MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy's View from Downunder) - It's easy to be negative about the NBL this season.

It's no secret the league has cut costs with little money coming in from broadcast or commercial deals, so there was no expectation of major improvements this year.

But unfortunately in the crucial areas of promotion, broadcast, refereeing and inclusion of fans there has only at best been stagnation this season, after a number of years of slow but steady progress.

Rather than harp on the negatives though, I'm going to paint a picture of the NBL I would love to see.

The short version is simple. A fast, exciting, athletic game where fans can easily follow their team and are given lots of material to talk about the NBL when the game isn't on.

I don't think the league should spend too much time trying to appease naysayers who will bag the NBL at the first opportunity. Get the product right and they may or may not jump on board.

The most important fans are those who already love the league, and I'd love to see the future NBL treating them with the absolute respect they deserve.

No changing names without consultation like Melbourne, no setting unrealistic ticket prices like Townsville, no going weeks on end with little social media interaction like Adelaide.

Every good business knows the best advertisement is word-of-mouth, the best marketers are happy customers.

It's something Perth did extremely well with their membership drive, and something all other teams should be replicating in a way that's appropriate to their own market.

Why shouldn't a member get a free membership the next season if they recruit three or four new people who have never been members before? They're making money for the club and deserve a reward in return.

How else can you make fans a sales team for their club and the league? What about providing them with access to replays of the best action they see.

Instead of having to try and describe Lucas Walker's awesome reverse alley-oop to friends, make it available for them to share, quickly, via social media, website and even email.

Even when resources are tight, highlights should be one of the highest priorities.

I'm not talking about three-minute long clips that few will watch, but single exciting plays or a collection of one player's outstanding game. You then get more people watching, more people sharing and more material from each game.

Even if few funds are available, I would prioritise vision over the traditional reporting of words. Mix a skeleton game report with embedded clips of the best action.

So how else does the future NBL attract new fans? I'd like to see them spend the money going directly to potential young supporters.

Go to Auskick and you'll see almost every kid wearing an AFL team's jumper. If basketball wants to become something meaningful to more than a niche group of supporters, it needs to get its foot in early.

Whenever kids interact with NBL players, where possible make sure they leave with some sort of merchandise giving them an attachment to "their" team.

And why not get excellent exposure to potential fans, and build better relationships with basketball associations, by paying for advertisements in local stadiums?

Aussie Hoops kids with NBL merchandise, who received a visit from a player, who can now see when the next game is on - that sounds like a good recipe to me.

So once people form an attachment to their city's team, and get easy access to exciting highlights, how else can the NBL make it easier for them to follow their team?

Make sure each team is shown on TV in their own town more often.

If Friday night is a broadcast slot, make sure multiple games are scheduled and people in Adelaide can watch the 36ers most weeks, for example. Build that consistency and people are more likely to tune in.

The next step is making the TV product high quality. From the first moment to the last highlights are shown, carried over from week to week - even season to season - so great moments aren't just lost after one replay.

If you want to win people over you need to show them the best bits of your product as often as possible. Less talking heads, more exciting action from all around the league.

Of course, it comes down to how you regularly produce the most exciting, fast, athletic game as possible?

One key is calling the game to make it as eye-catching as possible. That's been something the NBA has excelled in, in contrast to the AFL, which for many years has engaged in fools' errands, tinkering with rules that have compromised the product without making it any more attractive.

Sadly, the NBL has fallen into that trap this year with flopping.

We saw 79-kilogram Kendrick Perry knock over 100-kilogram Jesse Wagstaff with no call - no charge, no block, no tech for a flop. In the same game, 103-kilogram Earnest Ross knocked over 83-kilogram Ben Madgen who received a tech.

Shawn Redhage was teched for flopping in a rebounding contest where he had tripped over a teammates' feet.

The "crackdown" has made referees look foolish, confused players, and left fans shaking our heads as we watch free throws from questionable calls while defenders are still rewarded with mind-boggling charges after they fell over.

I hope to see the efforts of NBL refs in the future placed on calling the game in a way that makes it more attractive.

Tim Coenraad was called for pushing over Adam Gibson who was standing in the no-charge zone. Apparently he hit him after he let go of the ball.

In the future, let's not have a no-charge zone that is only in place before a player releases the ball. How does that encourage players to attack the basket? How does it discourage defenders from camping under the basket?

I want to see players athletically attacking the hoop with confidence because of the consistency of refereeing.

I want to see defenders confident of elevating to block shots because they know incidental contact won’t be called on a clean block.

We saw that in the New Zealand v Cairns game with exceptional swats from Tom Abercrombie and Torrey Craig.

We've got great talent on show. Let's help them show off, then show them off by getting their highlights to as many people as possible, and indoctrinating as many new fans as possible.

While next year should be an exciting "re-launch", let's not waste the opportunity to get the little things right this year.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

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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