Basketball On The Internet.

OK now. Hands up if you didn't see that coming? Oh, no hands up? Good. Then at least we all know the same sad truth. The Sydney Kings are the worst managed club in the NBL.

Sacking coach Damian Cotter - whoops, I mean "releasing" Coach Cotter - was threatened so many times by the coterie of owners who (mis)manage their NBL club, no-one should be surprised it finally happened.

Yes, the recent win-loss record isn't pretty but when you don't have much input on who to keep and who to release as players, or who to bring in, then maybe you shouldn't carry the can alone.

The club bringing in a US coach such as Joe Connelly a short while ago to "help out", was hardly subtle and the only shock will be if he ISN'T hastily appointed Cotter's ever-so-lucky successor.

As one of a list of now "former" Kings coaches Shane Heal tweeted yesterday: "Has Kings Chairman PHIL Hudson had 5 GMs & 4 coaches in his 6th season running the club? Is this right? 1 playoff?"

Well, yes. As a matter of fact, that does seem to be right!

Even the Kings' formal press release announcement "Cotter has been released" smacked of a further pathetic attempt to paint a smiley face on an ugly balloon.

Saying he's "been released" suggests he's being held captive against his will and he's been done a favour. In actual fact, he probably HAS been done a favour because he won't have to deal with the Kings' organisational muppets any longer.

But he didn't have the job against his will. He wanted to make it work, but when you aren't given the tools you request but are handed those someone else thinks look good or can do the job, then you are pushing a wheelbarrow load of bricks up a very slippery steep hill.

It's inevitable if you can't make square pegs fit into round holes, you will eventually "part ways".

Good luck to Connelly, if he has "been released" from his job of mind management to finally get on with what he was brought here to do - make ownership look proactive by bringing in an American to save those Kings.

Not to actually do it.

OH WOW. The hammer hit hard in Wollongong last night for the Crocs, a 34-14 first period setting up a whopping 108-70 rout by the Hawks. Kirk Penney went off for 31, the only dampener on the evening for Hawks fans the sight of AJ Ogilvy limping into the changerooms prematurely. Illawarra coach Rob Beveridge was on social media today though, assuring all AJ would be A-OK to play Melbourne this week.

Last night: ILLAWARRA HAWKS 108 (Penney 31, Lisch 15, Ogilvy 13, Coenraad 12, Forman 11; Davidson 9 rebs; Lisch 5 assts) d TOWNSVILLE CROCODILES 70 (Conklin 20, Kay 14, Jett 11; Maynard, Conklin 5 rebs; Djeric, Norton 4 assts) at The Sandpit, WIN Entertainment Centre.