Just the Wrap, Rd8
TweetBRIAN Conklin sacked. Damian Cotter sacked. A spectator tipping beer on a player. What the hell is going on?
The past week has been the most tumultuous of the NBL season, with Conklin's axing the final straw today.
Yes, the big fella who last year was our MVP has been well down on the form he showed in his two previous seasons and his part in a couple of unsavoury on-court accidents has been unfortunate.
His profane halftime response live on Fox TV after he had decked 36ers swingman Mitch Creek - for which he copped a week - also did nothing for his image.
Then when the Crocs beat Melbourne in Melbourne without him, I'm guessing the Crocodiles board became very restless.
"Brian Conklin has been a tremendous player and we cannot praise him enough for what he has done for his team, on and off the court, in the past three seasons," Crocs GM Rob Honan said.
"There are no outside factors or reasons behind this decision – we simply want to give this club the best chance of being successful in the competition."
Conklin released the news himself on social media, saying: "Thank you to all the Crocs fans teammates coaches for this season and for 3 seasons prior the club has terminated my contract Good luck boys"
Given it largely was at the preseason urging of Crocs fans Conklin finally decided to return, the board has taken a huge chance in cutting their popular import.
My (e)mail is there is no contingency in place to replace him, no secret import on a flight as we (cyber)speak and a lot of scurrying going on with home matches against Cairns and New Zealand to come this week.
Just as the crowds were starting to pick up too, maybe even a few of them forgiving the club for sacking John Rillie when it did.
HAVE to commend the NBL for how quickly it responded when that 83-year-old with the beer can at Wollongong decided to baptise Kings import Marcus Thornton as the week of turmoil started.
The Hawks "supporter" was banned from The Swamp for the rest of this season and Thornton's personal stocks also rose with the cool, mature, professional manner in which he handled it.
Unfortunately for Kings coach Damian Cotter, Sydney didn't handle Illawarra quite as well and the long-poised axe finally fell, Joe Connelly (surprise surprise) today upgraded from recently-arrived American "here to help" to "interim" coach.
Meanwhile, back in Queensland, Melbourne's Chris Goulding and a spectator had a post-game disagreement in Townsville before Cairns' Matt Burston got overtly physical with Adelaide's Jerome Randle.
Subsequent investigations cleared Goulding of any wrongdoing - it does take two to tango and it's not as if he initiated the exchange - and also found Burston should have been called for a foul for his over-exuberant screen on Randle.
Still in Queensland and SEQ Stars quietly gave Denesha Stallworth her walking papers, Iffy Ibekwe unsure whether she wanted to stick around.
On the verge of a maiden playoff appearance, the Stars appear to be self-combusting at a time they should have been stabilising.
FINALLY Hawks guard Tyson Demos has been ruled out for the rest of the 2015-16 season with his injury.
With Demos out and Rhys Martin to return, does that give Illawarra a means to retain Agent #97, Jarrad Weeks?