Basketball On The Internet.

IF you're wondering what all the excitement has been about today - given there have been years of the Brisbane Broken Promises of an NBL club - it's because the flag's officially been planted.

Brisbane Bullets will return in 2016-17.

Yes, I know you've heard it before.

The last NBL GM Fraser Neale staked his job on it - and was promptly gone - and still no return of one of the league's foundation clubs.

Then we had to wade through all that BS about "no suitable Brisbane venues" in the off-season.

And most recently, the great five-year TV broadcast deal on Fox, which included a passage that there would be an NBL club back in the Queensland capital for next season.

As soon as most of us out here in the jaded world of "Brisbane will be back" promises saw that, we knew it was for real.

While we were rejoicing though, today the NBL fleshed some meat onto the bones with announcements revealing the league, under Executive Director Larry Kestelman and GM Jeremy Loeliger, isn't kidding around or leaving anything to the last minute.

For starters, the new Brisbane club will be the Brisbane BULLETS. 

No piddling around with the meaningless debate about the validity or relevance of the Bullets nickname but reinstating one of the nation's best-known brand names.

Here's the logo, in case you missed it:

BULLETS FIRING! The logo of the new Brisbane Bullets.

The name confirmed, the logo released, along with the news C.J. Bruton - a key man on the Bullets' last NBL champion in 2007 - has been appointed Operations Manager and Assistant Coach, are not leaving too many questions unanswered.

Professional services firm, KPMG, has been retained to assist identifying and qualifying an appropriate ownership structure to ensure the long-term sustainability of the club.

Going to the Queensland colours is another positive step, as are intended links to the Brisbane Broncos. Even Fraser Neale, way back when, was looking at drawing in the Brisbane Roar for some kind of partnership, but the Broncos are a better fit.

“Recruiting the right individuals to be involved with the re-establishment of this club is critical, and the General Manager advertisement currently in circulation has generated a lot of interest from a high calibre of applicant," Loeliger said.

“We are very much heartened by the number of interested parties willing to get involved and support this franchise, which always had such strong support in Brisbane."

So here we go. Eight existing clubs start looking at who they have contracted beyond 2015-16; who has Brisbane links ... a la a Brock Motum for example; and the situation becomes even more competitive in the 2016 off-season.

Most importantly, Brisbane will be back.

And I'm guessing now but I doubt the league would want to go from eight to nine teams. More like it would prefer a jump from eight to 10.

So the folks considering getting up a second Melbourne team, a second New Zealand team or any other option, need to get moving.

Online

The Brisbane Bullets developments: http://bit.ly/1Fmjoim 
http://bit.ly/1Jg2TQ6     http://bit.ly/1KWU457

MAC Adelaide Lightning's first run: http://bit.ly/1F7M7ro

The 36ers have hosted BA's exciting young CofE team: http://bit.ly/1MhXPiF