I wouldn't want to be NBL Commissioner Chuck Harmison or Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock. They've had enough problems trying to boost the sport they love and keep it relevant in an incredibly competitive marketplace.

Now they're staring down the barrel of a potential decision that could change the way people view the Australian domestic league: whether or not to open the NBL door for NBA players during the current lockout.

A few weeks ago, Patty Mills signed a deal with the Melbourne Tigers. Mills, though one of the country's best players - and easily its most exciting - is still a fringe player in the NBA. He is not assured of a roster spot next season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Andrew Bogut, on the other hand, is a true superstar on many levels. He's one of the NBA's best centers and he's the face of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise. Bogut, a big supporter of Australian sport in general (he loves Essendon) made it known, primarily via Twitter, that he wants to play in the NBL. And now that a contentious insurance issue has apparently been solved, there is a real possibility that Bogut could suit up for the Sydney Kings, Adelaide 36ers or Gold Coast Blaze.

Meanwhile, in the United States, after a couple of hopeful meetings, the mood surrounding the NBA lockout seemed to change. It appears that a few owners - including Robert Sarver of Phoenix and Dan Gilbert of Cleveland - are adamant that the entire NBA revenue earning/sharing model needs to be rebuilt. In other words, the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations won't reach a conclusion quickly, and in fact, may actually threaten much, if not all, of the season.

And that brings us back to the NBL.

What if the NBL suddenly decided that every team could have one NBA player on its roster? Tell me that wouldn't energise a league fighting for publicity with the A-League, the Big Bash League, the ABL, the Spring Racing carnival and every other summer sport under the sun.

Is it problematic? Yes, of course it is. There are questions about where the money would come from, how much money could actually be paid and how that would impact the NBL's stingy salary cap. Rosters are already solidified and, as we saw with the former Melbourne Tiger Darryl Corletto, it's not always easy to make these things work.

And, of course, as many people have argued, will a potentially short-term burst of publicity be helpful to the NBL in the long run?

Personally, I think it might be.

The NBL - and I say this as a basketball lover and a guy with plenty of friends in the league - is viewed by the majority of Australian sports fans as a second- or even third-rate league. Anything it can do to capture more public and media attention is a good thing.

I'm not a believer in the "any publicity is good publicity" mantra, but this isn't "any" publicity. This could potentially bring bonafide NBA players not just to Melbourne and Sydney, but to places like Wollongong, Cairns and Townsville. If the league and teams make sure the players give something back to the community while they're around, then how could this not be successful?

The precedent has already been set with Mills. If Bogut signs up, then why not go for broke? Call it "exceptional circumstances" and milk it for all it's worth.