The NBL has to look into a second New Zealand team. Basketball's one of the bigger sports there and they're good at it too, ranked 20th internationally. There's enough local talent to go around and a lot of the current breakers bench players should really be starting. With the focus of the league shifting to broaden internationally, I wouldn't be surprised if one day a Christchurch/Canterbury team is considered too.
Newcastle is already dominated by the A-league market, and Gold Coast is where sport goes to die. However, both Hobart and Canberra have the infrastructure and resources to thrive in the NBL and should strongly be considered, especially with the AIS resources for disposal whilst a new arena is built and a general spike in interest for the game in Canberra. The Chargers are on their way to being admitted to the national league and have expressed the desire that they wish to run on a budget of $5 million per season, meaning they would most likely be competitive and stable.
I like the idea of the northern crocs. Townsville couldn't support their own team recently but they have well through history where economic conditions weren't so inconvenient. A small market like Darwin wouldn't be such a bad option, as just like Cairns, Townsville, Illawarra, it is a market with no other summer sporting teams that would have a more intimate role in the smaller community. You cant help but think that Territorians would support this team a great deal. However, issues with corporate backing arise and this doesn't seem like the kind of proposal that would appeal to Kestelman.
I don't believe a Fremantle team should be considered; why disrupt the affluence and success that the Wildcats have now? With a population of over two million that clearly love their basketball, the verdict could go either way. Conversely, Sydney should not be considered for a second team for a while, as in a city of millions the Kings are losing the battle to the A-league clubs. Whilst it could be argued that a rivalry could spark the necessary interest just as the Wanderers did, some on-court success and broader media coverage (of which, at the moment, there is absolutely none of) would be a better solution for the lack of crowds and overall attention.
Melbourne is a clear favourite to attract a second team, the sporting capital and basketball-crazed city of Australia. It has been argued that bringing the Tigers back would increase the profile of the league and invite back estranged supporters of which there are still many. I like the idea of AFL clubs establishing a team, however, it would be unwise to keep the identity of the club so as to isolate supporters of the other nine Victorian clubs and limit the potential of their supporter base. It makes perfect sense to have a team owned by an AFL team with the use of their facilities under the moniker of the Tigers. The alternative is to distribute the licence to one of the NBA players mentioned in the media. While this would be effective in raising the profile and interest of the league, the league has already gained necessary traction and would benefit more from a well-run club with more stable corporate backing. Just as with Sydney, a third Melbourne team should be considered further down the track after more media attention and/or a free to air TV deal, in addition to developping better infrastructure in Geelong for the third team.
Immediate expansion destination (next 3-5 years):
Canberra
Hobart
Melbourne
Wellington
