The National Basketball League has taken control over managing the Tsukuba Robots, it was announced on Saturday.
In a news release issued by the NBL, the second-year league that's the successor to the JBL, "deterioration of business conditions" for Ibaraki Sports Academy, which ran the team, is cited as the reason for the league to step in.
The Robots are 0-3 to open the 2014-15 season, and lost 78-59 to the Chiba Jets on Saturday.
At this time, NBL president Mitsuru Maruo said the league doesn't plan to change Tsukuba's game schedule, according to the news release.
"The NBL audited the team and the Robots management team was disqualified by the league indefinitely," a basketball insider told The Japan Times on Friday.
This is the second week of the 54-game regular season, and financial woes appear to have reached the point of critical mass for the Robots.