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| Basque Separatist; aka Dave "The Knowledge" Forrester | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 12 2007, 08:48 PM (284 Views) | |
| Bada Bing | Oct 12 2007, 08:48 PM Post #1 |
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El Crack
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12 aug Well, Mallin is either dead or buried and gasping for its last breaths of air. Those observers who were desperate for some light to be shed on the appearance of cronyism and despotism within our governing body, myself included, are clearly to be disappointed. We will likely never know what the specific criticisms were that resulted in such umbrage being taken by those at EB, but it is fair to assume that complimentary words were few and far between. However what appeared to be a watershed report for the future of the sport has actually become less and less important as we have waited longer and longer. This has been due to two separate developments. Firstly, the performance of BPB. Certainly not flawless as there appears to be little media strategy and the decision to play at Meadowbank remains inexplicable to this very day. They were worried that Newcastle Arena would not sell out (they may have been right) but now the Eagles are giving out free tickets to the Meadowbank game to any fans who buy a ticket for a pre season game. Scheduling a game in a dilapidated gym in a city without a professional basketball team (in fact at least 80minutes travel to the nearest venue) was simply crazy. But we have a program with the best available players, coached by the best available coach, with a full training camp a program of friendlies and full back up and support in top quality facilities. Compare that with previous EB efforts and then decide whether government interference has helped or hindered our game! Secondly is of course the development of the BBL. The new clubs, the stability of older clubs and the positive new strategies in place at previously declining clubs like Chester have again reduced the influence of EB. In the past criticisms could properly be made of the BBL as inward looking, self interested and foreign dominated. Some particularly out of touch individuals still make those criticisms today. They are of course dead wrong. The signing of Midgely to the BBL hopefully adds the exclamation point that only the proven elite players need to move abroad for earnings, bringing us into line with countries like Germany. The Heat’s movement into Europe shows the BBL’s long awaited acceptance of the importance of Euro basketball. Cogniscent of this EB have now agreed to extend the BBL’s license in the long term. All these points gradually remove influence from EB, who become, like the FA, arbiters of the grassroots and local league game, but due to the governments influence have even the national team responsibilities taken off them. They become administrators to serve the needs of the sports development, which is of course what they always should have been. It may just be that this is a battle which the terrorists did win! In the meantime life continues apace with Raiders and Heat having announced their squads and virtually no-one else having announced anything. The Raiders have built on last year, replacing Aaron with Durham (a solid move in my view) and adding the potential of James Noel to their front line. The Heat have gone ballistic with the addition of Aaron, Dorsey, a Lithuanian and apparently a few more to come. They will be tough to beat of course but the main question will be whether PJ can play Aaron and Dorsey together at the defensive end. Both men have limited mobility, Dorsey due to his age and injuries and Aaron due to his size. Heats finances remain shrouded in uncertainty although the information that a Euro game ticket will likely cost £20 and up does not fill me with optimism. If the player budget is indeed built around projected income (as most clubs are) and the Heat are needing big crowds (say 2000 plus) to pay £20 a head on champions league Tuesday nights before Christmas then the history of British basketball says they will be disappointed. Of course that is not a problem if there are margins built into the budget but it is a problem if there are none. Anyway that story will play out over this season and next and we will have all to cross our fingers and hope that the South Eastern public turn out in their droves and the Heat portray the BBL well on a European stage. In the meantime we await further announcements ……………… |
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EuroLeague Women because women's basketball is the most important thing in life after family and good health! | |
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| Bada Bing | Oct 22 2007, 06:42 AM Post #2 |
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El Crack
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13 oct So much has happened since last time ….. Mallin is out, only 7 months late mind. The group that was going to right British basketball and place the sport on an integrated footing. And do you know what, it did. Not by production of the report which ultimately was so watered down as to be inconsequential, the numerous leaks and complaints and FIBA intervention ensured that. All that was left was a badly thought out compromise about a composite national team playing Euroleague midweek(!) and the report was consigned by those who read it as well meaning but toothless. But by the Mallin groups very existence. You see when Mallin was originated the Chairman of EB viewed members of his own organisation as terrorists, an EB committee member was threatening to sue a member club in his position as a private individual, and we had not had a national team game in about 5 years. Now that same chairman is warmly congratulating one of those ‘terrorists’ for building only the second 5 star basketball club in England, the BBL has received a 5 year exclusive contract from EB to run the professional league in this country, and most importantly of all, GB has a national team capable of great things and back in Div A of Eurobasket. All of this did not happen because of the Mallin report. But it did happen because of the existence of the group. Basically they cracked some heads together. Because of that the outlook for our game is now rosier than at any time in the last decade. There may still be more political wrangling over control of the national team, although it has to be said BPB have done what they were set up to do extremely well. That is to provide a professional environment and logistics to enable a high quality team to perform to its optimum capability. Yet hopefully everyone will now have learned that it is only general concensus that can take the sport forward : those who seek to play political games only serve to multiply divisions (Bernard Woolley – “prime minister, if you multiply divisions you just get back where you started) and hinder the progress of the sport. Which brings us to the start of the BBL. Brilliant or awful, intense or lax, it is our league and we should support those within it. With the number of British qualified players increasing year on year and the better teams generally all going at least 8 deep it is the most competitive for years. No stat padding any more, just lots of effort all the way down the bench. The editor has done a blog on the NBA Europe live game. I concur with him entirely. I am an NBA fan because it is high level sport. Exhibition games are not high level sport, they are entertainment events for the purposes of selling out an Arena. Give me a partisan Plymouth Pavilions or ‘blood throwing elbows at Bletchley any day. That said I am sure Will will be delighted to know that I can’t make Sunday so he can have a drink in the bar afterwards without fear of being outed. Although I do hope the Plymouth mike guy is big enough not to make a fuss because Eagles wont go out and stand in a draughty corridor for a couple of minutes before the player introductions. On past form though, I doubt it. For what it is worth, Newcastle have the most talent but need to work out how best to use it, MK need to stay healthy, Plymouth are deep but are adjusting to a new point guard combo, Rocks are extremely tough but probably one guy short, Sharks are just uncallable at the moment, Heat have the best final five in the league but can their inexperienced bench get them through 3 games a week and all that travelling ( I doubt it), Tigers have the pedigree but do they have the cohesion?, Capital have started off OK despite being undermanned, Wolves will have Skouson’s attitude and a partisan home court, Riders are on a high having survived at all, Brum have little Robbie Ps tenacity and Nigels experience, Jets have TJ, Shawn and a guy who can shoot. Everyone has something to play for, everyone has a chance on any given night. And for a basketball junkie there are enough storylines to sink the proverbial battleship. So get out there and support your local team, and enjoy it! |
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EuroLeague Women because women's basketball is the most important thing in life after family and good health! | |
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8:51 AM Jul 11