Sounds like they are cluthcing straws. What they needs is a solid business model as you they can turn this situation around - mjaybbe not this year but in future years so the club can survive otherwise we will be back in this situation in 12 mths time.

My understanding is that BA/NBL are more worried about this happening again in 12, 24, 36 months time. They want a solid plan for the team to be in the league for at least 5 years. If that aren't confident about this new plan, the Blaze will be no more.

It would be great to see these guys continue, but highlights the fact that a solid business model is needed (thanks Jake). The NBL cannot continue to lurch from season to season with uncertainty. While some clubs will always be more profitable and attract sponsors, some clubs will find that more difficult to achieve.

While the GCB is based out of Brisbane, the lack of a Brisbane based club is unsettling to say the least. A population base of nearly 1.5 M people should be savouring the delights of the NBL. No one wants to travel an hour from Brisbane to support "their" team. We do need to get a Brisbane team back into the league as part of the big picture.

I am hoping that the appointment of KK will provide some certainty to the competition as well as avoiding these pre-season jitters that appear each season.

It is time that the NBL have a look at its position and compare itself to other sports, see just what their strategic position should be and then sail down that path. We need a strong, financially viable competition.

It would be great to keep GCB in the competition, but the important thing is having a competition in the first place.

It's been proven with the Bullets that GC people will travel to Brisbane but not the reverse.

Personally i believe that the Bullets should replace the Blaze. Maybe merge? I'm not sure the legalities of a NBL merger.

But South QLD Bullets? Split games 50/50 between Brisbane & the Gold Coast? Not sure if that will work, just an idea.

The Guru, I doubt you would be running Dillon as your SF? I think they will run with more of a line up like;


Petrie/ Massey
Import / Anthony
Import / seabl gun
Goulding / Dillon
Gibson / Gleeson

Still a very strong line up if they get decent imports!!

Would the NBL ever consider modelling itself after the NFL profit sharing system? surely after soo many clubs folding in the last ten years it is time for a rethink of how the NBL and clubs operate.

"The NFL's revenue-sharing model is universally lauded as the reason pro football continues to thrive in tiny markets like Green Bay, Wisconsin. It's an industry in which all 32 franchises share profits for a common cause.
The bulk of the league's revenue - approximately $4 billion in 2011 - comes from broadcast deals with NBC, CBS, Fox, ESPN and DirecTV. That income is shared equally among all teams. Income from licensing deals - everything from jerseys to posters to team-logo beer coolers - is also shared evenly.

Ticket revenue is split using a slightly different formula: the home team keeps 60 percent of "the gate" for each game, while the visiting team gets 40 percent.

Other sources of revenue - things like the sale of luxury boxes, stadium concessions and the like - are not shared, which does give teams in bigger markets or with state-of-the-art arenas a significant edge in profitability."

Agree with nat and lance.

But that would involve thinking outside of the square and I can't think of the last time the NBL did this.

But no one makes a profit.

gibson, de leon, goulding, petrie, clark

could that starting 5 dominate the league (only talking about the starting 5's and not looking at depth or bench?

Also- anon, where are you getting the word that ira is coming back?

I sometimes travel from Brisbane to the GC for one game a year. I think it would be a great idea to merge the Bullets and the Blaze.

The club's owners have been asked to confirm the following by 31 July 2012:

- Irrefutable evidence that the club is able to put in place the current NBL required bank guarantee of $1 million;

- Detailed confirmation of major funding sources, as well as evidence of the working capital requirements of $500,000; and

- Absolute and unconditional assurance that the debt outstanding to BA will be paid no later than 31st August 2012.

These licensing requirements are consistent with those previously put to the owners of the Blaze by Basketball Australia.