For those of us that can view movies at work, any chance of a little more info?

cant

League will be 10 teams with everyone playing each other 3 times.

It is a clip of "another one bites the dust"

Again, have to feel for the players. More guys out of work.

Elsewhere in the NBL, the Spirit appear to have signed Derrick Low for one year (as mentioned on Honolulu Advertiser). Could've waited, ditched Greuber (sp?) and picked up Ng, Rice and maybe Knight from Singapore?

Kent Brockman - That wont work.

If it 10 teams with everyone playing each other 3 times that is only 27 games. Which would mean that some teams would have more home games than others.

Also, clubs have deals with sponsors (members for that matter) that there are 15 home games.

if this is the case, then the points totals really need to be extented out from 68 or whatever the current total is.

Players like Ng and Mottram could now have a defnitely gripe along the line of a restraint of trade issue. If their livelihood is professional basketball, then that has been taken away from them, because they signed with a team that no longer exists.

Will not blame the players at all, if legal action results, i.e. they sue the league.

So...I didn't catch it. Exactly why are they gone? Personally I'll wait til I see it...

In any case, expanding to Singapore was always a stupid ass move, considering they couldn't even make basketball popular in our own country first. If it happens, it'll suck for the players, but I can't honestly say I'll miss the Slingers.

Kent - where did you get this info?

I don't know if this thread is correct. My sources are telling me that they will play this season but probably not the next.

N, that's what I thought a few days ago when it was first posted, but seems to be accurate.

Spinner, if someone was going to name the source, they would've done so. Either you buy it as is, or you wait for a more official source (newspaper, league, etc) to comment.

Dracula, the Singapore Government caught wind of the NBL's plan to cut them from the league when things are restructured, and figured they might as well not waste any more money.

Slingers are NOT in the NBL next season or any following.

Government decided that, with the upcoming review rumoured to include their extinction anyway, not to bother propping them up this season.

G O R N!

Exactly DICKO.
Now how about those other signings?

What other signings?

So we have

Darren Ng G
Ben Knight C
Neil Mottram C/F
Luke Kendall G
Mick Hill G
Craig Bradshaw C/F
Sam Harris C
amongst others all without a team for the coming season.

Add 2 imports to that group of guys and you already have a fairly competitive team.

Surely the league must allow some points allowances for these guys.

I think the other problem is that most teams have pretty full rosters by this point.

Can allowances not be made to have an 11 team roster on the provision they sign a player left in the cold from these clubs?
The league cannot just sit on their hands and leave these guys in the cold.

Would be nice if some signings could be changed.

Drop Winitana for Ng.

Though you're basically looking at ditching defence for Offense (which the Sixers don't really need more of).

Curse these late season decisions.

Costs those clubs more money. If they simply wanted to keep players employed, there's nothing stopping a club from employing a player as training bait and to do some promotional work?

I understand that it will cost clubs more, and clubs dont have to go the extra option.
I also mean that they can play a full 11 man roster as well.

Damn, this NBL is a frickin joke! Who would want to put money in as a sponsor now?
What a disgrace. The whole NBL board needs to be removed. This season needs to be scrapped. Let's start again for God's sake!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How can a popular sport be this badly run? Can we please get someone with business sense and some money to start it up again?
I'm bloody over it!

Thats a shame I wanted to see the Tall freak in the first game of the season! Hopefully we still end up getting a home game for our first game.

If it is the club that has pulled out, and not the league that has dropped the Slingers then the players should be looking at getting their agreed salaries paid out by the club.

Could be a good opportunity for a few players to get a double dip if they are lucky enough to secure a job with another team.

Heh, double dip....sounds kinky.

thedoctor, interesting thought. Could the club argue that without the support/sponsorship of the government, they're going out of business?

It's quite similar in that regard to the Bullets bid failing when Virgin didn't renew their sponsorship.

This is ridicolous. There is soo many players without jobs now.
I think Bradshaw will go to Europe so he is okay. Kendell might get a contract in Europe so he could be alright. I see a problem for the likes of Ng and Knight, as they are players who aren't up to standard to play in Europe and because the NBL teams have finalised their rosters, i struggle to see where they would go as they won't be in the NBL next year(unless the NBL along with BA increase roster sizes to 11 or 12)
I think the signing of Derrick Low by The Spirit(gay name btw) is a major one. Low played at WSU and was one of the better know college players on the scene; He was a legitimate NBA Prospect and was close to getting drafted. He can do big things downunder. However, i do struggle to see why he chose to play in the NBL, when he could have got something better in Europe. In Europe he would have got better pay and the competetion would be stronger and attract more media attention.
Did anyone tell Derrick Low that basketball downunder is nearly DEAD?

Just squashed this upcoming season... I've now pretty much lost all interest in Australian basketball. The competition is beyond salvage at this stage and is amateurish at best. They have no hope of landing a major sponsor anytime soon, free to air will never happen, teams are folding left, right and centre, there is no marketing for the teams left and personally I can't see much light at the end of the corridor.

Time to hit up ESPN HD and focus on Euro ball and the NBA.

Shut down the league and start again, even the WNBL will have more team than the NBL this season.

Can't wait for Chuck come out and say basketball isn't dead.

No offence but i think it is extremely selfish of people talking about their own team's likelihood of grabbing slingers players should they fold rather than the shitty situation which would result in a team folding, there are bigger fish to fry than grabbing players that would be without a club.

Curtley, wouldn't it be a win-win if a team picked up a player who would otherwise be without a club?

Curtley - No offence, but I care more about the welfare of the players who have been left without a Job, than a team that wasn't likely to last more than a couple more seasons anyway.

where did u get this im not buying this till i see a credible source for one singapore were meant to be good this season what about all the dollars from the castro guy the tv rights from his country they arent that bad, and i think they will continue to play this is a joke this thread its not even legit just a bit of bull

http://jronfire.blogspot.com/2008/07/singapore-gone-from-nbl-but-looking-to.html


"What I'm hearing though is all player contracts will be honoured and the club is trying to play 15 exhibition games in Singapore in the upcoming months. "

where's the money going to come from thedoctor?

The Asian market is massive. The BA is structuring the NBL so that a number of Australian teams can get into and compete in Asia. The money that will be available is significant. Australian companies expanding into Asia will pour money into the teams and the teams will have access to a fanbase that makes Australia look like a drop in the ocean.

isaac - obviously depends on what structure the contracts had. if they were dependent on govt sponsorship then maybe the club could argue they don't owe the players anything. Lockstock - not sure if there is money there, but the fact remains tha players have signed a contract, and if the club has pulled the pin of their own accord they do not escape their obligation to pay the players. One DARREN NG would be pissed

Advertiser article on page 80 says that the Slingers have asked the league not to have to cover visting teams airline costs.

Chuck has said that was not part of the deal and that they would not have been granted entry into the league if that was the case.

Chuck has given them til August 4 to get it fixed.

So that means to me that the Sing government was supporting the team via Singapore Airlines.

Fuel costs go up and the burden to travel the team plus visting teams to Singapore gives them a reason to exit.

Should also add that the contracted players will be held in Singapore apparently to play exhibition games only.

Therefore Darren, Knight etc will not be in the NBL next year

i Suggest we as a group of basketball lovers send a petition to the NBL/BA on what WE want as part of the revamped comp in 2009/10, that is the only way we can trult get basketball where it deserves to be.

What we want, and what might be best for the league overall could be different things. The NBL would have a reasonable handle on what the average fan wants, it just may not always be easy to achieve within the current climate.

http://linky.com.au/ra0gu

heres the link everyone wanted

So if they aren't playing in the NBL do the contracts hold the players? Surely they could walk away from the club if they want to.

It's official!!

Lin to FoxSports: http://linky.com.au/431ls

and the link to the Advertiser article

http://linky.com.au/tppab

And yet suprisingly nothing on the NBL website.

Shock news!!!!!
The NZ Breakers have now also dropped out of the ANBL. The league is getting worse and worse. Now no international teams in the comp.
Just aussie teams. this is the END. BBALL IN AUSSIE IS DEAD!!! DEAD!!

Where did you pull the Breaker update from????

NPNHS - Not really funny at all.

Slingers are not going to Brunei Cup which is on in 4 weeks. BC organisers are trying to get another team from Asia to replace them.

That kills the 'still playing in Asia theory'.

FM . What is your source re Brunei Cup ?

Kent, I would've been surprised if there WAS something on the NBL site!!

I don't think the Breakers are going anywhere.

Gold Coast and Wollongong?

Breakers will go in the future as will the Blaze
The only safe teams now i.e the teams that won't fold are the tigers,36ers,the wildcats and the taipans as they all attract good crowds.
I know for a fact the 36ers get some of the best crowds. The following teams are not looking to good in the long run, when you consider the fact that bball is dying in Australia. (Teams like the Crocs and the Souths are going good.)

-Sydney Spirit: Many people love basketball in NSW, But the biggest problem for the Spirit will be locating themselves in the right area, which is the difference between make and break. Sydney isn't the right area(i.e Kings got poor crowds). West Sydney is one of the worst areas(Razorbacks had one of the worst crowd levels last season). I think the Spirit will go bust if they put themselves in the wrong area.
-New Zealand Breakers: Poor crowds-Bad location in Auckland. Also basketball isn't too big in NZ in terms of a spectator sense. People love to play, but can't be bothered watching.
-GC Blaze: I can just feel the Blaze going bust in few years. The idea that Basketball cities such as Melbourne Sydney and Adelaide should all field teams will be ever-emphasised. The idea of going beyond these city's to smaller, holiday type citys such as the Gold Coast will diminish. The GC is a great holiday and tourism assest. Not a good market for Basketball.

I can also see Wollongong going bust next season. That is definite-They are full of financial problems. Can't seem them matching the profit margins of teams like the 36ers,Wildcats etc.

NPBHS - 'profit margins'. Haha, funny.

NPBHS - Go to the Gold Coast, then come back and report on the Blaze. Promo materials for the team are EVERYWHERE up there - and if you're not looking at the Blaze logo somewhere, it's because you're looking at a Titans logo instead. Flags, posters, billboards everywhere you look, including on the top of things like the Slingshot.

Probably one of the safest markets for the NBL right now.

Agreed Kev. Although your a jerk.. ur right! Titans and gold coast everywhere. Go up to the Q1 the tallest residential building in the world. Look out the window and through the binoculars and u can see a giant BLAZE SIGN!!!