Round Six Player of the Month

Sorry for the lateness of this post, I have been busy doing other things, getting married and going on a Hawaiian honeymoon being on the top of that list.  This blog isn’t about my personal life so let’s get to some NBL action.

This round was one of highs and lows.  The Melbourne Tigers had a massive outing in highly touted recruit Jonny Flynn’s debut while Sydney gave Wollongong their first loss of the season and Cedric Jackson was electric in New Zealand’s two wins.  On the other hand Townsville still haven’t won a game in eight tries and in their loss to the Breakers Cairns scored a team total of 25 efficiency points.  That’s right, 25 total points for 11 players, or 2.2 points on average and.  Ouch.

Dabster Award

Round Six Dabster Award Winner

Chris Goulding, Melbourne Tigers – 30:11 minutes, 24 points (9/12 FG, 3/6 3P, 3/3 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover.  ER – 27

Having an excellent point guard in Jonny Flynn can do wonders for slashers like Goulding who got his shots in open positions.  Cut import Kevin Braswell was known to be a shoot first point guard which didn’t give as many opportunities for the rest of the team but now with a PG who knows how to get people shots the rest of the team is reaping the rewards.  Goulding has always had the talent to be a top flight scorer in the league and now he has been given the green light look for more games of this calibre.

Honourable mentions

Cedric Jackson, New Zealand Breakers – 2 games, 17.0 points, 11.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals.   ER – 24.5

Seth Scott, Melbourne Tigers – 18 points, 10 rebounds.  ER – 24

Matthew Knight, Perth Wildcats – 21 points, 8 rebounds.  ER – 21

Rhys Martin, Wollongong Hawks – 15 points, 9 rebounds.  ER – 21

If it wasn’t for Goulding’s massive shooting night Jackson would be a shoo-in for this award and I’m betting that he will get the NBL’s player of the week award.  Two wins and averaging over eleven assists a game while playing excellent defence.  Scott also benefitted from Flynn’s play while Knight and Martin were lone shining lights for their losing teams.

Previous Dabster Award Winners

Round One – Stephen Weigh (Adelaide) and Matthew Knight (Perth)

Round Two – Alex Pledger (New Zealand) and Corin Henry (Sydney)

Round Three – Mika Vukona (New Zealand)

Round Four – Adris Deleon (Wollongong)

Round Five – Cedric Jackson (New Zealand)

Menga Award

Round Six Menga Leader Board

1.       Seth Scott, Melbourne Tigers – 20.0

2.       Cedric Jackson, New Zealand Breakers – 19.6

3.       Ben Madgen, Sydney Kings – 17.0

4.       Cameron Tragardh, Cairns Taipans – 16.1

5.       Matthew Knight, Perth Wildcats – 15.8

6.       Stephen Weigh, Adelaide 36ers – 15.5

7.       Adam Ballinger, Melbourne Tigers – 15.3

8.       Daniel Johnson, Adelaide 36ers – 14.0

9.       Adris Deleon, Wollongong Hawks – 13.5

10.   Larry Davidson, Wollongong Hawks – 13.0

A down year so far on last season, at this stage last season all of the top ten players were averaging over 15 ER points.  However, four of the top ten last season are now out of the league and most of the rest are playing below their previous production.  Good news is that there are only three imports in the league so take that whichever way you want, are the imports not as good as before or are the locals playing better?  I think it might be a bit of both.

Zike Award

Round Six Zike Award Winner

The Cairns Taipans – 54 points (18/67 FG, 3/19 3P, 15/21 FT), 28 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 14 turnovers.  ER – 25.

I was going to give Clint Steindl (-4) the Zike Award but I think the whole team deserves it.  They shot 27% from the field and their ER points look like a phone number – 1,4,-2,7,0,3,1,-4,10,5,0.  Cameron Tragardh was the only player in double digits and that was only the minimum.  Things don’t get any better for the Taipans as they play the upstart Hawks next season in Wollongong but they would have to get more than 25 points, right?

No posts for a month

Hey all,

I'm going to be away for a month so there will be no new posts until the end of October.  I get married next weekend and then it is off on our magical honeymoon.  I'll see you all on the other side.

15 Reasons to be excited about the coming season

With only a week and a bit to go until the start of a new season I thought I would go through what is going to make this season great.  Here are 15 reasons to look forward to the 2012/13 NBL season.

1.       New imports.  There are some quality imports coming over this season with the likes of Darnell Lazare, Lance Hurdle and Seth Scott (who in a pre-season game recorded 24 points and 21 rebounds!) filling up the score sheets.  It is always a waiting game with imports as it won’t become clear if they are keepers until a few games into the season.

2.       First import to get the boot... oh wait.  Imports aren’t always keepers and sometimes it is best for a team just to let them out the back quietly and get on with the rest of the season.  Not for Townsville though, as they have sacked both Jason Forte and Curtis Withers before the season starts.  This is a radical move and there must have been something going on behind closed curtains.  Let’s hope for the Crocs sake that this is a good move.  Gary Ervin anyone?

3.       Rookies.  Cairns has the upper hand here nabbing both Clint Steindl and Cameron Gliddon but look for Melbourne’s Nate Tomlinson who will get plenty of court time as the Tigers are very front court heavy.

4.       Wollongong/Adelaide.  The two worst teams in the league last season have re-tooled massively, with the Hawks retaining their core while adding firestarter Adris Deleon and potential star Lance Hurdle.  The 36ers have gone local, adding Boomer Adam Gibson, Luke Schenscher and Anthony Petrie to the squad and have playoffs in their sights.

5.       Sydney/Melbourne.  These two rivals weren’t the best of the bunch last season but at least they held their own for most of the season.  Not this one though as they are unanimously tipped to finish bottom two.  With no stand out players they are going to play hard and as a team which I just can’t see happening.  This is one prediction I will be very happy to be wrong about.

6.       Ben Allen.  His form leading up to the season has been outstanding but we all know once the season starts it is completely different.  As a former teammate of mine I am crossing all my fingers and toes he really cracks into the league this year and proves he is a quality player.

7.       Cedric Jackson’s triple double watch.  He was so close on numerous occasions last season but I have a gut feeling he is going to nab on this time around.  The last player to record a triple double (that I could find) was Corey “Homicide” Williams for Melbourne in January 2011 when he notched up 12 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in their win over Adelaide.

8.       NBL.tv.  I have written about this service before so I won’t harp on about it but it is done right then I’m going to be one happy NBL fan.

9.       OneHD’s improved telecast.  With two games being shown at decent times maybe more people will tune in and a little public awareness will start to grow.  Knowing One HD they will stuff it up somehow.

10.   Players in new teams.  The likes of Cameron Tragardh (Melbourne -> Cairns), Ian Crosswhite (Cairns -> Sydney), Luke Schenscher (Townsville -> Adelaide), Adam Ballinger (Adelaide -> Melbourne) and the remains of the Blaze going to their respective new teams the league is going to look a lot different to last season’s makeup.

11.   Dream Team.  I wrote about my picks last week so have a look if you are drawing a blank on players to fill your team.  There is still room in my public league, it’s code is 460678.

12.   New Zealand’s three-peat chance.  There has only been one team that has won three championships in a row, the 2002-2005 Sydney Kings.  New Zealand has the chance this season, and even though they might be the favourites the gap has closed a little.

13.   Andrew Gaze’s enthusiasm.  One thing I always look forward to is hearing Andrew Gaze get excited.  It’s one of life’s great pleasures.  His rants and waffle is like ear heaven and I can’t wait until he is going overboard during a regular season game.

14.   Sport other than Cricket and Soccer.  To me Soccer is in my top three of all time boring sports, to go along with Baseball and Gridiron.  Other than Cricket there really aren’t many other choices to get a fix of a great sporting competition.  Basketball brings excitement and wonder that other sports just can’t match.

15.   Finally, after six months without college basketball, four month without the NBA and an unbearable year without the NBL we get to see some basketball action!

NBL Dream Team selections

It’s that time of year again when would be fantasy kings kick off their season, pouring over every game and every depth chart like they were running the club.  With the NBL Dream Team opening up, it’s time to put your fantasy money where your mouth is for another year.  If anyone is interested I have a public league open so anyone can join, the code is 460678.

Here are my picks for good value as well as players you might want to steer clear of for various reasons.

Forwards

Good value

Matthew Knight, Perth Wildcats ($130,300) – He can also put selected as a C but having him here will open up money for a top notch five.  Knight is the only player on their roster that can give the Wildcats substantial minutes at centre so he will see plenty of court time.  If he goes down with injury he has enough value to get someone of similar status.

Shawn Redhage, Perth Wildcats ($127,900) – Redhage may have had a poor last season which is why his price is lower than usual but he looks ready to go this campaign.  He has his fire back and going by the games in the pre-season tournament he will again be a force in the league.

Oscar Forman, Wollongong Hawks ($126,100) – The lanky perimeter shooter caught fire at the end of last season and a lot of Wollongong supporters will be hoping it continues into this one.  He can fill up the bucket with very good efficiency even with his outside shooter which makes his Dream Team score look much better than it should be.  With Adris DeLeon and Lance Hurdle kicking him the ball Forman should be in for a massive season.

Not so good value

Will Hudson, New Zealand Breakers ($121,200) – A standout for the Gold Coast Blaze last season he jumps to a team filled to the brim with talent.  Coming off the bench behind Mika Vukona and Alex Pledger will see his minutes reduced making his output less than someone of his status.  His price is a bit too much to warrant starting him on a Dream Team.

Curtis Withers, Townsville Crocodiles ($116,700) – He may have all the talent in the world but having a 203cm guy who will be playing a fair portion of his minutes at centre is not someone I want on my team.  Withers is a high risk, high reward kind of player so if you want to take the leap I won’t judge you, but don’t come crying to me when he gets out-rebounded by taller opponents.

Dillon Boucher, New Zealand Breakers ($68,200) – Boucher is someone every team wants and every team doesn’t want to play against.  He does all the dirty work: takes charges, gets into opponents heads and is just a nuisance to the other team.  Unfortunately for Dream Teamers none of what he does great shows up on the scoresheet so his DT scores are usually low.

Centres

Good value

Alex Pledger, New Zealand Breakers ($114,100) – The biggest man in the league is also one of the best bargains.  He will be starting for the Breakers which will give him ample minutes to produce and his growth as a player will continue into this season.  At only $114,100 he is a great, cheap starting player so you can splurge on others in your team.

Ben Allen, Townsville Crocodiles ($43,500) – When someone who is valued at forty three and a half thousand puts up 13 points and 14 rebounds in a game he is sure to be a bargain.  Sure it was only in the pre-season tournament but his form continued back into the off-season playing for Ipswich.  I hope he can continue his form because he is on my Dream Team.

Daniel Johnson, Adelaide 36ers ($180,200) – He may be super expensive and he doesn’t do enough on the defensive end but he puts up points in a hurry and he grabs rebounds.  With Luke Schenscher helping him out I’m sure DJ will again be up the top of the efficiency ratings.

Not so good value

Cameron Tragardh, Cairns Taipans ($151,200) – With a new team and a new coach Trigger is going to have some trouble adjusting to a squad that he isn’t the top dog.  This Taipans team is all about defence and Tragardh wasn’t the best defender at Melbourne.  He won’t get as many touches either which puts the $151,200 price tag out of most people’s budgets.

Luke Schenscher, Adelaide 36ers ($126,300) – On paper he should be at the top of the list but he just doesn’t do enough with the skills and height he has been given.  Maybe Johnson can bring out the best in the Big Red.

Pero Vasiljevic, Adelaide 36ers ($72,500) – Similar to Will Hudson’s situation he is placed behind two good front court players and won’t get enough playing time to produce.  Even worse for Pero is that he is no way near as good as Hudson so even when he gets minutes he won’t give the numbers as Hudson would.  Steer clear.

Guards

Good value

 Adris Deleon, Wollongong Hawks ($157,900) – 2Hard2Guard may have started poorly with the Blaze last season but when he get it together he was fantastic.  Wollongong will be looking to Deleon to lead from the front which means he will have the ball in his hands a lot.  Not as expensive as he should be so snatch him up quickly before the price rise.

Jason Cadee, Adelaide 36ers ($62,500) – Even though he won’t be starting for the 36ers I can picture that the team will be running with Cadee at PG and Adam Gibson at SG for a good portion of games which will give Cadee an excellent opportunity to put up some nice numbers.

Jamar Wilson, Cairns Taipans ($151,000) – He may have some more help this season but Wilson definitely still has the green light to take this team and carry it to the finish line.  I can see Deleon and Wilson being quite similar so Wilson is a better buy, being $6,900 cheaper.

Not so good value

Kerry Williams, Cairns Taipans ($43,500) – Williams is probably the league’s biggest enigma.  He shows some flashes of potential but really isn’t much of anything.  He may be one of the cheapest around but don’t look for him to be a bargain, he won’t make you happy.

Cedric Jackson, New Zealand Breakers ($191,300) – It may be hypocritical to place the best player in the league in the ‘don’t buy’ category but look at his price!  That is just too steep a price to pay, even if he doesn’t produce at MVP levels.

Corin Henry, Sydney Kings ($116,700) – It is only early as the season hasn’t started yet but the pre-season games he has been in he has stunk it up.  Having a short PG that doesn’t pass much and is a chucker is not someone you want on a Dream Team.  It may be a adjustment time for him and he may turn the corner but right now do not buy.

So they are my picks for bargains and don’t buy players so if you think you can beat me join my league and we can have some fun.  Only two weeks until the season starts!

Predictions for the Upcoming Season

With the season less than a month away and the teams very much set I thought I would throw my hat in the ring to give my predictions for the upcoming season.  I will run through what I think the ladder will end up with, how the playoffs will play out and who will win what award and like all other predictions I’m sure that it will all be ruined halfway through the season.  And away we go!

Season Ladder

1.        New Zealand Breakers

PG – Cedric Jackson

SG – Daryl Corletto

SF – Thomas Abercrombie

PF – Mika Vukona

C – Alex Pledger

Key bench – CJ Bruton, Dillon Boucher, Will Hudson

The reigning premiers may have lost star Gary Wilkinson but adding Will Hudson and the continuing progress of Alex Pledger make up for the loss.  Retaining Cedric Jackson was imperative and will be the front runner for another premiership.

2.       Perth Wildcats

PG – Damian Martin

SG – Kevin Lisch

SF – Jesse Wagstaff

PF – Shawn Redhage

C – Matthew Knight

Key bench – Brad Robbins, Everard Bartlett

The Wildcats don’t have the immense depth like they did last season but they still have a fantastic core and a great head coach.  Unfortunately for Perth fans the gap between them and New Zealand has widened.

3.       Adelaide 36ers

PG – Adam Gibson

SG – CJ Massingale

SF – Stephen Weigh

PF – Daniel Johnson

C – Luke Schenscher

Key bench – Jason Cadee, Mitch Creek, Anthony Petrie

Adelaide had arguably (and in this bloggist’s mind) the best front court in the league with Weigh, Johnson and Diamon Simpson.  So again it looks like they may have the best front court because they fit so well.  Budding superstar Daniel Johnson has a fantastic outside shot which should free up space for the inside orientated Schenscher, making it a great fit.  Coupled with a Boomer starting point guard and quality depth this team will definitely be in the playoffs

4.       Wollongong Hawks

PG – Adris Deleon

SG – Lance Hurdle

SF – Glen Saville

PF – Oscar Forman

C – Larry Davidson

Key bench – Rhys Martin, Tim Coenraad

My biggest climber and biggest reach are the Hawks who really didn’t look like an NBL team for a lot of last season.  That all changes with the addition of the exciting Deleon and the potentially exciting Hurdle.  I really want this combination work as we haven’t seen a elite import backcourt since... I don’t really know.  Davidson impressed me in the games I saw of him and Oscar Forman is really making strides in being a great stretch power forward.

5.       Cairns Taipans

PG – Jamar Wilson

SG – Clint Steindl

SF – Brad Hill

PF – Alex Loughton

C – Cameron Tragardh

Key bench – Shane Edwards, Dusty Rychart

That line-up may not be the most exciting on paper and having Tragardh at the centre position isn’t the best fit but dammit this team just knows how to grind out games.  It will be an uphill battle to stay close to playoff contention but the way Wilson carried this team at times was glorious.  The Taipans and Crocs are interchangeable at the moment between fifth and sixth place.

6.        Townsville Crocodiles

PG – Jason Forte

SG – Peter Crawford

SF – Todd Blanchfield

PF – Jacob Holmes

C – Curtis Withers

Key bench – Russell Hinder, Mitch Norton, Michael Cedar

Withers is small and Forte is tall but if these two imports can pull it together this team will surprise opponents.  Peter Crawford must be sky high with his Boomers selection, coupled with Blanchfield’s potential and Holmes’ resurgence there may be a chance that this team sneaks into the playoffs.  Their bench is terribly thin though.

7.       Sydney Kings

PG – Corin Henry

SG – Aaron Bruce

SF – James Harvey

PF – Darnell Lazare

C – Ian Crosswhite

Key bench – Ben Madgen, Kevin Smith, Tom Garlepp

As much as I like Crosswhite and Harvey this team has taken a huge step backwards from the previous season.  Granted last season’s team was pretty bad but they don’t look good at the moment.  I hope the highlights of Henry’s season in Denmark carries over here while Lazare needs to do his best Jerai Grant impression for this team to scrap off the bottom of the ladder.

8.       Melbourne Tigers

PG – Kevin Braswell

SG – Chris Goulding

SF – Tommy Greer

PF – Adam Ballinger

C – Seth Scott

Key bench – Liam Rush, Lucas Walker, Matt Burston

I hope this team has a lot of eggs and they all go in the “Adam Ballinger from 2005-ish” basket because this team looks horrid.  They have no back court depth, Kevin Braswell is not a legit starting point guard and Seth Scott is very, very untested.  At least Nate Tomlinson will get some quality court time but I have a feeling head coach Chris Anstey will stuff this up.  Hey, the only way is up, right?

NBL Playoffs

I don’t see anyone knocking off the Breakers at this point in time, but I can see an upset with Adelaide taking out Perth in the first round.  New Zealand to win in straight sets.

NBL Award Winners

Most Valuable Player – He should have won it last season so Cedric Jackson will not be denied for this one.  I won’t be surprised he gets that elusive triple double at some time through the year.

Coach of the Year – His team is a little thin but if Cairns can sneak into the playoffs definitely look to Aaron Fearne to take home the trophy.

Rookie of the Year – There isn’t much competition this season so it is up to the two Cairns guys, Clint Steindl and Cameron Gliddon to fight over.

Most Improved Player – It may have been Daniel Johnson last season but I can see Stephen Weigh really step up and become a night-in, night-out contributor to the upstart 36ers.

Defensive Player of the Year – There will be only two things that can stand in Damian Martin’s way of taking out another DPOY award – injury and voter fatigue.  I hope the voters don’t try and pick someone else just because they aren’t Damian Martin.

Get aboard the NBL.tv train

I haven’t been around for a while with other commitments, mainly wedding stuff, and as there hasn’t been much happening in the world of the National Basketball League I didn’t have much to say but about a week and a half ago there was some amazing news that I just couldn’t resist.  That’s right, NBL.tv.

Like many NBA fans I bought the League Pass subscription service last season and it was a blast.  Every game from every team whenever I wanted.  I could go home from work for some lunch and watch the Knicks play Sacramento or Charlotte face off against the Warriors and it was awesome.  For a basketball fan to have every single NBA game available in high definition was a dream come true and I will definitely be purchasing it again this season.

Now just imagine this service for the NBL, oh wait you don’t have to imagine because it is actually happening with NBL.tv!  As the article says on the NBL’s website “every NBL game will be broadcast live via an NBL.TV subscription service for mobile, tablets, PCs and IPTV”, which means no more waiting for One HD, no more sitting in front of a computer refreshing box scores this is truly a fantastic decision by the league.  If my memory is correct this is the first ever live online broadcasting service for sports in Australia, ever.  In before the money bag sports like the AFL and NRL as well as the A-League and the various cricket competitions. 

The only downside would be the quality of the broadcasting but it is too early to tell what kind of picture the customers will be getting from the games.  If it can delivery different levels of quality that uses different levels of bandwidth so people that don’t have massive download levels on their internet provider can still enjoy this service it’s a big tick in my book.  I just hope that there is a high definition quality so I can hook my laptop up to my television and sit back on a Friday night with a great game of basketball.

The best news is that a full season will only cost $79.  That’s right, even if you only watch your favourite team it comes out to only $2.82 per game and that doesn’t include all the other games that you will most likely watch.  The even better news is if you pre-register before September 23^rd (which is two and a half weeks away) you get $20 off the price, lowering it to only $59!  What a bargain.  Please, please if you enjoy the NBL get aboard this train so the league sees that there is a demand for stuff like this and hopefully they will embrace the online section of the world.  Go to http://www.nbl.tv/earlyRegister to pre-register and get $20 off.

This post sure sounds like a massive advertisement for NBL.tv and it kind of is, I’m that excited about this idea.  If they can pull off something similar to the NBA’s League Pass I will be a very happy camper and One HD will not be seen on my TV screen.