NBL Canada to launch in 2011!

[Mack North]

I had to do some searching to find this thread but finally came across it...

Anyone gonna try to catch some games or highlight even? The season gets underway tomorrow night apparently.
Most of you likely don't give a shyte anyways, now that it looks as though the NBA may be coming back real soon.
Personally, I'll try catching a little bit just to get that basketball fix...

http://nblcanada.pointstreaksites.com/view/nblcanada

Just checked out the rosters. 2 notable names:

Denham Brown plays for the Shwiggity 'Shwa
And if anyone remembers this guy, he plays for Halifax:

[jbml]

NBL expansion is a positive thing

There’s no denying the National Basketball League of Canada enjoyed a successful first season.

Play was competitive, all seven franchises finished a full schedule, and a very professional and entertaining league final between Halifax and eventual champion London drew plenty of positive media and fan attention.

There’s talk now of a potentially large expansion after five Ontario cities — Mississauga, Windsor, St. Catharines, Ottawa and Kitchener — submitted applications before Thursday’s deadline.

The league now has teams in Halifax, Moncton, Saint John, Summerside, Quebec City, London and Oshawa.

I’d usually be wary of any large expansion plan in such a young league, but what gives credibility to this potential NBL expansion is that league leaders have been consistently conservative regarding growth.

League president Andre Levingston, who doubles as the owner of the Halifax franchise, reiterated this week that the NBL will do its homework to ensure that applicants are the right fit.

I give him and fellow owners credit for their cautious approach. The core group of owners who started this league — survivors of the Premier Basketball League in Halifax, Saint John and Quebec — have to this point done well with their stability-first style of building.

In an ideal expansion process, the league would want to see proof of solid ownership, potential to have a competitive team, and a business plan with strong sponsorship and decent fan support.

The applicants’ intentions will be tested by a June 15 deadline for finalizing arena lease deals and making a refundable $50,000 deposit.

Given the way NBL officials have been scouring the Ontario market in recent months, I’d be surprised if any expansion applicant wasn’t serious.

The one mistake the league can’t afford to make, and it’s one that too often hurts minor league basketball operations, is to take on any new franchise that gives even a hint of potential for trouble. Problem franchises are a sure way to fuel bad publicity and reinforce negative stereotypes about minor pro basketball.

The league must already deal with the Quebec Kebs moving to a new home. The Kebs’ owners were unhappy with their deal in Quebec City and the team will be playing in another Quebec market next season. It’s in the league’s best interest for the Kebs to relocate as soon as possible. It’s unsettled business like this that creates bad vibes.

But would expansion be a positive move for the NBL? I believe it would be.

Most leagues benefit from adding strong teams in stable markets. Expansion would give the league a higher profile in Ontario, which should help draw more support from fans and sponsors.

The league isn’t demanding large deposits upfront, so this isn’t a case of team owners or a league owner trying to get rich by adding more teams.

Would expansion be in the best interest of the existing Maritime teams and fans? If done properly, it definitely would be.

It’s good for the entire league if the NBL becomes more of a fixture in the sponsorship-rich Ontario market.

The stronger the league, the better it is for the already stable Maritime clubs. Also, successful expansion in Ontario would hopefully stimulate more ownership interest elsewhere, such as in the still untapped Maritime market of Sydney.

It appears the NBL has prepared properly for its first expansion, whatever size it ends up being for this coming season.

Chris Cochrane is a sports columnist for The Chronicle Herald and the author of Inside the Game.

([email protected])

[WJF]

I read this the other day, while I would think that 3 new teams would be more than enough, if they feel 5 is doable I am OK with it. I did manage to take in a game in Halifax this year, good ball, decent atmosphere. This league has legs, I hope in continues to grow.

[NoPropsneeded]

hope they can get a deal on a Tv station so we can watch live games. Maybe sometime in the future when they get bigger

[joey_hesketh]

If they get a team in Mississauga, I'd be inclined to check out a game or two, depending on Ticket price.

[WJF]

If they get a team in Mississauga, I'd be inclined to check out a game or two, depending on Ticket price.

The ticket prices in Halifax are very reasonable, they also offer great group packages as well. I am sure that most, if not all team follow this structure. There were a few ex NBA players in the league last year, Rodney Buford and Eddie Robinson off the top of my head. While they played fairly well, they did not dominate the competition. I was pleasantly surprised how good the ball is, it is at a higher level than the CIS.

[Puffer]

I'm only an hour and a bit from Oshawa and I can't believe I didn't see a game last season. This year for sure. If the games are half decent, I can avoid the hassle of getting into TO and save the $10 parking.

[WJF]

I'm only an hour and a bit from Oshawa and I can't believe I didn't see a game last season. This year for sure. If the games are half decent, I can avoid the hassle of getting into TO and save the $10 parking.

Make sure to check out at least one game, if it is anything like Halifax you will enjoy it.

[thead]

I got to see the London Lightning play. They were a step up from College Ball. As you are watching you can see why these guys aren't in the NBA but if the league can develop I think it will attract more international talent and perhaps even get the NBA scouts frequenting some of the games. I see a need for this league because it provides one more opportunity for young Canadian kids (of which I have three nephews who are already outstanding at ball)

[Puffer]

...I see a need for this league because it provides one more opportunity for young Canadian kids (of which I have three nephews who are already outstanding at ball)

Most Canadian kids who have talent would probably be better served by going overseas, where the competition is currently better. Having said that, it might be easier to get scouted if you are playing in a North american league. And there may be situations in which it is difficult for a player to get overseas. The NBL will be another option. Can't have too many options when you are trying to develop talent.

[e2thed]

I'm only an hour and a bit from Oshawa and I can't believe I didn't see a game last season. This year for sure. If the games are half decent, I can avoid the hassle of getting into TO and save the $10 parking.

Do not man, terrible team. Seen them in person and I rather just come to see London or the Kebs.

[WJF]

Do not man, terrible team. Seen them in person and I rather just come to see London or the Kebs.

This is a great endorsement for the league....

Oshawa, like all but 3 of the teams in the league were taking their first shot at putting a pro basketball team together, give it a chance. Oshawa will have a quality product on the floor in 2012/13, maybe they will not be the top of the league, but they will be improved, as will all the teams. Here is a link top the current teams protected lists. each team was able to protect 5 players from last years roster. http://pointstreaksites.com/view/nbl...nes/news_49448. This means that those 7 teams will have a bit of a foundation moving forward.

[Puffer]

This is a great endorsement for the league....

Oshawa, like all but 3 of the teams in the league were taking their first shot at putting a pro basketball team together, give it a chance. ...

I'll give it a shot. sometimes you need to support a group that isn't great at first. I would expect that most players in this league would be putting out the effort. I can live with that. It will be a lot better ball than I see at my Sunday morning Puffers League.

[e2thed]

This is a great endorsement for the league....

Oshawa, like all but 3 of the teams in the league were taking their first shot at putting a pro basketball team together, give it a chance. Oshawa will have a quality product on the floor in 2012/13, maybe they will not be the top of the league, but they will be improved, as will all the teams. Here is a link top the current teams protected lists. each team was able to protect 5 players from last years roster. http://pointstreaksites.com/view/nbl...nes/news_49448. This means that those 7 teams will have a bit of a foundation moving forward.

Well I did see them when they had mostly bad canadian players, now they got decent americans but they got 1st pick last inaugural draft Morgan Lewis is good. Same with Omari.