Basketball On The Internet.

"THAT'S booing you're hearing and it's not for the refs."

Wow. In those few post-siren words, TV caller Andrew Gaze again summed up the mood in Adelaide, this time after the 36ers had lost the unlosable - yet again - beaten by New Zealand despite leading by 21 at halftime and 14 at the last break.

One veteran scribe described it as the worst capitualtion he had ever seen and that's saying something, though clearly, he is not a regular Sixers viewer.

I'm in Hawaii at the moment - not that it's important to you, I just wanted to gloat.

But in all seriousness, and it could not be any more serious for 36ers management as crowds dwindle and those who attend voice their displeasure, the situation in Adelaide is a train wreck.

Sure, the 36ers may bounce back and beat Townsville, which would not surprise me. But Jacob Holmes' absence would be a factor there as the Crocodiles will need either Russell Hinder or Ben Allen (preferably both) to stand up and be counted ... which is something of a longshot.

At its season-launch, Adelaide's coaches and players were predicting playoffs and glowing about their many options and great versatility.

These were elements the past two Marty Clarke teams had lacked, apparently, despite the coach being heavily involved in all recruiting.

Well it took until the first half against the Breakers to properly utilise Luke Schenscher (25 points, 16 rebounds) and when push came to shove and the chips were down, all those point guard options (Gibson, Cadee, Crosswell) didn't count for much against NZ's extended pressure.

But as long as Stevie Weigh plays 38:34, all must be right with the world, no?

Weigh has the potential to be a very good player in our league and maybe even more. But not while the coaches have a blind spot for him which means he has to take his rests on the court.

He works hard at practice and is a good role model off the floor. But 38:34 is not realistic playing time for his on-court return and is not actually helping him achieve his potential. Quite the opposite.

But then, he did score 60% of Adelaide's points in the last quarter!

BREAKERS coach Andrej Lemanis was a bit snaky when I interviewed him prior to the All Star Game, making a crack along the lines of (as South All Stars coach) he knew he would have to perform or the knives would be out in Adelaide.

It was a none-too-subtle rib about the absolutely justified and warranted heat on Clarke for his continual failings on game night, failings Lemanis only further highlighted as his team came back to win 71-66 at Adelaide Arena.

Adelaide had 17 second-half points and five in the final period.

Those are damning numbers which, in combination of the win-loss record, would have seen every single one of Clarke's predecessors sacked well before now.

But fans continue to be preached at with "patience" instead of a spade being called a spade.

So Lemanis, who sat alongside Clarke at the London Olympics and probably feels more sympathetic towards him than those who weekly pay for their tickets and go through the agony of watching his teams fail, voiced his support this week.

"I think Marty is doing a great job of just staying focused and not getting distracted by anything else," Lemanis told my Advertiser colleague Jai Bednall.

"He's a good coach, there's no doubt about that."

Really?

Really?

I think there is massive doubt about his game-night abilities, his substitution pattern, his tactics beyond Plan A, his inflexibility and the amount of genuine good advice he gets from an assistant who is basically his mirror image.

THE issue for a silent management is how long before it actually hears and acknowledges the boos of its own faithful and decisively acts, instead of pontificating?

Chin-stroking and wise head-nodding doesn't qualify as action.

We saw Don Monson in 1993 coach a Sixers team which gave Townsville its historic first road win after Adelaide led by 14 at the last break. Nobody booed.

Dave Claxton dropped a game to North Melbourne from a strong winning position. Nobody booed.

And those were 7800-strong crowds too, by the way, with a lot more scope for some dissident to voice his/her unrest.

Saw Scott Ninnis' 36ers lose to Melbourne in overtime and the place went crazy - but not at the 36ers but at that nincompoop stomping on Brett Maher's signature.

All the facts have been made elsewhere on this blog and in a myriad of forum letters and while it is always up to the players to perform, it is equally up to the coaching staff to insist on certain standards, to run offences and plays their charges can thrive in and to have defensive rules which, when breached, are addressed.

Does anyone really believe that is happening?

CAN anyone in Adelaide remember when we didn't accept mediocrity being passed off as development? Or close losses as improvement?

You should. Funnily enough, that's when the city was referred to as Titletown.

It's also when fans better identified with the personnel too because it was heavily South Australian.

Those 86 Invincibles? Mark Davis, Bill Jones, then naturalised Al Green and Dwayne Nelson (both imports who played and stayed in Adelaide) plus Darryl Pearce, Peter Ali, Ray Wood, Mike McKay, David Spear, Scott Ninnis and Peter Sexton - all South Australians.

They bled for the team because it wasn't just their team, it was their home.

Fast forward to the Titletown era and you have Darnell Mee and Kevin Brooks, plus Martin Cattalini, Paul Rees and Brett Maher. Maher was the only local starter - as Big Luke is now - and on the bench was John Rillie/David Stiff, Rupert Sapwell, then Davis, Paul Bauer and Jason Williams/Dean Brogan.

Interstate players were adopted as locals as adjudged by performance and effort, which is why Gibbo and Peach already are honorary South Aussies now.

Adelaide's basketball fans need to connect with players and know they are not just mercenaries, here now-in a different uniform tomorrow.

Reconstructing the 36ers though would not be as difficult as you might think. Especially if Ken Cole succeeds and his group buys the club.

Though I'm not holding my breath.

ALONG with fellow basketball journalists at the time, namely the Herald-Sun's Grantley Bernard and The Age's Stephen Howell, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Avery Johnson in 1999.

He was still an NBA player then and a member of the San Antonio Spurs championship team representing the USA at what, sadly in Milan, became the last McDonald's World Club Championship.

He was one of the players the Spurs offered up for interviews and we had the chance to hear from him, Steve Kerr, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

When I later met Damon Lowery, he struck me as an Australianised version of Avery. Avery also was part Cal Bruton in his enthusiasm and effervesence. Johnson was a joy, a livewire of excitement and positivity.

So it was with some disappointment to read he had been sacked as coach of the Brooklyn Nets, just another scalp for coach-killing superstar guard Deron Williams.

That was after Johnson was named Coach of the Month for October. And November.

It wasn't even two years ago Williams drove Jerry Sloan into early retirement at Utah Jazz because the great coach had endured enough of the undermining guard.

Sloan coached two of the game's biggest egos and greatest players in Dream Teamers John Stockton and Karl Malone. Don't think they were always a breeze to handle.

But Williams drove him out of the game.

Talk about having the exact opposite situation to Adelaide!