Basketball: Get ready to slam dunk

Lindsay Tait was a member of the Auckland Stars team that won the championship last year. Picture / Amos Chapple

The NBL basketball league, which begins tonight, has given up on trying to impose and enforce a salary cap and will move to a player rating system in a bid to maintain an even competition.

The 10 team coaches will each rank every player in the league, with the individual player scores to be averaged out and a points limit placed on each team's roster.

In past seasons the cap has been set around $100,000 but there has long been rumours of brown envelopes. And the league has often been unable to identify and quantify other inducements, such as provision of cars and accommodation, travel and other goods.

In addition it is impossible for the league to monitor payments from outside basketball teams, for example wages for coaching clinic work, which have often been stitched into deals to attract imports.

There is no cap this year but NBL manager Andrew Alleway said he believed no team was "spending a small fortune" and after receiving final team rosters this week Basketball New Zealand is confident no one is buying the title.

The player-rating will take place after round five with the intention it will be applied next year. There will be allowance made for players who stay with one franchise; their points value drops according to length of service, the intention being to reduce the number of transfers.

BBNZ has taken over full ownership of the league, excluding any team shareholding. The previous arrangement led to the awkward situation where the defunct Waitakere team still had an interest and voting rights in the league. The existing 10 franchises have all signed to accept the new arrangements and in return all are guaranteed a licence through to the end of the 2007 season, when the format will be revisited.

There are no significant rule changes to the competition which opens tonight with Auckland hosting Canterbury and Otago going to Hawkes Bay.

In 2004 teams could have two imports but only one Australian - this season they can have two imports from anywhere. The result is an increase in Australian involvement and the Auckland Stars, Hawkes Bay, Manawatu and Otago have signed two or more ANBL players while the Harbour Heat, Taranaki, Nelson and Canterbury all have two Americans.

And the finals series format changes, with the team placed first after the 14-round season to play the side which finishes second. The loser is guaranteed a life in finals, going on to play the winner of the three-four semifinal game, while the winner goes straight to the final.

The league has signed NZ Dairy Foods with its Primo brand as naming rights sponsor for three years, after failing to attract money last season.

The doubling of the number of televised games no doubt assisted that, as has a shift to a better viewing time at 10.30pm Friday nights. TV2 will show delayed coverage of the weekly Friday game, starting with the Auckland/Rams tonight. 

TODAY Auckland v Canterbury Rams, Trusts Stadium 7.30pm

Hawks v Otago, Taradale Centre

TOMORROW

Harbour Heat v Rams, North Shore Events Centre 7.30pm.

Manawatu Jets v Otago Palmerston Events Centre

Nelson Giants v Waikato, Trafalgar Centre

SUNDAY

Wellington v Waikato, WEC.