| 11 July 2011
Ian McCarthy has been around basketball long enough to know some things take time.
And apparently now is the time.
You can officially add one more league optimistic to welcome a bevy of locked out NBA players’ to their stable, especially those players not ready to jump all the way overseas. But Canada’s newly formed National Basketball League is showing they are more than another minor league jump off toward professional basketball.
They are in the game for good.
Last week the NBL issued a press release and invitation to locked out players across the NBA to come to Canada with team president Andre Levingston – and owner of the Halifax Rainmen - stating the league would take a flier on, “third-tier type players”, knowing full well the upstart league isn’t in a financial position to shoot for the stars.
“Andre was referring to players on the lower side of the NBA salary spectrum as opposed to the mega stars,” Ian McCarthy, interim Chief Operating Officer of the National Basketball League of Canada, told Beyond the Beat.
“Those are third tier guys or guys who are financially set and just want a stable place to play close to home. Also there are not 450-500 high level European and overseas jobs. Most overseas leagues only have 2-4 teams at the top that can afford NBA players - Europe is in a recession too - and even then most leagues only allow one American per team. That means there could be 400 NBA players without jobs. We offer decent pay - compared to the ABA and 2nd and 3rd division overseas – and we play in professional arenas with great competition.”
Sounds like a legit offer. But how realistic is it really for even “third tier” NBA players to take their talents up North on a new league with modest pockets to work with?
Some wondered the same about marquee names jumping overseas. Yet with the recent breaking news of the New Jersey Nets Deron Williams agreement in place to play in Turkey and several players willing to considering moving to Europe, anything seems possible in this new era transformation from “locked out to leaving”.
The National Basketball League of Canada is campaigning as “the first ever Canadian national professional basketball league in history”, with three founding franchises - Saint John, Halifax and Quebec – having already established themselves after breaking away from the Premiere Basketball League last year.
“No I didn’t,” McCarthy offered when asked if he envisioned a new league in Canada forming as quickly as it has.
“We were looking for a place to play in our own league or someone else’s. The NBL of Canada has become something much larger as a National League for Canada. We no longer wanted to be in a league that was owned by the owner of 1 team (PBL). We saw no security in that, no future, and no fairness.”
McCarthy has served in various positions in minor league basketball from the front office, to coaching and scouting and was named the 2008 General Manager of the Year in the ABA. He also serves as an international ambassador of goodwill partnering with teams in the Philippines, Puerto Rico and China and Singapore.
Now he's hoping the NBL will leave a goodwill mark on Canada and the game.
Two weeks ago, the league held their first owners meeting in Toronto and is in the process of working towards releasing a 36-game regular season schedule for the 2011-12 season, set to begin in November and run into March. NBL teams will consist of 12-man rosters, with a league quota of two Canadians per squad. Halifax, Saint John, Quebec City, Charlottetown, Oshawa, London and a seventh city and team are still being discussed for the formal formation of the league. After Kingston, Ont., bowed out after failing to land an arena, negotiations have since taken place with Moncton. Either way, the league believes it will be in position to announce the complete lineup for its inaugural season in the comings weeks.
On Monday, the league officially announced dates for their combine workouts and draft selections. The two-day combine will be held on Saturday, August 20 and Sunday, August 21 at the Seneca College Sports Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Saturday will serve as free agent day, with Sunday dedicated to Canadian players only. The draft is schedule for Sunday, August 21 at at the Rogers Centre in Toronto and will consist of three rounds. The first round will draft free agent players only, while the second and third rounds will draft Canadian players only.
McCarthy said he’s already heard from a number of NBA agents inquiring about the league and expects to hear from more now that offseason player movement is in full swing.
For guys who are not willing to pack up their families for the long jump across the pond, playing in Canada provides a chance to be closer to home. And if (or when) the day comes when NBA owners and players reach an agreement, players are that much more near to make the adjustment back to a post-lock out NBA.
Yet for NBA agents and their clients, basketball is a business where questions surrounding salaries and insurance still need to be addressed.
“Yes an exit clause will be required for NBA players. We are not sure of the insurance requirements for NBA players with a guaranteed contract. They may make such players impossible to sign. If so we will be looking at NBA free agents, added McCarthy.
“All player contracts are for one season only and the salary cap is $150,000 for the team for the 4 month season. The minimum weekly salary is $400 a week -- 90% of our guys play basketball in different parts of the world during the year. Some are local heroes who may work a day job in the community during the offseason.”
Some names floating around the NBL of Canada may not be household, but they will be familiar to some hoop heads.
Mike Evans, the head coach of the Halifax Rainmen, was formerly the head coach of the Denver Nuggets and also served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors. The Saint John Mill Rats head coach Jaren Jackson won an NBA title with San Antonio Spurs in 1999.
Halifax’s Desmond Ferguson (pictured above) played half a season for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2004 and has seen stints overseas. Another former Blazer, Erick Barkley, saw playing time with Quebec. Kirk Snyder, who played for the Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz and was the 16th overall pick in the 2004, suited up for St. John and made a nice comeback from off court problems before landing a contract overseas to play in Russia. Unfortunately Snyder’s There is also a long list of players who have tried their luck at the NBA and overseas: Marc Egerson 6’7 tried out with the Boston Celtics in 2009 and played in Israel, Anthony Anderson worked out with Indiana Pacers in 2008 and saw time in Cyprus and Poland, and the Toronto Raptors gave Toree Morris a look in 2005.
“I am confident that NBL Canada can give NBA players an environment that will help keep their skills sharp and maintain their physical conditioning until the NBA resumes play,” said Coach Mike Evans.
The same goes for those NBA rookies. Tristan Thompson – selected 4th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers or Cory Joseph, who was drafted 29th by the San Antonio Spurs – may even prefer to play a little closer to home and treat the experience as their first chance at playing pro ball.
At least Canada is an option.
But while trying to lure NBA players to Canada helps catch headlines, don’t lose sight of what the NBL’s immediate goal is: growing the league and brand.
So where does McCarthy stand on the current NBA lockout?
“I think I am leaning towards the players because info is coming out that the owners didn’t lose money like they claimed. They were the ones luring players with the big contracts. You can always learn but the CBA and NBA scenario is big business. Our league isn’t in a collective bargaining scenario,” explained McCarthy.
“We’re more grass roots now."
McCarthy is starting to look forward to the start of the season, but there is plenty of work to accomplish before then. His to-do list runs deep. The scouting process for teams is in the early stages. Teams are working hard to get their leases finalized for arenas so they can move forward. And adding sponsors, a TV deal and even expanding from a seven-team league remains part of the bigger picture.
And in time, adding some locked out NBA talent to go along with the National Basketball League of Canada could be checked off that to-do list.
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