With news breaking on Thursday afternoon that the Townsville Crocodiles would not be participating in the National Basketball League (NBL) during the 2016-17 season, the success of the returning Brisbane Bullets has become all the more important.
The news of the Crocodiles exiting the league on Thursday came as a shock. Even though the Crocodiles finished in last place on the ladder last season, and struggled for crowd numbers, they did seem to pick up after Christmas and the New Year period.
That was almost a direct result of NBL CEO Larry Kestelman appealing to the people of Townsville to show they wanted a team in the region.
The problem for the Crocodiles, with a major economic downturn hitting the city was that not enough people were showing up to the games. Already in a poor financial position before the season, only just making it out of voluntary administration under a community ownership model the low crowds that hampered them throughout the season was the final death blow for the Townsville club.
The pressure, and let me tell you there is a lot of it now turns to the Brisbane Bullets organisation. They become the second team in Queensland, which was an important figure to maintain – but more importantly they become the league’s eighth team.
Retaining eight teams in the NBL for next season, and every season moving forward as a bare minimum is hugely important on a number of fronts. No national league that wants to function properly, be given any respect by fans, the general public or the media and more importantly wants to be on TV or make a profit can afford any less than eight teams.
When the NBL signed with Fox Sports to have every game live on TV for the first time last season, it was a condition of the deal that the Bullets return to Brisbane, a major market for both Fox Sports – and one they are hoping to turn into for basketball in Australia.
So, as you can tell, just by the fact that the Bullets were required to make a return in Brisbane under the TV deal it was already going to be a massively important thing to get right.
As a team, there is a need to be successful almost instantly and try to capture the hearts of the people of Brisbane. Brisbane is not a city starved of sport either, but the Bullets have a real opportunity to create a stronghold in summer, with the A-League’s Brisbane Roar and cricket the only things to challenge during summer when the NBL is played.
But away from a Queensland sporting landscape, and basketball perspective, it is a leaguewide perspective now. The Crocodiles were building, or certainly looking to for a strong 2016-17 season.
As mentioned, eight teams is the bare minimum that a league needs to work. That being said, the Bullets not only have to find a way to get it together on the court, but off it at a board level as well – and that pressure was accentuated yesterday.
Unfortunately, the way the Crocodiles ended was a little bit of a farce. Congratulations to the organisation and the NBL for picking the biggest day of the NBA season – when the media couldn’t care less about Basketball in Australia but there was an obvious communication problem.
Just two days before the organisation fell over and made the announcement, this tweet appeared on the Townsville Crocodiles’ official page:
I also have it from reliable insiders, that the club sent out a membership email just hours before the official announcement came to light.
This level of incompetence at board level simply can’t be tolerated from a Bullets outfit that needs to try and build a positive image and work their way into the media and public in Brisbane.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the Bullets have made a positive start. They signed Australian coach Andrej Lemanis and former legend C.J Bruton, along with Adam Gibson and Daniel Kickert in the first days of free-agency which gives them a very solid start.
Worryingly though, they haven’t announced any more signings as yet, and have no imports on the books. These are issues that need to be fixed urgently to start capturing Brisbane’s attention.
The other reason such importance needs to be placed on the Bullets first season back in the competition, if further expansion and any hope of success at that. After last season, it is viable to think more teams will enter the league in the near future.
I’m not going to speculate where here, but let’s say there is a good chance Kestelman isn’t even looking at Australia. Getting the Bullets right could set the model though for expansion in the future.
Get the Bullets wrong though, or if they are to crash and burn within the next few years will see every possible route of expansion for the NBL, something the league desperately needs over the next five to ten years if it can keep up the success of last season, shut down in a heartbeat.
No doubt yesterday’s announcement had put more pressure on the Bullets organisation to succeed straight away in every department. It is vital for them, Basketball in Queensland and Australia, and the very future of the NBL, plus Fox Sports ongoing commitment to the game.
Over to CEO Mitchell Murphy and the team.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Scott Pryde
Expert
Cairns and Illawarra need to be self-sufficient though. No relying on the NBL for handouts. I think a second team in NZ, a team in Hobart and maybe Canberra should be on the way. I also heard Darwin (which is getting a new indoor sports venue) is on the cards. All those locations don't have a pro sports team in Australia, or the big leagues in NZ for example and so they would have an ideal chance to grab a strong foothold and build crowd numbers. We could be looking at a 12 team competition sometime in the next 5 to 10 years if it was done properly. I feat it won't be though, with LK looking to push into Asia. I think Melbourne could easily have a second team, and Sydney will slowly start to bounce back with the change of ownership and of course Lisch and Gaze at the helm.
Scott Pryde
Expert
You would be correct. Terrible typo. Apologies.
Matthew
Guest
I think the NBL would be crazy to wind up either Cairns or Illawarra. As you stated the Comp needs at least 8 teams . Any less and its deal with Foxtel probably goes bye bye. There isnt also a ready made another team ready to pop up. Sydney is barely holdings its own with its own team and Kestleman and his United have for the time sown up Melbourne. None of the other capitals could really logistically have a second team (Dont forget Adelaide 36ers would in some dire financial areas only fairly recently). Larry pointedly gave Townsville a choice. Did they want to support the team or not? THey voted with their attendance so the comp shouldnt be thinking of changing teamn names or locations on the basis of that.
George Edmonds
Guest
The Crocs came 7th last year, not last.
pete bloor
Guest
Not really as soon as you tell people something like this you have to assume it's common knowledge. If you tell staff that the company ahs closed before you've got the public announcement locked and loaded then you can bet dollars to donuts that it will leak and be out via back channels long before the official announcement.
Scott Pryde
Expert
You might be onto something there - certainly the pressure is on the regional sides now. Illawarra had a really strong season last year, but not just on the court. The organisation and board seems professional which is a really good sign. Cairns, even though poorly performed on the court had pretty solid crowd numbers all year - and so they should - as far as I am aware its the only pro sports team in Cairns... could be wrong there. Also, I know the Hawks are technically regional but I know a lot of people travel from Sydney for their games. The way the league seems to be going for mine is capital cities and overseas investment and teams. I dont neccesarily agree with that, but obviously that decision is not up to me. In terms of the Cowboys - it could be a very smart option - but you have to know enough cowboys fans like basketball. You would (potentially) lose a lot of Taipans and/or Crocs fans simply because of the tradition and history that would be lost in a rebrand - similar to the St George Illawarra Dragons losing a lot of steelers supporters. Also, are Cairns fans going to buy only half the home games? Are they going to continue their support? I do think a strong rivalry with the Bullets (similar to Broncos v Cowboys) would help whatever team is in North Queensland, which is another reason getting the Bullets right straighy away is important. I think they will have a strong start (similar to the Kings when they returned) but the issue is maintaining that.
Scott Pryde
Expert
Surely there must have been some sort of knowledge of it happening, or major chance in the final days and certainly final hours? It seems to me like a breakdown of communication at the higest order aroud the board and betweem the Crocs and NBL? Yes they might have been trying to find a solution until the last minute - and I really hope that was the case - but for a Bullets side that needs to build a fan base, rubbish like that wont cut it.
Ryan Ranger
Roar Rookie
Whilst there is pressure on the Bullets to get it right on and off court, I think there is bigger pressure now on the 2 remaining "regional" teams in Illawarra and Cairns. Both teams have been on the brink of collapse (more than once) in the past, and in a league where there is now a "soft" salary cap of $1.1 million, and clubs are expected to spend at least 90% of the cap, this could prove a tough ask. The Hawks had been in the doldrums (in terms of finances and fan support), but the fans returned after a successful recruiting drive saw them net coach Rob Beveridge, AJ Ogilvy, Kevin Lisch and Kirk Penney. Now Lisch and Penney are gone, and Illawarra suddenly isn't the desirable destination for free agents that it was a fortnight ago, and the Hawks could be reliant on their deadwood of Martin, Coenraad, Davidson and Demos for yet another year. Now that the Crocs have gone, I'm interested to see what the Taipans do. In this Kestelman / Loeliger-led new era of the NBL, is the "Cairns" brand strong enough to survive? They've gotten by on the smell of an oily rag in the past, but is there enough sponsorship dollars in the Cairns business community to be a successful club going forward? Or could a re-brand be in order? Sure, re-badging to "North Queensland Taipans" won't win over the disenfranchised Crocs fans, but could they perhaps look at partnering with - and re-naming themselves as - the North Queensland Cowboys, play some games in Townsville and take on and celebrate the history of both the Taipans and Crocodiles? Sure, that's probably a left-field idea and likely to be scoffed at, but if there is to be a North Queensland presence in the NBL going forward, perhaps ideas similar to this need to be considered by the Taipans hierarchy.
Chris
Guest
I would have thought the membership emails being sent out by the Crocs would have been a case of the board not making the decision to pull the plug known within the organization in order to keep the information quiet. It is likely they were looking for a solution right up to the last minute. I don't think you can call it incompetence.