Have asia cup in the middle instead

But the key idea here is that there should be some sort of other competition outside of the nbl!

An Asian and Oceanic club championship could be good!

lol wat at OP

cricket is boring and sucks that's why they have to keep watering down the format

I like the suggestion of involvement in Asia. Aus needs to be in FIBA Asia. Continental championship for clubs would see NBL dominate and show everyone the quality of it.

Also look at the football Asian Cup right now. Imagine having the Boomers play qualifiers and then the actual FIBA Asia tournaments. We would be favourites each tourney and what if Aus hosted it, would bump basketball up in this country. The last basketball Asian Cup in the Philippines was pretty hot and the final was crazy.

If you want to know what to do, ask the 12 to 15 year olds.

imagine if as a fan you asked this question back in 1995 and someone handed you a crystal ball with 2015 in it. you'd instaquit on the league, oh wait, most of the supporter base did. well played sirs, we who were left behind think of ourselves as true believers but are probably fools....

The NBL doesn't need to die, it just needs to become "part" of the future. If done properly they can still expand the league and keep a high level.

In regards to imousuck saying that cricket is boring. Ask probably 80% of the general population about how exciting the NBL is to watch.

pipe dream NBL big bash scenario:

each of the 8 clubs could partner with an NBA club to gain a 2 month loan of one of there young rostered players.

Baller#3: I really like the idea of a tournament like that. Could totally lift import restrictions and align teams with NBA clubs. You could even include an Asian team or 2 and with a tournament only lasting 6-8weeks it would be easier to secure some big names looking to make some quick money.

Cricket is largely a contest of individuals. One bowler against one batter. Very little in the way of teamwork is required, so you can throw toegether a group of 11 players and they can play games at about the same level that they would if you had been playing them together for a year.

Basketball is a team sport. You can't just throw 7 or 8 guys together and expect them to play at a high level in a short period of time. It takes time to learn each other's games. What your strengths and weaknesses are as a team, etc etc.

Watching thrown together basketball teams play sloppy, hero-ball in a tournament doesn't hold much interest for me.

Naph,

Your last sentence is just as relevant to the Big Bash as it is to your basketball example. In addition while I appreciate the point you are making don't be too quick to dismiss the importance of team work and strategies in cricket.

Could this BBL format be similar to High Stakes Hoops we had a couple of years ago at Adelaide Arena? That generated some interest due to corporate sponsors funding the event (I think?) and it being live on free to air.

Of course it would be similar to 20/20 cricket concept. It's all adhoc teams and run and gun with several tactical variations. Should be a good spectator sport.

These were my ideas for the NBL's version of the BBL to capture a hole in the winter TV market and expose the game to new audiences.

http://www.fiba.com/news/Can-the-NBL-turn-winter-into-summer

This sounds like a typical hater, but hard to argue with:

imagine if as a fan you asked this question back in 1995 and someone handed you a crystal ball with 2015 in it. you'd instaquit on the league

I would like to see maybe to start the season. An FA cup style tournament. NBL/SEABL/SBL whatever in an NCAA knockout format. Hold the games at local stadiums around the country and really tap the grassroots in games that actually matter!

Winter could work, a partnership with the NBA to possibly send some teams out for a summer league could be good?

Imagine:
6 or so NBA summer league rosters
BA or NBL All stars Roster
Asian All stars Roster? or perhaps something else

Crowds here would surely be bigger than the Summer league in the US?

2 pools:
NBA
NBA
NBA
AUS

NBA
NBA
NBA
ASIAN?

Play a week of pool matches and then have a crossover series quarters, semi and final?

Its a win for all involved really, NBA teams get to delve into a different fan base, whilst the NBL would get a boost.

I agree with paul's assessment (link above - worth a read) of why BBL has worked to draw in a non traditional (for cricket) part of the entertainment market. The "anythign could happen on this next ball" flavour is a huge part of taht.

I also agree that there would be a need to modify rules to create a basketball product with the same chance of attracting a non traditional (for basketball) part of the entertainment market. i.e., modify rules to reduce number and length of stoppages and increase focus on offence and athleticism.

For me, there is an open question of whether this sort of tournament would increase the market for the accompanying, traditional NBL product proposed by the original poster. Does anyone know if 20-20 leagues here and overseas have been accompanied by an overall increase in Test and 50-over audiences - live or tv?

Do you think the current NBL appeals to sponsors? There seems to be more interest and/or publicity around this season.

"In regards to imousuck saying that cricket is boring. Ask probably 80% of the general population about how exciting the NBL is to watch."

Ask them how exciting test cricket is. Hence the transition to one dayers and presently 20/20 coin flip matches. Basketball has not and does not need to change its format in terms of length.

WTF?
The reason the BBL exists is because it is a completely different game to regular domestic cricket. What are you proposing they do to Basketball? 2 minute quarters?

The major point of T20 is that it reduces the game duration to something similar to most other sports. Basketball is already there.

As for some of the other suggestions, if you can't get decent crowds along to NBL games, who exactly do you imagine is going to turn up to watch SBL teams play?

BA needs to get its head out of its posterior, figure out some way to put together a Boomer's program that actually works, and if we can get back to being one of the top 5 teams for Basketball that may reinvigorate interest in International games.

Perth barely gets any International Cricket. We are nolonger deemed worthy of a Test Match (probably because the WACA pitch is too quick and not conducive to huge innings and boring 5-day draws.) As a result, the WACA is being systematically downgraded to a "boutique" venue.
There's also far too much international cricket, all crammed in together. This most recent ODI series was almost irrelevant.

Fiddling with the format of Basketball is a non-starter, however the idea of a short, compact, "Winter" competition has some merit.
It would enable come of our better players to remain playing here, thus building their ties and profiles, rather than scooting off to Puerto Rico. The idea of attracting (back?) some genuine NBA talent in their "off-season" sounds great, but would it work? Realistically I think we would still only get development players (like Ennis & DD) and ex-NBA types trying to restart their career.

Here is the reality of the future of the NBL.
"Brisbane has to be the next team added to the competitor but it shouldn't be rushed. Wade has been careful in his round of media interviews over the past couple of weeks to say the new side in the Queensland capital won't necessarily be up and running next season. It's more important to get the franchise done right than quickly."

http://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketball/nbl-needs-realistic-goals-to-ensure-longterm-viability-as-landscape-has-changed-dramatically-20150205-137gsc.html

That is a very good article @Nobody, this is another piece from it...

Australian hoops fans have countless theories about how basketball can replicate the glory days of the 1990s.

Won't happen.

Not because basketball can't rebound, so to speak, to its former glory. No, because the sporting landscape has undergone a seismic shift.

There is something pretty significant that always gets overlooked when basketball aficionados put on their rose-coloured glasses and recall the days of massive crowds, saturated media exposure and across-the-board growth of a couple of decades ago.

Every other major Australian professional sport was either a basket case or nothing like the behemoth it is today.

...The article is worth a read, it isn't long but makes significant and very clear (obvious) points about how we need to consider today's market place compared with that of the 90's...

I will add something to the mix here, along with the massive shift in the sporting landscape where the football codes and cricket made structural changes and competition changes to bolster their competitions, there is another key factor that has occurred.

Each of these sports has been catered for, to some extent by the government, mostly business and money from other sources has provided these sports with incredible venues!

The popularity of every major code in Australia is also linked to how the spectator is catered for, so in the event that basketball can grow down the track, expansion will also need the support of local government and other financial sources to provide decent and manageable basketball venues in the right location.

More importantly, these venues need to be somewhat controlled by the NBL franchise that uses it, or a combination of franchises and the NBL, otherwise we are just pissing in the wind I fear...