Basketball On The Internet.

TOP Sydney basketball pundit Brad Rosen and I did not hold back with our final assessments of the Opals at the FIBA World Cup, how the WNBL's Townsville Tip-Off is shaping up or how we see this weekend's Round 1 of the NBL going in our Brad&Boti podcast this week.

No more "Mister Nice Guys" - well OK, one of us just can't help himself - we review how Sandy Brondello's depleted crew performed in Berlin under greater adversity than they could have imagined.

Not only was captain and PG Sami Whitcomb a pre-tournament withdrawal before reigning WNBA Defensive Player of 2025, Alanna Smith went down before halftime of the Opals' first game, but Jade Melbourne (flu) and Ezi Magbegor (ACL) also were soon to follow.

Our guest last week, Hall of Famer Michele Timms, was on the money with many of her predictions for the tournament, though no-one could foresee just how badly the Aussies would be compromised.

What changes are needed for the Olympics?

From there Brad and I transition smoothly into the WNBL's preseason tournament - the Townsville Tip-Off - which tips off in Townsville (funnily enough) tomorrow with the Fire hosting Perth Lynx.

No, key Lynx signing and WNBA starter at Washington, Georgia Amoore will not be there, and neither will any of the other Aussies or imports from the W as that season resumes from its World Cup recess.

But it still will be interesting to see Sam Mackinnon in the coaching chair at Southside and also to see Southside-Lite, a.k.a Geelong in action, not to mention the defending champion Fire and the rejuvenated Sydney Flames.

But just who will suit and who will scoot is what makes it difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions from such preseason tournaments.

How big a role did performances at the "all important" NBL Blitz matter? We'll know soon enough as Melbourne host Adelaide in a super regular season opener, followed by Perth and its latest PG Brandon Knight visited by South East Melbourne.

Did the Wildcats leave it too late again for their PG?

Who's winning and why? Your guess is as good as ours ... well, maybe not - it's probably better.

I roll out a Nagy Nasty and Brad waves his Rosen Rattler, and you can catch all of our 201st episode by clicking on this LINK. Or you can go to your usual reliable podcast sources if you prefer.