There is nothing wrong with the criteria- it is what other sports abide by rather than a suck it and see approach which is what basketball has been operating on since the 90's- do we like what's happened to the game and fans since then?
All owners don't want to comply- they just want to micro-manage their own little club then whinge when they go broke.
When you've always been able to do that, any change outside your lazy, progress-lacking comfort zone is going to seem "crazy."
Go read the criteria, then come back and discuss.... I'll be waiting.

Criteria HAHA was flawed,
you cannot put a team in the league proposed to break even or make a profit unless you own the sposnor and/or have very deep pockets to fill the gap.

Spend more more go broke its as simple as that.

The guarantee was selective, just like superleague was ie aimed at having certain teams fall out.

The money grab by BA was enormous,
teams pay to play every year goes to BA
Fox money goes to BA
all sponsorship IP goes to BA

was not going to function as proposed, we are now left with what you see.

What I see is someone who still doesn't have the criteria.

Let me assure you that I have read the criteria.

If there is nothing wrong with it, then why are we in this mess?

We are not like other sports. What national sports have no teams in Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide? Basketball is not mainstream in this country like the other sports I assume that you are refering to.

BA has drawn a line in the sand without looking at the greater sporting landscape in this country.

While I agree with some aspects of the criteria (employing more staff, engaging the community, etc, etc) the financial aspects of it are unrealistic.

In a dream world it would be great to raise the cap, have a mil sitting in the bank as a guarantee, but that is what it is... a dream...

Good banter though... you just haven't thought it through...

Ok so you have part of the criteria but can't follow it which is why you haven't thought it through.

What Budget does the criteris say you breakeven budget should be?

Furthmore the Hawks can't wait it will loose the $ promissed and sposnorship

HAHA, its quickly approaching the middle of May and we still don't know what teams are in or out or if there is going to be a league this year. The situation has never been more critical than it is right now. Forget the criteria, you don't even have to look at it to know that everything is up shit creek at the moment. The club owners are the ones that spend the money on their teams and lose money as well. I think that affords them a great deal of entitlement to object to BA and do things as they see fit. How a league full of clubs with tight money issues is expected to put a $1m guarantee is beyond me. On top of this we have around 120 players sitting around not knowing what the future brings for them, coaching staff in the same boat, clubs cannot finalise sponsorship deals, they can't finalise their teams and start training, they can't start selling season tickets, they can't commit to venue bookings, fans that are already making alternative arrangements for what they might do between October and March and owners offside. There is a war going at present between clubs and BA.

Thankyou EC. Well put.

HAHA, What part of the Criteria can't I follow?, if you are going to make a comment like that back it up.

KMTW, don't underestimate the fans in Wollongong, they are battle hardened, they will still pledge in a years time, as for the sponsors, if the product is worth investing in, then they will as well.

Hey Haha, while you are still drinking the BA Kool-aid, can you explain to me what the BA business plan for the NBL is? Even just a short summary of what they are planning for the league?? And while you are at it, whatever happened to that $35 million Foxtel deal? How about a major sponsor for the league???

Of course you can't, because none of the above is happening. This nonsense about the criteria just overshadows the blindingly obvious for anyone with a modicum of common sense - that BA is run by completely incompetent people and the whole structure needs to be torn down.

Of course there's no $35m deal when they don't have the right mix of teams in.