KEY POINTS:
The National Basketball League begins in 10 days against a backdrop of widespread discontent from team owners at the job being done by Basketball New Zealand.
Frustration is so widespread, there has even been talk of a breakaway league and while unlikely, it demonstrates the level of dissatisfaction.
The 10 teams claim BBNZ lack direction and leadership, aren't listening to the concerns of the teams and don't have the skills to properly organise the league, which they took over the running of five years ago.
It comes on the back of events last week which saw the Canterbury Rams saved from extinction by a $150,000 grant from the New Zealand Community Trust.
"BBNZ do a poor job of running the league," said Jeremy Bayliss, who recently resigned as boss of Hawke's Bay in frustration at BBNZ. "They made promises that things would be better and the marketing, management and sponsorship of the league would be better.
"But BBNZ are in chaos. They have laid off a lot of people and a lot of those who weren't have left. It's not a very nice environment. The biggest issue for everyone was that no one was dedicated to running the league."
Former BBNZ chief executive Bryn McGoldrick resigned in August after an apparent falling out with BBNZ after only nine months in the job. He has been replaced by former Touch New Zealand boss Dale Stephens, who started last month.
Seven of the 10 NBL teams met in Taupo in October with former New Zealand cricketer John Parker to talk about their concerns. Nelson owner Nenad Vucinic didn't attend because he is employed by BBNZ as Tall Blacks coach, Taranaki couldn't make it and Auckland owner Tab Baldwin was out of the country.
"We drew up a gameplan of where we thought the game should go. It was a positive meeting and we tried to find a way to keep working with BBNZ," Bayliss said. "There was total unanimity. The feeling was that we had to get in there to work with the league and have a say on how things are done. It's incredibly one-sided, with all of the teams taking a risk but the league taking none."
Each team pays more than $100,000 in fees each season.
Bayliss, Harbour boss John Hunt and Waikato chairman John Davey, together with Parker, met BBNZ with their proposal and left feeling they had come to some agreement with BBNZ about how the league would be run.
"BBNZ didn't want to relinquish any control but they don't have the skills to run the league properly. There is a high level of skills among the teams but these aren't being utilised.
"At the [Taupo] meeting, we discussed the intention that if we don't get a fair hearing and some fair representation and we don't see the way forward as being positive, then everyone was aware that a breakaway league was an option."
Waikato's Davey agreed there were widespread problems with the league but was hopeful they could be sorted out under Stephens. He also said basketball couldn't afford to lose people of Bayliss' quality.
"There are some real frustrations out there and issues with the leadership at national level," Davey said. "But I am dead against a breakaway league. I don't think it does the game any good."
Davey said the teams wanted representation on the national league board, more to be done to market the league and he was also critical of this year's timing, which has been brought forward to accommodate the Tall Blacks' Olympic qualifying campaign in June. It means the league will be robbed of those playing in the Australian league for the first few weeks.
Stephens said there were a number of issues BBNZ needed to address but questioned that they weren't providing leadership or had the ability to run the league.
"Head office is often seen as the big black hole and head office can never help you enough," he said. "Basketball is no different.
"There are people who have opinions who think they can do it better and that's healthy. I'm available to talk to anyone but no one has called me."
