The Commentary Box: Pay-cut call too soon?

Sport globally is on hiatus and our reporters Justine McCullagh-Beasy, Nick Ansell, Sean Hardeman and Brian Allen are eager to talk sport via The Commentary Box.

JUSTINE: How soon is too soon to make a call on sports? Did the NBL go the early crow with its COVID-19 restrictions when it slashed next season's salary cap in half? The decision of quality players, namely Perth duo Bryce Cotton and Nick Kay and Sydney guard Casper Ware, to opt out of their contracts and look for opportunities overseas says so, particularly when the virus has muddied the short-term future of European leagues. Is it a backwards step for basketball in Australia after Larry Kestelman and co did so well to re-brand, promote and expand the competition?

SEAN: I feel this decision is a little bit hasty. From now until an expected start date in October is still five months away. By that time we may have seen the AFL, NRL and other sporting codes return to play and it may even be acceptable to have crowds in stadiums, such is the ever-changing nature of this pandemic. The NBL has grown significantly because of its crowds and if it does have spectators allowed when it restarts, the star factor of Cotton, Kay and Ware may be lost to those other leagues and thus some of the clubs have lost a little of their drawing power. The rise in imported players in the NBL has helped the competition as a whole thrive.

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BRIAN: Without knowing much about the NBL, is there room for flexibility on that salary cap decision? I know something like The Royal Melbourne Show had to be cancelled way out from its scheduled dates because of the months of preparation it takes to get that up and running. Obviously any major sports competition takes plenty of planning too but the AFL seems to be constantly throwing around ideas. Flexibility during this time seems to be a healthy approach. Talking to a few different sportspeople this week, they are looking forward to May 11 to see whether Victoria's social distancing measures will be relaxed. Do you also look forward to that date?

JUSTINE: It's hard to say as we don't know the inner workings of the NBL and its finances. A positive is Perth and Sydney have retained the rights to those players and have first dibs if, after exploring overseas options, they decide to stay in Australia. I hope the salary cap decision doesn't undo the progress the league has made in recent years. All games are televised live, crowds are up, more and more people are buying and wearing merchandise and big-name players want to come here. The Next Stars program attracted potential NBA top-five draft picks LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton and NBA-aligned Didi Louzada this season which added to its audience and widened its appeal. It would be a pity if the competition slid from public relevance again. I am looking forward to potentially having a re-start date for the AFL.

NICK: It would certainly be a few steps backwards if something like this hurts the league. The NBL needs to look at the A-League for what not to do. A few years ago, soccer was flourishing but couldn't break the glass ceiling and salary caps are still hurting it. I get their purpose but if they're heavily reduced at an elite level, sport suffers. What do you guys think will happen with the AFL? Quarantine hubs?

JUSTINE: Spot on Nick. The NBL was miles behind the A-League and the momentum has flipped. Now it's basketball leading the way while national soccer is struggling for relevance. I actually think we'll avoid hubs in the AFL. Might prove to be a big debate for no reason. The fly-in, fly-out option might suffice which would be a great result.

SEAN: I agree Jmac. The biggest idea that will never happen. Lots of talk around it but I feel that it won't happen as players don't want it unless their families are there with them so the fly-in, fly-out NBA style would suit the return of football. But do you feel this year's premier will be respected as a premiership team?

JUSTINE: Personally, yes. All this talk of the premiership team having an asterisk next to its name puzzles me a bit. If anything, there are more obstacles to overcome than ever before.

BRIAN: The exciting thing is it could be any club's premiership to win this year. The typical trend is that the bottom-end teams - often younger teams - come out firing in the first 10 rounds and then fade in the back half of the season. The likely shorter and highly-condensed season could even it right up so the typically lower-ranked teams could have just as much a chance as the consistent teams. I don't expect the top teams to be the ones there at the end of this season. This will be a season that tests resilience and team management in particular. It'll be a worthy challenge for the victor, just in different ways.

NICK: It'll really emphasise the importance of momentum, hey. Remember how influential it was last season when clubs sacked coaches? My club, North Melbourne, was a shining example of that. Could barely win a game under Brad Scott but when he left and Rhyce Shaw was appointed, we went on a bit of a run and were in contention for finals for a fair chunk of the season. Will be a fascinating season. I'm of the opinion that no team should have to live with winning a premiership with an asterisk next to it in any sport. If you win what is deemed to be the premiership by the governing body, you deserve to be recognised as premier. You don't win flags in Aussie sport as a fluke.

SEAN: That is very true Nick but it's still not going to stop those people who will just throw the "they didn't play a full season" comment out there. This year's premier will undoubtedly be the most debated in history. They will compare them to the years clubs have won flags with a full-season of work. But I'm sure if any of our clubs won we would celebrate like we had won one in a normal season with hurdles such as injuries.

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