But Basketball Otago general manager Markham Brown admits he has taken a punt on the New Zealand Breakers not doing quite as well as last season.
Why?
Well, earlier this week he signed Tall Blacks and Breakers duo BJ Anthony and Leon Henry and would like them to spend as much time in the Otago Nuggets singlet as possible.
But if the defending champion reaches the Australian NBL playoffs, the pair are likely to miss the opening rounds of the New Zealand NBL.
"There is potential that they will miss some of the early games depending on how far the Breakers go," Brown said.
"With losing Kirk Penney we were sort of thinking there is a chance that they [the Breakers] might not do as well even though they have got off to a good start.
"So if we sign another player we would want to cover ourselves for that potential outcome."
The New Zealand NBL schedule has not been finalised but, with the Tall Blacks competing in the Olympic repechage qualifying tournament in July, and expected to go into camp as early as June, the NBL will need to be completed by late May or early June.
Brown expects the condensed tournament will tip off some time in March but the later the better as far as the Nuggets are concerned.
If the tournament gets under way in early March and the Breakers make the final, the Nuggets could be without their star players for up to six weeks.
By then the franchise could be out of the running for a spot in the playoffs.
"It is a possibility.
"BJ was released for some Waikato games last season.
Admittedly that is easier to do between Auckland and Hamilton so that might not be an option this year. We're certainly not banking on anything like that."
Regardless of how much court time the pair see, signing players of that calibre is a step in the right direction for the Nuggets.
The team will be a lot more marketable with three Tall Blacks in the squad and the challenge is to take advantage of that extra interest through improved sponsorship and larger crowds.
Avoiding clashes with the likes of Super 15 games is another key component, Brown said.
The Nuggets played too many of their homes games when there were other major events on in the city.
"We definitely have had a good look at when we would like to host games and we've indicated our preferences. We've been mindful of Highlanders' games, the All Blacks and looking at anything else that is on. We are trying to get the best fit but we will have to see how the draw person goes with all those requests."
The National Basketball Association has cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season after the league owners and players were unable to resolve a bitter labour dispute yesterday, Reuters reports.
The decision, confirmed by NBA commissioner David Stern, was made after both parties failed to draw up a new collective bargaining agreement in a last-ditch meeting in New York.
The season was scheduled to start on November 1 and the abandonment covers all games originally scheduled to be played through to November 14.
