I've posted about this a million times before! It is a pipe-dream unless it is funded by the NBA Asia office and the standard across East Asia or SE Asia is raised dramatically. Otherwise, the competition will simply either run out of money, send clubs broke, or attract minimal interest.
FIBA Asia has just moved their office to Lebanon (from Malaysia), so their focus has moved alot further west than what it was previously.
Australian club teams would kill anything East Asia or SE Asia has to offer, and that includes both Chinese club sides and (outside of the Chinese national team) any other national side in East Asia or SE Asia. I'm fat, slow, and never played ABL, yet me and a bunch of students / expats regularly scrimmage, compete with, and occasionally beat the Malaysian national team.
Every other pan-Asian or SE-Asian league that has been implemented has essentially failed or exists solely due to the generosity of benefactors (e.g. Tony Fernandes and Erick Thohir with the ASEAN Basketball League).
Fan support outside of China or the Philippines for basketball is practically non-existent.
Australian basketball should focus on getting its product right first and marketing itself as an attractive financial option for D-League and second-tier Australian players who won't make the NBA. That will take time and patience. There is no easy fix.
Australian basketball fans need to be patient! The new NBL hasn't even started yet.
Source: I live in Asia and attend ASEAN Basketball League matches (when they are scheduled and ACTUALLY played when schedule)!
