Really hope they bring back an end of season national finals too.

There isn't an east conference is there?
How many teams in the nznbl?

Waratah will become the East conference next year, IIRC.

I think it would be better to say that Australia's super rugby teams are shithouse and pilfering money and overall pretty subpar on the park so maybe we should let NZ rugby get their hands on our teams and competition as they'd do a better job, no matter how true that may be Australians with Rugby and NZ with basketball wouldn't be overly happy with how those situations come about and as much as I love to hate the Breakers, New Zealand is a damn fine basketballing nation and certainly fight well above their weight division and I'd hate to see the hard work that many have made into their basketball culture diminish because they feel undervalued.

It's too great a risk I think

GoBirds, your OP is a great one. Poses a question, sets out pro's and cons of the idea, one which you already have a preferred stance to, no doubt, then leave it wide open for discussion. Very well done.

Could you add something like: 2 Kiwi teams, representing, most obviously, north and south islands, enter the NBL1 "franchise". The NZNBL continues as is.

The main issues are, who plays when and where.

There would not be nearly enough quality players to fill out another 2 teams and keep the standards, at least as high as they currently are. If the focus goes to NBL1, that would weaken the NZ version. If not, the NBL1 sides should not be considered the best or even main pathway.

The only solution I see is for the NZNBL to run its conference at a different time of the year. When?

Not much time in between NBL and NBL1 as it is. However, this season has shown that NBLers need no time to switch from NBL to NBL1. NBL1 could perform all their other preparations during the latter part of the NBL season and start within say a fortnight of NBL ending. You might get a NZNBL season in between the end of NBL1 and beginning of PRE-season for the NBL, but doubtful.

An alternative is to play at a different time of the week. Could/can NZNBL be played mid-week? Are the distances between your basketball centres within easy and timely reach of each-other? There will be exceptions but in general? The exceptions can be played on "bye" weekends in the NBL1. Tough, but do-able.

Now, the number of quality players is no more significant than normal as the NBL1 teams would be selected from current NZNBL rosters and/or any other 'ballers, within the NBL1 rules. Obviously, some will play for 2 teams, some for just 1 (either team).
[I would like to see the NZ-NBL1 teams to have expanded rosters to allow for doubling of games, trainings, player management, etc. Appearance in finals should comply with other rules, too.]

[My thoughts on the above are only on HOW it be made to work, NOT on whether it should happen.]

re: "Exactly right. The NBL doesn't (does?) little if anything for NBL1 teams."

I have a different opinion (surprise, surprise!). I am from the Sunny Coast where we have had 2 teams, at state-league level, ever since the QBL and before that, no doubt.

As a fairly direct result of NBL1, we are "forced" to combine the resources of both into 1 team (this, from the 2022 season)(the clubs stay separate at all lower-representative and juniors' levels).

UNDOUBTEDLY, this will result in a stronger top-level presence in NBL1 for the SC, with 2 main feeder-clubs contributing, with strong pathways for their respective juniors to further their skills and possible careers.

When the NBL1 is truely national, it's the ONLY way we can be meaningful, to the league and to ourselves.

I even think that Gold Coast may follow a similar plan in the near future.