It would have been terrible if the Blaze didn't survive. GREAT NEWS!!!

I reckon they will die when bris comes back in.

That's absolutely disgusting.

they along with Melbourne have made the league look like a joke

So the league has a chance to clean out a dead weight club and they allow them back in?

Don't get it. What happened to sustainability?

NBL didn't need another club dropping out at this point. Unethical trick or not, there were a lot more people riding on this than an ex-coach.

I hear what your saying Isaac but surely you have to draw the line. From what I have read the model is not sustainable anyway so isn't it really just a matter of time until we are back in this situation given how much the club is bleeding

Agree. Any club can do this anytime. Why not?
Private owners will always be in debt more than anyone else. They will always hold the majority of votes.
Would like to know how Gleeson got a pay out of any kind. Maybe the lawyers' costs that BJ had was enough to scare off both club and ex-coach. Unfortunately, Joyce was going up against a multi millionaire family.
The NBL have come out looking as bad as anyone.
Did the Players' Assn/Union get involved in anyway?
What do they pay their fees for?
Bet they haven't made a peep thru this whole sham process.
Makes you really respect Cairns and Wollongong and what they have achieved.
I still can't even guess what $12 million was spent on. The Gold Coast will be the last state to show recovery from 2008, they are still hurting badly.
How will it turn around if the $2 million plus are the annual debts of the club and they have the highest paid players in the League?

Gleeson got a pay-out because he negotiated one rather than going for everything. The amount of money on the line didn't warrant a risky ploy as played out by the Blaze. Obviously the Gold Coast owners decided it was worth it in this case. In most other cases, it's not going to be worth it - just pay out the difference between a player's contract and what they get at their new club, or negotiated to meet in the middle with a departing coach.

As anon said, the model for many sports clubs in general isn't particularly sustainable.

Agreed - anonymous and Issac. My comment was more around the Gold Coast model having lost $12 millionalthough I didn't specifically mention that. I understnad the majmoirty of the clubs are operating at a loss and the owners have to top it up however $12 million is a lot of funds.

A man and his family have been destroyed financially and other ways. It was not neccessary.
The Tomlinsons set out to do this because of a mere
$300k. Probably, the same amount their sons spent following the team around the country and sitting on the bench....and then charging the club their expenses. Honestly, this whole thing is sickening.
Beyond understanding the pettiness of this family who has multi-millions.

Hope you are right.
Lots of talk that there is no new owner.

It has been on my mind last week or two that this person could easily NOT exist.
We have a houseful of people who all agree (pretty rare here)on this whole horrid mess being a sham.

Interesting point is that surely the NBL players have a right to know if their own club had put up the surety of the million dollars? If the NBL chose a club or clubs that were exempt, the players should have that info. Not suggesting for a minute that it would prevent player signings but maybe more players would do what Garlepp did and get paid over 9 not 12 months. All NBL players should be salary paid up by the end of the GF series. I hear them moaning but learn to budget, guys, for last 3 months.
Totally unfair that a couple of clubs went through so much to find the "white knight" to cover that million.
No wonder we are struggling to find a decent, new CEO when he is going to take on such a ruse riddled league and little cash to deal with that problem.

'because of a mere $300k'

What world do you live in that $300k is considered mere?

Unless you're Gina Rinehart, it's quite a lot of money, even for the rich.

Understand your comment but it's not like it was a gift, it was awarded by the Court. A lot of money has gone elsewhere, has gone to lawyers, a lot more than $300k. For what reason, revenge, pettiness, what? Not one offer was made to Joyce from the Tomlinsons nor a time payment (over 12 months) accepted by the Tomlinsons from Joyce. That was all printed as fact.

Does it matter? As long as he keeps investing money and wants no involvement, as was reported.
The Blaze are always going to be in trouble if the Tomlinsons are in charge of the show and
running 2 plus million dollars in debt every season. Either their expenses are ridiculous or the GC just can't support a NBL team. Surely it's a bit of both.

Oh wait a sec, they'll go into VA whenever things get a bit deep?

Simple maths really.
It costs 3mill to run an NBL team.
Blaze generates 1mill in tickets and sponsorship
Just as well there are people like the Tomlinson's that have passion for the sport to keep tipping money in.
As someone stated above not even the cash flooded AFL clubs all make money. Those that do make money dont make it out of the sport, they make it out of pokies , hotels or other ventures. The sport is used to cash flow the other investment that provide a return.

J0yce was naive. The way this has ended for him is the reason why pretty much every other NBL head coach who has been sacked mid-way through a contract has just walked away.

BTW does anyone know if Eddy Groves paid Joey Wright's settlement?

Even Andrew Vlahov made a pay out to Mike Ellis and there wasn't even a signed contract. Think he got 6 months of a remaining 2 years. Honest!

Yeah, that's standard practice and what I was referring to. A partial payout is agreed on, a full one through the courts is never pursued due to costs and risk of financial ruin, and all parties move on. J0yce was in fairyland.

Will there be surety paid by the Blaze owners this time around? Would have thought it would be mentioned by the NBL in one of Derwin's interviews?

BTW, remember that the Blaze said they believed all contracts were null and void at the time of the NEW NBL, season 09/10. They didn't have to pay out anything. Altho, to my knowledge, no other coach/player in the league had to re-sign their contract, Joyce's somehow was of no value and he could be replaced. That was what Joyce disproved in court. So going on that, I'd say there was never any thought of a payout offer, no matter how small.
Why do I think that both parties got lousy legal advice?

South-East Queensland has been a Bermuda Triangle of sorts in terms of common sense exhibited in running an NBL club within the past decade. Excess after excess, dodgy business transactions, family drama, court proceedings and ultimately team extinction. Although in saying that I can't wait for the next instalment in this soap opera. *grin*

Ultimately everybody loses out, there will only be a few winners who benefit in the long-term -- the individuals who have jumped from the original gravy train to the current one down the road (Joey, Radliff, Gibson, Big Joe). Good if you can get it.

Interestingly, with all the talk about certain players' propensities of being involved with defunct organisations, how about Radliff's streak: assistant coach at the time of the demise of the Rollers and Bullets, soon-to-be Blaze?