Unquestionably, it’s great that a former NBA playoffs starter made his NBL debut on Sunday and that another player with (pre-season) NBA links did so too.
Sam Young at the Sydney Kings and Mustapha Farrakhan at the Melbourne Tigers have now officially joined the NBA-drafted James Ennis at the Perth Wildcats in making the move to Australia.
Young and Ennis even lined up on each other, and while the game did not correspond with the hype it received the simple fact both men were on an NBL court was a nice moment for the league.
It’s great that these sort of players are here. Ennis is doing wonders for the NBL highlights reel. Young promises to once settled.
The more players along the lines of Ennis and Young, it stands to reason, the better.
But with some careful consideration, this writer can’t help but asking a question – would it be too much to ask for one of them to leave?
As in, leave us behind and head to the NBA?
Okay, okay. We all want them to stay.
Some of us are even fearful of the NBA scouts watching over our league’s shoulder.
But while it may seem counter-intuitive to hope for their departure, we need to step back and accept that if it really is the case of ‘the more the better’, we may just have to let some go.
After all, isn’t the ability to sell the message to potential future signings that the NBL can legitimately be used as a path to the NBA a good thing?
For the current stream of well-credentialed imports – which really started with Jonny Flynn last year – to be more than a fad, we’re going to have to demonstrate that the Flynn and Young types can achieve what they come here to do, which is get back to the NBA.
There are a number of selling points our clubs can offer, primarily lifestyle-based ones. We speak English. It’s a summer season.
But these factors are not new. What has changed recently, at least with Melbourne and Sydney, is that they’ve been able to sell the tutelage of former NBA players Chris Anstey and Shane Heal to potential recruits.
This implies that a key motivator for the Flynn and Young types in deciding where to go is how a destination fits into the eventual goal of playing in the NBA.
Money has always been assumed as the biggest factor. That’s why the NBL is heavily considering a marquee player rule as we speak.
But any NBA player with a half-decent agent would have had it drilled into them to live below the size of their pay packet. They should be able to ‘afford’ a season in Australia, so to speak, particularly if that season is geared towards achieving a higher level of future income (by returning to the NBA).
We can’t dismiss the money factor, it’s obviously important. Ennis has admitted that the NBL salary being far superior to that of the D-League was a significant part of his decision.
It’s just that building a reputation for being a legitimate stepping stone to the NBA could have a massive influence in its own right.
That doesn’t just go for imports, either – it could also send a message to Aussie guys that have done their time abroad or even those starting their careers.
The unfortunate thing is that the only way to build such a reputation is for guys to leave the NBL to join the NBA.
And the reality is that having that happen is far, far easier said than done.
So we should at least put aside the idea that losing one of these players is something to be feared.
Miami calling up Ennis, or another team trading for his rights to call him up, would be actually be a great thing for the NBL. Ditto if Young works out and gets picked up by an NBA team.
Let’s not fear the NBA call-up. Let’s embrace it.
Matthew
Guest
Apparently there were some guys from the Heat who attended the recent James Crawford Lunch and were seen around the city last weekend
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Kyle, yep, representatives of the Heat flew out to Perth recently to monitor his progress. I'd assume they'll return later in the season too.
Kyle Stewart
Roar Pro
Does anyone know if Miami are checking up on Ennis? It would be stupid to not but if they are they could see potential in other players which would be the best possible scenario for the NBL
Swampy
Guest
Yes indeed. The NBL wouldn't be able to fill that amount of advertising slots! I was referring to more standard things such as the court dimensions - particularly the 3 point arc, going back to 12 min qtrs, rule interpretations such as goal tending, verticality, zone defences etc. these are all the elements the NBA has tweeked to provide the most entertaining form of basketball. It is worth remembering that the rules for professional basketball were developed long before those mandated by FIBA and have actual sense behind their creation. The 24 sec shot clock for example was based on the number of shots taken on average to score 100 points in a 48 minute game.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Johnno, could not agree more on time-outs actually. No need to push things in the NBA direction there.
Johnno
Guest
No i say less, at least with regard to time-outs. NBA each team gets 6 time outs, plus 2 second time-outs each.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Good comments B-Rock. For the moment the D-League are getting away with it and it doesn't look like changing any time soon. It kind of makes the NBL a real middle-ground proposition. You can still live in a familiar English-speaking environment, it's just not America. You can still earn better money than the D-League, it's just not European money.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Mark, spot on about how fans receive it. I think I wrote at the start of the season re: Ennis, 'he can be called up by the NBA at any time, a fact which adds more to his marketing value than any risk analysis'.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Swampy, not a bad thought. We don't have to go as far as adopting the NBA rules outright but simply push them more in that direction, which I suspect is what the new management of the NBL intend to do.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Cheers Dominic. I think there's room to be a bit more aggressive in chasing those second-round draft picks that teams aren't ready to call up like Ennis. As others have said, being more NBA-like and less FIBA-like has its advantages here too.
B-Rock
Roar Guru
Agree with most of that Jorji But you have to look at this from a 18 year old american's point of view. Of course they could earn more elsewhere but they only expect to be doing this for a year anyway so the real $ impact is far less significant. The intangibles are more important than many realise - these young guys want to be somewhere that speaks english and is culturally similar to the US, with a good lifestyle and a safe environment. They wont play in the NBL for 10yrs but they will come down for a year if they see it as a legit stepping stone to the NBA. This will only persist as long as the D-League pays a pittance to the players. If that changes, we wont see any Ellis' again.
Swampy
Guest
Money is good in Europe provided you actually receive it... many, many cases of players being promised huge salaries and receiving but a fraction. I think even our Andrew Gaze got burnt once upon a time. I agree Michael with your article and the more that find a path to the NBA the better. To foster this I think we should adopt the NBA rules - so we make the intent of the league even clearer. Perhaps we could make it a pathway to develop NBA refs and coaches as well.
Jorji Costava - The Guru's Guru
Guest
There is a lot more money, media, crowds over in Europe than here. A single club in the Lithuanian league has a large salary bill that the entire NBL in Australia combined. Their stadiums are better also and obviously the standards and number of games played much higher. Maybe because they play under FIBA rules but we play under a hybrid NBA/FIBA ruleset attracts some?
Jarrad
Guest
I would prefer the call up happens once the season is finished! but yeah... for Ennis to go to the US at the end of the year and play well for miami WOULD be good for the NBL
Mark Pybus
Roar Guru
I think so long as the fans understand that the NBA might come calling then it's great. With the new interpretation of the foul calls the game is a bit more appealing than it used to be.
Dominic Davies
Expert
I completely agree with you Michael. It would be great if they could attract more NBA-hopefuls to Australia as a serious alternative to the Euroleague. But where do you start? Offering more money? Promoting the NBL better in the US?
Johnno
Guest
I still don't know where the NBL is getting the money from to lure these top class imports. No new TV deal, uncertain plan with de-merger of the new tv deal, uncertain about when season will happen. I am starting to like again the NBL being in summer, not going back to winter. -Keep the footy codes for winter, and cricket, soccer and basketball for summer. Works for OZ. And more teams etc. I'd also liek to see a marquee local spot given to each team. So Dave Anderson types would return.
B-Rock
Roar Guru
Completely agree. We have the advantages of language, playing style, climate and $$$ (vs the D-league) - if a couple of guys make it back to the NBA from here it will look desirable vs going to Russia, Lithuania or even Greece and Italy. Word spreads quickly amongst players and front offices, and with Brett Brown, Bogut, Mills, Exum (next year), etc prominent in the NBA, these prospective NBL imports will have a sounding board on the ground in the US.