All things are possible, we can always talk about the concept, it is the process that is the problem.

NBL of the future needs to first some to grips with a few issues, like cooperation, agreement, change and the big one, leadership...

Nice idea but will NEVER happen

16 teams?

that is way too many.

the afl has 18 teams and at least half a dozen are propped up solely by the afl's huge tv deal.

Big Markets:

Brisbane
Adelaide
Sydney
Melbourne
Perth
NZ

Fringe:
Second NZ
Second Melb
Second Sydney

Regional:
Canberra
Tasmania
Cairns
Wollongong
Townsville
Newcastle?
Darwin?

Thats is 16 teams quite easily. 6 markets that would almost always be wanting to make the top tier. 3 on the the fringe, and even a couple of the regional ones would make a push.

Another idea could be a pro/rel type system. Top 4 automatically stay in division 1, bottom 4 of div 2 automatically stay in divsion 2.

Then during preseason a tournament between the middle 8 determine who plays in what competition?

There are so many ways the NBL could be made unique and exciting, I just don't understand why they are stuck on repeat, banging their heads against the wall.

Also I might ad that the difference between 1st and 16th would be quite large but that is the point of this system. The smaller markets compete with the smaller markets and the big with the big.

Regional teams and teams going through a struggle that can only gather smaller crowds of say 2500 - 3000 can continue aiming for that second tier crown without losing money and eventually fading out. Then if teams want to make a push, have more money etc. they can spend more and push for that division one title.

In order to improve, there needs to be a game changer.

You never improve by looking inside your own industry. Like Henry Ford said, "if I listened to customers I would have built a faster horse" When selling a product, you need to understand why people are buying your product, but more importantly why they are not buying your product.

I think pro/rel would introduce problems. Keep the split clear based on big cities.

If there is tension over blockbuster-vs-regional, then cater for both and stagger two seasons. Six team super league that runs over a shorter period and attracts the best talent. And then a longer 12 team league that accommodates the regional teams.

We've had threads about this before. e.g., fringe NBA player would play the shorter season only, or a Euro-Boomer. Many of the rest would play both. A fringe NBL player like Daly or U'u would miss out on the elite league and just play in the bigger comp.

The elite league would be Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, NZ.

The broader league would be those plus another six: Cairns, Townsville, Wollongong, Victoria, Tasmania, Canberra.

And do everything that makes it more accessible to fans. Predictable schedules, predictable pricing, consistent setup. If the smaller league struggles with empty seats, come up with a novel way to screen the ends (projection graphics or something). With two leagues, one doesn't have to be the traditional basketball we know.

We also need to keep our young talent in the game, not lose them to other sports or have them quit because there isn't the incentive for them to stay on.

The flow on effect of expanding the NBL, at the same time reducing overheads and creating more positions, perhaps by dividing the dollars up in a different way is to distribute some of those dollars down.

A kid who shows promise turns 18-19, but can't see a future in basketball because he is good enough to play here and wants to stay and play but isn't elite enough yet to earn NBL money turns to AFL, for example, and earns $500 per game in the country leagues.

Give our young guns an incenitve to stay in the sport, restructure the competition and devlop so we can grow internally or continue the slide, that's our choice...

It would be good to get somesort of agreement between an NBA team and an NBL team, to extend on its D league. Send a player down under to play in a league of higher quality than D league for players whom wouldnt get a run all year.

Agreement sees one signed NBA player assigned to an NBL affiliate for the entire season.

In my suggestion, the big market teams would not field the same rosters in both leagues. That and careful caps would help avoid blowouts.

The points cap is doing little to impede talent. Has Barlow finally returning to the NBL done anything of note? Not really. Using two caps to manage a transition to more teams are some of the only things (besides import allowances) that the NBL can use to ensure a good start for new clubs. I wouldn't throw it out in a hurry.

the big markets would field less talented teams they feel can get them to the big show then add a couple of talents for the couple of months once in!

The big market teams are?
3 teams possibly Perth, NZ and possibly United.
So why are we pandering to them?
OH that's right Marvin is in charge. So if the "Bullets" get up the NBL will own them and Marvin will effectively be in charge? Am I reading that right?

I like your thinking Issac. Definately need to incorporate the success of regional comps such at the SEABL and get it to co-operate with the NBL.

A soccer style FA cup would also be an interested concept, giving smaller teams a chance of being cinderella's, great sporting stories.

Also maybe with some co-operation with Japan, China and SE asia. An Asian cup style tournament as well.

So if your top tier super-club you could essentially play in three different leagues, have a playing roster of 20-25 players in order to play such a heavy schedule. Great way to max profits if your a club that has their sh*t together and not be dragged down by the minnows struggling to stay in the league.

I just think the NBL needs a big reshuffle in any direction really. They need to change it, I love basketball but this season is just a drag for me personally, same old every season.

I do not believe in what some say with changing the way scoring works. Keep it in line with the rest of the world but mould a unique competition format. Make it a unique Australian product.

In regards to a potential tier comp, we could even possibly see a second Adelaide market playing in the cheaper second tier?

Adel couldn't afford a SEABL team so, no.

Merging of the SEABL to some extent with the NBL could easily work. Move SEABL from Winter to a August - January format, merged with the NBL this could also become an Aussie only league?

At the end of this competition, teams with records above say 50 wins, and other certain qualifiers such as average crowd >2500 among some others would qualify for a Super League from a couple weeks after the Trade Deadline, and would run Feb, March with Finals April.

Get the best guys who cant get picked up for the rest of the NBA season to come out here for a couple of months.

I believe for the NBL to work as a national comp there needs to be some cohesion between all levels. Have an ABA setup where the clubs with the best records play off for a "relegation spot" left from the lowest ranked NBL team. This would of course mean a re-structure for the entire ABA but the purpose of it is as a feeder and I believe it's not being utilized enough.

Then you bring in financial viability, facility ranking and sorts. It's a tricky process and one that will take time and a lot of mistakes but I honestly feel it's the way we need to go.

Everyone needs to feel like they own or are a part of the NBL and at the moment it seems and exclusive boys club. Until that changes and community teams are allowed in either via relegation or something similar to the FA cup in English Soccer we won't see any change.

Tassie want a team? Then get behind the Thunder or Chargers in the SEABL, invest, support or volunteer for them. Make them a SEABL powerhouse and fight your way into the NBL as a real community team. Cairns (for example sake) don't want to spend the cap or want to tank for whatever reason then fall in real danger of being relegated to the QBL or whatever. Make every team have a real crack at winning because at the moment some NBL clubs just make up the numbers.

Then we bring in women. If a SEABL side jumps do they just have a womens in the SEABL? All that stuff needs to be worked out by people with pay packets bigger than mine. It's fine for people to say my idea won't work but we already see the improvement with Aussie soccer and the FFA cup and talk of relegation.

TV coverage is important of course.
http://www.theage.com.au/sport/basketball/nbl-needs-to-revamp-schedule-to-net-television-dollars-and-muchneeded-exposure-20141120-11qe4k.html

I tend to agree that in the future it may be a very different looking NBL to what it is today.

We do need to look at what other sports here have done successfully, however at the same time be mindful that basketball is a very different product and will require specific structures put in place.

@Solid Moves, quite a few think this way I think...

We can debate it, all good, but until the current owners of the NBL franchises are willing to cooperate and understand that they may be holding back the complete restructure needed, I am affraid we won't see the necessary changes any time soon!

Humble pie is not easy to eat...

Its a bit much right now to be thinking about 16 teams. The NBL is barely alive as it is.

I've been reading the NBL posts regarding its future for some time now, enjoying listening to peoples thoughts on how it should be done.
I was excited a few years back when the NBL were going to re-launch as the "new" NBL (just after the Dragons won the title, then didn’t enter the “New” NBL). I thought it would have been a chance to get things right, in a similar way to the A-League, but it was unfortunately just the same old thing.

In my opinion, I think the stigma of the NBL is going to be hard to shake, and as a result, struggle to lure investment in the future. So instead my thoughts are this:

Shrink the current NBL teams, and absorb them into SEABL. Promote some of the bigger State league teams (Newcastle in Waratah, Brisbane in QBL) etc, and have a true National League, with a top and underpinning league, with a promotion and relegation. Smaller venues, smaller payrolls with a more community based approach.

Then, begin a new league. Asia has a ridiculous amount of money and opportunities, and should be looked at as the future. Begin an Asian/Pacific/Asia-Australia (whatever you’d like to call it) basketball league, in the mould of the Super Rugby, shared not only between countries but continents. An Australian Division with 6 teams (Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, NZ) all playing out of large venues, with an increased salary cap. South East Asia could have its own Division (Phillipines, Indonesia etc) as well as a Chinese Division (or two). All Australian teams are new entities. No affiliations with any existing or previous club or association, to ensure to capture the entire audience of their particular city.
A conference system between all Divisions, similar to the NBA , for the playoffs. To reduce travel, teams would play within their own division more times, and take road trips (like the Spurs Rodeo road trip) to the other countries, playing several away games in a row, to reduce travel and costs.
TV and sponsor money involved with so many different countries, specifically China, could make it very lucrative indeed.
Could be played in the NBA off season (Our winter) to perhaps get some fringe to mid level NBA guys, looking for some extra cash and playing time.

Pipe dream I know, but one can dream.