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Random dribbling: Rankings #4
TweetTHE NBA tipped off yesterday, James Harden debuted today for Houston with 37 points and 12 assists, and the question has to be asked: what gives with our NBL?
I floated it today deep in my NewsLtd weekly Around the NBL column that what if we just don't have the stars to make an All-Star Game work?
Oh, in the end, I am sure it will be a huge success, just as previous All Star Games have been well-received by the public.
But when you see a Harden go off for 37 points (Yes, I know the NBA plays 48 minutes), and you look back at the Adelaide-Wollongong game to see the halftime score was 36-30, you start to shake your head at what direction our game is going in Australia.
I received an interesting email recently from a guy who used to coach in the NBL who observed and suggested the following:
"Currently the league is plagued by collapsing defences/zones in the half-court and a lack of superstar scorers and one-on-one challenges. What about a defensive 3-second rule (same as the NBA) to reduce the clutter in the lane, increase scoring aggregates, and (hopefully) bring more people to games?"
The only thing about that which worries me is giving our officials something else to look for when they already have trouble ascertaining whether a set of tech foul penalty freebies should be taken before or after the free throws for the original shot foul, the difference between a ball being rejected into the backboard as opposed to a ball goal-tended as it deflects off the backboard and, wait, was that the 24-second shot-clock going off?
You get what I mean. There's not a lot of Michael Aylens running around so why add to their stress level with another rule to police?
Of course though, a 3-second defensive rule would mean a real commitment to the double-team down on the block and definitely open up some possibilities. It means split-line help would have to come quickly, or not at all.
Personally, the more I think about it, the more I warm to it as an idea.
I certainly prefer it to talk of reintroducing six fouls or going back to 48 minutes as cure-alls.
Plus, just as the NBL chose to go with 48-minute games for about 25 years, following the NBA and bucking world trends, why then can't the NBL choose to reintroduce jumpballs?
It's our game so why not our rules? But I digress.
The 58-to-75 scoring range in games diminishes the entertainment value and, as we all should be aware, the NBL is as much about elite-level basketball in this country as it is about entertainment.
Forget that and we may as well be back in galvanised iron-walled suburban stadia, seated around the court perimeter, sipping from our Fanta cans, like the good old days.
IN CASE you might have been wondering, here is the Around the NBL column today, where discussion regarding Brett Brown's Boomers successor had some airplay too.
ACTION Jackson will remain out-of-action this week, despite the Caps originally expecting Opals captain LJ to be suiting tomorrow night against Sydney.
But Lozza's long-awaited WNBL return was aborted by Capitals' medical staff due to ongoing hamstring and back problems.
She is a chance to be back for next week's games with Adelaide and Bendigo but Jackson herself is determined to be back by no later than November 18.
That's when Canberra will host Bendigo in her hometown at Albury's newly-named Lauren Jackson Sports Centre.
Jackson, 31, was due to start her three-season, $1 million deal at Canberra a fortnight ago after she completed her duties with Seattle Storm in the USA.
Apart from leading Seattle into the WNBA finals, Jackson's year also has featured being flag-bearer for Australia at the London Olympics - following a tradition begun with Andrew Gaze at Sydney 2000 - then steering the Opals to a Bronze Medal at the Games, plus a European club stint with Ros Casares Valencia.
BEN Madgen was a popular choice for the NBL's Player of the Week but it looks as if the lines were down from Bendigo because Townsville Fire import Kayla Standish took the WNBL's PotW honors.
She must have had a big personal weekend because the Fire were snuffed twice on the road, by Dandenong and Bulleen.
Standish, the sister of former 2006 Adelaide Lightning import Tammy Willey, compiled 40 points and 12 rebounds.
That included 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting in the loss to the Rangers for the 188cm American forward, who graduated from Gonzaga University earlier this year and taken at 19 in the 2012 WNBA Draft by Minnesota Lynx.
At least that's some good news for the Fire, who lost Shanavia Dowdell this week when the Alabama-based centre who was All Star Five (Six) last season, lost her battle with homesickness and headed home to the USA.
Thanks for coming.
HERE they are, this week's rankings after Round 4.
NBL Rankings
This Wk ... Prev
8 ... 7 CROCS - This could become permanent unless they split Round 5.
7 ... 5 TAIPANS - Drop from last week after blowing 8-pt lead against Kings with 2:22 left.
6 ... 6 TIGERS - Holding steady at #6, despite unsteadiness holding onto the ball.
5 ... 8 KINGS - Great road trip north and can consolidate with at least a split in Round 5.
4 ... 4 36ERS - Here by skin of their teeth after letting Hawks off the hook.
3 ... 3 BREAKERS - Just doing what is necessary and travelling along nicely.
2 ... 2 HAWKS - Great road win over Sixers from 12 down. Now the battle for the peak.
1 ... 1 PIRATES, er, WILDCATS - Even had a successful bye.
WNBL Rankings
This Wk ... Prev
9 ... 9 WAVES - Lost again at home and now have Bulleen coming to town.
8 ... 8 FLAMES - Just keep bringing in new faces so a win can't be far away, surely?
7 ... 4 FIRE - Ouch. Copped a major smashing at weekend and must bounce back.
6 ... 7 THUNDER - Good road split but now it's Dandenong time.
5 ... 6 BOOMERS - Looked back-on-track last round and should at least split on road.
4 ... 5 CAPITALS - Sneaking up the rankings and still waiting for LJ.
3 ... 3 LIGHTNING - Won again with players missing but Bulleen a tough hurdle.
2 ... 2 RANGERS - Losing to Spirit and Phillips being hurt puts dent in Ranger planning.
1 ... 1 SPIRIT - Have done everything right and now add more talent. Hmm. Good or risky?
THIS WEEK'S TIPS
SYDNEY Kings, grrrr. They cost me big-time last round ... well no, come to think of it, actually it was Townsville and Cairns who cost me by not living up to their potential and failing at home. All the Kings did was play up to their potential.
Got all the others right though so still feeling reasonably cocky going into this round where New Zealand should beat Sydney, I expect Townsville to break through against Cairns, Adelaide to relegate Sydney back out of the top four, Melbourne to finally crack the Wins column against the Crocs and, wait for it, Wollongong to be the only unbeaten team after hosting the Hunter Pirates, er, Perth Wildcats on Sunday.
Only bungled the Logan-Sydney WNBL result last round - you just can't trust the Kings OR the Flames - so pretty happy with that.
Just to show the Thunder there's no hard feelings, let's go for an upset over Dandenong, Canberra to beat Sydney, Bulleen over the Coasters and also to get Adelaide again. You know Townsville-Dandenong is a toughie because it's hard to known whether the loss of Dowdell as a player will hurt as much as the departure of an unhappy player helps those left behind. You know, addition by subtraction? But, in the final analysis, I don't expect Dandenong to lose twice this weekend.
ABBOTT and Costello, The Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges walk into a bar.
The barman looks up from where he is cleaning glasses, stares at them and says: "What is this? Some kind of joke?"
