Basketball On The Internet.

TAKE it as read there won't be any significant on-court rule changes when the new self-governed NBL tips off in October.

How can there be?

The TV deal is locked in to its final year and that means 40-minute games will stay, at least for now.

Salary caps, Player Points Systems, more teams - everything fans are baying for to change cannot with the next season so close.

Just getting the "off-court" right and clubs such as Townsville - and maybe Adelaide and Wollongong - fully stabilised again, with sustainable models in place, will keep the businessmen backing the NBL's rebirth busy enough.

Who are they? What (untapped) potential do they see that neither BA nor previous NBL admins have been able to recognise, procure or nurture?

Well, May 15 is the "heads of agreement date" and with us still a week out from that, we can all be patient and see what is planned.

Hell, we've waited this long for someone other than our own sport's diehards to recognise and cash in on our sport's obvious potential that what's another week?

And, between us, let's be brutally honest here. If this attempt at pushing the NBL back into mainstream consciousness should fail - and praise be to Naismith that it succeeds and prospers - then the league will be forced to go back to the old days of semi-pro teams where players are working during the week, playing at the weekend.

You know. Like it was in 1979 when club teams out of state-run associations took the first gamble at trying to create nationwide interest in our sport.

And if that's where our sport has to go again because market forces say so, then so be it. It's not as if those parameters have prevented the SEABL from thriving and growing.

And that's where the promotion/relegation concept could actually work, if the NBL, like the SEABL (Aussieleague?) was only part professional.

But that, of course, is the alternative route if this bold gamble by high profile players such as Melbourne businessman Scott Stavretis doesn't capture the imagination of indifferent Australia.

Our prayer is that it does and that it will.

The NBL will be run as a corporation, a representative board of all eight clubs making decisions based on the best commercial interests of the league.

So let's proceed on the basis this is going to work and entertainment will be the top priority of our "new" NBL.

What should change for 2014-15?

Well here's the first thing I would recommend.

Thank Peter Carey for his fine efforts in restoring the integrity and faith in our NBL officiating nationwide, and replace him with someone with basketball knowledge at the highest level.

I'm not knocking Peter here. He has always been readily accessible and candid with the media and his instictive mark when he was umpiring an AFL game is still one of my most favorite "oops" moments in top level sports.

Just as we thought getting outside our sport for leadership was a great idea years ago, so it was here by bringing in a renowned AFL identity to run our NBL referees.

But who is happy with the officiating?

The coaches?

The players?

The fans?

Trust this. Out of those three options, the fans are the most important because there has to be spectacular entertainment to drag in that currently non-committed dollar.

Referee accountability has been a shambles and our games reduced to dour wrestling matches in way too many instances.

Before you talk 48 minutes, talk entertainment.

That's why Mal Cooper might be the man to invite into the role of running the refs.

No, I'm not being dazzled by the "Hollywood" nickname someone tagged him with, thinking he must therefore understand entertainment.

(It was never a relevant nickname and just as easily could have been applied to a dozen NBL refs.)

As a past top NBL official, Coops understands umpiring, the psyche of the athlete (even more now with his son a fringe NBL player), has common sense and yes, a touch of flair.

But I am a fan of the man also because he knows we wanted to see Jerai Grant dunk, and Trey Gilder leading an expedition in Kafiristan.

He gets it.

And for the new NBL to be great, we need men who "get" it.

Got other ideas for which track the NBL should go down after next season? Let me know at botirnagy@gmail.com or at @boti_nagy on Twitter.