NBL game
21/11/2014
Paulo Kennedy's view from Downunder
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It’s time for direction

MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy’s View from Downunder) - While rumours about that the strained relationship between CEO Fraser Neill and the NBL Board were very credibility, it was still disappointing to hear of his resignation this week.

What I will say is when our sport gets quality people like Fraser Neill and Graham Watson on board, it is a shame to waste their talents and treat them poorly.

But I also think it’s unfortunate the hunt for “the truth” after Neill’s resignation was used to attack individuals. Nick Marvin was the obvious target given his apparent conflict of interest as both Managing Director of the Perth Wildcats and Chair of the NBL Board.

I’m sure Nick himself would tell you there are times when those two roles conflict with each other. How could they not? His primary responsibility is to do what’s best for the Wildcats, something he does very well. That can’t always be in harmony with the best interests of the NBL.

But it’s important to note Marvin has that NBL role because representatives of the other clubs want him to. So rather than attack Nick, I think the constructive way to address this unfortunate situation is to look for a path forward.

What’s really important, given the signal of instability Neill’s impending departure has sent out, is to quickly establish a clear and credible direction.

Show of independence

The NBL should publically set out a timetable for not only introducing an independent Chair, but also matching the number of club reps with independent board members.

The AFL showed the way 21 years ago by handing power over to an independent commission to run the show. There has been some pain brought about by that model, but there has been incredible gain.

The NBL has stuck with a club-driven model through administration after administration and experienced little else but pain, with death’s shadow constantly lurking in the background.

The league also needs to start expressing a direction it can stick with. For the first time in recent memory CEO Neill elucidated a vision of where the NBL was heading.

With him gone that is up in the air, no doubt to be moulded around what TV networks want. But the NBL must make some tough decisions about what will differentiate it from the other sports.

The area Neill identified was mid-week games, but that seems to have some people – administrators and fans – running scared.

The misinterpretation of this is the image of most NBL games being played in dingy local gyms, but this view is seeing black and white but no grey.

Let’s assume we have a 10-team competition next season, all playing each other four times. That’s a 180-game regular season.

If the NBL were to commit to Tuesdays and Thursdays during school terms, and then games every night during school holidays, this would mean only 28 games would need to be played on a “school night” – less than three per team.

More games would be played on a weekend than this season, while games each day during the ratings off-season would give a network(s) a great opportunity to see how hoops works.

Producing a show

The league also needs to set a direction for how it wants its product presented on the court.

Last year, Mal Cooper, Bill Mildenhall and Ray Hunt were brought in to change the way the game was refereed so it was more attractive for spectators and viewers.

They did a good job. While the tight calling was over the top at times, that was almost always in favour of the offence. That created a predictability that allowed for attractive basketball.

This season, unfortunately, that direction has been lost.

Not only has there been no further progression towards making the game more attractive, last season’s gains have disappeared.

There is little consistency, there is little calling the game in favour of the offence. Time and time again defenders initiate contact without being punished. The swallowing of the whistles after half-time has returned with a vengeance.

The NBL Board’s message for the referee management team should be simple – your work last year was excellent but this season’s performance is not good enough. The next three months are your chance to stake a claim for next year.

Last season there was a down patch when refs returned to old habits, and through consistent messaging Cooper and Co got things back on track.

They can do so again, and I think it should start this week, with the simple focus of protecting offensive players’ space.

If defenders encroach whistle them immediately and consistently over 40 minutes. If offensive players close the gap give the defenders a greater benefit of the doubt.

It’s no good the board and interim CEO trying to sell the NBL to prospective broadcasters if, when they turn on a game, it looks scrappy. Let the game get physical and good players look bad, and that’s happening more and more this season.

Running the show

A third area the NBL Board needs to give direction on is their front office.

One point I’ve made clear ever since Basketball Australia took over the NBL is there must be a quantity of good people employed if the league is to gain credibility.

For years on end front office costs seem to have been cut. At some point you have to invest in your business for it to grow. With new broadcast deals just months away, now is the time to start putting these things in place.

In a number of areas - like promotion, media, membership, community engagement, digital and social media, sponsorship and game-night operations – the league needs to employ quality staff who turn the league into a quality operation.

In short, without independent governance, strategic direction, on-court direction and a slick, comprehensive and professional operation off-court, the message the NBL is sending is we’re waiting for a white knight in television armour to save the day.

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.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.


Paulo Kennedy

Paulo Kennedy

Paulo has joined our team of columnists with a weekly column called 'The View from Downunder', where he looks at pertinent issues in the world of basketball from an Oceania perspective, perhaps different to the predominant points of view from columnists in North America and Europe.