I've written on Hoops.com.au about this many times, but wanted to put it down in one place and get feedback. After following and talking about the NBL for many years, I'm inclined to think there's an opportunity to improve shrewdly on what we have. So, here's my proposal:
Firstly, gradually expand a revised NBL to more locations (10-14 total): e.g., Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, Townsville, Sydney, Melbourne, NZ, Wollongong, Brisbane, Melbourne II, NZ II, Tasmania, Canberra, Gold Coast. Lower the salary cap, but also shorten the season. Limit pre-seasons too. Don't expect a TV deal but do allow individual clubs to negotiate local deals if possible. Aim to get games streamed online, properly. Maintain the league's current history. Return to 48 minute games to give all players maximum opportunities. Basketball for purists.
Secondly, add a January-March TV-oriented pro league that includes six elite teams (Perth, Adelaide, Cairns or ideally Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, NZ - existing NBL teams). Players would be involved for only 3-4 months and the shorter season could mean that higher-calibre players (often paid monthly) would be more affordable. To avoid cannibalising the NBL, consider things like game-by-game tickets only, TV-optimised 40 minutes, dunk incentives, rule changes, etc. All about entertainment, even if it means tweaking the game.
| Current NBL | Future NBL | + | Future XBL Or whatever it's called. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Timing | (May-) Oct-Mar | Aug-Dec | Jan-Mar | |
| Teams | 8 | 10-14 | 6 | |
| Playing Jobs | 80 | 100-140 | 60 | |
| Salary Range | $40-150k+ | $20-90k+ | $40-150k+ | |
| Games Per Team | 28 | 26 | 20 | |
| Home Games | 14 | 13 | 10 | |
| Season Ticket | $150-450+ | $120-450 | $250+ | |
| Salary Cap | $1m | $500-650k | $700k-1m+ |
The Australian basketball season would then be roughly XBL from January-March, ABL from April-August and NBL from August-December. Obviously there are other factors like the AFL season, Olympics and World Cup, NBA, NBA pre-season cuts, etc but the goal is to make all clubs financially stable first. There is unlikely to be a perfect schedule to account for everything.
Player salaries should not decline due to the added opportunity, just spread across 2-3 leagues in most cases. There could be almost double the playing opportunities - more rookies, more veterans, more imports. More coaching jobs too.
A particularly resilient player might want to play in all three leagues. A current NBL starter (guys like Gibson, Blanchfield, etc) might suit in the NBL and XBL. A role player or veteran (Vanderjagt, Crawford) might play SEABL and NBL. An expensive import could play XBL only. Someone earning $100k in the NBL now might play future-NBL for $60k and XBL for $50k. A minimum-salaried NBL player is overpaid relative to role-playing counterparts, so they might take $20k and miss half trainings, weighting NBL salaries to the upper end.
NBL-only clubs would have their player expenses roughly halved, while still retaining the same season ticket sales. Clubs in both leagues could contract players from August-March to suit in the two main leagues. NBL-only clubs could get a third import allowance to compensate for the recruiting disadvantage they might face.
A team like Perth could maintain one level of team for the NBL and then add another-level showcase imports for the XBL season of blockbuster, televised games.
The Hawks, after losing Wollongong Coal, are in need of $500k. Halving their cap spend helps address that. For other teams, it might be the difference between a narrow loss and an encouraging profit.
Fans would have the opportunity to watch more games and players than before. A fan in Townsville could see the same calibre of team as now, for the same price, plus watch more online and on TV. A fan in Sydney though would have a regular NBL season plus attend XBL games, or buy a discounted season ticket that covers their team in both leagues.
Fans of a capital city team who had a mediocre NBL season would have a chance to reset and renew their hopes in the new year for the XBL.
I'd like to update this page if there are ways of improving this idea, so if you think of anything, please contact me. I'm on Twitter at @hoopsforum or @isaacforman, and can be emailed at [email protected]