Basketball On The Internet.

THE twin retirements of two NBL stalwarts possessing great, yet divergent success stories, in Clint Steindl and Jason Cadee, does cast a pall of sadness over the end of the 2025 season but why on Earth is the league observing this ridiculous momentum-losing FIBA window?

Talk about losing the impetus generated by the critical Perth-South East Melbourne, Sydney-Adelaide, South East Melbourne-Adelaide fixtures ... and for what?

To see Boomers III crush Indonesia and Thailand in these ill-conceived FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers?

Said it before, worth saying again. As 1) the Asia Cup holders and 2) the highest placed finisher in Asia at the Paris Olympics, Australia even having to play these matches to "qualify" is beyond ludicrous. It should be automatic entry for the Cup holders.

OK. It isn't, so we have to participate in this monumental FIBA farce some wunderkind in Switzerland dreamt up. (I thought they were meant to be neutral.)

Anyway, OK, it's understood Basketball Australia is obliged to stage these fixtures and even to try and sell them as in some remote way to be, at best, interesting.

Let me break the news to you. If it's being staged in Traralgon, it already has lost any gloss. And that's not a knock on Traralgon.

So it's Boomers versus Indonesia on Thursday, then Thailand on Sunday, completely stalling the NBL's playoff momentum.

Now realistically, can anyone in their wildest imaginings believe the NBA, for example, would call a season recess as their playoffs get underway, for some FIBA window matches?

USA Basketball would either tell FIBA to naff off or suit some college or semi pros.

So why are we having to wait until Thursday-week for Game 1 of the Melbourne-Perth semi final, then Friday-week for Game 1 of the Illawarra-South East Melbourne semi final?

BA has selected its team for this window and, because of the existing circumstances, included a couple of players competing in the best-of-three semi finals. 

The team is Emmett Adair, Nick Marshall, Luke Fennell, Mitch McCarron, Jacob Furphy, Mitch Norton, Ben Griscti, David Okwera, Nick Kay, Elijah Pepper, Fabijan Krslovic, Isaac White and the betting is already fierce whether "coach" Jacob Chance can this time go the first three minutes - a full 180 seconds - before making a sub.

Now, realistically, Okwera and Pepper could have been omitted for a couple of other guys from teams eliminated from the playoffs. Off the top of my head, guys such as an Alex Toohey or Dejan Vasiljevic.

The NBL playoffs then could start Friday (Melbourne-Perth) and Saturday (Illawarra-South East) instead of the two top seeds having to wait almost three weeks to play again.

Let's face it. Those fans heading into Traralgon will not compromise anyone going to John Cain Arena in Melbourne the next night or to the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong.

Hell, BA even could have slotted Steindl and Cadee into this Boomers team because, let's face it, a national team made up of those Aussies no longer engaged in playoffs still could beat Indonesia and Thailand by 100 points.

Instead we have this absurdity occurring and the NBL playoffs again spilling into AFL footy and NRL rugby time, preseason matches underway.

Should anyone be surprised at this?

No. But the surprise of Stendl and Cadee retiring now is quite big because both have another season in them. But as a great player once told me, it's best to leave while people still want you to play, rather than announce your retirement and be met with cheering.

Steindl leaves after four extraordinary years as captain of the NBL's youngest club, Tasmania JackJumpers. He led the way for a totally new club to reach the Grand Final Series in its first season, the semi finals in its second and the championship in its third.

Beset by injuries, the Jackies still only missed the top six playoffs on percentage behind the big-spending Adelaide 36ers, Steindl in his swansong season called upon to contribute even more greatly.

The first time I saw him in action was as a rookie with Cam Gliddon, two exciting young signings by then Cairns Taipans coach Aaron Fearne, debuting in a preseason series somewhere. He was athletic, had great range and didn't mind taking it to the hoop and slamming it in traffic.

I always wondered if Fearney fell out of love with him and favoured Gliddon, so was not real surprised when Steindl swung over to Townsville and in 2016 won the league's Most Improved award.

Back-to-back championships with the Wildcats in Perth, swishing those back-breaking corner threes, he was a key signing for the JackJumpers and proved a much greater leader than many would have predicted.

Jason Cadee had the pedigree to be great but a horrific highway car crash en route to join Gold Coast Blaze almost ended it all before it ever started.

Five months later, he was on court and on his way to a remarkable career at the Adelaide 36ers, hometown Sydney Kings, Brisbane Bullets and back to Adelaide where he was the man behind anything good that happened at that ill-fated club this season.

The NBL's Best Sixth man in 2020 with the Bullets, anyone who knows him and his basketball IQ has fingers crossed he will one day move into coaching, putting 15 seasons and 424 games to good use. 

As far as that goes, who knows? He could be the next Phil Smyth.