney, nine of the 17 AFL teams are based in Melbourne, Adelaide has two.

They're far more popular sports with far more teams in general, though. Not to mention that the Melbourne clubs all started out in the VFL, rather than being expansions to a national league, which wouldn't garner nearly the same level of support. AFL and rugby are popular in different places, too, so you see concentrations of teams in those areas.

Queensland already has three NBL teams to New South Wales' two

Queensland is also massive.

Melbourne had two or three teams during the NBL's heyday.

And constantly struggled with it.

I don't see why it has to be between Brisbane and Newcastle.

It doesn't, necessarily, but if it has to be I'd rather it be Brisbane. And by the look of it, the NBL isn't going to bring in more than one club at a time. There's no sense splurging on expansion clubs right now and ruining the league. Better to build what we've got and then slowly expand later.

They're two of the largest cities in the country, they were both founding teams in the NBL in 1979.

So were Nunawading, St Kilda and West Adelaide. I don't think that's reason to get any of those clubs back, either.

I say get them both back in the competition.

Eventually? Sure. But you don't want to expand too much too quickly, and you need a team that's not going to bankrupt itself in a couple of years. The league are being cautious with expansion, and I really can't blame them for that.

Australia needs to get Kyrie Irving to join team before Olympics to have a chance to medal.

Won't happen. Played for the US in the under 19s, so unless they let him go he's not allowed to play for anyone else, and they really have no reason to let him go.

[Kenny]

As I've said before, given the right circumstances (playing in the city and not boondall, as well as reasonable ticket prices), I'd definitely support the Bullets coming back in. Not sure what else I can add to my previous comments in the Live Journal thread, but I understand Andrew's predicament with wanting to support the league without a team in your home city. I'm one of those people who could really enjoy seeing a live basketball game no matter what the standard of play is like. Watching it on TV is a completely different story though, and right now it's currently my only option. Granted I could travel to the Gold Coast to see a game, but I don't believe I should have to go to a place I hate just to see a game of basketball in a mediocre league.

[koberulz]

As I've said before, given the right circumstances (playing in the city and not boondall, as well as reasonable ticket prices)

The problem the Bullets have is that most of the venues they could play at charge an arm and a leg.

Boondall has a much bigger capacity than any of the others, which would've been necessary back then but a complete waste now, so I doubt they'd play there. They had the court sideways last night and still only filled it 60% or so; no way it's worth going to on any sort of regular basis. The Convention Centre is incredibly expensive, apparently. Chandler is old and tiny. So unless the government opts to drop the rent significantly, the Bullets could be in a bit of trouble.

If Bogut does sign with the Kings, the Tigers really need to move their season opener to Melbourne Park or something. No way a game like that should go down in the smallest building in the league. You'd be turning thousands away, and it really does look pretty shit on TV. The court even has netball lines on it, FFS.

[The X]

If Bullets come back and play at Boondall then I can't see myself wanting to make the one hour commute. Instead I'd probably just drive to Gold Coast once a season when they play the Bullets since it is same travel time but much better venue.

Sports teams in Brisbane city are just so much more convenient, you can take public transport, go to a pub, catch dinner at a restaurant first, which you can't with Boondall.

[Cr0ss0v3rK1ng]

Boondall could work for me lol, only like 20 minute drive maybe 30 minutes max but if they played somewhere closer to the city centre then it would draw more of a crowd.

[Andrew]

We seem to be moving the goal posts here in regards to a team in Newcastle. The initial question was whether Newcastle was a large enough city for it to be a worthy complaint that it didn't have an NBL team. A fair enough question if you don't happen to know offhand how large it is compared to other cities in Australia, so I clarified that it's actually the seventh largest city in the country. Then all of sudden, it was about proximity. Now, bringing back two clubs at once would potentially ruin the league.

However...if the league is looking to expand slowly and avoid bringing in too many teams at once and risk them going belly up, that's fine. Let Brisbane back in the comp first, they're the bigger city and it sounds like it's closer to being a reality, so make it happen. Beyond that, I don't see why Newcastle shouldn't also have a team at some point in the future, if Tinkler or someone else can pony up the dosh.

As far as the teams being founding clubs, I was not suggesting it's the be all, end all reason to include them. Rather, I was noting there some basketball/NBL "heritage" in both cities and as such, it would be nice if both could once again be in the competition at some point. The fact that they are two of the largest cities in the country is the more significant factor.

[koberulz]

The initial question was whether Newcastle was a large enough city for it to be a worthy complaint that it didn't have an NBL team. A fair enough question if you don't happen to know offhand how large it is compared to other cities in Australia, so I clarified that it's actually the seventh largest city in the country. Then all of sudden, it was about proximity. Now, bringing back two clubs at once would potentially ruin the league.

I'll clarify. My initial question was whether Newcastle was a big enough city for it to be a worthy complaint that Newcastle didn't have a team under the current circumstances of the league (that being, two other NSW teams, no Brisbane team, recent history of overexpansion). I've absolutely no problem with it being considered down the road.

[Andrew]

Fair enough. Well, I guess it's a worthy complaint if you're a basketball fan in Newcastle, knowing that in Australian terms, we are a big city. Taking into account the stability of the league, it's understandable they want to be cautious in expanding, to Newcastle, Brisbane or anywhere else for that matter at this point in time.

[koberulz]

What sort of following did the Falcons/Pirates have? The Falcons were gone before I started following the NBL, and I never really paid much attention to the Pirates. Jeff Blandon sounds completely incompetent, but I'm not sure whether it was that or something else that led to them going under.

It's all well and good having a big city, but if it's a big city that doesn't care about basketball, there's no sense having a team there.

Boomers-Tall Blacks game three is on ONE tonight at midnight eastern. Good to see ONE getting behind basketball in a big way[/sarcasm]

[Andrew]

The Falcons had a decent following during the height of the NBL in the 90s, financial problems ultimately did them in though. Sponsors pulled out for one reason or another including their own financial issues and a grass roots effort to raise funds prior to the team folding came up just short. If I recall correctly, the team was given a week to raise $30,000 and the effort turned up around $26,000, but a request for an extension to get the final $4000 or so was denied after the other clubs voted against it. I guess a deadline's a deadline but given how close they came within one week, I thought it was kind of shoddy they didn't allow one more week or even a couple of days, since people obvious did support them and were willing to pledge money, so close to the required target.

[Kenny]

Just reading the results from Game 3 of the Boomers/Tall Blacks series, it looks like Aleks Maric was the real MVP of the game once again.

[koberulz]

http://www.nbl.com.au/news/article/2011 ... 12-season/

To grow the commercial value, the league must grow its footprint into all major metropolitan markets and has made its intentions clear that a Brisbane and second Melbourne club are the priorities in the immediate future. Other markets of focus include Canberra, Tasmania, Newcastle, and a second club from New Zealand to increase our footprint in that growing basketball market.

Meh. Really don't think we need a second Melbourne team just yet.

The most interesting tidbit from the event:

Today, I am pleased to announce that the iiNet NBL championship season will also feature three NBL themed rounds:

In Round 7 the league will celebrate our rich 32 year history with the introduction of an NBL Heritage Round. Our league has a lot to celebrate and honour:

• From legends of the game that have achieved success as NBL players but also as legends of the games on the international stage representing our country.
• Acknowledging great rivalries of our history and our clubs’ lineage, like that of the Gold Coast Rollers and Townsville Suns, as well as recognising the considerable achievements of long-standing clubs like the Wollongong Hawks, Melbourne Tigers and Perth Wildcats.
• We know we have a lot to celebrate and we also know that the parents of those families that we wish to engage with as we grow the fan base attended NBL games and experienced the past great days of the league. The introduction of the NBL Heritage Round provides an opportunity to reconnect.

Be interesting to see what they do with that.

[Andrew]

Retro jerseys and appearances from past greats, I'm guessing?

In any case, stuff like that sounds like a good idea. When I was first getting in basketball and the NBA, I learned about a lot of the past greats as well as the current stars because they usually mentioned and profiled both in some capacity in the various NBA tapes that came in the 80s and 90s, stuff an enthusiastic fan could really sink their teeth into because it says "We're a professional sports league worth watching, with a rich and interesting history". The NBA has certain advantages over the NBL in making that sale to sports fans but it's still the right way to go.

[koberulz]

I'd certainly hope so. Love to see the mid-90s Wildcats jerseys again.

That's one of the big issues I had when I came across the 'Old School Game Tapes' thread on OzHoops. These people had all these games they were willing to make copies of, but I knew absolutely nothing about them. Other than wanting to see Larry Sengstock, Leroy Loggins, Andrew Gaze, Mark Davis, and Brett Maher (along with the 90s Wildcats), I really had nothing to look for. I've still got every game program from 2000-2005, which helped, but were it not for those I'd have been left with absolutely no idea, which isn't the case with the NBA.

Chris Goulding seems confident Bogut's signing with the Blaze. They don't come to Perth until mid-January, so I'm probably not going to get to see Bogut in person.

[Kenny]

Well, if Bogut signs with the Blaze, then my previous statements about not traveling to the Gold Coast to see an NBL game will probably prove to be false.

[The X]

Chris Goulding seems confident Bogut's signing with the Blaze. They don't come to Perth until mid-January, so I'm probably not going to get to see Bogut in person.

As much as I love the NBL's very own Sasha Vujacic meets Adam Morrison who immediately became my favourite player in the league, with the added fact that NLSC dragon@4thqtr use to coach him, I don't buy it.

Would be great if it did happen though.

In other news, more rumbling that Bullets or Brisbane NBL team is gaining steam

[koberulz]

It's between Gold Coast and Sydney at this point. Goulding's since said that he was just talking about the promising roster they've already signed Bogut or no Bogut, but that hardly explains the whole "hint, hint" thing.

[Andrew]

If he did end up signing with Sydney I'd probably consider catching a game live. That works out a little better for me than the Gold Coast.

[Kenny]

If he did end up signing with Sydney I'd probably consider catching a game live. That works out a little better for me than the Gold Coast.

And deny yourself the wacky hijinks of a 12 hour road trip?

To paraphrase South Park, to me choosing between the Gold Coast and Sydney is a lot like choosing between a Giant Douche and a Turd Sandwich

[Andrew]

Well, it'd probably just be me making the trek so it wouldn't be a particularly fun road trip. Three or four of you coming down on the other hand, there's a recipe for adventure.

[_Steve_]

Please do a full media coverage of the road trip and allow the rest of the NLSC community to follow that epic trek via youtube/ myvideo.

[Kenny]

Patty Mills has been trying to trend "#wes2aus" on Twitter in an attempt to lure Wesley Matthews to the NBL during the lockout. Apparently the Hawks have an import spot free on their roster. The Gong might be a bit of a culture shock for Wes

It'd be cool though. I actually got to see him play in California when he was playing for the Jazz.

Edit: He's also been hyping Cam Tragardh so Portland would sign him... I wonder which of these two scenarios would be more likely

[koberulz]

Yeah, the Hawks just got rid of one of their imports, so that slot opened up. Bogut's still yet to make a decision, and the NBL has yet to release fixtures with actual times on them, and the season starts in a couple of weeks.

[Andrew]

Do you think there's any chance Kyrie Irving will join them if they end up coming over?

[Kenny]

It'll be interesting to see how they'd treat Kyrie's case.