They've beaten Adelaide twice this season, but then again most the other teams have too.

if they were called the sydney razorbacks they would have gotten twice as many people to their games, it's this arrogant assumption that calling themselves the spirit will get razorbacks AND kings fans to their games that has stuffed them up so much. Playing in a venue that is not actually near where anyone lives or works doesn't help either.

Will Cairns be far behind and miss out on the next season? Their last crowd had dropped to 3,300 or so and the owners seem to me to be conditioning their fanbase for a departure from the league after this season.

Public spat re venue costs. Many will write it off as just public negotiations and that may be the case (though someone previously involved did write to the Cairns paper on the topic suggesting it wasn't too clear cut), but I suspect it might serve as a convenient out from the high costs of the NewBL (bit like the Slingers talking about the cost of flights).

There was a rumour a while back that Cairns' owner was giving it one last crack too. After years of spending up on a roster which hasn't really gone as far as it should have, this might be the time to pull the pin.

Crowd numbers have not been great recently (3,200-3,400 this season) compared to past events which won't enthuse or push an owner to commit to more.

Perhaps they are happy to ignore this season (like the Dragons in Heal's second year) and save money for the next.

That's a good point. Issue could be that the money required to improve the team for sale would be more than they might hope to get as a result, especially with an expensive NewBL looming?

Cairns are well known for paying lots of BIG cash under the table.

C'est La Vie

From a post on OzHoops:

Heard the Spirit mgt had a crisis meeting with the NBL yesterday arvo. Spirit now in liquidation. No more games. Season ticket holders and sponsors lose out.
Players and coaching staff will probably be bailed out by the NBL's special fund?

It is official. The players have been told they are all unemployed and that the Spirit will play no more games this season.

So does this mean that the 36ers two losses to Spirit are now logged as byes or forfeits? Wishful thinking?

http://www.smh.com.au/news/sport/basketball/spirit-likely-to-vanish-from-the-nbl/2008/11/25/1227491541858.html

Spirit likely to vanish from the NBL
November 25, 2008 - 7:01PM

Sydney is likely to have no presence in the NBL following the crushing announcement that the Spirit are set to go into administration this week.

In another huge blow to the national basketball competition, the Spirit are almost certain to follow the Sydney Kings into extinction as early as this week unless an extremely unlikely saviour comes out of the woodwork.

The development will throw the NBL into turmoil, as they would have to find a way to revamp the schedule midway through the current season.

In a frustratingly similar scenario that led to the Kings folding in the off-season, when the NBL board struggled mightily to keep communication open with former Kings owner Tim Johnston, the league is now having trouble contacting Spirit owner Greg Evans.

"The league office was informed by Sydney Spirit owner Greg Evans on Saturday that the team was in a perilous financial position and has indicated that he was planning to put the team into administration," chief executive of Basketball Australia Scott Derwin said in a statement.

"We have since been seeking urgent talks with Evans to ascertain what, if anything, can be done either to help him maintain the team in the NBL for the remainder of the season, or to find a buyer for the Spirit's license who could continue the club's on-going operations.

"We have also opened up dialogue with a number of individuals who had previously shown an interest in investing in a Sydney-based NBL team with a view to getting them involved in saving the Spirit if at all possible.

"At this stage, it is simply too early to tell if there are grounds for optimism as to the team's future, but we are facing the very real prospect that they may not be able to see out the remainder of the 2008-09 season.

"We expect to be able to make a further statement on this issue, and how it will impact the other nine teams in the competition, prior to the Spirit's next scheduled home match against the South Dragons on Saturday night."

The Spirit's woes follow the loss of the Kings, Brisbane Bullets and Singapore Slingers after last season.

The club formerly known as the West Sydney Razorbacks were re-launched as the Spirit this year in an effort to attract all of Sydney's basketball fans after the demise of the Kings.

But the experiment has failed, with the club failing to attract crowds to their Homebush Bay home.

It was widely expected the Kings may return in a revamped NBL next season at the Spirit's expense, but the latest developments suggest the Spirit won't even last that long.

"This issue, along with the other recent issues surrounding other former NBL clubs, clearly illustrates the reason why the standards for the new NBL will include far more stringent criteria in terms of ownership guidelines and financial guarantees when it is launched in season 2009-10," the NBL statement added.

AAP

Sorry to repeat the obvious, but this is really stuffed. I can't believe a business is allowed to run like this. Whoever claims to be running the NBL should be sent directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. You are ruining my favourite sport.

A few things out of this

Get Beveridge here as an assistant ASAP.

Where do the players end up?

Should there be draft system where the Blaze get first crack at a player and it goes on from there?

As a sixers fan who would you like to see here? Personally i think Matt Knight would be great to ensure we are ok next year in the niddle if Luke goes Euro.

Liam Rush would be very handy as well but we are stocked up in the 3 spot already.

Derwin's a Harmison-clone hipocrite.
This is the same guy who uses the recent NBL/BA merge publicity to his benefit for clubs to have enough $ to function for years to come, yet only some weeks ago cut a deal with Blaze to bypass some criteria- absolute hipocrisy.
If the Blaze have to do that, it's further proof over and above that without special treatment, they too are pouring $ into a cause they can't sustain on their own. The NBL owes Bris big time for the inconsistencies they forced on them to fold.

Look this harmison has to go. WE all new that the sydney spirit experiment was flawed, and that you can't just change the name anmd expect them all to jump on board. They were a failing license to start with so why make it even worse. They should not have been admitted to the league this year, especially after 3 teams had already folded and they were surpose to be setting strict guidelines ect. Apart from thopse fickle sydneysider attendances have been pretty good andf all the spirit have been this year is more unneeded negative press. we draw 9,500 at hisense but it is overshadowed by less than 1000 turning up to scc.


_________
www.freewebs.com/southdragons

Malcolm Speed for CEO of the new NBL?

Last I heard he was out of a job after quitting the ICC.

I agree with Kent.

Get Bevo here.

I wouldn't be against getting Beveridge here as an assistant.

As for the players...

Do they now recieve new points ratings or go with the rating on their last contract? Will any be signed this season? Can they be?

J.Khazzouh: Will be in extremely high demand. He's become one of the premier big men in the league this year, Cairns and Townsville would be espcially interested. He may want to go to South and increase his Boomer chances (of course they can fit him in :P).

M.Knight: I think he's got a points rating of 2 or 3, making him very tatsy to all clubs whether they're set for PF's or not (assuming he keeps this rating).

L.Rush: Would've been good for the 6ers pre-Hodge, but he would languish on the pine if we got him now. Far too talented to be out of a job for long though.

D.Low: Really can't see why anyone would take him. Sure, he's averaging about 18ppg but that's on one of the worst teams around and on about 35% shooting.

D.Martin: Should be a solid backup PG somewhere. Probably not good enough for a starting spot at the Tigers and they've got Crosswell on the bench anyway. Cairns might be interested in a Cook-Martin swap, Joyce-Martin would be possible under a different coach or even a Henare-Martin swap at the Breakers would be beneficial although I can't see it happening.

T.Rampton: Kiwi who may want to head home. Behrendorff? He's getting on in age so I don't imagine teams will be racing to get his signature.

D.Gruber: Has done ok in limited minutes so far but I can't see an import getting cut just to fit him in. Maybe next year Grubes.

Dann/Reed/Williamson: Williamson would be of most interest but I couldn't see any of these guys getting signed this year without an injury to a SG/SF.

The only possibilities I see here for the 6ers are Cooper-Rampton or Winitana-Williamson but don't think either swap would be beneficial enough (if at all) to bother. I don't see the point of getting Knight here while we still have Luke/Balls/Jake but he could be good if we somehow lose one of them in the off-season.

Wonder if a team like the Dragons would cut an import for Khazzouh or Rush?

There are good options there for any club looking to make brutal moves and cut players, but I'm not sure any will do that.

Very disappointed if they don't play any more games this season.

The draw is terrible that we have spent our games with them and some teams have only played the Spirit onece...

If Bevo came over I would not be upset. Assume Liam would be bumped down the pecking order, or back to ABA

Can we take on anymore in the roster?

Would someone have to get the flick? Who would go?

If Khazzouh came over, can you image the Schench on one side of the key, him on the other, Balls and Jake in there too and then Julius running amuck...

Looks like Greg Evans and the Spirit were not a 'Perfect Match'. Dexter would have given them a low compatibilty rating.

Story on news.com.au.

Key points:

- Greg Evans informed BA boss Scott Derwin via email late on Saturday afternoon that he was placing the team into administration this week.

- None of the players or coaching staff had any idea Evans had pulled the pin on the team until late Monday when NBL chief executive Chuck Harmison alerted head coach Rob Beveridge.

- Derwin met yesterday with several parties who are interested in resurrecting the Kings. But Mike Wrublewski (former Kings owner) didn't hold out much hope for the Spirit after attending the meeting. "Right now it doesn't look good . . . it's way beyond just trying to buy the team."

Say the worst thing happens and its announced they have played their last game - What happens with the schedule and the games that have already been played?

Do we just remove all previous results? (Would be good for the 36ers) or do we continue with some extra games being added to fill the void?

More importantly what about my Friday night bet for Sixers to beat Spirit does that become void and I get my money back? :P

And what happens to finals?
6 teams make it out of 9 or change to a top 5 system?

I reckon, existing results stand. Upcoming games in the schedule are replaced by an exhibition game or similar. e.g., clubs still to host the Spirit might lose money (walk-up sales, car-park, some food/bev) by having no game, and alienate fans.

Either try to fly in the Spirit for a friendly game, or run the benchies against some ABL all-stars. That might be better for clubs than trying to refund a game, doing nothing, or sending out a t-shirt or whatever.

Leave finals as is -- not ideal, but might be slightly better than messing with the schedule further.

Dont the sixers still have 3 points under the cap?? if we do i say go and sign Matt Knight or Khazzouh, if he is under 3. Knight should be being a returning college player.
if need be cut Cooper or Winitana for either of them.
Imagine the depth we would have with one of those guys splitting the minutes with Schenscher and backing up Ballinger.
If we say got Knight (for Cooper) id love to see a rotation like

C Schenscher 30 mins/Knight 18 mins
PF Ballinger 35 mins/Knight 13mins
SF Holmes 25 mins/Hodge 15mins/Hill 8mins
SG Hodge 15mins/Maher 20 mins/ Hill 13 mins
PG Bruce 20mins/Davidson 20mins/ Hodge 8 mins

That looks like a deep and talented line up to me, with a good spread of minutes everyone playing 20mins or more so they can get into some sort of rythm consistantly. even i we dont get knight i think the 36ers should rotate something along those lines, perhaps split knight minutes between Holmes, Ballinger and Cooper

We had a final 8 with 11 teams a few years ago, so compared with that, a final 6 for 9 teams doenst look that bad.

Jonno,

you wouldn't play Holmes at all if we got Knight??

I gave Holmes 25 mins as starting SF

sorry, my bad

Does every team that Jason Smith play for go under?

Magic, Titans, Kings and now Spirit.

Fitting that he is the NBL logo as well...

maybe we should have one team in nq called the
NQ CROCS or NQ CANE TOADS (JOKE!!) it might make sense to split home games between cairns,townsville & mackay.keeping the game alive in the north!!
i think cairns will not be in the newbl,a combination of losing money and the under performance of a team they have been building for years.this negative momentum will be there demise.

http://sportal.com.au/basketball-news-display/spirit-given-deadline-61105

That's an interesting article. It reads like maybe BA-NBL, and other team owners will put in a bit, so the spirit play on Saturday..IF Evans will surrender the licence.