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Post by Stephen Abootman on May 2, 2023 16:06:11 GMT
Is it possible that the Trophy is being scrapped in part to clear room for the slightly longer playoff format? I think it's a naff competition in it's current guise anyway so I won't honestly miss it much. Though I have absolutely zero interest in watching BBL players jog up and down the floor attempting uncontested jump shots and easy layups for 40 minutes.
If 777 are determined to have some sort of midseason, 'just for fun' kind of event, I will second the idea that a less gimmicky version of the British Basketball All Stars tournament would be a better idea. Ditch the golden buzzer (or whatever it was called), have normal basketball rules in effect for at least the last 1-2 minutes of games, offer up some decent prize money and I think it could make for a decent event. Think it was 25k for the winner last time? Given the depth of 777's pockets, maybe they could bump that figure up a bit. Good opportunity for them to be charitable. Give to the needy. Would be more useful than having them design our uniforms or decide who commentates on our games.
The only traditional all star competition I'd have some interest in the BBL introducing would be a 3 point contest. I think the league has players (Whelan, Dirk, Hruban, etc.) would could actually put on a pretty good show in a shootout. Maybe include a couple of WBBL players as invites. I reckon a crowd might quite enjoy watching women compete with and potentially beat men. Happens in the NCAA contest. I'd certainly far rather see that than another God awful BBL dunk contest.
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Post by mac on May 2, 2023 17:43:42 GMT
Okay, accepting that this is just rumour for now, some thoughts.
So Lions didn't win the Trophy, let's scrap it. What's going to replace the lost revenue to clubs? Why make every club generic? Will there be "approved" haircuts for players and coaches? Okay, a bit of hyperbole there but you get my point.
I enjoy the different commentaries around the country, centralising it loses the local knowledge and dare I say it, passion. I can't make it to every game anymore so the YouTube streams have been a boon to me. I suspected that 777 were going to mess it up, I didn't think it would be this quick. No consideration or consultation with fans.
For all of it's popularity, Basketball is a niche sport in the UK. We know this already. Presenting some US looky likey version of the NBA is unsustainable IMO. The sooner 777 realise this and get out, the better.
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jumbo
Bench Warmer
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Post by jumbo on May 2, 2023 22:00:38 GMT
I've always been against 4 trophies and been an advocate of cutting either the cup or trophy. But I've been slightly swayed over the last year or two and I think with london guaranteed to win the league in their current state then having an extra chance of a day out and an outside shot of a cup win at the end is a good thing. Be happy to see some sort of revamp or change of style. And wouldn't be devastated to see it go, but I'd personally like to keep the extra chance (however slim) of taking a piece of silverware off london.
Not bothered about an all star game in the slightest.
Not sure what I think about the idea of centralising things. Will reserve judgement until i see what it looks like.
I completely understand the poster previously who mentioned Newcastle commentators though. They're generally OK and quite like their running commentary but the constant butchering of household names is frustrating. Everyone is entitled to the odd Zach Johnson. Or confusing Whelan/Jackson/Loving. Don't even mind the 3 or 4 versions of Darius Henry they come up with...although they wont have that problem even if they are on the mic next year! But the 100 different versions of Rob's name. Along with the 'Pasternoster' that they seemed to settle on towards the end of the year. That genuinely annoyed me. An irrational amount. The guy has been here since the turn of the century. We're nearly a quarter of the way through this one. He's a 7x coach of the year with nearly 20 titles to his name. Yes it has a few syllables in it. But it's not that hard to pronounce!!
I can't see it happening anytime soon, if ever, but the one thing I'd love to see would be NBA teams coming over here to play preseason games. Used to happen quite a lot 10/15 years ago. Teams coming over to play a few games in spain/italy/germany. More recently its been international teams going over there. But however lopsided the games might be, having some of those guys coming over to play 2/3 games across the country would be amazing. Doubt it will ever happen. Although if Lions do go for euroleague you never know. But having them swing by the Morningside or heading up to Newcastle or wherever would be awesome, even if they were going through the motions.
Even NCAA teams. Before my time a bit but have been told about the top college teams coming over here back in the day. A chance to see some of the guys in line for the top picks in the upcoming draft would be pretty cool. Not sure how much those teams tour any more but would love to see something like that
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Post by LTfan on May 3, 2023 8:26:27 GMT
Okay, accepting that this is just rumour for now, some thoughts. So Lions didn't win the Trophy, let's scrap it. What's going to replace the lost revenue to clubs? Why make every club generic? Will there be "approved" haircuts for players and coaches? Okay, a bit of hyperbole there but you get my point. I enjoy the different commentaries around the country, centralising it loses the local knowledge and dare I say it, passion. I can't make it to every game anymore so the YouTube streams have been a boon to me. I suspected that 777 were going to mess it up, I didn't think it would be this quick. No consideration or consultation with fans. For all of it's popularity, Basketball is a niche sport in the UK. We know this already. Presenting some US looky likey version of the NBA is unsustainable IMO. The sooner 777 realise this and get out, the better. A lot of criticism on here for 777 wanting to make the BBL like a mini NBA, but two of the biggest criticisms - centralised commentary and standardised branding, aren't done by the NBA. Yes the NBA has unbiased commentary done by the league, but it's done courtside. And yes there's some consistency with team branding, but each team still has it's own unique identity. I'd be fine seeing the BBL do both of those things in an NBA style. But lets remember, this is all still hearsay right now, so maybe we need to hold off on the criticism until we actually know what they're planning. I suspect the production and commentary might be done from a central broadcast centre, but let's judge it once we've actually seen it. And I suspect the unified branding of teams won't be as regimented as some are thinking. |
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Post by LTfan on May 3, 2023 8:34:34 GMT
I've always been against 4 trophies and been an advocate of cutting either the cup or trophy. But I've been slightly swayed over the last year or two and I think with london guaranteed to win the league in their current state then having an extra chance of a day out and an outside shot of a cup win at the end is a good thing. Be happy to see some sort of revamp or change of style. And wouldn't be devastated to see it go, but I'd personally like to keep the extra chance (however slim) of taking a piece of silverware off london. Not bothered about an all star game in the slightest. Which is why I think a revamped British Basketball All-Stars Championship event would be good. Something that can showcase the entire BBL, something that can provide a day out for all fans from across the country - not just fans of a couple of teams (often the same couple of teams every time). I'd be really happy to see something like that compliment the Cup and Play-Off Finals. But I fear we'll get a traditional All-Star game, which for all the reasons already stated I'm not keen on and would rather have kept the Trophy. |
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Post by tallerman on May 3, 2023 9:04:24 GMT
Top NCAA teams are over every year mate, wake Forrest were a few months back
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jumbo
Bench Warmer
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Post by jumbo on May 3, 2023 9:46:04 GMT
Top NCAA teams are over every year mate, wake Forrest were a few months back Really? Did they play any games? I'm assuming not against BBL teams? I went through a stage of following college basketball quite closely but barely have the time to get my moneys worth from league pass never mind ncaa. So I do very little other than checking the odd score and watching a bit of march madness. Means I'm out if the loop a bit. We played Uni of Portland a few years ago with the Josh McSwiggan link. But I can't remember any bbl team playing an elite college side in recent times...which I think has happened in the past...but I'm too young to remember. Annoyingly I forgot to take my Blazers top to that game against Portland as I might have been able to get Terry Porter to sign it which would have been awesome |
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Post by LTfan on May 3, 2023 11:28:59 GMT
Marist College, University of Maine, University of Kentucky and University of Michigan (I think they're all NCAA Div1?) all played in an exhibition event at The O2 in London back in December too.
Manhattan College, Northeastern University, Princeton University and Army West Point played in an exhibition event at the Copper Box late last year too.
I'm not aware of any NCAA teams playing any BBL teams recently though.
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jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on May 3, 2023 14:45:58 GMT
The sooner 777 realise this and get out, the better. You're right 777 should get out. How dare they financially support Manchester and Plymouth. They've also drastically improved the streaming stability, presentation and outreach.. who wants that? They can take their new CEO, Chief Medical Officer and 30 new full time employees with them because why would British Basketball ever need that? Why would we want a CEO who's trying to get new investment and a domestic TV deal.. bring back the BBL player. I've heard the clubs hate it as well...getting major support for a lot of off court activities, highlight packages of every player minutes after the game is finished, shared media resources to have a more professional image, who needs it? I think we should bring back the only salary cap in Europe to ensure we don't attract the best British players, and criminally underpay anyone who want's to play in the BBL. |
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Post by eagles18000 on May 3, 2023 15:46:08 GMT
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jt
Sixth Man
Posts: 219
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Post by jt on May 3, 2023 15:51:22 GMT
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Post by tallerman on May 3, 2023 16:27:57 GMT
Top NCAA teams are over every year mate, wake Forrest were a few months back Really? Did they play any games? I'm assuming not against BBL teams? I went through a stage of following college basketball quite closely but barely have the time to get my moneys worth from league pass never mind ncaa. So I do very little other than checking the odd score and watching a bit of march madness. Means I'm out if the loop a bit. We played Uni of Portland a few years ago with the Josh McSwiggan link. But I can't remember any bbl team playing an elite college side in recent times...which I think has happened in the past...but I'm too young to remember. Annoyingly I forgot to take my Blazers top to that game against Portland as I might have been able to get Terry Porter to sign it which would have been awesome Ive got a feeling they played a surrey select team |
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Post by dexter on May 3, 2023 17:29:54 GMT
That sounds sensible for that league. But yeah it’s not a salary cap. It’s effectively a progressive tax on the rich clubs. It won’t stop clubs from overspending. |
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Post by mac on May 3, 2023 18:27:09 GMT
The sooner 777 realise this and get out, the better. You're right 777 should get out. How dare they financially support Manchester and Plymouth. They've also drastically improved the streaming stability, presentation and outreach.. who wants that? They can take their new CEO, Chief Medical Officer and 30 new full time employees with them because why would British Basketball ever need that? Why would we want a CEO who's trying to get new investment and a domestic TV deal.. bring back the BBL player. I've heard the clubs hate it as well...getting major support for a lot of off court activities, highlight packages of every player minutes after the game is finished, shared media resources to have a more professional image, who needs it? I think we should bring back the only salary cap in Europe to ensure we don't attract the best British players, and criminally underpay anyone who want's to play in the BBL. Fair points JT but it's not sustainable. 777 can continue to pump money into Lions at levels no other club can sustain. Where is the money going to come from for other clubs? Are Manchester or Plymouth better able to sustain themselves next season? For all of the good they are doing mate, it's being built on sand. I would love to be wrong on this but right now, I just can't see it. |
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Post by dexter on May 7, 2023 10:16:41 GMT
I’m warming to the prospect of the Trophy being scrapped. Listening to ENBL being discussed on the Bristol Flyers TV YouTube channel I believe that is the way to go for the BBL. Not necessarily ENBL specifically.
Scotland is losing the BBL Trophy Final as hosts, but they’re gaining European basketball. Maybe the next consideration should be to move the BBL Cup final around a bit.
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Post by LTfan on May 9, 2023 8:07:14 GMT
Mark Woods supposedly has some inside info on changes for next season…
The BBL Cup will be axed, and the BBL Trophy will be played in its entirety in January. It’ll no line include non-league teams.
The Play Offs will move to a ‘best of 3’ format. Qualifying teams (still the top 8) will be required to make Tuesday, Friday and Sunday available. Apparently the long term aim is to have the actual Play Off Final as a series (likely best of 3) too, but not from next season.
The BBL All-Star Game will return – format TBC.
He also reports of all of these changes the one that had the most resistance was the Play Offs moving to a ‘best of 3’ format, with concerns over venue hire, ticket sales, and general loss of revenue.
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Post by dexter on May 9, 2023 8:30:26 GMT
Mark Woods supposedly has some inside info on changes for next season… The BBL Cup will be axed, and the BBL Trophy will be played in its entirety in January. It’ll no line include non-league teams. The Play Offs will move to a ‘best of 3’ format. Qualifying teams (still the top 8) will be required to make Tuesday, Friday and Sunday available. Apparently the long term aim is to have the actual Play Off Final as a series (likely best of 3) too, but not from next season. The BBL All-Star Game will return – format TBC. He also reports of all of these changes the one that had the most resistance was the Play Offs moving to a ‘best of 3’ format, with concerns over venue hire, ticket sales, and general loss of revenue. It makes sense to scrap the BBL Cup rather than the BBL Trophy because the Trophy has more history. |
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Post by LTfan on May 9, 2023 9:32:34 GMT
Mark Woods supposedly has some inside info on changes for next season… The BBL Cup will be axed, and the BBL Trophy will be played in its entirety in January. It’ll no line include non-league teams. The Play Offs will move to a ‘best of 3’ format. Qualifying teams (still the top 8) will be required to make Tuesday, Friday and Sunday available. Apparently the long term aim is to have the actual Play Off Final as a series (likely best of 3) too, but not from next season. The BBL All-Star Game will return – format TBC. He also reports of all of these changes the one that had the most resistance was the Play Offs moving to a ‘best of 3’ format, with concerns over venue hire, ticket sales, and general loss of revenue. It makes sense to scrap the BBL Cup rather than the BBL Trophy because the Trophy has more history. Dan Routledge will certainly be a very happy man.  |
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Post by cosbyrider on May 9, 2023 12:55:43 GMT
Like the best of 3 format but understand why clubs might be weary of it. But I think series give opportunity for tensions and rivalries to develop. For example the Riders v Flyers this weekend deserved a third game
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Post by spacejammer on May 9, 2023 19:39:18 GMT
Mark Woods supposedly has some inside info on changes for next season… The BBL Cup will be axed, and the BBL Trophy will be played in its entirety in January. It’ll no line include non-league teams. The Play Offs will move to a ‘best of 3’ format. Qualifying teams (still the top 8) will be required to make Tuesday, Friday and Sunday available. Apparently the long term aim is to have the actual Play Off Final as a series (likely best of 3) too, but not from next season. The BBL All-Star Game will return – format TBC. He also reports of all of these changes the one that had the most resistance was the Play Offs moving to a ‘best of 3’ format, with concerns over venue hire, ticket sales, and general loss of revenue. It makes sense to scrap the BBL Cup rather than the BBL Trophy because the Trophy has more history. To be honest after this past weekend I would be in favour of converting the Cup into what the Trophy was and having it bracket format and invite afew NBL and SBL teams to make up the numbers. Then for the Trophy instead of getting rid of it they could look to go back to what it was before hosting it at the Emirates and do a 2 leg home and away tie at each stage including the finals. Along with the playoffs then being a best of 3 up until the finals stage or possibly do a Final 4 instead. If you did it that way along with the Championship campaign you would then have 4 competitions that are all different. And when you think about it as much as I hate 2 leg basketball if you were to have consistent finalists. A team may win the Cup in Birmingham but in a rematch over 2 legs home and away then the the way things play out might change when you go from a neutral venue to having a team host a final in there arena. Plus in doing that you can still keep the Trophy and then maybe allow 777 to have there little All Stars championship. After all if your team made the final I'm sure you'd be thrilled to have to be organising it even as an extra game. |
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