I understand your frustration but I wouldn't live on the hope of that happening. If they wanted that they would have kept the tigers and called the new team United.

By doing it the way you talk about there will be very few supporters of either team to fill seats.

I don't understand that a city with 4 million people with such a strong junior program, can't support one team well. And we are arrogant enough in Adelaide to have had discussion about a second NBL team?

No one knows how the team will go crowds wise. Hopefully they get a solid fan base. It's a good concept but probably not that well thought out and there was no consultation with Tigers fans. You can't just scrap a team's name with so much history.

We have to try and be positive. I don't think it will convert a huge amount of non-tigers supporters but I do think it has a chance of attracting new fans.

Not much to be positive about really. Another well-known NBL team gone, just what we needed.

All the games will be played in Melbourne so there is no need to call the team Victoria United.

Perhaps given the fan reaction it could be called Melbourne Bitter or Victoria Bitter?

Gold Paul!

Melbourne DisHEARTened perhaps?

Could've gone with Melbourne Fusion. Would've skipped the soccer angle and still played on the "unity" aspect.

Base don their press release, teh members' letter and the other material on their web site, it seesm to be a strategy designed to steal a march on any new Melbourne team introduced to the NBL in the future. They state clearly that they're aiming to appropriate "the history of all 13 Melbourne NBL clubs and their loyal fan base".

Apparently they did 18 months of research to decide this was the direction in which they wanted to move. Given them above public information, they've made the decision that creating a clear divide between the Tigers brand and the United brand is the best way to ensure they remain viable after any new Melbourne teams arrive.

I suspect, without knowing, that they found a lot of the casual fans who came to see Melbourne last season had no attachment or no strong attachment to the Tigers' name. They're trying to get those people attached to the United brand so they can keep them when another team joins.

The risk, as others have pointed out, is they'll lose fans who are attached to the Tigers' brand. But then where will those fans go? There won;t be a Tigers team in the NBL from here on. So they either stop going to NBL games altogether, wait to support the new team when it comes in - but they won't be the Tigers so either so why would they?

The other aspect of this is corporate sponsorship. The United brand is laying claim to the entirety of greater Melbourne and its basketball fraternity. That means any new team will find it harder to argue that the Tigers offer a more limited sponsorship opportunity than the new team might.

To me this is all about smart brand management and marketing strategy, not about traditional notions of local sporting clubs. Get used to it if the NBL is to survive. In one sense, it's not unlike the experiences cities in the USA go through when a new owner buys their team and decides to move it to another city. That's how things work in the business of professional sport.

Consider the timing of these facts: 1) The new CEO was part of a 2nd Melbourne team bid in 2012. 2) United was considered an option as a name for that bid; 3) the NBL claims this change has been in the works for 18 months; 4) Slepoy and Kestelman took majority ownership of the Tigers in February 2012; 5) Slepoy and Kestelman have previously expressed interest in owning another Mebourne team; 6) the NBL has made in clear that expansion teams, including a 2nd Melbourne team, is an important part of the league's future plans.


This is still baffling. Why would they make this move if they want to own the 2nd Melbourne team? They would be undermining their own expansion team. Unless of course a resurgent Tigers team is in their plans (they retain rights over the Tigers name).

Otherwise, this seems like a preemptive move in response to the threat of a 2nd Melbourne team, one that they won't own. They know a 2nd Melbourne team -- their competition -- is surely coming soon.

Another option -- or an extension of this preemptive argument -- is just that the owners liked some aspects of that 2012 bid and found it easier to use their own NBL license to create an amalgamated brand.

Regardless, IMO this is a cheap and nasty corporate strategy. They are willing to make unnecessary sacrifices that are not in the best interest of Melbourne basketball. The NBL has made it very obvious that they want a 2nd Melbourne team and it will be coming soon -- a team that surely would try to appeal to the very same fan base that United is trying to soak up. Slepoy and Kestelman know this. They are just making the move first.

*** BTW, Melbourne Fusion sounds so much better!

South Dragons sounds bestest!

Do you know what I like the Melbourne Tigers being called? The Melbourne Tigers.

It sounds like Melbourne need no team for a couple of seasons so their fans can appreciate being able to see NBL. I'm sure Brisbane fans would take a United team, or a Spartan team just to see some ball played in their backyard.

So does United still keep the rights to the Tigers 4 championships or are they wiping that off from their history? And in a related question, I understand they are going to acknowledge (not own) the club history and players from the defunct teams, who were also their bitter arch rivals at the time - does that mean they are taking in all the championships and retired jerseys from those clubs and hanging them up at their venue including the Tigers?

If this is done right, it could work. It has potential to work, though it can't be done half assed or tacky. What they need to do now is launch a million dollar advertising campaign to get all of Melbourne to subscribe to this highly controversial and sensitive plan and they might just pull it off.

It really is boom or bust for the sport in Melbourne now. I just hope it works for the sake of the NBL.

Well appartently the Spartans are now in the picture and they have recently been in contact with Fraser Neil and the NBL.

Spartans will not work, it is the same concept as the Tigers, a small amount of supporters from a domestic club not embracing all of Brisbane like the Bullets would have.

If the Tigers situation is not financially viable, the Spartans will not work for exactly the same reason!

Why does Gaze constantly get a pass? How much has he invested into Australian Basketball? I agree he sure has done a lot playing wise, (albeit while making a huge amount of money for a NBL player) but what has he done recently? He surely could have pulled some money out of his own pocket and saved his beloved club? Or furthermore been able to put a group together to buy the club? 10 guys @ 100k each sure isn't what is used to be, and should not have been that hard to raise?

Seen/heard him winge and whine on TV and radio, how about he puts his hand up for once?

This also leads me to BA. Wouldn't he be the best fit to run our game at this current moment? Most prominent basketball media member by far. He has clout in the news paper, radio and tv shows. I can't think of a better candidate.

Time to put back Gazey my boy. Just my two cents. No problem if you all lament me for this, but it needed to be said. Time to get off the fence and help the game that gave you everything.

I am going to agree with delmos to some extent, not even targeting Gaze but also the other Tigers who have been prominent in their whining.

There is an element of 'old boys club' they want to keep going where they all get free tickets forever and can reminisce over the Tigers, that's not a bad thing.. but that isn't the owners issue to deal with, they can turn it into a soccer team if they want.. with the name they are already there.

Between Copeland/Gaze/Bradtke I can't be told they couldn't raise enough from their own pockets and general fund raising to enter a Tigers team by 2015/16. If the community that is so "outraged" truly feels this strongly, Gaze should mount the charge... If he wants to provide more then a good sulk he can and will change things up.

Will be interesting to see.. Lindsay said some things that makes it sound like it isn't game over.

Believe that when I see it. Played for peanuts.....you would have to be bananas to believe that. Gazey is one of the most business savy sportsman out there.

10 guys @ 100k each sure isn't what is used to be, and should not have been that hard to raise?

"Between Copeland/Gaze/Bradtke I can't be told they couldn't raise enough from their own pockets and general fund raising to enter a Tigers team by 2015/16."

United's owners still own all the Tigers IP. Stop suggesting this, people.

delmos24 - It is 100% fact that Andrew Gaze played many seasons for the Tigers without collecting a pay cheque.

Lindsay Gaze was NEVER paid for coaching the NBL team. Not one single cent.

I can't believe anyone would question what the Gaze's have given to basketball in this country. Shame on you all.

Well said Vart.

Andrew Gaze is constantly giving back to the whole basketball community, doing speaking engagement after speaking engagement at any club with a problem and always for nothing.

He currently coaches their Big V team, helps out where ever asked.

Delmos24, to even ask the question is a blight on the good name of Gaze.

Besides, you have no idea what his financial situation is, yea he's probably, and I say again probably doing alright, but could be up to his eyeballs in other interests and not have the ability to get involved financially.

Besides, how would he find the time to run such a syndicate, he does have a tribe of kids to bring up, has his own business plus media commitments. When would he find the time.

I know the bloke although not very well and he is the most giving helpful guy you will never see.

Shame on anyone for suggesting he is letting basketball down by not getting involved.

And Delmos24, why don't you put your hand in your pocket for $100k and get nine other mates if you are so passionate about it?

The Gaze name is synonamous with the Tigers (at both junior and senior level), this whole thing makes me sad for many reasons and thinking of such a dynasty being left out in the cold is right up there...