Not sure about your specifics without knowing all the facts but I certainly agree that the Players Association - if there even is one (I say this because we never hear from them) - needs to get some teeth and stand up to the league. The league is only as strong as the partnership between fans, players and owners and the players seem to be the poor cousin in all of this.

Will it really ensure they get paid if the two teams allowed to scrape in can't stay financial? What's wrong with teams entering the league, but with a cheaper roster if they think they can maintain crowd levels (doubt they will - didn't work for the Hawks these last 2-3 years).

The bank guarantee is a new burden for clubs but is in the interest of players - that's what will be paying them if their owners falter.

my question is should the new league skip the upcoming season and start in 2010/11??
they still dont have a ceo,looks like the same old faces possibly making the same old mistakes!
they need some one to come in and take this thing by the throat.

salary cap - the on court product will need to stay strong,the next era of our economy is about value for money/solid product/good service etc
(its not all doom and gloom,just work smarter and harder)

if it is 8 or 10 or 12 teams,i dont think it matters, they will need to have solid business plans in place with available $$.

the hollywood element(groves etc) in sport and business is gone,its time to get back to work!!

A year off could be a mistake. You'd have players, coaches and other staff out of work, you might lose mid-range players to overseas deals ("Hmmm, Europe's not bad, I might stay over here.") and fans used to ticking the renew-membership box might be harder to bring back. The NBL might not have that much momentum, but it's better than none.

We don't want extra teams. Have a look at some of the poor players already getting a game. Townsville for example who are 4th ranked team for 08/09 have some guys who should not be in the league getting decent minutes. And it gets worse the lower you get.

a year off certainly would not benefit the on court product(which is the only thing that is close to being right at the moment)but it would certainly help the front office.the dust will have settled in the economy a little also.

i say either lower the cap or make the season longer.

At the moment there are players in the league earning ridiculous money for working a few months of the year.

It is not like players hang around and work for the clubs marketing department or go out to schools in the off season.

Right now the Sixers are in a situation where Ballinger is going to play in New Zealand's NBL. What happens if he gets a bad injury while he is there, hurts hurts his back again, does his knee or whatever. I am not picking on Adam just using him to highlight a point.

Yes i understand that a players income period is limited and that is why the season should be longer. It also gives the league / clubs more exposure and also allows clubs more opportunity to recoup costs.

The NBL is not the NBA the teams here largely are not profitable, their are no big time sponsors throwing money at the league, even the TV deal is not that great compared to what other sports are getting.

Heck there is more money being made by V8 Supercars at the moment and only a few drivers get paid more than what some ballers get paid.

There is a genuine opportunity for the league to get a grip of itself right now. If we cant afford to have players like Abney or Anstey here then so be it. I would rather have a league that is stable and still entertaining than one that is crippled by wage costs that are not comparative to the income or success of the league.

I think they should only allow 1 import per team and policing of the salary cap a must

Why do we cover the same old ground again and again under the guise of different topic headers when pretty much everything written here has been covered several times and in depth in recent weeks.
Perhaps some people that post topics here only read the first post- not the replies, so let's say it yet again so that some half-interested fan can rehash these issues again next week as though it's a new theory none of us have thought of!

* There will not be '4-8' teams- nobody is getting out of bed for 4 teams- it will be an absolute last resort 8 bare minimum or it will get deferred for a season if at least 8 applications aren't water-tight.

* Good luck getting any players to play in this country for any less than what they are already getting paid- some of them don't think it's enough!
If you start chopping an already lean salary cap, they will leave in droves and those not good enough to get picked up overseas will be out of jobs- craploads more than now buddy!

* The salary cap will go up to $1.2mil and will be policed through the ATO.
'Basketball payments' as we know it will no longer exist.

*The bank guarantee is exactly what Isaac, myself and several others have said several times- it is a safety net against crooked owners who leave players and fans in the lurch.
13 teams over 13 seasons have folded- do you like the idea of adding more teams to that dismal and embarassing statistic?

*Chuck is now the General Manager and the CEO position was advertised through an agency a few weeks ago- seeking high level business skills and a proven track record in business and results-focussed.

What else would you like to know?

HAHA that is my point , that players here have their expectations on what a realistic salary is highly distorted.

Does a 40 year old point guard really need to be paid $250k for a few months of basketball?

if the teams are folding because they can not compete financially then something needs to be done.

As a spectator i used to find SEABL games by the buffaloes much more entertaining than 36er games and those guys were playing for the love. Almost like the college v nba argument i guess.

You will find players to play in the NBL regardless. sure there will be some that have the i aint getting out of bed for less than x attitude, thats fine stay in bed then and stay out of the way of the people that want to play the game.

Remember no one is forcing anyone to be a professional athlete, just like some guys this year have had to go back to "real jobs" on real salaries.( BJ Carter)

If the NBL owners are making millions from the team then i agree the wealth needs to be spread back to the players. Whilst clubs aren't making that much money then costs need to be curtailed.

If that means players are lost to Europe, then good for them no one is stopping them (Markovic/Neilsen/Anderson/Newley). Until the NBL has a solid model and you have some owners not prepared to buy a championship then things wont get better.

Some imports are prepared to play here for a lot less than what they are being paid at the moment. One said to me recently if i go home it means i will be pumping gas for a living. what do you think redhage was being paid in tas? Hardly big bucks, now in the NBL who knows. Point is he was happy in Tas before getting the NBL shot.

Compare salaries of cricketers who are playing almost all year away from families etc etc, Players salaries here are not far off some of those players on the CA payroll and our sport can hardly be compared to the success of cricket.

I just think that there are some teams to blame for this massive distortion of value. Of course players are going to say well hey i am better than that guy and he is getting 200k then i should be getting 250k. Problem is the owners paying the guy the 200k in the first place.

Have a look at the two teams that will be in the Grand Final- they are your biggest butchers of the League at the moment- expecting change and not willing to change a single darn thing about their distorted view on how they STILL want to run their clubs next season.
That is one of many reasons why when the game is on, I will not be watching come hell or high water.
I will not condone thug players and owners who hold eachother at ransom for their own selfish gains.
Nobody is making money- look at the shitty stadium the Tigers play out of- do you think they can make money from their ticket sales when they spend $2million on their arrogant roster who think they're a law unto themselves?
They remind me of Robert Mugabe!
They technically don't lose money, because it's constantly being topped up by McPeake's over-glorified painting fund.
If you are repulsed by what these crooked pigs are doing to the League, then find something else to contibute your energy to while the Grand Final series is on- if you watch it you are sending a signal that it's ok and you condone and justify it, which is what they do.
Vote with your feet and say good riddance to this present format.

here - here, HAHA

they will win the g/f....
they will have achieved nothing!!