a certain manager resigned from Ipswich basketball operations position recently which may indicate a move to the Boom Boom Bullets.

Good to see Larry Sengstock is back.

Big Joe just moved there!!

Very good news indeed!

I don't think there will be "left wing calls" for the Bullets to change its name if there's a shooting

Brisbane should stay with the Bullets and United is a stupid name for a basketball team, even though the general direction is admirable.

I wonder if they are saving the announcement for the post game Grand Final presentations or NBL Awards night.

Great news they have independent financial backing, the NBL needs to focus on making sure the Crocs are in the NBL next season.

Article also mentioned they would initially be playing out of the Convention Centre with a long term eye towards moving to Pat Rafter arena. This is great news, if the new/old franchise wants to attract consistent fan support in its initial return they needed a centrally located arena with excellent public transport links.

Nice to finally see some optimism regarding this after a months of silence. One happy Brisbanite here:-)

Don't get to excited yet.

There could be a reason:
"Interim NBL CEO Bret Mactavish declined interview requests from The Courier-Mail yesterday"

Possibly to wait until they can make an official announcement.

Can a person/s own more than one NBL team? If Bendat is involved, is it him or his father.

This issue of a team name has come up before, such as the Red Skins in Washington. They will not change, rightly so as the name isn't racist unless you have really thin skin (pardon the pun). Over reactions and left wing extremism should stay away from sport.

Is anyone seriously thinking like this, I mean the Bombers would not change their name just because we still use aircraft to drop bombs, really?

Sporting team names could be better thought out, sure, but bullets are probably more about being fast and explosive, not about gun control IMHO...

If we start to over think or over react to every little possibility that someone could be embarrassed or hurt by a team name we will be changing half of them.

'All Blacks' anyone thinking of slavery here, thought not...

"This issue of a team name has come up before, such as the Red Skins in Washington. They will not change, rightly so as the name isn't racist unless you have really thin skin "

Ah, no.

It's fantastic they're maintaining the Bullets name. Common sense almost never prevails, yet it seems it might in this instance. Wondrous stuff.

I hope they stick with the Convention Center. Fantastic venue in the heart of the city with unmatched transport options and multiple entertainment districts within walking distance. You just can't beat that. It's hard to imagine they could get more people at Tennyson.

Having said that, it's also encouraging to hear that if they do need to seriously look at Rafter arena due to logistics then it will be on the proviso that it becomes an enclosed venue. It would be doomed to failure otherwise.

Anyway this is thrilling news! Will be on tenterhooks until the official announcement.

It means that statement is incorrect.

This isn't about the NFL's involvement but if it was, Goodell's testimony on something would be the last thing I'd use as support.

The point is, saying "something isn't racist unless you are thin-skinned" is wrong. If you don't understand the context of the term "redskins" don't dismiss peoples claim about it being offensive.

Hey there @Uwe Blab, thanks for going to the extreme on something that was just a throw away line. It wasn't meant to be that serious, the pun was a joke, but I get your point.

Cheers, Big Ears...

Going to an extreme? I said two words to you!

Indirectly, no matter, all good...

"extremism" is a bit of a stretch for people asking for consideration of another group's racial sensitivities. I also think it's helpful to reserve categorical judgement when you're speaking as a majority, though I'm not saying you are in this case, just that it's something I try to do.

Smartest to go with Bullets IMO and at least launch with some brand recognition.

The venue thing I find is interesting. There still is a push to play out of larger venues. Does a 4000 seat venue meet that standard?
Townville would / should be worried right now.

Yep, a guy makes a statement that there is nothing wrong with a pretty offensive term, I say two words to him - literally, two words - then he backs out with "oh but I was joking" and this is all my fault. Of course!

"Do you know what 'pardon the pun' means? It means, please pardon my attempt at humour,"

So writing "pardon the pun" surrounded by five paragraphs of comments on the serious side means the whole lot is one big joke? Sure thing.

"The posts above actually prove you are wrong about the name Red Skins and the NFL "

What? Nothing that has been said has proved me wrong, and I wasn't even talking about the NFL. If you're call to try and call me out on anything I've said, don't talk complete shit.

*you're going

Can we get back on topic? seriously? why are you guys fighting

Have we suddenly got an influx from Ozhoops in here?


This is great news for the Brisbane Bullets and basketball in general.

I only know the usual public stuff about Sengstock, but he seems to have the right credentials to run the organisation.

I'm not sure why Bendat wants to get involved, I thought he lived in Victoria? But so what, he's a smart guy and has money, what else do you want in a backer? Or would you prefer some shyster like Johnston? Or someone like Cowan who'll spit the dummy and take his ball and go home?

The point in reusing the "Bullets" name is to lay claim to the rich heritage that the team had. A foundation team, 3 championships, 21 finals appearances.

There is no comparison between a name like "Red Skins" or "Indians" and a name like "Bullets" or "Bombers". I can understand that their are somewhat violent connotations to the latter, but that's nothing compared to the overt racism of the former.

I thought Redskins were a sweet? Are they banned as well? ;)

Any chance you guys can focus on the basketball and not yourselves? I realise you're far more interesting and all, and your desecration of this thread enriches us all on multitude of levels .

I feel like I should be thanking you, and it pains me to suggest that you really are going off-topic here.

But how about starting a new thread for it ey? Perhaps call it "My ego and I: How I was slighted on the internet." I'm sure it will be an engaging read.

So where will the players come from seeing the next season starts in Oct? and most players are still under contract?

what do u guys mean by an 'influx from ozhoops' sorry I'm new to these threads

ok thanks, I'll know when I see him

No, never been banned. Nice try though.

If you want to get this thread back on track, stop singling me out over a minor conversation. And trolling isn't disagreeing with someone on the internet. Taking pot-shots anonymously is.

Great to have Senstock back involved in Brisbane Hoops... a championship winning player from the glory days who has achieved as a sports administrator.

Will agree about Big Joe as well... his transformation is inspiring.

Watch out for Gibson to be the first official player signing.....

I wonder if the NBL will allow Brisbane any concessions in their first years ie 3 imports.

Great news for the NBL, I hope this turns into a successful pathway for other teams to rejoin e.g Newcastle, Canberra etc

Brisbane will pick players already under contract. Watch this space.

The players will still have to agree to playing for them, surely?

So the currently contracted players will play for the Bullets? How the hell can that happen, which is my point.

If there is a mutual agreement between club and player for the player to be released?

Ive been in canberra for the past six years and trust me, there is no way a team would survive in the NBL. The community here don't support the game at any level to a degree that would satisfy the powers that be at the NBL. Really excited for brisbane though...and hopefully a second team in either nz or even a team in tassie - they love the game down south. Newcastle would be good too but i dont think thats overly realistic at present.

There will always be players moving, players returning from Europe, younger guys coming home from College. I don't know if they'll be given any concessions. I tend to doubt it, as that would upset struggling teams like Townsville & Wollongong.

Maybe the can follow another team and track down 3 Yanks playing in Vanuatu perhaps?

He's a former lawyer and he managed properties and radio stations with his dad, which is how his dad made his money.

Does it matter?
I'm sure Paul has been helped by his Dad over the years, and obviously they share an interest in Basketball. By all accounts Paul does have his "own" money, but would it make any difference if the funds were advanced by his Dad?

Dazz, it doesn't really matter, no. It just seems that these anons above think there are a plethora of wealthy businessmen out there willing to throw their hat in to the ring, so they must think the guys running show are B grade.

When do you guys think the announcement will be?

It's weird, all the haters do is bitch about how Perth is only successful because of Bendat, but when the same family wants to help Brisbane they still keep bitching.