Id rather have guys like this whinge because he cant afford the costs, than have a team in, have the team perform below par and be out of the league within 2 seasons. This has all been done before, making a mockery of the league, hence the new requirements!

Good feedback Hood

That's fine, but only as long as there are 8 owners willing to pay that much. Otherwise, a better path might be a slightly scaled back league.

Rupert Murdoch Vs KERRY packer

Id pay to see that :)

Packer's slowed down in the last few days. My money's on Murdoch.

I think Rupert might be looking alright for that one. The first thing i look for in a fighter is a pulse.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/australian-nbl/news/article.cfm?c_id=685&objectid=10551627&ref=rss

This is the link to a news item on NZ second team?

Agree with Hood.. the reason the NBL is in the state it is in is because of the "come and try, come and buy" attitude the NBL has had in the past.

Mills, if you cant come up with the ca$h you cant play.

Two teams out of NZ sounds doomed to me anyways.

isn't it minimum 3 owners per team with no more than 40 pc ownership ? thats potentially 24 owners for 8 teams or 30 owners for 10 teams.the idea to spread the financial load is a good one.it is a lot of money either way but like chucky said "trying to stop the pattern of the last 30 years"!!
there should only be one nz team,will be interesting to see how the breakers fare financially after this years costly roster!!

Cheers Isaac. From the link "Bids will need to be in by the end of February", so we won't have to wait too long to see how it pans out.

It'd be suprised (and delighted) to see a 10 team competition in 09/10, particularly given current financial situations. Then again, with the Foxtel deal and HD One broadcasting from April, who knows?

I'd like to see the following 8 as a minimum:

1. Adelaide
2. Sydney
3. Melbourne
4. South Melbourne
5. Perth
6. Brisbane
7. Townsville
8. New Zealand

I just don't think Sydney can sustain two teams with the lack of fan interest.

Beyond that, Gold Coast, Canberra (AIS) or Hobart etc, who knows where an interested party will come from?

Mutley, I've asked you before to pick another alias.

Ok Mutley,

done.

Hah! Clever, that will do!

In this episode of Wacky Races, Dick Dastardly clones and disguises Muttley in an attempt to thwart Penelope Pitstop's winning streak.

Go The Mean Machine.

I dont agree with going to a el cheapo weaker NBL.
Once we do we will end up like Baseball in Aust.
However it is going to be hard with economic climate and if make it too easy or too many loopholes then we will still sink .
All we can hope that we can get 8 strongly financed teams and Brisbane and Syd. can salvage a team.
I reckon the 2 Mutleys should have a Mutley laugh off to who can use the name

The NBL want to be doing some SERIOUS marketing with all these dollars they're getting for licences.

I pony up 5mill, I'd better see some serious good use of that money.

From what I understand from an article about Cairns was that current owners don't have to come up with $5million it is only if new teams come in they will need to purchase a license to be able to enter the comp.

A bit like the situation when VFL was expanding the teams already in the comp didn't have to pay a license fee but the new teams coming in had too.

The bank guarantee I would assume is a different story and I am guessing is mainly in place so we don't have a situation like this year where Sydney and Cairns cant afford to keep playing.

My understanding was that new teams would incur the $1M new licence few, whereas existing holders would not?

Hence, the Spirit is being marketed as an option to come in during 08/09 and avoid the fee.

Not knowing the key points in the expression of interest paper but with the figures being thrown around should the 36ers be worried from a financial & ownership standpoint?

Don't know enough about the incoming owner to say for sure, but I think you could guess that he wouldn't have got involved unless he had every intention of making a proper go of it. The money the NBL have been proposing has been around that mark for a long while now, so the figures shouldn't be a surprise to the current teams involved in the process.

Is there a new owner?
Has the owner(s) owned a professional team previously?

Its only ridiculous because he cant afford it!

There is def no need for a second NZ team. We have only just fielded a competitive team and thats because we have CJ and tha Bear and the Big O onboard. We don't have the depth really, maybe if Bradshaw and all tha other Tall blacks that don't play for tha Breakers signed all we'd have is company for Gold Coast at the bottom of tha ladder.
I think the criteria for licences needs to be harsh to stop teams folding half way through.

I'd love to see Bradshaw back here. He'd be a 24 & 10 player with another year's experience under his belt.

Ian, I agree that he showed good promise. No room at Perth (Loughton) or Adelaide (Ballinger) but could be a successor for Ronaldson (different type of PF though) at the Breakers if they could smooth over their differences.

Bradshaw is in Spain and doing some great things, although he'd rather be playing here and doesn't want to play where he's not happy.
I doubt he'll play for the Breakers- there's still a lack of respect for him the way they treated him including the smear campaign they went on when he played them.
The kid's got talent for sure but he's a sensitive boy!
Would love to see him back here for sure.

Simply open import restrictions to include Oceania based players (one or two quality players in college from Pacific nations) and Asian Players, player drain solved.

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and this is by no means a knock on New Zealand) - We should worry about funding and the like for Australian teams in Australian leagues before we ever even think about bringing in teams from New Zealand or Singapore. This goes for rugby league as well. NZ have their own basketball league, so they don't need a team in our IMO. If the NBL stopped trying to expand outside of Australia (which is unneccessary IMO, as every country has their own leagues anyway), there might just be more funding and interest in and for local teams, instead of diluting the talent pool and spreading already thin funding and salaries even thinner.

maybe thats where the "club champions of oceania"should start.
at the end of each season, champions of each oceania league playoff to be CCOO of the year.
maybe that could be tied in with other club championships around the world,great marketing and tv opportunities,would love to see that!!

3, any NZ team would be providing funding rather than removing it from the AU pool I think.

Interesting that Heal said the Blaze will be in , according to the owner.
I would put blaze down as definately in, after hearing that.
Sounded like a done deal

The owners still don't know jack at the end of the day mate- the criteria still isn't even released to them yet.
If you recall some months ago not long after the review came out, there was a big hoo-ha with Derwin saying he'd be very surprised if Blaze wasn't in again, which was a big of a slap in the face to all the other teams that would be entitled to the same privelege.
Brisbane fans arked up in particular due to there being talk of a merge between the two to lower outlay costs- all this is old news if you've been keeping up.
As a Brisbane-ite, I'd like to see both teams in, but not if either are going to end up another Hawks and only ever meet the bare minimum to survive each year.

I seem to recall Derwin and blaze comments, a few months ago. I understand that there is a tender process etc. I merely pass on what Heal said.
Which coincides with what derwin said, as a matter of interest.
If the owners don't know ' jack ' - then it is unlikely then. If you think so.

What I mean is that I think we should focus on keeping Australian teams alive in an Australian league, rather than worrying about adding NZ teams.

I guess that's the first statement from an owner and BA-NBL saying a team would be in. ( blaze )

Even though the papers are only going out this week.

Word is that Derwin and co got a very emotional and inspiring speech about how he and his son have remortgaged their homes and are staring down the barrel of bankruptcy if they had to pull out at the end of this season and would be massively disappointed if it came to that.
That's all well and good, but all teams are in that same boat- they don't know their limits and are consumed by greed like many players, who just walk if they don't get what they want to get paid.
It is a catch 22, but Tomlinson's problems are not exclusive to him, and that is why Brisbane went hopping mad because of Blaze getting special treatment and a back door entry into the new league when all other existing and re-entering clubs get treated differently.

The NBL are holding a briefing session tomorrow for the media regarding the league revisions and will give up full details on the criteria and EOI info first thing in the morning.

The possible Wellington owner has softened his stance saying that he'll give it a shot, but still thinks the $1m licence fee is a bit rough. Might be some subtle bargaining for a reduction?

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