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Three-time National Basketball League champion Brisbane won’t participate in next season’s competition, but NBL officials are confident a second Sydney franchise will line up to replace the Kings.
Bullets owner Eddy Groves today handed the team’s licence back to the NBL after he was unable to secure a new ownership group which could meet transfer stipulations.
“Some valiant attempts to ensure the survival of the team were undertaken,” Groves said on the the Bullets’ web site.
“But in the absence of any government assistance or major commercial interests and with an incredibly short time frame with which to work, the only remaining option is to hand the Bullets’ licence back to the NBL.”
Brisbane businessman Brian Stephenson was trying to complete a deal but the new investors were unable to give the league the financial guarantees they sought.
“It wasn’t totally unexpected but certainly it’s a disappointing outcome,” NBL interim chief executive officer Chuck Harmison told AAP today.
While the door shut on Brisbane, it remained slightly ajar for a second Sydney team.
The NBL terminated the Sydney Kings’ licence earlier this month after the triple title winners failed to clear debts, including outstanding player payments.
Harmison spent this afternoon in meetings with two separate groups interested in obtaining the Kings’ licence.
Prior to the meetings, the NBL boss was optimistic a second Sydney team would be part of the 2008-09 competition and that the NBL would retain both its pay television and naming rights sponsors.
“I’m pretty confident the Kings will be in, we’ve got positive negotiations happening with both Fox (Sports) and our naming rights sponsor Hummer.
“And we’ll continue those discussions, hopefully to a positive resolution,” Harmison said.
If the second Sydney team is locked in, there will be no alteration to the draw.
However, if Brisbane and Sydney both go missing, reducing the league to just 11 clubs, Harmison said there could be a review of the present eight-team finals format.
He was adamant a new Sydney team would be competitive despite most of the Kings’ star players already committing to other clubs.
“I think they would be able to get enough players to be competitive, that’s never a problem,” Harmison said.
“There’s plenty of players around the place, they may not be the name players or the high profile players, but you look at the basketball that’s played in this country, not only at the NBL level, but the junior levels and the second divisions.
“There’s plenty of good players out there as evidenced by the fact Cairns’ Nathan Jawai got drafted in the premier competition in the world.”
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