The on court product isn't really any different but the promotion of the league has improved greatly, particularly on social media, and every game is available to watch from a broadcaster who puts some energy into it.

There is still plenty of room for improvement, but I think the interest the start of this season has generated is showing what so many of us have said, that a big thing this league needed was better promotion from HQ.

One thing I have noticed in particular: Im not a 36ers supporter however I am on their Facebook group.

They post... a lot. And not just game related stuff. Last year I could probably count on a hand the number of posts they have made. This year its dozens already.

I assume however this is happening with all teams though. At least I hope it is.

What do I think of this season?

For all the talk of lots of midweek games, as a Wildcats members I havnt felt like too badly off there.. I think the next home game is like the 22nd of November though. Seems a looong way off.. perhaps too long.

I have no issue with the Melbourne United Winning streak. I was in Melbourne recently and I was seeing posters for the team all around the CBD. Its awesome to see that Ball gets a look in when I half expected Cricket or AFL. Hisense arena also seemed like a nice venue. Very open .. I felt compared to Perth Arena.

The thing that turned me off were the damn black clappers though. Oh god. And the music... there wasnt much at all. It was great!

I think the NBL itself was starved off funds until Kestlemen decided to effectively buy it. However its going to be an ongoing investment. Most teams will continue to lose money (I just dont think there is enough free corporate sponsorship out there that is enough to make all the teams break even). Thats what I see as an issue in some years.

Excitement and quality are only such if they're perceived that way. People are easily influenced -- If we don't see the league hyping up their product, we probably won't feel that hype within ourselves either. That's where the NBA gets it so right. They really know how to utilise different media platforms, so for example even a poor-quality game barely gets noticed as such because their highlights packages are so good.

The league is starting to generate more content on their site, which is certainly a step in the right direction. I like the round reviews they are doing now too

Every single person I know that isn't a huge NBL follower always says "Oh, nothing exciting happens" etc. that's why I watch the NBA only. If I were the NBL, I would implement all the NBA rules immediately, open the game up and let the excitement happen.

I've noticed a greater awareness of the league across all media platforms. Importantly, its very slowly but gradually gaining a bit more attention from main stream media. Certainly not to the level of some of the other leagues but I am starting to notice the NBL is getting a bit more of a mention on national news programs. Its got a long way to go, but its on an upward path.

Overall the competition is looking good and apart from Townsville and Sydney, the rest of the clubs seem to be lifting their profile to a higher level.

On and off the court, Sydney are the biggest disappointment, but that's not unusual from that organisation. Townsville have that "dead team walking" feeling happening right now.

Plenty of room to improve, and certainly need to keep the momentum going.

Is the NBL a better product?

On court, slightly. We have had a few big Aussie names decide to come back. Generally, the play is of a similar standard to the last two or three seasons.

On TV, they are trying to innovate with the ref cam (which could be okay for explaining ref calls but not much else) and we have been teased with some interesting upgrades to production which they are yet to patent and get a handle of.

There is also NBL Blitz showing weekly. We have all wanted a highlights show and we got one. It could be better, but atleast it exists.

Is it a better product? Yes, in a few areas. I would give the NBL a solid B for its effort on TV and court, but needs improving still.

Is there more engagement from the NBL?

In short, yes - on social media. The social media element to the NBL has been very good, and I, for one, like to watch the highlights on my phone on the app and on facebook/twitter. The websites are more active and the content is more accessible than ever.

As for promotion outside of this, I am yet to see that great NBL commercial on TV. I know there are Hardball billboards out and about, but I have never seen them. The promotion is improved, but once again it is a work in progress.

Do they look like they care more than the previous outfit?

Money can pay for some care it seems. Yet, it looks that way.

What things still can/Will improve?

Really, everything needs to continue improving. It is all moving in the right direction, but there does still need to be changes in promotion, TV product, rules and regulations to make this league a mainstream thing. However, it is definitely growing in popularity, and all teams outside of Sydney and Townsville appear to be doing well.

I think I'm the only person who's ever seen the NBL TV commercial on TV. It aired during an episode of WWE NXT on Fox8 a month or so ago. Haven't seen it since.

It is a good add, too. I am not sure why they haven't pushed it out there.

Games have been pretty entertaining. Social media from the league has been very good. Fox presentation has been solid. I use the app a lot to watch games on my phone. Players seem to be enjoying it and feeling like they are part of a better product - you see lots of them talking up other games they've been watching on their nights off. I like the games-most-nights-of-the-week thing.

While Melbourne are looking tough, there are other very competitive teams, so playoffs should be very entertaining.

Web site is poor, stats are poor - those are the two areas that need work. Compared to what would be getting spent on everything else, those shouldn't be especially expensive. If I were LK, I'd be spending again to solve those problems right away rather than let that site taint the product experience for another year or two. Consolidate the navigation and simplify the responsiveness.

Need more exciting imports such as Jerome Randle, then do features/interviews on them on the Blitz show, half time breaks, etc during the games they are playing in.

Then post them on the NBL facebook page, the page still needs more content regularly..

Agree website can be better stat wise, again they can learn from NBA.

It also shrinks all the content down to an unreadable size on a desktop if you only want half the window on the screen.

Maybe you were the only person to see it because grownups don't watch WWE and there are no kids on here

I reckon standard is significantly better. Not sure if average scores are higher but it feels like it.

NBL seems to have a much higher profile, BUT that might be just among the actaul NBL fans. We can see every game live, plus highlights shows, media apps etc. MAYBE among non Foxtel customers and Non NBL fans it is stil just a background sport that gets the odd mention in mainstream when somone punches someone.

Either way I'm on Foxtel for 5 months only and so far reckon its great value NBL action for $250. Just wish everyone could see it.

Scoring isn't up as the last two years were amongst the highest scoring rate since the early 90s when it was coming out of the semi pro stage.

Image is everything though, amazing how many people comment about how it's been low scoring until this year, so often perception trumps reality, and with people not watching the games in recent years there wasn't anything to dispel the incorrect perception.

Last round was a super round though, as was last night's game, let's hope that continues.

The biggest difference for mine this year is the TV deal - every game live with a broadcaster who is positive about it, unlike the coverage on Ten - and the promotion of the product on social media.

If the owners during the 2000s had invested in the league as LK is now we would never have had the low points we did, as people would have known there was still a great product there.