Basketball On The Internet.

THE demerger by the National Basketball League from under the control of Basketball Australia will be formalised before Friday-week.

The last of the eight existing clubs – Adelaide 36ers, Cairns Taipans, Melbourne Tigers, New Zealand Breakers, Perth Wildcats, Sydney Kings, Townsville Crocodiles and Wollongong Hawks – on Saturday signed the new licensing agreement.

The move allayed any doubt the season would go ahead as planned, with tip-off on October 11.

A new entity, NBL Pty Ltd – currently being run by four elected club chief executive officers and in existence since June 10 – is restructuring the league.

V8 Supercars guru Tony Cochrane has been contracted to take care of the league’s broadcast agreement with Network 10, which was in limbo due to the original agreement being between Ten and BA.

Cochrane, NBL Pty Ltd execs and, at their invitation, Kristina Keneally (BA CEO) met today with Ten executives and conversations were better than cordial.

So much so, I believe KK postponed a planned meeting this Friday with the NBL clubs to allow the remaining aspects of the demerger to be completed.

“All the clubs are in and we’re going about our business, seeking sponsors, selling season-tickets, signing players,” Adelaide 36ers general manager Dean Parker said.

“It’s business as usual and the future looks very exciting.”

EARLIER today, about 1,500 basketball junkies sat spellbound at the State Basketball Centre in Knox as Melbourne's two NBA Draft No.1 choices - Kyrie Irving and Andrew Bogut - showed the individual drills they use to maintain their pre-eminent positions in The Show.

Also participating with them were Melbourne Tigers stars Chris Goulding and Adam Ballinger.

Goulding worked out with Irving under the watchful eye of coach Phil Handy. (NBL stalwarts will remember Handy playing as an import at Melbourne and also with West Sydney Razorbacks' 2002 NBL runner-up. Since then he has been working in the LA Lakers organisation and now with Cleveland Cavaliers.)

AB worked out with AB in another 45-minute session reinforcing fundamentals should never be neglected.

All accounts say it was a terrific session, with hats off to the participants, organisers, Basketball Victoria and the Tigers too.

Basketball Australia?

Anyone?

Anyone?

Bueller?

STILL zero on the BA website about Irving's visit to Australia, one of the more significant events in the game's recent history.

He is here, in the country. But BA, which purportedly would love to see the Melbourne-born Cavs ace switch allegiances from the USA - for which he has played at junior international level - to the Boomers for Rio 2016, doesn't even see fit to publicise his presence Down Under.

If you were in his shoes right now, the choice for which nation to represent at those Olympics would be easy, wouldn't it?

IT is official. Josh Pace is confirmed as Townsville Crocodiles' first import signing for 2013-14.

(Yes. Those same Crocs our friends at Sportal had as dead and gone on Monday. When it gets too hard to even make a phone call to get some clarity, you have to wonder how seriously "scribes" are taking their credibility, let alone our sport.)

Pace has been getting it done in the NZ NBL for years and even played for new Crocodiles' coach Shawn Dennis back in the day at Hawkes Bay Hawks.

Clearly, he remembered.

If/when paperwork is finalised, expect another NZ NBL import in Brian Conklin to be confirmed as Townsville's other American.

EARLIER still, Matthew Dellavedova, already confirmed to be playing in the Las Vegas summer pro league for the Cleveland Cavs, will have Australian company, albeit elsewhere.

Brock Motum will be having a hit-out at the Orlando summer pro league with Philadelphia 76ers' outfit.

NZ's NBA draft pick Steven Adams will also be at the Orlando summer league from July 7-12, playing, obviously, with Oklahoma City, where he was drafted at 12.

NOW it's late today (tonight?) so let's close with speculation Chris Goulding might get an invite to Cavs' camp.

He told me he wouldn't but let's not let any facts get in the way of some fun speculation.

Come back tomorrow and I'll let you know what else he revealed about being on-court with Kyrie Irving.