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Week #12 Rankings: Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll
TweetCHRISTMAS has come and is going and still basketball struggles for decent, regular mainstream media attention.
Today it was put to me that perhaps the NBL needed its own performance-enhancing drug scandal, a betting scandal or two, some match-fixing allegations and definitely more violence in its bid to gather greater exposure.
Sadly, those actually sounded like good options!
No. Not really.
But you get the point.
The league really needs to get the lead out and start pumping out its message in a far more aggressive and in-your-face manner.
What is happening with any proposed Brisbane Bullets team in 2015-16?
I mean, we are just days away from 2015 after all. Where are the announcements?
Who has Czar Nicholas The Marvellous been speaking with in the Queensland capital?
What happened to the proposed state-embracing Tasmanian club?
And what are those Dragons upto in south east Melbourne?
Or is the stark truth that awful news no-one wants to hear at this time of year?
You know, that sweet bugger-all has actually taken place, other than the usual advance rhetoric.
There are times you do wonder whether the various pie-in-the-sky "let's start a breakaway super-league" talk isn't more exciting than the glacier-like reactions of an NBL administration mired in fear to the point of incapacitation.
Perhaps it is time for a second rush-in revolution and have the Czar either dethroned or made publicly accountable for the great lack of noise, excitement or enthusiasm generated out of the NBL.
GOODNESS gracious and golly-gosh but there has been a report in the WNBL.
Yes. The delicate sensibilities of one of our officials have been assailed by the stinging words of Lightning guard Angela Marino who was reported in the wake of Canberra's 73-70 win in Adelaide.
While the WNBL confirmed it was for "bad language" toward an official, what was said was not released. (Perhaps because "truth is an absolute defence" in Australia.)
Angela has been asked how she would like to plead - "annoyed" I would think - and the WNBL Tribunal then will convene at some point before Adelaide's next game on January 4 to hand down its verdict.
Not suggesting for a millisecond any sort of support for abuse of officials, verbal or otherwise.
But I support spurious, time-wasting reports and infantile over-reactions even less.
Brigitte Ardossi apparently even finds this whole thing astonishing.
OK. Revisiting my position on the petition doing the rounds imploring ABC-TV to stay on as broadcaster of the WNBL beyond this season.
While it will have no impact per se - if the Feds have cut the funding (always wanted to say "Feds") then a petition will make no difference - what it can do is show the degree of angst and support the WNBL has and that, I am informed, will have cache when Basketball Australia is championing the television rights cause in front of other prospective broadcasters.
So yes, if you can access the petition, by all means sign it.
WNBL PotW
YOU know the WNBL will get no argument from me whenever it has Abby Bishop as its Player of the Week.
The league started out somewhat reticent to acknowledge her dominant early dispIays but appears to have rectified that apparent oversight.
That said, I watched Bish (below) tear Adelaide apart with a 16-point first period in her 33-point, 8-rebound contribution to Canberra's 73-70 win. And her near triple-double in Perth against the Waves guarantees no correspondence needs to be entered into re her win.
But for those who did ask on Twitter, B.O.T.I. liked Alice Kunek last round because she turned in a single-game match-winning performance for Dandenong while out west, the rave reviews from the Caps' win over West Coast were more for Steph Talbot than for Abs. That's all.
Nothing more sinister than that. Nothing to see here. Move along please.
As for Melbourne's Jordy McRae winning the NBL PotW?
Well of course he did!
NBL Rankings
This Wk-Prev (Record)
8 (8) HAWKS 3-13 – Had United at its mercy to lose in overtime. Can't see Cairns going past regulation.
7 (6) CROCODILES 5-10 - Looking for a four-quarter performance against the 36ers in Adelaide.
6 (7) 36ERS 5-10 - Have shown promise in recent outings and enough to warrant favoritism.
5 (4) UNITED - Unimpressive in overtime wins over Hawks-Kings and unlikely against Perth.
4 (5) KINGS 7-7 - Beating Perth, then losing in o/t on the road without JChillin suggests positive times.
3 (2) WILDCATS 10-5 - Really need to show some muscle against United in Melbourne.
2 (1) BREAKERS 12-5 - Belted by Cairns and still hovering between great and grating.
1 (3) TAIPANS 11-5 - Breakers belting cancelled road loss in Adelaide and are going nicely.
This Week's Tips
HAD to go to print while still awaiting confirmation - or otherwise - of whether Josh Childress would suit tonight for Sydney against New Zealand. Obviously would favour the Breakers if Captain Goose-step is still sidelined with his hammy strain, even though the Kings beat New Zealand here previously. Sydney also was unlucky to lose in Melbourne. Like how they are travelling but figure this time the Breakers may come better prepared.
CAIRNS is at Wollongong where it won twice last season and where it should win again, despite the Hawks being on the improve. Wollongong should have beaten Melbourne last round but shoulda, woulda, coulda usually can best be measured by the number of figures in the "L" column. The Taipans cannot let this one slip, and won't.
TOWNSVILLE and Adelaide share 5-10 records and equal measures of disappointment for their fans, given most of their wins have been terrific and their losses terrible. The 36ers have won two of their past three and are at home which should be just enough to ensure another victory at the venue formerly known as the Fortress.
PERTH is predicting the return of Paladin, Greg Hire, for its trip to Melbourne and the TV game for which all Australia is hanging out. (Hanging outside, having a barbie maybe.) This game previously was billed as a Grand Final preview and, at their best, these two teams easily are capable of being engaged in the season's final game. Just not at present. United limped past the Hawks and Kings while Perth has lost its past three road games. I cannot see the streak hitting four.
Online
WHY did the chicken cross the road?
To try out its goose-step, promptly pulling its Christmas hammy.
