Rankings #24 ... and not much more
TweetWE’RE down to it, a last NBL regular season round with plenty of twists and turns yet to keep every fan happy.
So much hinges on many of the results, and so little on potentially a couple of others.
The ones I refer to are Adelaide-Melbourne on Sunday, which means precious little as they already are locked in for the 2v3 Semi Final Series and also Perth-Wollongong which, if the Hawks win tomorrow, also becomes redundant and a precursor to the 1v4 Semi Final Series.
But first Wollongong must beat Sydney, or if it fails, hope Townsville does it and their game with Perth then becomes a last shot at taking fourth place.
Relevant scenarios abound, tipping off first at Auckland’s Vector Arena where New Zealand hosts Cairns in the battle of the under-achievers, but in a farewell clash which means so much.
The Taipans will point to the absence (early) of Cam Gliddon and (late) of Cam Tragardh in their failure to meet expectations – a sad case of “no Cam do” this season.
The Breakers will be wanting a full house to roar its approval and support for the six years superstar CJ Bruton has given them and the role he played in their three successive Championships.
A big round to finish on? You bet.
No truth in erroneous reports though that after the game, the Cairns Taipans will be holding their 2014-15 awards dinner.
CAUGHT up with 36ers coach Joey Wright, who at Brisbane Bullets in 2008, had the pleasure of coaching CJ to one of the combo guard’s six NBL titles.
Wright could not have been more forthright or honest in his CJ appraisal.
“Every once in a while, a player comes along who teaches you something,” Joey told me.
“CJ is one of those who taught me as a coach. I learned from him.
“CJ has a 24-hour rule. No matter how bad he gets into it with a coach or another player, 24 hours passes and it’s over.
“I think that is great and I adopted it from him.
“We got into it a few times because he tended to ebb-and-flow with his motivation.
“But he was always great to be around, just always bringing positive energy.
“He is also the most unselfish player and person I know.
“He is a great player, with not a bone of selfishness in his body.”
Hopefully the fans across New Zealand will rally as they should to send off the great champion in the most fitting manner possible.
IF you’re looking for tangible evidence the NBL is enjoying a resurgence, pretty sure Sydney star Ben Madgen signing this week with global footwear giant PEAK as its Australian ambassador provides it.
The Madge last year led the NBL in scoring, cracked the Boomers and is an NBL All Star. The Kings co-captain is the first Australian NBL player initiated into “Team PEAK” as an official ambassador in Australia. The multi-year deal means Madgen will wear PEAK shoes both on and off the court. Perhaps even to bed.
“I was very impressed with the team from PEAK, the quality and performance of their footwear, their growth plans in Australia and their commitment to the sport of basketball,” he said.
Forgive my fading memory but I can barely remember the last time an Aussie had a shoe deal of any merit.
“Ben is clearly the face of the new generation of NBL stars,” Jason Stanton, national business manager of PEAK Sport Australia said.
“The popularity of basketball in Australia cannot be ignored - it is a sport on the rise once again.”
There you go. That’s the national biz manager of a major shoe company talking, not me.
In case you were wondering, PEAK is the fastest growing basketball footwear company in the world and already is committed to providing apparel for the Boomers and Opals.
This year PEAK expanded its commitment to basketball in Australia as the apparel partner of the WNBL and its teams.
The endorsement deal sees Madgen join a fairly exclusive club of global basketball talent wearing PEAK shoes, including NBA superstar Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) and multi-championship winner Shane Battier (Miami Heat).
Can a Ben Madgen shoe be far behind?
Wait. It’s coming back to me. Andrew Gaze had a range of shoes once, I think done by K-Mart. Following the world-renowned Air Jordans came our own Floor Gazes which were aimed at folks on a low budget.
So how about the “I-Madgen” as in, “imagine”?
THE kudos rightly continue for the dual-WNBL champion Bendigo Spirit, this week selected as the Female Team of the Year for 2013 at the Victorian Sports Awards.
For those still keeping score at home, with the accolade announced at the annual Vic Sports Awards dinner, that makes it VSA 1, Basketball Australia 0.
GREAT news for the Fire that triple-MVP Suzy Batkovic has signed for two years, with an option for a third year, at Townsville, most likely guaranteeing a championship sometime in that period.
That said, Kelsey Griffin also has signed with Bendigo Spirit for an additional three years, permanent residency around the corner … then citizenship? How good would she look as an Opal?
The Spirit broke the good news at their club awards dinner.
Grab your scorecard because the awards dinner scoreboard is currently running at WNBL Clubs 3, Basketball Australia 0.
MORE good news in Sin City with The Madge and The Garfish today signing new two-year extenions with the Kings.
"We've got a good core group of players and I think we can do something special. We've improved every year I've been with the club and the future is looking very exciting,” Ben Madgen said.
Tommy Garlepp, who will be in a tight race with Tigers playmaker Nate Tomlinson for the NBL's Most Improved Player award, also is excited about the future.
"I want to be around when the club gets up there and we're not far off taking that jump,” Garlepp said.
NBL Rankings
This Wk - Prev
8 (7) CROCODILES – Sadly, it’s come to this, the depleted Crocs unable to go four quarters.
7 (4) TAIPANS – Year’s biggest disappointments have one last chance to surprise.
6 (8) BREAKERS – Farewell to CJ should bring the best from the Breakers.
5 (6) HAWKS – It’s all about one game this weekend. Good enough for 4-0, or not?
4 (5) KINGS – Sick against NZ, slick against Adelaide. Which team shows up at The Sandpit?
3 (3) 36ERS – Losing Gibbo makes Sunday’s game important to rearrange rotations.
2 (2) TIGERS – Winning form is good form going into playoffs. Let’s see which teams have it.
1 (1) WILDCATS – A final tune-up before Perth goes into the playoffs as unbackable favourite.
THIS WEEK'S TIPS
CAIRNS at New Zealand, where the two fought out the 2011 Championship and the Breakers won the first of their three consecutive titles, tips off the last round of the regular season between the year’s biggest disappointments. Hopefully, Vector Arena will boast a big crowd to farewell a true icon of the NBL, CJ Bruton and the Breakers will close out 2013-14 the way they ended last year, winning their last game.
THIS is as close to a regular season Grand Final as you can get. Here are the simple breakdowns. Wollongong beats Sydney at The Sandpit, it will be playing in the semi finals next week against Perth. Done. Dusted. If Sydney wins but loses to Townsville, and Wollongong then beats Perth, the Hawks again will be in the semis. For Sydney to be assured of being in the semi finals, it needs to beat Wollongong and Townsville. The key there is beating Wollongong though. If the Kings then lose to Townsville, they are still OK provided Perth beats Wollongong. So, to summarise; Wollongong wins, it is in the playoffs. Sydney wins twice this round, it is in the playoffs. Having mostly tipped against the Hawks in clashes with Sydney, this time I will buck that trend.
TOWNSVILLE can end its season on a high against Sydney if the Kings lost to Wollongong. If that happened, then the Kings know their finals dream is over and motivation for this will be lacking – all the Crocs need to pinch a win. If Sydney beats the Hawks though, don’t expect anything here but a Kings coronation.
ANOTHER “dead rubber” has Melbourne at Adelaide Arena where it will be again for Game 1 of the semi finals later next week. With Adam Gibson ruled out and Mitch Creek doubtful, it is unlikely the 36ers can rearrange the rotations sufficiently to win this. But with a 12-1 home record, weirder things have happened.
WOLLONGONG at Perth is another game sure to be influenced by other results. If the Hawks beat Sydney, this also becomes a “dead rubber” and semi final dress rehearsal. If Sydney beat Wollongong but then somehow lost to Townsville, then a Hawks win in Perth would still get them into the post-season. Mindsets change very dramatically. But with all of that impossible to know, let’s go with what we do know. Perth will win.
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Dear Miley Cyrus
That’s enough.
Sincerely,
The World