Basketball On The Internet.

THE success of the Melbourne United NBL franchise is essential for the health, wellbeing and growth of the game in Victoria.

Club management really hasn't done much wrong in trying to "unite" Victorian basketball fans under one United banner and advertising, corporate support and sponsorship has followed.

The club assembled a super cast but on-court success has not followed.

Worse, it led to inaugural coach Chris Anstey quickly pulling the plug when he saw it all going south, hoping his selfless decision might help right the ship.

It hasn't.

As a good friend recently told the friend of a friend of mine, you can't have a company with 10 executives. Who empties the bins? Who replaces the paper in the copier? Who gets the coffee?

Not me mate. I'm too important.

The old saying was "a champion team will always beats a team of champions".

United's team is stacked with executives and the tensions are showing.

There were unsavoury scenes with some United players and Crocodiles fans in Townsville after the home team handed Melbourne its head(s) 92-81.

Professional players getting ready to mix it up with fans is not a good look and by the accounts I have heard, only some intervention kept this from getting out of hand.

There also were in-game petulant scenes on the United bench, the pressure clearly getting to some.

Today at United practice, marquee centre Daniel Kickert and NBA draftee Jordan McRae allegedly had to be separated as tensions within the team exploded past boiling point.

Yes, a bit of frustration training biffo can happen in the best of teams and it doesn't mean much. But this is a playing group which is not playing for each other.

The situation is worsening, not getting any better. Who knows? Maybe today's events will galvanise the team into a unit. You know, unite it.

Unfortunately, I doubt it. And the greatest shame of this is basketball in Victoria needs this team to be a drawcard, not the wildcard it current remains.