In the past four years the Nuggets have put in some pretty poor performances, but they pale in comparison to the display the Basketball Otago board gave on Wednesday night.
In the biggest decision in the 18-year history of the franchise, the board announced it would not be entering a team in the 2009 National Basketball League (NBL).
An outraged basketball community demanded answers and, under pressure, the board failed to provide them.
Then, in a move which showed an incredible lack of fortitude, the board resolved to explore "alternative options and a different model for the franchise".
Surely, if the homework had been done, the board would have been able to reassure the basketball community the best decision had been made.
But BBO did not have a satisfactory answer to the most obvious question: Do you have a plan to get the Nuggets back into the league?The board offered plenty of rhetoric about building on its player base through development and stepping up its effort to secure additional funding.
When asked how, there was a lot of metaphorical head scratching.
There didn't appear to be a clear strategic plan.
There was no focus group to discuss ideas or look for innovative solutions.
There was no special committee formed to approach potential corporate partners.
Until Wednesday night, the board had not approached the basketball community and asked for their help.
It was pretty clear during the meeting the basketball community felt alienated from the decision-making process.
And there was no appeal to the wider public in the form of a "Save our Nuggets" campaign of some description.
BBO deserves some slack because it is a tough economic environment in which to operate.
The world is in the midst of a financial crisis.
But it is not likely to change in the next year and sitting on your hands waiting for the money to roll in is not going to work.
So far BBO has secured just $100,000 in funding for the Nuggets' campaign in 2009.
I understand the breakdown is $50,000 from trusts, $20,000 from the projected profits from gate-takings for 2009, $15,000 from the Nuggets camp and $15,000 from corporate sponsorship.
If that is true, then securing just $15,000 in corporate sponsorship is by any stretch of the imagination a modest amount and does not reflect well on the board and management.
From the outside looking in I can't help but think the board had a view the Nuggets could not be saved.
It was like watching a sick person battling with a heavy flu convinced it was terminal.
In 2005, BBO employed a chief executive for the first time.
Mark Rogers' role was to present a professional face to the organisation; to grow and promote the sport; and to secure the funds to enable that.
Since Rogers' appointment there has been a steady rise in player numbers, with a 20% increase in the number of people involved in the winter competitions and a 50% increase in the summer competitions.
Miniball has swollen to 135 teams.
There has also been good success at national tournaments, with the Otago under-17 boys finishing second last year and the under-17 girls going one better this season, winning Otago's first national title in a decade.
All positive stuff, but the brutal reality is if the Nuggets disappear from the NBL league because of a lack of funds, someone has to be held accountable.
