Basketball: League considers Singapore stop

The Breakers may be playing in Singapore later this year.

The Australian National Basketball League has been staging exhibition games and pre-season trials in Asia for the past two seasons as it seeks expansion to a wider television audience and now looks set to admit a team from the island state.

The Hunter Pirates, who have been struggling financially, are set to fold, with their franchise licence possibly transferring to a Singapore outfit.

ANBL commissioner Rick Burton said the Pirates owners were talking to a number of interested parties who are bidding for the team's licence.

Because of this, the ANBL has delayed settling its draw for the 2006-07 season.

It also has to include a new Souths Dragons franchise from Melbourne, the third attempt at running a second team out of Victoria after the Titans and the Giants both failed.

The Dragons are speaking to former Cleveland Cavaliers star Mark Price and former San Antonio Spurs coach Morris McHone as prospective coaches.

Breakers manager Richard Clarke has asked the ANBL for a reduced travel schedule next season, playing more away games when they do go to Australia and playing all the teams in one area rather than flitting from Cairns to Perth.

He has no worries about the prospect of travelling to Singapore and said hopefully the league would expand to include other teams from Asia.

Their sponsor, Harvey Norman, has stores in Singapore and the extra television exposure in Asia is attractive to that company, league sponsor Philips and other backers.

Meanwhile the Breakers continue negotiations with last season's players, the franchise intending to settle its complete roster and then announce it rather than drip-feeding signings.

It appears that import Rich Melzer will stay and so will Tall Blacks Paul Henare, Aaron Olson and Mika Vukona with the only player already signed, centre Ben Pepper.

Rumour has the back-up Breakers and Tall Black point guard Lindsay Tait considering a shift to Europe.

The team announcement is intended to beat the release of the free-agent list, which comes two weeks after the 2005-06 title is decided in mid-March.

The Sydney Kings beat Cairns 112-87 in Sydney on Wednesday night and the teams meet again in Cairns tonight to find one finals series team. Melbourne remain the favourites after a 94-78 win in their first of three games against Perth. They travel to Perth to play this weekend.

* Angela Marino has stayed with her Canberra Cannons team to see out the WNBL playoffs against defending champs Dandenong and will miss the Tall Ferns five-game trip to Cuba.