Easy way to stop it

Ninnis calls NBL, "where interested in Bobby Brannen"

No Re-Rating

Does anyone else think it is dangerous having a player who tested positive for Dope playing for the Blaze?

Has someone explained to Bobby that it is a team not a session at a mates house?

HAHAHA Kent i am literally laughing out loud right now!!

good call.

"Could another team wait until every team's signed imports this year and get a guy like Ebi Ere re-rated because no other team was interested?"

I know he is not an import but didn't the Tigers do this with Stiffy. Say to him. Wait until everyone has signed full rosters and we will convince the league to lower your points so you can fit into our team, if the league says no, just get your agent to threaten legal action in regards to restraint of trade. Nah, I must be dreaming, the league would never fall for that.

In any case what's the lowest Brannen could be rated 8 points????

The Brannen thing seems to me to be a smokescreen to show Heal that the Blaze are doing everything they can to satisfy his "no second import, no me" position.

I think it's clear now that Heal didn't know about the Blaze points situation when he made that statement. Only now, after realising they're not going to be able to shave at least 6 points in order to get both himself and an import, does he 'hint' that he may yet sign with the Blaze despite his earlier demands not being fulfilled.

It's starting to look like the Blaze are going to go with one import this season mmmmmmmmmmm but wait. I've done some investigations.

I looked up the NBL's rules on points and I think Chuck's words in the above article don't literally match the wording of the appropriate re-rating rule which states:

"Points Appeals Panel
1. Any player who remains without a contract up to 30 days before the commencement of a season, and could secure a contract if he had a points reduction, may apply to the Points Appeals Panel for a reduction in his points rating to assist him in securing a contract for that season."

Note that it doesn't say how many points could be taken off. I think this is a big loophole that may be what the Blaze are looking at. Is the following hypothetical situation feasible?

Team X has a spare roster spot, only 6 points of cap space, but wanting to sign Player Y (who is a 9 pointer). Y-man has been overlooked by all other clubs and we're within 30 days of season start. Can the league, to ensure Y-man stays in the league reduce his points to 6, allowing Team X to pick him up?

Perhaps this may be why quite a few notables have not been resigned as yet. Am I clutching at straws or is this a valid scenario?

If I had the choice between Heal and a Second Import, I would get a second import. I would be thinking that the blaze would try there best to get both.

Makes a a bit of a mockery of the points system if teams can apply for variations to suit their needs. If the NBL agree, isn't it admitting that they got it wrong in the first place. And by the way, if a points review can be requested, then why not a salary cap review. I can just see it. A team approaches the NBL and says, "excuse me Mr Harmison, we overspent on our roster to date and have not got enough space under the salary cap for this player we are looking to sign. Please let us have an additional $100K because we really need him."

If there is to be any integrity to the points system, the NBL should be having a yearly review of every single player without the need for clubs to make personal considerations. After all, if any player qualifies for a points value adjustment, then it should be as part of the yearly review.

Well, their ratings are already automatically decided each year by some largely-statistical method, but I agree they should all be reviewed by default to adjust where the stats get it wrong.

Blazefan, the wording of that rule has since changed I think, but is still similarly vague and could be a major loophole. I also don't think they're 6 points off, it must be around 2-3.

Surely they couldn't get Brannen below 9!