KUALA LUMPUR (Mageshwaran's AsiaScope) - Reigning FIBA Asia champions Iran are truly pioneers in bringing about changes. They look at development without tinkering the existing system too much to affect the progress they have achieved so far.

The recent developments and decisions vis-a-vis the composition of teams in the Iranian Super League for the 2014-15 season is the way forward.

Here's a quick take on what's happening.

For starters, the Iranian Super League - considered as one of the strongest in this part of the world - has been divided into two parts.

Seven to eight teams (as with most things in Iran, this number may vary by the time the first tip-off takes place at the end of the month) will first play in what is called the national league. This phase of the league will feature only Iranian players, with no imports allowed.

The top four teams from the national league will qualify to what will be now called the professional league. Here's where the big boys come in with each team allowed to field two foreign players thus raising the level of the competition.

What does this change bring?

For the teams involved, it creates a level playing field for all. There are no rich teams who can bring in 'expensive' imports right from day one and thus dominate the league. Not anymore. Any team counting to make the top four has to entirely rely on domestic players.

For the domestic players, this creates more playing time. The local players are no longer just dummies for screens in the pick-and-rolls. Each player on the court has to perform more usefully than just be a part of the shadow boxing.

For the competition, there is an insurance against 'blow-out' games all along. Selling time on TV and space in other forms of media becomes easier for the marketing department on the league.

Overall: a win-win situation for basketball in Iran.

There can be no better parting gift from the dignified Mahmoud Mashhoun who will step down as the President of Iran's national basketball federation due to a regulation that bars people from remaining in the same post for more than three terms.

Can other leagues in FIBA Asia emulate this? The answer to me is a no-brainer.

I will leave the PBA conferences out of this. The Filipinos already follow the same logic, even if not in the same manner, in their three conferences. I do believe there is no need to reinvent the wheel there. The issues concerning the growth of Filipino basketball are entirely different and we'll talk about it some other time.

The advent and impact of import players in other domestic leagues in Asia has reached a stage where the trend is more harmful - or at least less useful - for the development and growth of local players.

The keenness to win at all costs is taking precedence over the need to contribute to the national team's development and therefore the import players are certainly eating into the playing minutes of the local players.

Even worse, it's my strong opinion that in many a case, imports are brought in just for the sake of it.

Some clubs in Iraq and China - two countries at diametrically opposite ends of the development paradigm in Asian baskeball - are certainly taking this convenient path when forming their teams.

Coaches and club managements are taking the easy way out by bringing in a below-par import instead of making the extra effort in hunting for a local player of potential who may eventually fit the bill.

At least in Lebanon, the danger has been curtailed with the national federation stiffly resisting the clubs' demand for including the third foreign player.

I do strongly believe that two foreign players are more than sufficient for a strong basketball community and country like Lebanon.

That is if the Cedars hope to climb the top of podium at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship, which I'm sure the millions of fans in Lebanon do believe they can.

Charity, as the old saying goes, begins at home!

So long…

S Mageshwaran

FIBA Asia

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

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