Basketball On The Internet.

WELL aware the Kings don’t like issues to be over-simplified so I’ll keep this very straight-forward. Cutting Jesse Sanders was a mistake.

Before we go any further, let me say this is NOT any sort of attack on Charles Carmouche, the import Sydney retained when it had the chance to secure NBA vet Sam Young.

Grabbing Young was a no-brainer.

That said, Carmouche is a player and an NBL-quality player – no question.

However success is largely the point at which ability meets environment. You have to be the right guy for the right job.

No-one in Adelaide would ever dispute Butch Hays was a quality NBL player and starter for the 36ers, for example.

But once an Aussie playmaker in Phil Smyth became available to the Sixers, Hays’ import spot needed to be revisited because the abilities he brought were no longer required in the Adelaide environment.

Carmouche’s abilities are covered in Sydney’s environment. Sanders’ abilities were not.

The biggest loser in the decision to release Sanders – other than Jesse himself - has been AJ Ogilvy.

With Sanders in the lineup, Ogilvy was averaging 18.0ppg at 58 per cent from 11.6 field goal attempts.

He was the dominant big man in the NBL.

With Sanders out of the lineup, Ogilvy is averaging 7.0ppg at 34 per cent from 6.5 field goal attempts.

His rebounding also has slipped a little from 10.6 with Sanders, to 9.0 without. You can argue that has little to do with Jesse’s absence and I would argue 10.6 to 9.0 isn’t a huge shortfall anyway but shows two things. One, Ogilvy is still working the glass, which is a credit to him. And two, he is finding life tougher with less reward now available to him.

OK, no need to howl that Young’s arrival means less shots for Ogilvy and that I am selectively ignoring this fact or that.

Getting absolutely pantsed by Perth was one thing. Squeaking by Melbourne another. Back-to-back losses to the old rival down the highway?

Come on now. Those really hurt.

 

SEASON’s greetings again to the graphics folks at ONE-Ten who at halftime in the Cairns-Townsville TV game chose to spotlight Taipans swingman Clint Steindl.

Points in the Paint? Zero.

Main highlight? His putback dunk.

ONE’s idiocy? Priceless.

CARFI-NO KIDDING

NICE intro by Steve Burgundy for his co-commentator Jeff Van Groningen at the Cairns-Townsville game, describing JVG as one of the greatest CEOs in NBL history.

Clearly, Steve and ABC’s Darren Boyd need to get together and compare notes.

 

Basketball On The Internet's Player of the Week

THIS is the hardest Player of the Week selection yet because so many good performances came in losing causes (Sam Young, Brian Conklin) while so many of the round’s best wins were achieved by true team efforts.

In the end, it came down to a toss up between Daniel Johnson (21 points at 60 per cent, 7 boards), Adam Gibson (16 points at 50 per cent, 9 assists), Kevin Tiggs (18 points at 64 per cent) and Mark Worthington (18 points, 11 rebounds) for essential performances in important wins.

And just by a whisker, Wortho gets the gong.

 

PotW Winners

Rd 1 Daniel Johnson
Rd 2 Shawn Redhage
Rd 3 Chris Goulding
Rd 4 Charles Carmouche
Rd 5 Brian Conklin
Rd 6 Gary Ervin
Rd 7 Damian Martin
Rd 8 Mika Vukona
Rd 9 James Ennis
Rd 10 Mark Worthington

THE WNBL will reveal its PotW winner within hours but before it does, let me just quietly remind PLOCH the Plentiful, you have to take in ALL weekend performances. Abby Bishop had a tremendous weekend as Canberra went 1-1 on the Queensland trip, averaging 23.5 points and 16 boards for the Caps.

Suzy Batkovic delivered 26 points at 50 per cent and 17 rebounds in a lost cause for the Fire against Canberra and Chelsea Poppens was high in Melbourne’s best on its 2-0 trip west and to SA. Poppens averaged 21 ppg at 54 per cent and 9.0 rebounds.

Dandenong’s Leilani Mitchell had a career-high 27 points at 64 per cent, 4-of-5 threes, and nine assists as Dandenong brushed away Sydney’s brave challenge 100-85. That stood out.

Then again, Elyse Penaluna stood out too with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting and 12 rebounds as Bendigo made it a 0-2 road weekend for Sydney.

Without detracting from Penaluna’s performance, she was catching the Flames on the second leg so BOTI’s vote this round would stay with Mitchell.

Reviews

Breakers V Wildcats (M)

SO you thought that three-point shot from James Ennis a week ago was a fluke, right? Just to show you how wrong you were, he did it again in this game as Perth built on a 17-0 run and a record low 8-point first quarter by New Zealand to win 71-62.

Matt Knight was the consummate pro too, despite a family bereavement as the Wildcats scored just 10 in the third and 12 in the last quarter – a record low 22-point second half. But if this was a card game, I’d see your record low 22 points and raise it NZ’s record low 8 points. Wildcats win.

Fire V Capitals (W)

THIS was a thriller and an upset of some standing, Canberra guard Natalie Hurst burning the Fire to the tune of 33 points in an 82-76 boilover in Townsville.

Abby Bishop relished the battle with her fellow Queen B and Carley Mijovic and Carly Wilson stepped up while singing Carly Simon’s “Nobody Does It Better”. Townsville was left to lament what can happen if “You’re So Vain”….

Taipans V Crocodiles (M)

CLINT Steindl started like a house on fire but was duly watered down. The damage had been done though with a 30-20 Cairns first quarter that set up the 87-74 win in the Reptile Rumbah.

Townsville refused to dance and made a run but Stevie Weigh stuck a three to end the third and the Crocs were luggage. (I don’t care that I’ve done that before. I like it. And it’s new for Shawn Dennis.) Handy-Cam Tragardh stepped up with 24 points and Cam Gliddon showed he can pass as well as he can shoot.

Waves V Boomers (W)

SORT of sad, isn’t really, when we are getting a little bit happy West Coast only lost to Melbourne by 31.

Rebecca Allen led the way with 21 for the Boomers in this 87-56 rout, the 24-4 third quarter decisive as the Waves again could make no offensive splash.

Rangers V Flames (W)

ANOTHER corker at Dandenong, the Rangers had a road loss to Sydney to erase and did it 100-85 with Leilani Mitchell leading the onslaught.

Mitchell might be tiny but you don’t need a lot of nitro to blow Flames sky high, LeSondra Barrett making a strong debut for Sydney in its season of despair.

Kings V Hawks (M)

SINCE securing Sam Young, Sydney’s highlights quotient has gone up appreciably. But its winning rate has dropped equally undeniably.

Wollongong did it again, marring Young’s home debut in Sydney with a 69-63 victory in which Kevin Tiggs, Rotnei Clarke and Big Laz led the way. Jesse Sanders is on a beach somewhere, shrugging.

Crocodiles V Tigers (M)

THIS was a payback game for the Tigers after losing at home to Townsville and they pulled it off despite Scott Morrison’s foul troubles.

Adam Ballinger stepped into the breach with 16 points in a tight 76-71 win, Wortho, Mustapha and Bubbles all doing their bit.

Spirit V Flames (W)

A SEVEN-point final quarter by Sydney, LaSondra Barrett fouled out, Renae Camino forgotten – it all came home to roost as Bendigo dished out a comfortable 77-54 win.

Elyse Penaluna was a monster for 25 points to pace the Spirit to their 12th straight win – could No.13 this week against Dandenong be the unlucky one? – as Sydney went back to the drawing board.

Lightning V Boomers (W)

ADELAIDE held Melbourne to six second-quarter points but with Chelsea Poppens simply dominating in every other quarter, the Boomers had less trouble icing a 66-58 road win and sweep of Adelaide than it may appear.

The Boomers shut down Adelaide’s offence after the main break, and it was only a late flurry which made this suddenly interesting. Otherwise, it was largely a yawn, Adelaide directionless and never able to find a groove.

36ers V Taipans (M)

THEY promised a pummelling and they delivered, Adelaide reversing a 20-point loss to Cairns eight days earlier with a 24-point win at Adelaide Arena.

Daniel Johnson led the way in the 91-67 result, a result highly influenced by a 25-10 final quarter in which Gibbo was at his finest and Cairns no longer able to keep up.

Thunder V Capitals (W)

CHECK back and you will see I predicted this was the type of game Logan had to win and also that Canberra would split its trip to Queensland 1-1.

OK. If you want to get technical, I expected a Caps loss in Townsville and a win here but Sarah Graham and Kristen Veal had other ideas, leading the Thunder to a cracking 88-77 win.

 

BEEF of the WEEK

I DON’T get it. I don’t understand. I confess here and now – I am a dinosaur.

I have written before about how many of today’s coaches over-coach and are masters of no-mentum, that is, not recognising when things are going well and changing the lineup for the sake of change. Or for the sake of looking like they are doing something.

Mike Dunlap, a college coach in the US where such interference is revered as coaching genius, was the first coach I saw regularly doing that when he held the reins of the Adelaide 36ers from 1994-96.

Mike McKay would come off the bench and swish two threes … and Dunlap would sub him straight off! You don’t want him getting on a roll or anything.

Same for Scott Ninnis, who had to fear the repercussions of throwing down a dunk and hitting a three in quick succession.

To paraphrase Seinfeld’s infamous Soup Nazi: “No. No court time for you. You sit down…one game.”

I think we can all recognise how well that college coaching where the coach is the deity and all of his players mere minions has translated into pro sports.

But damn if you don’t keep seeing it.

Case in point – Friday night and Clint Steindl starts for Cairns, hits a pair of threes, a fabulous put-back dunk and a two to have 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting before his fifth shot is rejected by Peter Crawford.

The kid is red hot. So he is subbed out.

WTH? A young pro basketball player can’t play the 10 minutes of the first quarter?

So Steindl goes cold, probably has a small confidence issue – surely that is inevitable when you’re hot but get sat out anyway – and finishes the game with? 10 points.

Maybe he could have scored 14, 16, 20 in that initial run if the Taipans had ridden his roll. But no. The rotation clearly required him to sit down.

I saw Crocs coach Paul Woolpert pull the same stunt last season when Gary Ervin was carving up the 36ers at Adelaide Arena. He had 15 points at quarter time and no-one could guard him.

But that’s OK because when the second quarter started, Gary was sitting on the bench.

Um, why?

When you are hot, you want the ball. Not to be passed your towel as the clock strikes a certain time and now it is your turn to sit.

Fast forward to Sunday and Adelaide Lightning coach Richard Dickel has had all 10 players of his rotation into the game with 2:46 left in THE FIRST QUARTER.

Way to get a quintet settled.

Jess Foley hits two shots, misses a third, heads to the bench. See you next quarter love.

Playing her 100th game, Nadeen Payne comes in at 5:14, makes a basket at 4:42 and is out after playing a grand total of 2:25 for the period.

I’m sorry. These aren’t examples of coaching to me. They’re examples of interfering and not following the ebb and flow of the contest. It’s “book coaching” as Darryl Pearce once so-aptly put it. It is sticking to some rigid plan and not recognising what is unfolding in front of your eyes.

It is college-style coaching where you need to do something every 47 seconds or risk being regarded as that enemy of the NCAA-system - the, ugh, “players’ coach”.

But then I am a dinosaur who still believes when a player is going well, you go to that well as often as you can. Not sit him/her down.

 

BIGGEST WINNERS/LOSERS

WOLLONGONG making it back-to-back Sydney smacks – remember this is a historic rivalry too – and doing it on the road in Sam Young’s first game in Sydney, makes it this round’s biggest winner by a long way.

WHILE that may lead you to think Sydney then has to be the biggest loser, not so. To muster only eight points in the first quarter against Perth and then still expect to win is the NZ Breakers being the NZ Dreamers. A plummet to the league bomb shelter makes the reigning champs the biggest losers. Again.

MELBOURNE was the WNBL’s biggest winner, not that beating West Coast is a huge achievement just now. But by completing a sweep of the Lightning, the Boomers virtually assured themselves of contesting the finals which surely must qualify them as the biggest winner.

SYDNEY will continue to tantalise and tease that it may yet be a top four contender but forget it. Losing to Dandenong and Bendigo is no crime of itself. But after dropping at home to Adelaide a week earlier, it really needed to show something and 0-2 wasn’t it. Biggest losers. Again.


Online

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/boti-nagys-nbl-round-rebound-10-the-all-star-break-we-had-to-have/story-fnii09gt-1226783993499PS

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/adelaide-36ers-storm-to-44point-turnaround-as-adam-gibson-and-daniel-johnson-lead-nbl-onslaught/story-fnii09ki-1226783791674

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/adelaide-lightning-suffers-turnover-headache/story-fnii09ki-1226783798900

 

PS

NZ guard Daryl Corletto says the new refereeing style is a deliberate Basketball Australia ploy to stop the Breakers winning a record fourth straight NBL title. DC also suspects shooting eight points in the first quarter against Perth may not have been the Breakers’ best strategy and that James Ennis hitting another ridiculous three may be a Wildcats conspiracy to win a sixth title.