Canadian Basketball League

Dan K
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Canadian Basketball League

Post by Dan K » Sun Jun 16, 2013 10:03 pm

The new Canadian Basketball League plans to start in 2014 with initial teams based in Western Canada.

http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/06/ ... e-dribble/

Shootmaster_44
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Post by Shootmaster_44 » Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:26 am

This is interesting news, however I do wonder what the caliber would be like? However, if the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers are on board (which could be smoke and mirrors), I suspect the league will make a go of it.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/G ... story.html

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports/ba ... story.html

I am curious where they intend to place the 10 teams though?

So far mentioned from the stories are:

Calgary
Edmonton
Kelowna
Lethbridge
Red Deer
Regina
Saskatoon

So that's 7 teams, the other 3 might be difficult to wedge in travel wise. I'd assume since they mention Manitoba interest, that it would either be Brandon or Winnipeg, but I doubt both. The reason I mention Winnipeg, is that I believe Sam Katz, who is or was Mayor and owns the Goldeyes, was owner of the Winnipeg Thunder of the WBL/NBL. So I'm assuming he is the Manitoba interest.

The other two cities puzzle me. If they are serious about having 10, I'm not too sure where other places to go would be. Moose Jaw possibly would make sense seeing as how they have a new arena for the Warriors. However, there would need to be a city in the West to balance it out and that would mean either pushing far into BC and putting one in say Victoria or placing it in one of the aging or small WHL rinks in the interior.

Either way I am interested in seeing how this plays out and I will definitely be in attendance at a few games if they get this going for 2014-15. The biggest thing I see as an issue with this league is the fact they are planning to run in the winter. When the Saskatchewan Hawks of the IBA/CBA existed in the early 2000s, one of their attendance issues was the cold. It wasn't their only issue, but it was a significant one that even WHL teams run into. People really are not interested in letting their cars sit outside at an arena for two and a half or three hours when the temperature is -25 Celsius or lower. A summer league akin to the WBL/original NBL would be a better idea.

The other thing I wonder is finding between 60 and 90 CIS grads who are willing to play pro basketball and are quality enough talent to keep up. The top CIS grads likely end up playing pro in Europe, the next bit end up in NBLC for better pay. So that likely chops a good 25 players at least out of the mix for the CBL. Granted, they are looking for Canadians and not CIS grads, but the easiest source of local talent are the Universities. Sure there might be some Saskatoon guys who played at Minot State or whatever and are looking to move back home for work. But I think the majority will be made up of CIS grads with the salary offers they are wanting.

The other issue is that they plan to have two equally sized divisions with no crossover play. This is a smart idea from a travel cost standpoint, putting teams in close proximity means no long drives. However, of the cities mentioned most are relatively close to each other. Also, with 8 teams in the league, seeing the same three opponents night after night might get tiresome for fans. It could also see rivalries develop, but I'm thinking it will see the fans get restless. A 6 team league with all teams play each other would be better to start off with. Drop Red Deer (or Lethbridge) from the cities they mentioned and voila you have a perfectly manageable league travelwise and the opponents would be enough variety initially.

Edit: I found a one page information sheet about the league on Cosmos Sports' website.

http://www.cosmossports.com/news/cbl1.html

Interesting to note that Cosmos Sports is run by Cary Kaplan who is involved in the Central Hockey League's Brampton Beast and has previously been involved with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. I also seem to remember his name being linked to the Canadian Soccer League, either as President or someone near the top. I don't follow the politics exactly, but I seem to recall he may have been involved somehow with the Canadian Soccer Association unsanctioning the CSL.

Despite what it states above about attempting to go into Ontario, this article from London says no.

http://www.lfpress.com/2013/06/13/propo ... nal-talent

Looks like Fort McMurray may be in the running.

http://www.fortmcmurraytoday.com/2013/0 ... t-mcmurray

Also looks like Moose Jaw may be considered.

http://www.mjtimes.sk.ca/Sports/2013-06 ... da%0D%0A/1
Last edited by Shootmaster_44 on Mon Jun 17, 2013 4:50 am, edited 4 times in total.

nksports
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Post by nksports » Mon Jun 17, 2013 6:25 am

[quote=""Shootmaster_44""]... one of their attendance issues was the cold. It wasn't their only issue, but it was a significant one that even WHL teams run into. People really are not interested in letting their cars sit outside at an arena for two and a half or three hours when the temperature is -25 Celsius or lower.[/quote]

Breaks into song:
Gary Lee and the Showdown Band wrote:"Well it's forty below, And I don't give a (bleep), Got a heater in my truck, And I'm off to the rodeo.
It's an allamande left, And allamande right, C'mon you (bleeping)' dummy, Get your right step right, Get offstage you (bleep, bleep) goof, Y'know.
You (bleep) me off, You (bleeping) jerk, Get on my nerves.

jmel92501
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query

Post by jmel92501 » Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:20 am

vancouver,bc not in the mix???

Cazzzmo
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Post by Cazzzmo » Fri Jul 11, 2014 4:37 am

did this league ever get off the ground?

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by the way, Shootmaster_44, there has NEVER been a ''Saskatoon guy'' that has played at Minot State and I don't believe there's even been a Canadian on the roster in the last 30 years. I also can't recall any Canadians on rosters of other NDCAC / DAK-10 teams (Minot's conference for years)... if there were, that number has to be under five total... fyi...

Football and club hockey is a different story but hoops, no. Saskatchewan or Manitoba basketball ''talent'' at Minot State is akin to Bigfoot and Nessie.

Shootmaster_44
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Post by Shootmaster_44 » Sun Sep 14, 2014 3:22 am

[quote=""Cazzzmo""]did this league ever get off the ground?

-------------

by the way, Shootmaster_44, there has NEVER been a ''Saskatoon guy'' that has played at Minot State and I don't believe there's even been a Canadian on the roster in the last 30 years. I also can't recall any Canadians on rosters of other NDCAC / DAK-10 teams (Minot's conference for years)... if there were, that number has to be under five total... fyi...

Football and club hockey is a different story but hoops, no. Saskatchewan or Manitoba basketball ''talent'' at Minot State is akin to Bigfoot and Nessie.[/quote]

As far as I know this has never gone beyond this early mention.

As for my mention of Minot State, I was using that as an example of a small college that may have Canadians playing at it. I wasn't saying there was necessarily, but I know that there have been Saskatoon players who have played Division 2 & 3 ball in the US and NAIA. So they were around somewhere.

Shootmaster_44
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Post by Shootmaster_44 » Mon Dec 15, 2014 6:15 pm

Looks like this is still planning on going. Though a major shift in the idea behind it.
Carter’s CBL plan will start in Ontario and eventually expand across the country. The goal is to tip off next fall with six teams. Ottawa would begin in 2016, to allow time to assess sponsorship possibilities and issue a proposed public ownership with 1,000 non-voting preferred shares to be sold — think $5,000 each — to raise capital that would cover startup costs estimated at $1 million and provide financial backing for more than one season.
http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/basketb ... es-capital

This is a far cry from creating a national league, they must have gotten no response from Western Canada, when the supposed meeting in the summer of 2013 supposedly happened. I also find it amusing that they are saying the gyms at Carleton and UOttawa are too small, but the league intends to play at McMaster in Hamilton and Durham College in Oshawa. Seems backwards to me, if Ottawa thinks it needs a 6,000 seat arena, playing in gyms that hold 2,250 (Burridge Gymnasium at Mac) and 2,000 (Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre at Durham) won't make the teams profitable. The Ravens Nest at Carleton holds 1,500, so not much smaller than Durham College.

Plus if the idea to allow for alternating weekends with Junior Hockey, this won't work since both Mac and Durham have their own basketball and volleyball teams that would alternate weekends. It would mean the Hamilton and Oshawa teams would either be forced to play Saturday afternoons or on Sunday or during the week. None of which would be ideal.

Also, Oshawa had the NBL Canada Power and it ended up moving to Mississauga. So I question the idea of placing a CBL team in Oshawa, playing at a smaller venue. Nothing screams minor league in Canada than not playing at the major arena in town. But I suspect unless the Ottawa SkyHawks somehow front the money for the whole league, this will be vaporware just like so many of the proposed leagues in Canada have been.

If they were smart about this, they would play in the summer in the major arenas. A large number of these arenas have little to no bookings in the summer, fans would come out and support the teams. The best thing the CBL could do is find some money people and bring in some of the better talent from some of the European Leagues and even bring in some of the names from the NBL Canada. But of course, this "league" is likely founded on nothing more than a wing and a prayer.

Edit: This article gives me a little bit of hope actually for this league.
The playbook for creating a CBL will start in Ontario with six teams for the 2015-16 season. It would expand east and west down the road. Entry requirements include a $200,000 application fee, following a franchise launch plan mimicking that of the NBA Development League, purchasing a multi-year team licence and providing a bond or letter of credit.
http://ottawacitizen.com/sports/basketb ... all-league

At least this would give the league a bit of financial viability. Whether or not they can find owners interested/with the capital to do this is a different story entirely. I wonder if this started up, would the Raptors eschew (and be allowed to) the D-League and throw their affiliation into this?

Edit2: Looks like Kitchener-Waterloo may be in the mix for this. As well as the aforementioned, Hamilton, Durham Region. It also mentions Halton Region, York Region and Peel Region. So essentially, the Golden Horseshoe league with KW and Ottawa.

http://www.kitchenerpost.ca/sports/is-p ... unk-in-kw/

Edit3: Found this listing for franchises. You could be an owner all for $3,000,000.

http://www.murphybusiness.com/canada/vi ... -sale.aspx
Last edited by Shootmaster_44 on Mon Dec 15, 2014 6:34 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Shootmaster_44
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Post by Shootmaster_44 » Fri Feb 06, 2015 9:35 am

Looks like this is still moving along.

http://www.bramptonguardian.com/sports- ... oo-region/

What amuses me about this story is this quote:
While Carter doesn't yet have an operational team much less a league, he does have something the NBL doesn't — a national TV deal.

He recently signed a 20-year television contract with Hamilton-based broadcaster CHCH.
A couple things, he honestly expects his league to be around in 20 years before even tipping off a single game? Secondly, despite CHCH being carried as a timeshifting channel on some Canadian cable networks, they are hardly a national TV channel. A better comparison of CHCH would be like what WTBS was, except with next to no programming.

But hey if this eventually expands out West and gives Saskatoon another team, even for a single season I will gladly support the efforts. But I have huge suspicions about this even getting off the ground. They were better off when they were shooting at Western Canada. Going head to head with the NBL is a bad idea, plus between the OHL, NBL and all the major pro teams in the GTA, is anyone going to notice another league? They would be better off being a big fish in a small pond and going after markets like Winnipeg and Saskatoon, instead of trying to start a league for the moribund Ottawa NBL franchise to play in.

I will be very interested to see how this all plays out. The TV deal, despite the absurdity of it, does give the slightest glimmer of hope. The TV world in Canada, is not the US where you can claim to be televised on the Colors Network, but no one seems to know how to get that channel. Beyond local affiliates, every channel launched in Canada is carried by almost every cable system. In fact, I believe there are only a couple Canadian channels that aren't carried by everyone. Some of the US Networks aren't carried and in my small 30,000 person city of Lloydminster, I don't have access to the "CW" of Canada, City TV. But beyond that, I can get every network that is Canadian owned here. It does begrudge me that I can't get a couple of the US networks carried by some cable companies and that I don't have HD versions of all the sports channels, especially Raptors NBA TV. But I digress.

As an aside, oddly enough I don't have access to CHCH on my cable provider here either. If Shaw would bring the Canadian timeshifting to Lloydminster like they promised me they would 5 years ago, then I would have it. Must be the infrastructure or something. But that is a thread for a different forum.

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