It would most likely be a new team, with saying that i would personally like to see them come back as the Magic or North Melbourne. find a former player like Sammy Mac or D Mac to coach either team.

i dont like the sound of south east magic, i would like to see south dragons, or i'd rather a new team, maybey melbourne magic, not " south east magic"

Considering it is Giants people behind the bid the chances of it being called anything remotely like the Magic are next to nil.

I don't even understand why they are entertaining the thought of expansion right now! The NBL barely has enough talent on it as it is, yet by adding more teams, you dilute the talent in the league. People care about the final product, and an improved final product results in more money being generated by the league. The NBL seem to however think that if they spread their resources as far as they can go, it will open them up to better corporate sponsorships, more investments from private companies etc. They however will get sweet FA if the product is sh!t.

In Melbourne last Friday night, Hisense was half full if that, despite the Tigers unveiling their new star Johnny Flynn. The NBL needs to focus on getting the support of the Tigers up before they even look at having a second Melbourne team.

Is Hisense the answer with a crowd of 5,000 - not sure how many 2 for 1 deals were taken but they seem readily available for Hisense games. Tigers are doing alot of good things in marketing and promoting but is it enough to get Melbournians to games and not lose big $$$.

Tigers can make a very small profit at SNAHC.

New team probably looking at a similar model out of new stadium, 3000-5000 and lower overheads.

Doubt we will see any Magic, Giants or Dragons association - best bet is go brand new image, focus on the south eastern suburbs and local clubs which has very large participation and following.

Knox Giants has a great ring to it.

Australia has the talent but the roster is limited. More spots will open up the pathways for many of the juniors currently opting for non-Australian options or other sports (AFL).
Yes there might be a short term dilution but it surely would be an investment in the future of the sport.

I agree. We currently have the lowest number of clubs ever and the fewest amount of Aussie roster spots ever, despite participation numbers being at close to their highest point and our juniors still proving themselves to be world class in international tournaments.

I think diluting the talent a bit will help improve the spectacle, teams at the moment have enough depth to play aggressive full court defence for 40 minutes and that is tough to play against.

The NBL needs to focus on getting the support of the Tigers up before they even look at having a second Melbourne team.


Like make a rule that they can't throw tantrums and fire players and that they must honour contracts?

The league can definitely support at least one more team as has been said.

'456, something I've wondered about is a points concession (say two points) for players who suit for a full SEABL season before making the NBL. Might encourage teams to refer underdone imports to our lower league as a proving ground before getting an advantage for signing them. Increases the strength of the ABL leagues marginally.

If they are strong in the NBL, they are re-rated the next off-season like everyone else.

The Tigers finally made the move to Hisense which is great for the sport.
With the new team going to play at the State Centre of Basketball which only seats 3000 max it is hardly room to grow. That's 500 less seats than the cage and seems a shame when teams like Perth and Melbourne are moving to bigger stadiums.
A shed out east hardly cuts it.

One word 'Tassie!'

Would be the most logical choice in terms of expansion. Huge Bball following down there!

If they play at the new Knox stadium would be weird calling them anything other than Knox, South East Melb or Eastern ......

As for a team I like Rage - a combination of Raiders and Ranges.

Brisbane is the most important market for the NBL and will be the next team entered as part of the NBL.

The biggest issue with the NBL is the product itself. The majority of players are not watchable or inspiring and to be honest most juniors would prefer to watch their clubs BIG V or SEABL teams because they have an association with those clubs, identify and connect with these players at their clubs on a regular basis.
At the end of the day NBL is considered a form of entertainment of which right now it is not. People came to watch the game in the 90s because there were athletic players people wanted to see. Teams got up the floor and played more transition basketball which opened up the game and allowed for more dunks, more fast breaks, better athletes and greater atmosphere. These days teams walk the ball up the court, pass it around and wait to 6 secs on the shot clock to score.
BORING!!
The Tigers have made some good marketing intiatives this season but there is a long way to go!

Brisbane the most important market? How did you make that conclusion?

I say a 2nd Melb team would be more important, epecially in the Eastern suburbs where basketball in king.

Tassie has a strong following of Basketball but no money, combined with a dispersed population and rampant parochialism. It would be a challange to get a team up and viable.

Moon, because it is a market in its own right, not a sub market of another.

There is no evidence, none whatsoever, that large numbers of participants is correlated with viewership, attendance or product purchase in Australian Basketball.

Yes but Tasmania is also a market in its own right too. The fact that Melbourne has so many people who do not like the Tigers and has a new purpose built stadium in the basketball heartland of Melbourne makes it a much more attractive option than Brisbane.

Melbourne is the sports capital of Australia (the market even supports 7 AFL teams!). The fact is when games have been played in Brisbane over the past few years that crowds have been very disappointing.

Looking at other models (Rugby, Soccer) it would not be necessary to instal a new Melbourne based team anywhere esle.

Just adopt Hisense as the home venue for the new club and share it, then promote it as the home of Victorian NBL basketball and when they have a derby against each other it should be a sell out crowd.

Why re-invent the wheel when this works so well elsewhere?

As for a new team, they should never have dislodged the South Dragons, bring 'em back.....!