2010 NBL Season & Offseason discussion

[redandblack]

I didn't see last night's game, but once again Adelaide lost the 'tight' game.

Seems like a late turnover did the damage again.

You'd have to say they need to look for a smart guard who's cool in a crisis, because they just look like they play dumb basketball so often. (Just like Adelaide United play dumb soccer, the same applies to them).

Keep Ballinger, Burston, Herbert - see you later Cortez, recruit a proper playmaker.

[Gozu]

We've found way too many ways to lose games this season. I wouldn't bother keeping Ninnis. From what I've seen this season they look like a complete rabble at both ends of the floor.

I'd keep Ballinger, Herbert, Ng & possibly Holmes and try and get Schenscher back. If that looks unlikely then I would re-sign Burston.

[Gozu]

Breakers forward and NBL legend Tony Ronaldson has announced he will be retiring at the end of the season.

Also Perth @ Cairns Wednesday night on Fox from 7pm.

[CK]

I was at the game Sat night and when we got 11 points up in the last, I said to the guys I was with, that we would still lose from there. The winning mentality just isn't there this year and the last 20 seconds, again, was unfortunate comedy as the ball went around and around without any real purpose until another "Hail Mary" goes up on the buzzer.

Look to be lacking direction, enthusiasm and purpose at the moment and I will be very surprised if Scott Ninnis and the coaching staff are there next season.

We spoke to Boti Nagy on RPH last Monday - we do each fortnight, but will aim for weekly in the finals lead up - and asked him if the likes of Brian Goorjian could be a real left field candidate. Despite B-Goorj being on a million dollar consultancy contract in China at present, the feeling was that this sort of job could be appealing to him. Could get very interesting if this was somehow swung*.

[Major Gun]

The problem is execution. Plays are just not being called or run or executed. It is a massive breakdown in the area of basic basketball. This is the main job of the coach. I would love to see a Mike Dunlap type college coach from the states come in and do what college coaches do best; demand the fundamentals are done right.

The back to back home losses to the Wildcats were the final straw for me. We have a couple of very good post players and a couple of good shooters and yet we refuse to play an inside-out game and get the ball in Ballinger's hands during most trips down the floor.

The problem is coaching, coaching and coaching.

[Gozu]

I was at the game Sat night and when we got 11 points up in the last, I said to the guys I was with, that we would still lose from there. The winning mentality just isn't there this year and the last 20 seconds, again, was unfortunate comedy as the ball went around and around without any real purpose until another "Hail Mary" goes up on the buzzer.

Look to be lacking direction, enthusiasm and purpose at the moment and I will be very surprised if Scott Ninnis and the coaching staff are there next season.

We spoke to Boti Nagy on RPH last Monday - we do each fortnight, but will aim for weekly in the finals lead up - and asked him if the likes of Brian Goorjian could be a real left field candidate. Despite B-Goorj being on a million dollar consultancy contract in China at present, the feeling was that this sort of job could be appealing to him. Could get very interesting if this was somehow swung*.

The thing is though that Richard Hill (Ninnis' main assistant coach) is a part-owner of the club. I don't know but I would've thought it would be very difficult to sack him as such. While we do need a bit of a head kicker as coach I wouldn't be that keen on Goorjian. He doesn't coach an attractive brand of basketball (not everything I know) and every club he's coached has folded. He's known to have a very expensive system of vitamins etc that he demands all his players take (I've heard rumours this all costs $40k-$50k a season) and demands big money too. If the Sixers signed him I would think it likely that the playing roster would have to be pretty cheap and given Goorjian usually coach's reasonably stacked teams don't think it would be a real recipe for success.

[Gozu]

Round 19 results:

Cairns 79 (Jones 25, Mills 16, Melzer 15, Rychart 13) def Perth 76 (Weigh 15, Lisch 13, Schenscher 10)

New Zealand 88 (Penney 23, Bruton 19, Ronaldson 10) def Wollongong 60 (Coenraad 12, Tragardh 12)

Gold Coast 86 (Gibson 23, Maxey 19, Petrie 15) def Perth 73 (Redhage 13, Martin 12, Cattalini 11)

Townsville 89 (Hinder 18, Williams 17, Williamson 17, M. Cedar 11) def Cairns 76 (Rychart 17, Boodnikoff 14, Mills 10)

Perth 84 (Lisch 17, Redhage 17, Wagstaff 10, Weigh 10) def Melbourne 78 (OT) (Hodge 24, Rose 12, Anstey 10)

Wollongong 100 (Campbell 23, Coenraad 19, R. Martin 15, Tragardh 12, Saville 10) def Gold Coast 88 (Maxey 21, Goulding 14, Harvey 14, Vukona 11, Gibson 10)

[CK]

An amazing grandstand finish looming to the season. Current ladder with the final round to come:

Perth 27 16 11 59.26
Townsville 26 15 11 57.69
Gold Coast 26 15 11 57.69
Wollongong 26 14 12 53.85
New Zealand 26 13 13 50.00
Melbourne 26 11 15 42.31
Cairns 27 11 16 40.74
Adelaide 26 10 16 38.46

Adelaide, Cairns and Melbourne cannot make the playoffs. New Zealand host Gold Coast, then travel to Cairns. Wollongong host Melbourne and then travel to Adelaide. The Cairns and Adelaide games will be played half an hour apart, so it may come down to percentage in those last matches.
Perth play Townsville in the final match. Townsville play twice in this last round - hosting Adelaide Wed night, possibly making the final game a battle for top spot. Gold Coast travel twice, to NZ and then Melbourne.

Lots of permutations there.

[Major Gun]

The suggestion about the 36ers possibly 'tanking' for the Hawks is hilarious. Havn't the Hawks fans seen the ladder lately? (Not to mention our "Gameplan")

[Gozu]

Melbourne Tigers duo and legends of the game in Chris Anstey & Sam MacKinnon both announced their retirements today. Anstey will play his final game in the Tigers last game of the season this weekend while it looks as if MacKinnon has already played his last game as he is expected to miss both of the Tigers final games on the weekend due to injury.

[Gozu]

36ers @ Townsville live on Fox Wednesday night from 8pm.

[Gozu]

Unfortunately the 36ers lost tonight by 15 at the Swamp. I think we have to win our last game and Cairns have to lose their last game for us to avoid finishing bottom of the ladder.

Gold Coast @ New Zealand is on Fox Thursday afternoon from 4:30pm.

[Major Gun]

A disgraceful performance yet again. Boti basically slams Ninnis in the paper this morning without actually naming him. Ninnis has one more game in charge surely and the rest of the people who sit next to him (assistants or owners?) need to go too. If we are going to lose at least play a style of game we can watch.

[Gozu]

A disgraceful performance yet again. Boti basically slams Ninnis in the paper this morning without actually naming him. Ninnis has one more game in charge surely and the rest of the people who sit next to him (assistants or owners?) need to go too. If we are going to lose at least play a style of game we can watch.

Supposedly Ninnis has recently said at a team function that he is under contract for next season. Rumours suggest that the Sixers are considering getting a new head coach but keeping Ninnis on as an assistant to avoid having to buy-out his contract. I hope they don't go down that path, IMO in his two years in the job he has shown he's not up to it.

[Major Gun]

As mentioned previously, one of his assistants gets a say in his sacking. He should do the right thing and fall on his sword. There are less talented teams in the playoffs. Boti gets stuck in this morning again. The word pitiful I think is used

[CK]

Boti Nagy will be our regular guest at 8.30am this Monday on the RPH Monday Morning show, talking all things NBL as the finals start, as well as looking at the situation at the Adelaide 36ers.

We will certainly be discussing the coaching situation. I have my own thoughts on it, but will reserve them largely for Monday morning

[Gozu]

An interesting result tonight with the Hawks win over the Tigers. Wollongong have now secured a playoff spot ahead of Saturday night's game against the 36ers at the Dome. They might feel inclined to just get through this final regular season game and if the Sixers were to win and if NZ beat Cairns we could avoid the first wooden spoon in club history.

The 36ers/Hawks game is being shown live on Fuel TV at 7:30pm with a replay on Fox Sports at 9:30pm.

[Major Gun]

A better performance last night but the 1st period was not pretty; the D in particular. After that, the game was proof of how dangerous the team could be when Ballinger got enough shots.

Andrew Gaze on commentary pointed out the talent of the 36ers squad a few times and how he couldn't comprehend the bottom placed finish.

Next year, we need an inside enforcer that is close to 7ft and eats rebounds for fun. A type we have not had in recent seasons.

[bloods08]

As much as I think it should happen, I don't think Ninnis will get the sack.

Where are we going to find the money to pay him out while paying the big bucks for another (experienced) coach.

We are struggling enough money-wise as it is at the moment without adding that to the worries.

[Major Gun]

I don't think they should sack him, I think he should quit. He had the chance to build a team this year and he didn't achieve anything.

As for the money, who owns an NBL franchise to make money? You get into these things knowing there are tough decisions that will cost money. If the only reason they are keeping him on is the money, where is the accountability? The next guy will ask for three years and not have any pressure on him.

If Ninnis is truly a 36er he will look at what he has done as coach and move on. How can he justify staying?