Bryce Cotton has entered the NBL GOAT conversation, winning a fourth league MVP award – trailing only the legendary Andrew Gaze, who the award is named for.
The 31-year-old Perth star led the Wildcats to a second-place finish behind Melbourne United, and won the award from their star Chris Goulding plus New Zealand import Parker Jackson-Cartwright.
After a difficult start to the year Cotton lifted enormously, producing 26.6 points per game as part of a 15-game streak where the Wildcats won 13 times.
While Goulding missed the top honour Melbourne was still dominant on the awards night, with coach Dean Vickerman named the NBL’s best for a third time, Shea Ili the Defensive Player of the Year and Ian Clark the Best Sixth Man.
Potential No.1 pick Alex Sarr missed the Next Gen award for the best player under 25, with Illawarra’s Sam Froling beating him and Luke Travers.
Hawks cement NBL playoff spot | 01:14
Andrew Gaze MVP: Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats)
Lindsay Gaze Coach of the Year: Dean Vickerman (Melbourne United)
Most Improved Player: Sean Macdonald (Tasmania JackJumpers)
Best Sixth Man: Ian Clark (Melbourne United)
Damian Martin of the Defensive Player of the Year: Shea Ili (Melbourne United)
Next Generation: Sam Froling (Illawarra)
NBL First Team: Anthony Lamb (New Zealand Breakers), Bryce Cotton (Perth Wildcats),
Chris Goulding (Melbourne United), Gary Clark (Illawarra Hawks), Parker Jackson-Cartwright (New Zealand Breakers)
NBL Second Team: Jack McVeigh (Tasmania JackJumpers), Jo Lual Acuil Jr (Melbourne United), Milton Doyle (Tasmania JackJumpers), Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne Phoenix), Nathan Sobey (Brisbane Bullets)
Referee of the Year: Vaughan Mayberry
Gametime by Kmart: Sunday Dech (Adelaide 36ers)
Executive of the Year: Nick Truelson (Melbourne United)
The record attendances continued to be set at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night in Game 5 of the NBL Championship Series with 18,124 turning out to see the Kings overpower the Breakers in the last five minutes to score the 77-69 victory.
With five minutes remaining in the game, the Breakers were seven points up and had all the momentum. However, the Kings would go on a 14-0 run from there started off in inspirational fashion by Angus Glover to end up securing the championship.
Fans RAGE at controversial call in Final | 00:42
It means Sydney is back-to-back NBL champions after a series where the most ever people attended a Championship Series with 67,475 turning out across the five games in both Sydney and Auckland.
There’s plenty to dissect including that heroic performance from Glover along with Derrick Walton Jr winning the Larry Sengstock Medal as Championship Series MVP while the stocks continued to rise of McDowell-White, Rayan Rupert heads to the NBA and Free Agency talk is heating up.
GLOVER CEMENTS HIMSELF AS A SYDNEY KINGS HERO
As if coming back from three knee reconstructions wasn’t already enough, but Angus Glover could barely stand when he returned to the floor with the NBL championship on the line midway through the fourth quarter in Game 5 on Wednesday night.
When Glover became an NBL champion with the Kings last season having made the move from his hometown club, the Illawarra Hawks, it was a terrific story with him playing a pivotal role having overcome three ACL reconstructions.
He will now go down in folklore for what he did to help the Kings to back-to-back NBL championships and that was significant even before what he did on Wednesday night.
Across the first four games of the series, Glover had averaged 10.8 points while shooting 8/13 from three-point territory before early in Game 5, his series appeared over when he took a heavy knock that did some damage to his ribs.
Angus Glover drinks from a shoe. (Photo by Jenny Evans/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
He’s probably not too worried about now whether they end up being bruised or something more significant, but he was in pain the rest of the night and even sitting on the bench attempting to breathe was a challenge for him.
It would have been more than acceptable for him to tell his coach that he couldn’t go back out there. Instead, Glover put his hand up to Chase Buford that he wanted back in with the Kings staring down the barrel of a seven-point deficit with five minutes remaining.
What Glover did from there will go down forever in the annals of NBL history. He couldn’t even stand up straight and was hunched over out on the court, and it didn’t appear he’d be able to contribute.
Instead, he turned match winner. After Glover was forced to take a desperation double clutch three-pointer in the corner that hit the side of the backboard. He grabbed the offensive rebound and somehow, rose up to throw down the two-handed dunk.
Next possession and he dropped his 10th three-pointer of the series and those five points were the start of Sydney scoring 14 straight that ended up seeing them secure the NBL23 championship.
It was a remarkable performance from Glover when he had no right to be even out on the court given the physical condition he was in.
Angus Glover has been rewarded for his determination. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
He is now a two-time NBL champion which is a terrific reward for everything he’s been through.
“He’s super tough,” coach Buford said.
“Glove has been great for us all year and I told him that he has probably been the biggest victim of our depth this year because we’ve had a like for like replacement at every position.
“Last year just through injuries he found his way to get 20 minutes a night covering all the spots but this year playing as DJ’s backup, it didn’t always materialise as much as it probably should have for him.
“He’s earned more minutes than he’s gotten this year but you could see this series was one where maybe he could give us a little bit in different ways. I found a lot of trust in him going into the game and he paid it back in tenfold.”
BREAKERS WANT MCDOWELL-WHITE TO KEEP GROWING WITH THEM
New Zealand Breakers point guard Will McDowell-White is going to have a lot to weigh up when deciding his future after the best season of his professional career, but his coach Mody Maor is desperate to keep him where he is.
Should the Breakers have closed the deal on winning the NBL championship on Wednesday night in Sydney, McDowell-White would have had a strong claim at winning the Championship Series MVP with his power forward teammate Jarrell Brantley his strongest competitor.
That is a highlight of just how far McDowell-White has come over the past three years since he joined the Breakers on his return to the NBL after stints in Germany and the NBA’s G-League after originally being a development player for the Kings.
Will McDowell-White is going to have a lot to weigh up when deciding his future. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Throughout the five games of the Championship Series, McDowell-White averaged 13.6 points, 5.0 assists and 6.4 rebounds while shooting at 52 per cent from the field.
That is up on his season numbers of 10.8 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds with McDowell-White reaching the potential that many always saw him as a rising teenager coming through the ranks in Brisbane.
Now that McDowell-White’s contract is up at the Breakers after his terrific growth the last three seasons, rival NBL clubs will be hunting his services while an NBA stint isn’t out of the question and clubs in Europe and Japan will also be sniffing him out.
That means that the 24-year-old has a big decision to make on his future, but after Wednesday night’s Game 5 loss, Breakers coach Mody Maor reflected on his three-year journey with McDowell-White and is desperate for it to continue.
“It’s been like a father watching his kid. It’s not about this series for me and Will, it goes three years back where he couldn’t make a shot that wasn’t a layup,” Maor said.
“We spent a whole Covid off-season shooting five, six hours a day and both of us got tendonitis in the shoulder, me from being old and fat and rebounding, and him from shooting a lot.
“That was kind of our first step and then it was adding his ability to finish in between with the floater. That was year two and then this season, it was about taking a step forward as an individual taking responsibility for the team.
“We saw him take another step forward and now step four is consistency. I’m really looking forward to us taking this step forward together as well where he impacts the game all the time, and every game.
“This is a normal progression for a young player and the next step is doing it every game. I’m very excited to take that next step together.”
NBL commissioner slams Kings coach | 01:05
USUALLY HUMBLE WALTON EARNS RIGHT TO BE ARROGANT
He might have replaced last season’s MVP at the Sydney Kings this season, but Derrick Walton Jr never doubted he was up to that task and the fact he’s now the Championship Series MVP suggests he has reason to let down his humble nature for now.
While the Kings did have to wrap up last season’s championship without Jaylen Adams in the final two games of the Grand Final Series against the Tasmania JackJumpers, up to that point he proved himself the standout player in the league and was the MVP.
That left a significant hole for the Kings to fill for NBL23 when he didn’t return. His direct replacement Walton Jr had to come up big as the point guard if Sydney were going to have a crack at back-to-back championships.
He had a hot start to the season showing what he was capable of and in between, there were times that he was happy to take a backseat and just play his role as distributor and set up his talented and deep team.
Derrick Walton Jr. celebrates winning during game five. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Still, Walton had a good enough season to be named to the All-First NBL Team before he went down injured late in Game 1 of the Championship Series against the New Zealand Breakers, and then was limited to less than five minutes in Game 2.
However, over the last three games Walton came up huge averaging 17.0 points, 6.3 assists and 4.0 rebounds a game. In Game 5 when it mattered most, he delivered 21 points, six assists and three rebounds.
That ended up seeing him play a pivotal role in Sydney winning the championship and he ended up winning the Larry Sengstock Medal as the Championship Series MVP.
While his teammate Justin Simon has a strong case to make that he could be slightly unlucky to not have the award given how consistent he was over the five games including being harshly done by to not be Best Defensive Player, you can’t deny Walton’s impact on Sydney’s championship triumph.
Andrew Gaze presents Derrick Walton Jr. as the NBL Championship Series MVP. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Replacing Adams would have been a significant challenge for most this season at the Kings, but Walton has always had confidence in his ability and never doubted what he was capable of.
“I try to take the humble route but I think I can now be a little bit arrogant. I feel like I’ve always been one of the best, if not, the best player,” Walton Jr said.
“That’s just the type of confidence that I carry and I don’t think I need to be more boastful about it, I just need to carry it and do what the team needs. Whenever the moment is there, I don’t have a problem putting my shoes on, tying them up and taking it. I don’t really shy away from it at all.”
BEST ‘WINNING’ NEXT STAR NOW FOCUSES ON NBA FUTURE
Rayan Rupert might not have had the impact on the Championship Series he was hoping with the New Zealand Breakers, but his coach has labelled him the best Next Star in NBL history in terms of the impact he’s had on his team winning.
When you consider that the list of previous Next Stars even at the Breakers includes RJ Hampton and Ousmane Dieng, and more broadly across the league includes LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey, and that’s a significant statement but one you also can’t argue with.
Rayan Rupert of the Breakers warms up. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Through no fault of theirs Hampton and Dieng at the Breakers along with Ball at the Illawarra Hawks and Giddey at the Adelaide 36ers didn’t come close in their NBL stints before entering the NBA of competing for a championship.
The 18-year-old Frenchman arrived at the Breakers for this season thought of as a borderline first round NBA draft pick later this year, but as his NBL performances continued, he is now expected to knock on the door of being a top 10 selection.
With a 7’3 wingspan combined with his quick hands on defence, ability to shoot the ball, create off the dribble and finish at the rim, and to play as a guard despite standing 6’7, Rupert has only continued to improve throughout NBL23.
Perhaps most impressively was the work he continued to put in while missing eight games with broken arm. He came back in better physical shape and having continued to develop his game, and proved a valuable contributor to New Zealand reaching the championship series.
Even though Rupert wasn’t able to impact the Championship Series, his coach Mody Maor knows how important he was in the Breakers being there. He has no doubt he’s going to have an immediate impact in the NBA once he gets drafted in the coming months.
“He’s an incredible talent and competitor. He had a really tough series and didn’t find his footing so much, but we’re not in the Grand Finals without Rayan,” Maor said.
“I’ve been around a few Next Stars and I’ve been in the league basically since the Next Star program started, and there’s never been a Next Star who has impacted winning as much as Rayan. It doesn’t even come close.
“This kid was a focal point for a lot of the things that we did and the thing that a lot of people kind of miss because he came back well, he missed that rookie jump. All of the Next Stars that we’ve had, somewhere in the middle of the season they made a real leap like Giddey, LaMelo etc.
“They’re great players in their own right but Rayan missed that and was out for eight. But he kept working, improved his left hand, improved physically and it’s been a privilege coaching him. Whoever drafts him is going to be so happy.”
Breakers bounce back to ensure decider | 02:18
CURIOUS FUTURE FOR KEY WILDCATS TRIO
While the focus has been on the Sydney Kings and the New Zealand Breakers in the Championship Series, the other eight NBL clubs have been focused on the future and it remains up in the air where Perth Wildcats trio Luke Travers, Todd Blanchfield and Mitch Norton will be in NBL24.
It’s been an unusual past two seasons for the Wildcats without being in the mix for the NBL championship and you can guarantee the league’s most successful club with 10 titles will be doing all they can to put themselves back in the hunt for NBL24.
Triple MVP Bryce Cotton along with Tai and Corey Webster are already guaranteed to be part of that under coach John Rillie, but where the future lies for Blanchfield, Norton and Travers remains up in the air.
Norton and Blanchfield fell out of the rotation for Rillie the longer this past NBL season went and that appears unlikely to charge with the roles that Cotton and the Webster brothers are going to continue to play.
Luke Travers’ future in the NBL is up in the air. (Photo by Kelly Barnes/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Both remain under contract to the Wildcats, but negotiations are on-going between both players, their management and the club to determine if it might indeed be in the best interests of everyone for them to part ways.
Blanchfield is a 373-game NBL veteran who showed what he’s still capable of by scoring 51 points in the two games straight after the season for the Australian Boomers.
He has plenty left to give as a shooter and scorer, but it doesn’t look like he would earn many extra minutes in Perth if that’s where he stays.
However, with two years left on his deal it’s going to take some manoeuvring and flexibility from both parties if he’s to end up playing somewhere that he can have a significant role whether in the NBL or overseas.
Norton is an even more curious case. He was again vice-captain this past season and as a 314-game, two-time championship winning point guard, he did still at times show what he was capable of for the Wildcats.
There were, though, other times where he would scarcely find any court time at all and that could very well not change should he remain with the ‘Cats. At 29 years of age, he might want to find a home to play big minutes if the Wildcats would be willing to let him out of his deal.
Kings in control after downing Breakers | 01:40
Then the case of 21-year-old NBA draftee Travers is even more fascinating. His problem isn’t whether or not there will be a role at the Wildcats for him should he remain next season because there’s no doubt he’s a wanted player.
His decision, though, needs to factor in what is in the best interests of his development and what will give him the best chance to end up getting called up into the NBA by the Cleveland Cavaliers who hold his rights.
For Travers to become an NBA player, he needs to prove he is a player who can be his team’s primary playmaker, he needs to run a team’s offence and needs to show he can create and shoot off the dribble.
He has already proven what he can do as an athlete. He can jump, dunk, rebound and block shots. His three-point shooting has also significantly improved, but the growth he needs to make likely won’t happen at Perth, or in the NBL.
His best chance at becoming the NBA player he wants to be appears to be to go to the G-League and Wildcats legend Damian Martin agrees.
“While I think other players should explore European and Asian options, I think he (Travers) should be going to the G-League because the style of play is better suited to him,” Martin said on SEN.
“There’s more spacing, he can get off the dribble as a 6’8 point guard and that will appeal to a lot of NBA clubs if he can go out there and average about 20 points and eight assists, and just show the athleticism that we’ve seen snippets of this year.
“He just doesn’t have the ball in his hands enough because, rightfully so, Bryce and the Webster boys do. I don’t think he will be back but I know the Wildcats will do whatever it takes obviously.”
Almost 50,000 people have already attended the NBL Championship Series leading into the deciding Game 5 on Wednesday night with the New Zealand Breakers owner hoping his team and the Kings are allowed to duke it out without the outside noise becoming a factor.
The swings have been wild throughout the opening four games of the NBL23 Championship Series and the way the games have been officiated have been different on each night, leading to frustrations growing on both sides of the Tasman.
The Breakers were frustrated in Game 3 especially in front of an NBL record crowd of 18,049 at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night where almost half their team were battling foul trouble.
That changed significantly in Game 4 in front of a New Zealand record crowd of 9728 at Spark Arena where the Breakers beat the Kings 80-70 to force the deciding Game 5 this Wednesday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Kings coach Chase Buford let his feelings known post-match, Breakers owner Matt Walsh has labelled that as tactical and gamesmanship since.
Despite all that, once it gets on the court on Wednesday it’s going to be quite the spectacle with the championship on the line.
With 49,351 fans already having attended the opening four games of a tantalising Championship Series including the biggest ever NBL crowd and highest ever attendance in New Zealand, let’s hope the basketball is allowed to do the talking now on Wednesday.
Williams tips Breakers to cause GF upset | 03:23
KINGS COACH FUMES OVER REFEREEING INCONSISTENCIES
Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford was pushed to breaking point during and after Sunday’s Championship Series Game 4 loss, and made his feelings clear about the difference in officiating in the win for the New Zealand Breakers and why he felt it happened.
The Kings had all the momentum in the Championship Series after bouncing back from losing Game 1 at home to win the next two both in Auckland and Sydney, including a 23-point win in front of a record crowd of 18,049 at home on Friday night.
However, Game 4 went anything but to plan and as far as Buford was concerned, the trend for the game was set back on Friday with how the Breakers felt they had been officiated out of that game.
Whether they had a good point to make or not, once Breakers owner Matt Walsh made his thoughts public on the officiating, Buford knew that it had a chance to change the way Game 4 was called in Auckland.
According to him, that’s exactly what happened and you can understand his point. The Breakers ended up taking 26 free-throws to 14 for the game, but perhaps more significant was the calls not made on New Zealand that allowed them to control the physicality and tempo of the contest.
After the game in Auckland, Buford let his feelings known about how the game was called and how unsurprised he was after a tweet from Walsh after Friday, saying “Maybe they’ll just foul our entire team out.”
“After Matt Walsh’s tweet, I knew exactly how tonight was going to get called and it was called exactly how I planned it to be,” Buford said.
“They were allowed to get away with the stuff they weren’t allowed to in the last few games. There was no freedom of movement and at one point it was 11 to two the foul count in the second half. We were playing five on eight out there, it was clear. That’s my opinion.
“We knew we were going to get hosed and we just said that we needed to weather the storm and stick together. I don’t think we did a great job of that to be fair, but we just have to handle it better.”
Chase Buford has been less than pleased with the refs.Source: Getty Images
Breakers owner Walsh saw straight through Buford’s claims though.
“I think the talk coming into Game 5 is all wrong if they are talking me and Chase Buford, and the officials after such an amazing season,” Walsh told NBL Today.
“I also think that Chase knows what he’s doing and he is doing what he thinks is best for his team and I respect that. I respect Chase as a coach, he’s a very good coach and earlier this year he said we play like the All Blacks and then for three quarters they got called for three fouls, and we got called for 25.
“That’s tactical and that’s part of it, that’s gamesmanship. I don’t begrudge Sydney or Chase at all, but both teams have worked so hard and let’s let the players duke it out on the court.
“I don’t take it personal and I just look at it that Chase is very tactical, he knows what he’s doing and he came in with the intent of leaving everyone saying ‘Oh did Sydney get screwed and maybe in Game 5 the refs will go the other way’.
“That’s part of it and it’s calculating but I’m envious of what Sydney do and I hope we’re the two teams that other clubs look at being run the right way. I have absolutely no hard feelings.”
Breakers bounce back to ensure decider | 02:18
BREAKERS COACH WANTS NONE OF IT
New Zealand Breakers coach Mody Maor has had enough of the talk of the refereeing influencing games.
It started earlier in the season with Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford saying playing the Breakers was like playing the All Blacks and Maor bit his tongue back then.
After Sunday’s Game 4 victory he was sick of it being a topic and put to bed any talk of the influence the officials are having on this Championship Series.
“So I’ve heard this and I’ve heard what happened, and this happened here in the beginning of the season too,” Maor said.
“Honestly it doesn’t even bother me, the reaction and everybody is doing the best that they can. I sat here after three games in the series and I didn’t say one peep about the referees because they are doing the best that they can.
“All of the other noise, man, it belongs somewhere else. I for sure didn’t get any help from anybody to win this game.”
While Maor didn’t want to get caught up talking about the officiating, he also didn’t want to buy into the feud with the Kings and was full of respect when talking about his rival coach and his Sydney team heading into Wednesday’s Game 5.
“Chase Buford is a fantastic coach and his team plays fantastic basketball. His team plays very physical basketball, do not pain this as we play physical and they don’t,” Maor added.
“They play extremely physical and we love it. This is what we want in the playoffs so all the noise to try and get a whistle for the next game, I’m not taking part of this.”
Kings in control after downing Breakers | 01:40
BRAVE MVP FAR FROM 100 PER CENT FOR KINGS
This season’s NBL MVP Xavier Cooks could be excused for putting his future first and getting himself healthy to join the NBA’s Washington Wizards, but he is battling well short of 100 per cent to help the Sydney Kings in this Championship Series.
It’s been quite the month for Cooks. He was named the league’s MVP for the first on the back of the best season of his career and then had a frustrating semi-final series against the Cairns Taipans where he hurt an ankle in Game 2, but still played valiantly in Game 3 to help his team prevail.
He was then right to go 12 days later to open the Championship Series against the New Zealand Breakers, but was left banged up after that Game 1 loss at home and hasn’t been the same since.
Cooks only managed to play nine minutes before being put on ice in the Game 2 win in Auckland, and while he did manage 29 minutes in the Game 3 win at home, he wasn’t quite his usual self with 10 points, eight rebounds and two assists.
Then in the Game 4 loss on Sunday at Spark Arena, he had three fouls in the first half and managed to play just under 25 minutes for 10 points, five rebounds and three assists.
He is clearly not close to full health and his coach Chase Buford admitted as much after Sunday’s loss that forced the series to a deciding Game 5 on Wednesday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
However, considering Cooks has now signed the first NBA contract of his career for the rest of this season and all of next at the Washington Wizards, the fact he is putting his body on the line for the Kings is hugely admirable.
It would be the easy option for Cooks to put his career and health first to get himself ready to arrive at the Wizards later this week in tip top shape, but as the captain of the Kings he is putting his team first and coach Buford is anything but surprised.
“He’s not close (to 100 per cent),” Buford said.
“He’s extremely brave and unselfish, and he’s a great teammate, a warrior and competitor. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what he’s doing right now.”
Xavier Cooks of the Kings has been outstanding.Source: Getty Images
BRANTLEY/SIMON LOOM AS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES’ MVP
Whoever has the biggest impact on helping their team win Game 5 and the NBL championship will deserve serious consideration as the MVP, but right now Justin Simon of the Sydney Kings or Jarrell Brantley of the New Zealand Breakers will take some beating.
It has been a fascinating opening four games of the NBL Championship Series not only with the drama over the officiating, the record setting crowds and the tense basketball action, but also with the players on either side who have, and haven’t stepped up.
There’s no shortage of big names on either side and coming into the series, if the Kings were to win you might have thought Xavier Cooks, Derrick Walton Jr, DJ Vasiljevic and Tim Soares might have been leading the charge.
Similar at the Breakers, if you had to suggest who their biggest key was going to be you might have called out anyone from Will McDowell-White to Barry Brown Jr to Dererk Pardon or even Next Star Rayan Rupert who will be drafted to the NBA in a few months’ time.
However, coming into the deciding Game 5 at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night, you would have to suggest it’s Simon from the Kings and Brantley from the Breakers as the leading MVP candidates.
Obviously how Game 5 pans out will have a big factor in ultimately who is named Championship Series MVP, but what Brantley has done in all four games for the Breakers has been significant.
His importance was even illustrated in the 23-point loss in Game 3 where he fouled out with nine minutes remaining after 10 points and four rebounds, and the Breakers hopes of winning went along with him.
Across the series, Brantley is averaging 17.3 points and 5.5 rebounds a game while shooting 46 per cent from the field, 42 per cent from beyond the arc and 90 per cent at the foul line.
Not only that but he’s clearly had the better of his marquee power forward match up with reigning MVP Cooks although that’s a little unfair considering the physical battles Cooks is dealing with.
Either way Brantley has been a huge factor in why the Breakers have forced the series into Game 5 and should they win the championship, he would have to be odds on to be named MVP.
“When Jarrell Brantley is aggressive, we’re good,” said Breakers coach Mody Maor.
“In Game 3, it was a two-point game before Jarrell fouled out and when he fouled out, our offence stopped clicking and that led to our defence to stop clicking.
“Jarrell was aggressive in his spots, played exactly the way I want him to play and we need his interior presence, and to be on the attack. He’s been that kind of guy for us all year.”
Kouat Noi of the Kings and Justin Simon.Source: Getty Images
On the Kings side of things, Simon has been outstanding with his energy, hustle and defence all series. He has stepped up offensively significantly and has shown exactly why Sydney was so keen to add him to their championship defence.
It remains the most baffling aspect of this NBL season that he wasn’t even nominated for the Best Defensive Player award when even the man the trophy is named after, Damian Martin, feels he is the standout defender in the league.
Simon has only continued to prove himself the best defender in the NBL throughout the finals series. That has continued throughout this Championship Series whether spending time guarding Brown Jr, McDowell-White or anyone else from the Kings.
His Game 2 performance was perhaps one of the best ever showings from a defensively minded star in NBL Grand Final history and he has continued right throughout all four games.
Simon’s numbers of 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 assists a game on 20/34 shooting at 59 per cent only partly explain his impact, but it would take something significant from one of his teammates to stop him being named MVP should the Kings become champions.
“He has just come out and changed the series the last couple of games,” Kings coach Buford said after Friday’s win.
“His defence on McDowell-White, Brown and whoever he’s matched up against, he’s causing havoc through steals. He’s scoring, had six assists in one game and six steals in another.
“It’s just such a bonus to have someone who not only changes the game defensively, but is really buying into his role and understanding how he can impact this game and series for us on the other end. He’s doing a great job.”
It was a dire season for Aron Baynes and his Bullets.Source: Getty Images
OFF-COURT TURMOIL CONTINUES WITH THE BULLETS
Trying to make sense of what is happening at the Brisbane Bullets is the biggest challenge in the world of the NBL world right with chief executive Peter McLennan the latest to depart.
On the back of a season where the Bullets came in with such high expectations with a pair of Olympians Aron Baynes and Nathan Sobey leading a talented squad, they ended up finishing second last, having three coaches in three weeks at one stage, and the turmoil has continued.
While the Bullets have since appointed rookie coach Justin Schueller as the man to lead them forward, subsequently general manager of basketball Sam Mackinnon had his position retrenched, assistant coaches Peter Crawford and Pero Cameron weren’t renewed, and now they are without a chief executive.
McLennan along with managing owner Jason Levien have been the men behind much of the decisions made by the Bullets in a baffling few months under an ownership group that includes current and former NBA players led by Kevin Martin.
To make sense of the direction they are trying to head is difficult right now. They have a rookie coach but no longer have a head of basketball, are without a chief executive and the ownership group headed up by Levien has a lot of work to do.
While the Bullets haven’t figured out things on the court in recent seasons, they have done plenty right off the court in terms of connecting with the Brisbane community.
That was highlighted in their impressive home crowds at Nissan Arena this season but much of that work deserves to be credited to the now departed chief executive.
It’s on the Bullets management to ensure that momentum isn’t lost, but the biggest concern is attracting quality players.
Nathan Sobey is one of just four Brisbane players under contract for next year.Source: Getty Images
Brisbane only has Baynes, Sobey, Tyrell Harrison and DJ Mitchell under contract for next season and any potential free agents and imports would need some convincing right now that it’s worth their confidence in the Bullets that if they sign on, they won’t be wasting a season of their career looking towards #NBL24.
Trying to make sense of what’s happening at the Bullets is something former Illawarra Hawks and Sydney Kings forward Cody Ellis is struggling with.
“There seems to be no rhyme or reason to what they’re doing right now,” Ellis said on Hoops Heaven’s Basketball Hustle podcast.
“They are probably really a club in need of some direction and it’s been very odd so far seeing what’s going on there. They’ve got a lot of work to do because they’ve only got a few players signed and it’s going to be a massive next few months for them.”
While the rest of the NBL is already looking to next season and putting together their new rosters, the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers are locked in a fascinating Championship Series with the MVP signing in the NBA and one of his rivals producing a ‘Josh Giddey-like performance.’
The opening two games of the NBL23 Championship Series are now in the books and we are no wiser as to who the better team is between the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers.
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Late game blitz sees Kings down Breakers | 02:08
Surprisingly, it was the road team winning both games as well to open the series with the Breakers winning 95-87 at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night on the back of a spectacular performance from point guard Will McDowell-White.
In the same game, Sydney’s All-First Team members Xavier Cooks and Derrick Walton Jr were banged up and then were non-factors in Game 2. But still, with Justin Simon on top of his game, the Kings hit back at Spark Arena to win 81-74 and tie the series at 1-1.
Game 3 will be at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday night, Game 4 at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Sunday and if needed, Game 5 back in Sydney on Wednesday night.
On top of all that, Cooks has signed with the NBA’s Washington Wizards, an Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer wouldn’t be surprised to see McDowell-White follow up and there’s a couple of college guns NBL clubs are about to be locked in a fascinating battle over.
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SITUATION AFTER TWO GAMES
The Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers appeared remarkably evenly matched coming into the Championship Series and nothing has changed two games in with two huge crowds expected in Sydney on Friday and Auckland on Sunday.
Coming into the series and the Kings were the highest scoring team who played at the fastest pace while in direct contrast, the Breakers played at the second slowest pace but had the best defensive rating throughout NBL23.
With Sydney looking to push the pace as much as possible which would stem usually from their defence that allowed them to get out and run, but New Zealand looking to slow the game down and impress their physicality at both ends, it loomed as a fascinating match up.
It was somewhat a clash in styles and would come down to who could play the game on their terms, and they had one go at it each in the first two games of the Championship Series.
Even more baffling, after their three meetings during the regular season were all won by the road team, that continuing in Games 1 and 2 with the Breakers beating the Kings at Qudos Bank Arena 95-87 on Friday night before Sydney hit back in Auckland on Sunday winning 81-74.
Above everything else, the biggest difference between the two games was the defensive intensity the Kings played at. It just wasn’t at their usual level in Game 1 and as a result, Breakers point guard Will McDowell-White was a dominant figure.
NBL star off to NBA as finals heat up | 04:39
He was allowed to run the show for New Zealand and did so in brilliant fashion in a game that his team was in control of for most of the way with Barry Brown Jr putting on the finishing touches with 13 of his 19 points coming in the fourth quarter.
Jarrell Brantley (16 points, seven rebounds) got the better of his power forward match up with a wounded Xavier Cooks (eight points, four rebounds, two blocks), and all the momentum was with New Zealand as they headed home for Game 2 on Sunday.
Add in the fact that the Kings virtually got nothing out of All-First NBL Team members Derrick Walton Jr (zero points, one turnover in five minutes) and Cooks (two points, four rebounds in nine minutes) and things were pointed even further towards the Breakers.
However, the Kings showed their quality, heart and depth in dazzling fashion with Justin Simon setting the tone. His numbers of 12 points, nine rebounds and six steals only tell part of the story of his match-winning performance.
Add in that Kouat Noi (20 points, 9/13 free-throw shooting) stepped up so significantly to cover for Cooks, Shaun Bruce ran the point for Walton, Jordan Hunter pulled down 10 rebounds and then DJ Vasiljevic and Angus Glover combined for six threes, and it was a masterful performance.
The true difference came in the defensive intensity, though, and that all began with the way that Simon pressured McDowell-White into six turnovers including him pulling off three steals in no time early in the third quarter to lead the Kings to eventual win.
That leaves things delicately poised with Game 3 on Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena and Game 4 at Spark Arena on Sunday. Huge crowds are expected too with already more than 13,000 tickets sold for Sydney and then the Breakers are attempting to set a new Auckland record with a capacity of 9740.
With the potential of 25,000 fans attending the two games this weekend, it’s all going to come down to who can get the games on their terms who will determine the NBL23 championship.
Both the Kings and Breakers had a game apiece in the first two where they controlled things so the blueprint to success is there, now it’s a matter of who can do it twice more to become the champions.
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MVP FOCUSED ON KINGS TITLE QUEST BEFORE HEADING TO NBA
Sydney Kings captain, the league MVP and reigning Grand Final MVP Xavier Cooks has achieved his dream of signing an NBA contract, but his focus remains on the NBL championship up for grabs at least for a few more days.
There has been so much discussion over Cooks all season long about if his game could transition to the NBA with the way he has continued to grow and develop to turn himself into the NBL MVP.
His talents were never questioned and that’s why he was such a hot commodity after playing at Winthrop University before beginning his professional career in Germany and ultimately being named in the initial squad for the Australian Boomers at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
It was only his body holding him back from reaching his potential but he ended up leading Sydney to the championship last season as captain and being named Grand Final MVP, and he’s gone to a new level in NBL23.
Standing 6’8 and with the ability to battle with the bigs to be a rim protector, terrific rebounder and outstanding finisher around the basket along with being able to defend the perimeter and then carry and distribute the ball, and create off the dribble, he’s a tremendous package.
That’s why he was named MVP after leading the Kings to the regular season championship on the back of averaging 15.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists a game while shooting at 57.5 per cent from the field.
That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been challenges too. His three-point percentage of 32.1 is better than what he’s credited for but he has only attempted 28 of them. Going at 54.0 per cent from the foul line isn’t great while he’s battled a couple of ankle injuries.
Xavier Cooks in action against the Breakers.Source: Getty Images
He also was banged up after Game 1 of the Championship Series and was limited to nine minutes in Game 2, but has realised his dream of signing to an NBA team with the Washington Wizards locking him up for the rest of this season, and all of 2023/24.
That means that as soon as the Championship Series is over for the Kings whether on Sunday after Game 4 in Auckland or Wednesday if a Game 5 is needed, he will be straight over to Washington to get ready to make his NBA debut.
While excited, Cooks’ focus remains on trying to help the Kings go back-to-back right now.
“Everybody stepped up and I talk about every single person. That’s how you win basketball games especially in the playoffs,” Cooks said.
“It gives us a lot of confidence and we’re always a confident bunch anyway. But to have one of our two best players out and it was just a gutsy win. It was dirty, it was grindy and we got it done.
“Now I’m just trying to stay focused on these playoffs. We’ve got two more wins to go and we’ve come this far so there’s no point thinking about what’s next when we fought so hard to be here.”
In the big picture though, Cooks can’t hide his excitement to have now signed an NBA deal and can’t wait to join the Wizards who currently sit 10th in the eastern conference at 31-34 with 17 games remaining.
“There’s not many people that get to really achieve one of their dreams and I’ve had the dream to go to the NBA for so many years. To finally happen is pretty cool,” Cooks added.
“As I’ve got older, I realised they’re not going to bring in a 28-year-old rookie and luckily enough they’re bringing in a 27-year-old rookie so it’s all good.
“It will give me my opportunity to try and earn my place over there. They’re a very talented team as well and I don’t think their record represents how talented they are. They’re missing a couple of little pieces but we’ll be alright.”
MVP fighting to line up for Game 3 | 01:42
BREAKERS POINT GUARD COULD FOLLOW AFTER ‘GIDDEY-LIKE PERFORMANCE’
With one member of the Championship Series signing in the NBA, an Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer wouldn’t be surprised to see New Zealand Breakers point guard Will McDowell-White next on the list after his spectacular Game 1 performance.
After all, it was a masterful performance from McDowell-White in Game 1 on Friday night with the Breakers beating the Sydney Kings 95-87 at Qudos Bank Arena to take the lead in the Championship Series away from home.
McDowell-White dominated the contest running the Breakers expertly not only with his 19 points, nine rebounds, nine assists and two steals, but the way he controlled the tempo, set up his teammates and made everything run smoothly was a true pleasure to watch.
It was the type of performance that has had McDowell-White earmarked as an Australian talent who could very well get an NBA opportunity one day even if it’s been a rollercoaster career journey so far.
That’s included being a Kings development player and spending time growing in Germany, and playing in the G-League at the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but nobody has ever doubted his ability.
Now McDowell-White has had the type of season with the Breakers as their point guard that many have been waiting for. He took his game to another level in Game 1 as a 6’5 point guard who can run his team’s offence, create for his teammates, find his own shot and be a solid defender.
Will McDowell-White of the Breakers (L) during game two of the NBL Grand Final series between New Zealand Breakers and Sydney Kings.Source: Getty Images
While he didn’t quite have it his own way in a tough Game 2 and his focus is on trying to win the championship for the Breakers, it does open up a fascinating discussion on his future.
He will became an NBL free agent at the end of this season so will attract significant offers but there’s also a genuine chance that he gets an NBA opportunity.
That’s the view of Adelaide 36ers Hall of Famer and three-time NBL champion Scott Ninnis who likens McDowell-White’s talents to a man he saw closely in Adelaide, Josh Giddey who is in his own remarkable run of NBA form at the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“To me, that performance in Game 1 from McDowell-White was like watching Josh Giddey,” Ninnis said on latest Hoops Heaven’s Basketball Hustle podcast.
“Just the control that he had over that game and he just had all the time in the world as that big point guard who looks like he has so much time. He looked like he was playing himself into an NBA contract as well and obviously there would have been a lot of NBA people watching that game.
“I think he potentially could be the next guy who takes that step so it’s an exciting time for Australian basketball that’s for sure.”
HE HAS TO FIGURE OUT KINGS’ DEFENSIVE MAESTRO FIRST
While Will McDowell-White was the star of Game 1 for the New Zealand Breakers, it was Justin Simon equally as brilliant for the Sydney Kings in Game 2 and it was all on the back of his spectacular defence on the star of Friday night.
McDowell-White was able to control Game 1 of the Championship Series for the Breakers in Sydney on Friday night and the Kings had to do something about that for Game 2 in Auckland on Sunday, and they certainly did.
While Kings coach Chase Buford noted with amusement the social media critics telling him what he did wrong in the defensive schemes on the Breakers and McDowell-White in particular on Friday, ultimately the changes they made were more simple.
Buford challenged Simon to lift his defensive intensity first and foremost and to get up in the grill of McDowell-White for a lot of the 40 minutes and make his life hell, and that’s exactly what happened.
It might have been a surprise that Simon wasn’t even a final three nominee in the Best Defensive Player Award, but he continues to prove himself the standout defender in the league and did that again on Sunday.
On the back of likely the best individual defensive performance of the season in Game 3 of the semi finals where he locked in on Cairns superstar DJ Hogg, Simon didn’t need Buford to tell him that he had to lift after a limited influence on Game 1 of the Championship Series.
To say he responded would be one of the great understatements. What Simon did for Sydney to win Game 2 despite being virtually without Derrick Walton Jr and Xavier Cooks is much more significant than his numbers of 12 points, nine rebounds and six steals suggest.
Justin Simon.Source: Getty Images
Simon got so far in the head of McDowell-White that he not only limited him to seven points and six turnovers on 2/8 shooting, that he got the ball out of his hands and that limited the creativity on offence for the Breakers and took them out of their structure.
It was a spectacular start to the third quarter from Simon with three virtually consecutive steals that led directly to two breakaway dunks and then he was fouled on his third trip to the open basket.
It was a performance defensively only reminiscent of the way that Perth Wildcats legend Damian Martin used to terrorise opposition point guards, including a demoralising nine-steal performance against the Sydney Kings in 2014 on a hapless new import point guard Kendrick Perry.
“It does feel amazing, there’s nothing more embarrassing if you’re a point guard and you get the ball stolen just as you cross halfway because you know you’re giving away a layup,” Martin said on SEN.
“ So when you get that steal, I didn’t have the athleticism of Justin Simon so all I was worrying about as not smoking the layup, but there’s no better feeling in the world when you’re a guard knowing you’re all over the top of your opposition player.”
While knowing how Simon would be feeling when on top of his defensive game, Martin himself has said that he feels the Kings three man is the best defender in the league even if he didn’t win the Damian Martin Trophy, and his thoughts only continue to be reinforced.
“The Kings threw the first punch in that Game 2 and it was led by Justin Simon, and it was more like a Mike Tyson knockout punch,” Martin added.
“It put New Zealand Breakers on the back foot and for the next 30 minutes the Breakers did not look like the New Zealand Breakers we’ve seen all season, and Will McDowell-White when he had Justin Simon crawl into him and take away his space, and his time and vision, they just had no consistency to their offensive structure whatsoever.
“It was almost like he was so focused just on trying to get the ball past Justin Simon either off the dribble or via a pass that he wasn’t paying attention to which plays he should be calling or who is the open man at the right time. He was just worried about not turning the ball over.”
SAINT MARY’S YOUNG GUNS ON NBL RADAR
While the eyes are on the NBL Championship Series, two emerging Australian stars are shining in their senior year at Saint Mary’s and are about to become two of the hottest commodities this off-season by the majority of clubs across the league.
There might no longer be a Rookie of the Year award in the NBL with it replaced by the Next Generation Award, but there already would be two strong candidates for NBL24 in the form of Saint Mary’s pair Kyle Bowen and Alex Ducas.
The West Australian duo are currently finishing up their careers at St Mary’s with both instrumental in the Gaels reaching the final of the West Coast Tournament before losing to the stacked Gonzaga Bulldogs.
However, both continue to shine and look ready to immediately make the jump to the NBL next season having already proved themselves against men before even beginning their college life.
Bowen won an SBL (now NBL1 West) championship at the Perth Redbacks back in 2017 as a young and exciting big man on a team featuring NBL legend Shawn Redhage along with Michael Vigor, Lee Roberts, Marshall Nelson and Joel Wagner.
Then in 2019, Ducas was a genuine star in the Geraldton Buccaneers winning the last ever SBL championship just hours before heading to California to begin his college life.
Both have only continued to grow and develop physically, and improve their basketball games in the years since to now be about to finish up as seniors with St Mary’s and then begin their professional basketball lives.
Bowen has turned himself into a skilled, strong and athletic 6’8 power forward who is averaging 5.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game this season with Saint Mary’s.
There’s no question that will have him on the radar of a host of NBL clubs to add to their front court.
Then there is Ducas who is a combo guard equally capable of playing the role as playmaker and point guard along with being a pure scorer and standout shooter.
Ducas is averaging 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds a game while shooting 43.1 per cent from the field, 41.8 per cent from three-point range and 86.9 at the foul line so would be a welcome addition to any backcourt across the NBL.
Former Sydney Kings and Illawarra Hawks power forward, and current Warwick Senators NBL1 West captain Cody Ellis knows both young men well, has played against them and has been through a similar experience when he finished up a standout college career at Saint Louis.
He has no doubt both Ducas and Bowen will receive plenty of NBL interest for next season.
“I do think that they will be on NBL team radars for sure. They’ve both had really good college careers and are both really good players,” Ellis said on Hoops Heaven’s Basketball Hustle podcast.
“Ducas is one of those big guards that’s really found his own at St Mary’s and he was still dominant back when he played at Geraldton before college. He was such a big part of that championship team so to see his game evolve has been awesome.
“Then you have Bowen and he is just a big dog, he’s a monster. I think any team could use a guy like that and the ‘Cats could be one of them who could use a guy like that. Having local talent in the league is always good so I’m sure they both will be reached out to by multiple NBL teams.”
Todd Blanchfield once again lit it up for the Australian Boomers, making his immediate NBL future all the more fascinating despite being contracted to the Perth Wildcats, and now that the FIBA World Cup qualifying is done, attention turns to the NBL23 Championship Series.
Following the NBL’s Play-In Tournament and then semi-final series, the timing was somewhat unfortunate for a FIBA window to present with the last of the World Cup qualifying matches to be played.
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Next stop WC! Boomers thrash Kazakhstan | 00:37
However, it did offer the chance for plenty of NBL talent to represent their countries and that included two more big wins in Melbourne for the Boomers but the New Zealand Tall Blacks were loaded with talent too — and so was the South Sudan team who made history amidst a bit of controversy.
There’s plenty happening across the NBL too with the Brisbane Bullets loading up their coaching staff under Justin Schueller and having now re-signed DJ Mitchell while the South East Melbourne Phoenix are searching for their new coach following Simon Mitchell standing down.
With the eight teams out of the championship race, they have all turned their attention to NBL24 but for the Sydney Kings and New Zealand Breakers, they begin their best-of-five series over the NBL23 crown this Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
COOKS IGNORING ANY OUTSIDE DISTRACTIONS
Whether it’s outside noise trying to bring down the Sydney Kings as a team or talking down his own MVP credentials or NBA aspirations, captain Xavier Cooks is having none of it leading into the Championship Series starting Friday night.
There’s no mistaking that the Kings do carry themselves with a swagger that starts with their ownership and carries through to their coach and playing group, but they can also back up that self-confidence.
That has also seen them put a target on their backs which does stem right back to the Grand Final series of last season where they embraced the roles of villains against the fairytale story of the Tasmania JackJumpers on the way to winning that championship.
This season again they have been happy to embrace the fact that they feel people might not like them and you can’t argue with the success they’ve had finishing the season in top spot and then overcoming the Cairns Taipans in three games of the semi finals to reach the Championship Series.
Along the way, Cooks has turned himself from a championship winning captain and Grand Final MVP last season to now being the MVP of this regular season in the NBL and to be knocking on the door of an NBA opportunity.
Xavier Cooks.Source: Getty Images
Cooks has also been happy to express his thoughts through the media and talk up how good he thinks the Kings are and how unstoppable he feels they are, and isn’t afraid to stir up some emotions whether it’s from people on social media or in opposition buildings he plays in.
Cooks embraces that and takes anything those ‘keyboard warriors’ especially have to say like a grain of salt as he prepares to lead the Kings into battle in the Championship Series against the Breakers beginning Friday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Cooks’ focus is on a fascinating power forward battle between himself and Jarrell Brantley in the series ahead, but when talking about how the Kings appear to be the team everyone loves to hate, he embraces that.
“A lot of those people are just people out west bored at home and tweeting stuff,” Cooks said.
“Either you love the Kings or you hate the Kings, it’s creating a buzz in Sydney and that is what it is about.
“I care when we go into an arena, and we get booed. That kind of fuels me up and gives me energy, but the Instagram and Twitter I don’t care about.”
BREAKERS PROVIDE PLATFORM FOR FUTURE NBA STAR TO SHINE
The New Zealand Breakers have quickly become the masters of the NBL’s Next Stars program and as a result of their foresight, 18-year-old French excitement machine Rayan Rupert has the chance to show his wares in the Championship Series.
While the immediate focus for the Breakers is on trying to win the franchise’s fifth NBL championship over the next two weeks, in the bigger picture making themselves a destination club for future NBA players is something they continue to excel out.
It’s been slim pickings in terms of success for the Breakers in recent years. After winning four NBL championships in five seasons between 2011-15, they hadn’t won a finals game of any sort since 2016 or played in one since 2018 up until this year.
However, even during those lean years, the Breakers have embraced their role of being a destination to produce future NBA stars and you only need to look at RJ Hampton, Ousmane Dieng and Hugo Besson as examples of players to get drafted on the back of the development there.
That’s why French teenager Rupert chose to go to the Breakers this season. He had all the options in the world at his feet about what to do this season to get himself ready for the 2023 NBA Draft.
HS commentators LOSE IT over wild finish | 01:09
He could have spent a year in college in the United States, he could have joined up with a G-League team or becoming part of the Ignite program, or stayed in France or play anywhere throughout Europe.
However, having seen the success of Besson and Dieng last season at the Breakers and how much they developed to end up being drafted to the NBL despite the situation the team was in meant that it became an easy decision.
It’s paid off and even if Rupert’s numbers aren’t jumping off the page with 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds a game across the season, the improvement he’s shown physically and with his game since joining New Zealand has been stark.
He is now a much better all-round player, is someone who can impact the game with or without the ball in his hands, and at both ends of the floor, and is a starter on a team now attempting to win the championship.
Perhaps even more impressively is the fact that he continued to improve both as a player and physically even when he was sidelined with a broken arm.
He now looks every bit a player ready for the NBA and could go close to being a top 10 draft pick in a few months’ time, but right now his coach Mody Maor couldn’t be more impressed.
“Man, is he good. He’s not scared of the moment and is playing with complete freedom and aggressiveness on both sides of the floor,” Maor said.
“I felt he wreaked havoc in that series against the JackJumpers for us for a few moments on ball guards and was really disruptive.
“I think everybody likes to pinpoint the stuff that he does on defence because it’s really clear to see when you have this 6’7 gazelle running around and pressing the ball, and doing amazing things.
“But he is one of our best north-south kind of players, he is aggressive and gets to the rim, he finishes and can make a read and pass. He is fantastic.”
BLANCHFIELD’S FUTURE FASCINATING AFTER BOOMERS EXPLOSION
Todd Blanchfield scored 51 points across two games for the Australian Boomers after taking the last 18 matches of NBL23 to do that with the Perth Wildcats and while still contracted, a former ‘Cats great believes he should look to move on.
Blanchfield has had a strong 373-game career in the NBL but never has he found himself in a situation like in NBL23 where he was largely relegated to the role of a cheerleader at the Wildcats as he fell out of the rotation of coach John Rillie.
At just 31 and with a sound body, and no signs of his game slowing down, Blanchfield appears to have plenty left in the tank and remains contracted to the Wildcats for a further two seasons.
Despite that, it might very well be in the best interests of all involved to look to find a way out of that contract and for Blanchfield to find a new home.
The Wildcats don’t appear to have a role for him. Michael Harris played ahead of him this season as a development player and looks likely to be upgraded to a roster spot. With Bryce Cotton, Tai Webster and Corey Webster there playing similar roles, it’s unlikely things will change in NBL24.
It all comes down ultimately to what Blanchfield wants. If he goes to the Wildcats and says he would rather move on, it would be unlikely they would stand in his way because really, it frees up some good money for them and a roster spot.
Todd Blanchfield of Australia, Daniel Grida of Australia, Mason Peatling of Australia and Rhys Vague of Australia look on during the national anthem during the FIBA World Cup Qualification match between Australia Boomers and Kazakhstan.Source: Getty Images
Blanchfield could very well want to remain in the Wildcats and want to earn some minutes. It’s a big gamble to take because if things pan out similarly, he would have wasted two seasons of a career that should be seeing him spend much more time on the court.
It might very well be that the Wildcats only allow Blanchfield to leave if he doesn’t play in the NBL, but he would be a natural to follow the likes of Angus Brant, Nick Kay and Rhys Vague to Japan should he want to.
Ultimately it’s all going to play out in the coming weeks, but what Blanchfield did prove during the FIBA window for the Boomers is what he’s still capable of.
Across the last 17 games of the season, he scored a total of 30 points and didn’t score at all in the last six matches the Wildcats played in including the two finals.
But across the two games for the Boomers, he scored 51 points while shooting a combined 18/28 from the field and 11/19 from three-point land.
That included 31 points on 7/12 three-point shooting against Kazakhstan on Sunday which is the best individual performance from a Boomers player since what Patty Mills did in the bronze medal match in Tokyo.
Six-time Wildcats champion Damian Martin feels it would be in the best interests of Blanchfield to look to continue his career elsewhere.
“I don’t think he’s past it, he can still put points on the board so if he wants to stay, there’s a contract they will honour but he would like the challenge,” Martin said on SEN WA.
“He is competitive and even though he got leapfrogged in the pecking order during the season even by Michael Harris who John Rillie went with. I’m sure other clubs will be making that phone call to the Wildcats, it won’t be the call going out.
“It will be the calls that are coming in asking what you are doing with Todd because you didn’t play him many minutes, we could use him and can we put to his management team and then let Todd make the decision once he knows what the Wildcats and another team are happy with.
“But he won’t be going out there saying he wants out, but he will have to look at it if something is presented. When it comes to Todd, with Michael Harris seeming to be more in favour with JR, it makes it even harder for him to get out there next season in that position.”
TALL BLACKS DEPTH HIGHLIGHTING STRENGTH OF NZ BASKETBALL
The Australian Boomers aren’t the only nation gearing up for a strong FIBA World Cup campaign with the New Zealand Tall Blacks looking set to launch an assault on a best ever result with their deepest contingent of players coming together.
Not only are the New Zealand Breakers back competing for the NBL championship this season as they prepare for the Championship Series against the Sydney Kings starting with Game 1 on Friday night, but the overall state of New Zealand basketball is strong.
Just starting with that Breakers team and there’s Izayah Le’afa, Tom Abercrombie, Tom Vodanovich, Rob Loe, Sam Timmins, Daniel Fotu and Alex McNaught as homegrown talents all important members of the squad three games away from the franchise’s fifth NBL championship.
Then you look at the Tall Blacks squad who have qualified for the World Cup to be played in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines starting in late August and it highlights just how strong of a position New Zealand basketball is in right now.
The squad that won their last two qualifying matches against Saudi Arabia and Lebanon didn’t feature any Breakers players but still consisted of NBL players Sam Waardenburg, Reuben Te Rangi, Tohi Smith-Milner, Hyrum Harris and Tyrell Harrison.
Along with them were former NBL players Jordan Ngatai, Taylor Britt, Ethan Rusbatch and Jordan Hunt with Isaac Fotu leading the charge including 23 points and seven rebounds on 10/12 in Monday night’s 106-91 win against Lebanon.
That squad, like the Boomers team, might very well feature precious few players who will be there for the Tall Blacks during the World Cup with coach Pero Cameron to have some tough calls to make on who makes that final 12.
That Tall Blacks World Cup squad will likely feature NBA centre Steven Adams with Finn Delany and Yanni Wetzell to be cornerstones up front along with Tom Abercrombie, Corey and Tai Webster, and if healthy, Shea Ili to settle into the back court along with rising star Flynn Cameron.
Trying to replicate the heroics of a fourth place finish from 2002 is a lofty goal, but this Tall Blacks team is well placed for a World Cup assault and that’s why a veteran of the national team like Jordan
Ngatai is so excited whether he makes the final 12 or not.
“What you love about it is having those competition for spots and I know for myself, I’ve got a lot to do to try and get in that 12 but I love that challenge,” Ngatai said.
“It’s awesome that I get to compete against these but then hopefully get to be their teammates as well. I think this is probably the first time in a long time where New Zealand basketball has had a great depth chart in basically every position.
“Especially guys who have been in the States and then making a good enough impression during the Aussie NBL. Like Sam had a great Aussie NBL and deserved everything, and he’s done great to bring that to the Tall Blacks has been great.”
NBL’S SOUTH SUDANESE CONTINGENT CRUCIAL IN MAKING HISTORY
South Sudanese players are becoming key players on plenty of NBL teams at the moment and they have translated that into a passion to represent their nation and lead them to the FIBA World Cup even if their fans weren’t allowed to cheer them on in Egypt.
Just this past season and all you have to do is look at the players in the NBL from a South Sudanese background and you get an idea of how proud a basketball nation it is, and why the players have become so passionate to represent it on the international stage.
South Sudan has qualified for the World Cup starting in late August across Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines having dominated the African Qualifying stages with the world’s youngest nation preparing now for their first major tournament.
You wouldn’t rule out the possibility of them being able to have a genuine impact at the World Cup either.
You just look at the NBL talent they have to choose from and it’s a terrific starting point. Just this past season, and Sundy Dech, Lual Diing, Deng Acouth, Bul Kuol, Majok Deng, Deng Deng, Josh Duach, Makuach Maluach, Majok Majok, Junior Madut, Kouat Noi and Jackson Makoi were part of the league.
That will only be a starting point for the team that South Sudan will take into a historic World Cup campaign but for a nation that barely existed a decade ago, it continues to face some unexpected hurdles.
The African qualifying stage concluded over the last week in Egypt, but that presented a whole new set of challenges.
All South Sudan had to do to secure their World Cup spot was to win one of their three matches, which they did first up beating Senegal 83-75, but it was a result that created history that was soured by what happened outside the stadium.
A strong contingent of South Sudanese supporters had travelled to Egypt to support their team, but upon arrival were informed they were not to be permitted inside the stadiums to watch their team play, and ultimately make history.
Officially security reasons were used by Egyptian officials for not allowing either the South Sudanese or Senegal supporters into the building, but either way it took away from a once in a lifetime occasion for the players to celebrate making history with their supporters.
South Sudan might be a new nation but has a rich history with basketball and Luol Deng is a significant part of that.
Boomers beat Bahrain in run to world cup | 01:01
He was a genuine NBA star especially for a decade at the Chicago Bulls during a career that spanned 964 appearances and saw him earn two All-Star selections.
He is now president of South Sudanese basketball and was interim coach in Egypt for the team. While proud of what his team accomplished, his anger over the supporters not being allowed in boiled over.
“This is going out to FIBA, this is going out to the Egyptian Federation. Whatever’s been going on this week, I hope everything is being recorded how teams are being treated and everything’s been programmed,” Deng said
“That’s an incredible story not only for FIBA but for African basketball. Our fans are travelling from states, travelling from countries, flying in. Nobody brings in more fans than South Sudan right now.
“For our fans to show up at the stadium, there was no notice. We were never told that there would be no fans allowed in the game. We were told fans were allowed to come.
“FIBA should be ashamed, the Egyptian Federation should be ashamed. Whatever is going on here, it needs to stop. Basketball doesn’t need this. This is a great story and we’ve been robbed today from celebrating with our fans who came all the way out here.
“That’s the biggest disappointment that I have. We make history and our fans are now allowed on the day of making it. They didn’t announce it yesterday or last week, they announced it today. FIBA needs to look at that.”
The Sydney Kings, New Zealand Breakers and Tasmania JackJumpers are all one win away from the NBL Championship Series but the Cairns Taipans almost pulled off the stunner in Game 1 against the defending champions and can’t be ruled out.
The four teams in the NBL semi finals were confirmed on Sunday with the Taipans eliminating the Perth Wildcats and now both series’ are delicately poised with the Grand Final teams to be locked in by Sunday.
The first team into the Grand Final could come as early as Friday night with the Cairns Taipans hosting the Sydney Kings in Game 2.
Sydney beat Cairns 95-87 but the Taipans did open up a double-figure lead at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday even without Keanu Pinder and Tahjere McCall, and will fancy their chances to force the series to a deciding Game 3.
Taipans and Breakers earn playoff wins | 01:25
The other semi-final series is already confirmed to be going to a Game 3 with the Tasmania JackJumpers beating the New Zealand Breakers 89-78 in Game 2 at MyState Bank Arena on Thursday night.
That Game 3 will be played at Auckland’s Spark Arena on Sunday with the Kings to also host the Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena should the Snakes prevail in Game 2 on Friday on their home court.
TAIPANS SHARPSHOOTER TAKES OFFENCE TO KINGS COMMENTS
Jonah Antonio had the best performance of his NBL career in Wednesday’s Game 1 for the Cairns Taipans but Sydney Kings coach Chase Buford talked about taking advantage of him up the other end creating another level of intrigue for Friday’s Game 2.
The story of the first half of Wednesday night’s Game 1 between the Kings and Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena very quickly became little used Cairns sharpshooter Antonio.
He is in his first NBL season and did arrive with the reputation of being a knockdown shooter, but he just hasn’t been able to find a regular spot in the Taipans rotation and had made just 14 three-pointers all season long in just a total of 184 minutes.
However, he was unleashed by coach Adam Forde on Wednesday night and started throwing rockets starting with a three-pointer on the quarter-time buzzer.
The 25-year-old originally from Perth before playing college at both Wake Forest and UNLV and then spending last season in the Czech Republic hit another four three-pointers in the second quarter to help the Snakes open up a 12-point lead.
He had 17 points to half-time on 5/6 three-point shooting and while he ended the night with a career-best 20 points on 6/9 shooting from beyond the arc, Kings coach Buford didn’t mince words afterwards.
Jonah Antonio defended himself online. (Photo by Emily Barker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
When talking about Antonio post-match, Buford did credit Antonio’s shooting performance but actually felt that him playing more minutes than usual might have benefited the Kings as his team tried to take advantage of him defensively.
The Kings did do a good job of creating mismatches and caught Antonio undersized and out of position matched up with their bigs on several of occasions. Buford was quick to point out that despite Antonio’s shooting heroics, the Taipans were outscored by four with him on the court.
That felt a little harsh and Antonio was quick to respond cryptically on Twitter afterwards adding some extra spice to Game 2 in Cairns on Friday night.
As for what Buford said, he made his feelings clear about trying to take advantage of Antonio.
“We just let Antonio go nuts. He made shots, give credit to him, but we could have guarded him a whole lot better than we did,” Buford said.
“The fact that they had Antonio come in and flame torch us in that second quarter, and he’s still minus-four. He’s got to deliver that to make up for his deficiencies at the other end of play against us, and it will be hard to replicate that performance.
“I thought we did a really good job in the second half on Waardenburg as well, I think he was a key for us in the way we wanted to guard him.
“In the second half we did a much better job and on DJ Hogg, he takes seven attempts from three but only made one and I thought we had a lot of good contests on him.
“To not allow him to make a bunch of triples is important. We might have given up threes to them, but we dominated the rim and I think we can dominate anybody at the rim especially with this group’s outs.”
Taipans’ Jonah Antonio in action. Picture: Brendan RadkeSource: News Corp Australia
JACKJUMPERS LOOK TO REPEAT THE DOSE
The Tasmania JackJumpers find themselves in familiar territory. Last season they pulled off a shock on the road in the semi finals to knock out Melbourne United in Game 3 and now the chance presents against the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday.
What a story the JackJumpers were in their inaugural NBL season. With nobody giving them a chance of success and then being shocked they even reached the playoffs, even fewer gave them a sniff of knocking off the regular season champion Melbourne United in the semi finals.
That was even more so the case when Melbourne won Game 1 before Tasmania forced that series into a decider by winning Game 2 at MyState Bank Arena.
The rest is now history with the JackJumpers winning that Game 3 in Melbourne to reach last season’s Grand Final to become one of the best stories in Australian sport as the ultimate underdog story.
They might not quite have pulled off the championship losing in the Grand Final to the Sydney Kings, but the mountain was perhaps even steeper to climb this season.
Fans are getting behind the JackJumpers. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Once again they were written off by all and sundry, but they found a way to reach the finals once more from fourth position and then earned a spot directly in the semi finals by beating the Cairns Taipans in Far North Queensland last Thursday.
However, the JackJumpers were missing their floor general Josh Magette, captain Clint Steindl and had no answers in Game 1 of the semi finals against the New Zealand Breakers on Sunday.
The Breakers won 88-68 with the JackJumpers unable to have much impact defensively and then not get anything going offensively shooting just 33 per cent as a team and star imports Milton Doyle and Rashard Kelly combining for just 22 points on 5/19 shooting.
That meant the JackJumpers were up against it even with Game 2 at home on Thursday night against the Breakers.
It was a tight contest for three quarters and just when the Breakers were threatening to take control up five late in the third, the JackJumpers went on an 11-0 scoring run to take charge and end up winning 89-78.
It was a stirring performance in front of their raucous home crowd and now the chance presents back in Auckland on Sunday in Game 3 for the JackJumpers to repeat what they did last season and shock a team at home to reach the Grand Final.
Coach Scott Roth has no doubt his team is up for the challenge.
The JackJumpers continue to prove the doubters wrong. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You know that these opportunities don’t come along very often and to be in a Game 3 to get to the Grand Finals in our second year is just an incredible effort by my players, and really by staff to put us in this position again,” Roth said.
“I just think in this game we were just trying to make sure we took a swing at them and making sure we’re not going to walk out of this game, win or lose, second guessing what we do in general and how we continue to try to play throughout most of the season.
“I thought we had moments where we were really good and smart in some areas, and some areas we need to clean up but I just thought our aggression in a win or go home situation, I just thought let’s swing. And these guys swung.”
JackJumpers fans celebrate. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
MVP MAKES A STATEMENT IN KINGS’ GAME 1 WIN
Anyone unsure of the credentials of Xavier Cooks as the league’s MVP this NBL season only needed to watch the way he dominated Game 1 of the semi-final series on Wednesday night against the Cairns Taipans.
If anybody still questions if Cooks deserved to be MVP this NBL season they didn’t watch Wednesday’s semi-final Game 1 against the Cairns Taipans where he was the major difference in Sydney’s eventual 95-87 victory.
Unfortunately we won’t get to see that marquee power forward match up Keanu Pinder sidelined with a fractured orbital socket for the Taipans and who knows what impact he could have had, but Cooks was able to show all of his all-round abilities.
Whether it was being a primary ball handler, throwing down dunks or finishing around the rim or crashing the boards or creating for his teammates, Cooks was at the peak of his powers.
Xavier Cooks leads from the front. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
He finished the night with 27 points, 14 rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block on the back of shooting 11/19 from the field.
It’s a dazzling stat-line but his actual performance was even more significant than the numbers suggest with the Kings outscoring the Taipans by nine points in the 33 minutes that he was on the floor.
Whether the Snakes tried to guard him with the size of Sam Waardenburg, the smooth moving DJ Hogg or with Lat Mayen or Majok Deng, they couldn’t quell his influence and the league’s MVP put his team on his back.
It’s far from the first time. After all, Cooks is already a championship winning captain and Grand Final MVP. But for him it wasn’t about proving anything personally or any grudges with the Taipans, he simply wanted to do what he could to get close to winning back-to-back titles.
After a slow start with the Taipans leading by 12 during the first half, Cooks was delighted with his team’s response.
Xavier Cooks made a statement. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“It was very frustrating and to give up 60 points in a half is unacceptable for any team, that’s unbelievable,” Cooks said.
“Antonio came out and hit some crazy shots, but he’s a good shooter and we’ve got to be locked in there. That really slowed our pace down, but we brought the energy and figured it out in the second half.
“My intent was to just bring the energy. I don’t really ever come out and say I’m going to get 20, that’s not my game style. I can control my effort levels and I try to go out and play as hard as I can, and get on the boys for not playing hard. It worked out.
“It’s nothing personal in this match up, I’m just fired up to bring the energy because it’s playoff time. I’ve got a lot of respect for those boys on the other side of the court and it’s nothing personal.”
BREAKERS VOW NOT TO LET OPPORTUNITY SLIP
The New Zealand Breakers have overcome everything thrown at them this season with nothing coming easy and they are determined to not let the chance slip to take advantage of hosting Sunday’s semi-final Game 3 against the Tasmania JackJumpers.
On the back of a horror last two years through COVID, the Breakers deserved things to be a little easier in NBL23 but it’s been anything but that throughout the season.
Whether it’s a tough injury run, some rough travel schedules, an enforced break thanks to COVID or even floods and cyclones at home in Auckland, the Breakers have had plenty thrown in their path this season.
Xavier Cooks wins NBL MVP | 00:45
However, they have answered every challenge, never wanted to make any excuses and that’s why they ended the regular season in second position and are still one win away from reaching a first Grand Final appearance since 2016.
New Zealand dominated the opening game of their semi-final series at home to the Tasmania JackJumpers on Sunday.
The Breakers won the game 88-68 on the back of having eight players scoring at least seven points in a tremendous team performance where they shot 53 per cent from the field, hit 9/21 from downtown and put in a commanding defensive showing.
That had them in the box seat to be the first team to win their way into the Championship Series, but playing in Hobart hasn’t been fruitful for the Breakers now the last two years and that continued on Thursday night.
Tasmania prevailed 89-78 with New Zealand unable to get the same bite at the defensive end while offensively, they shot just 44 per cent overall and 6/23 from beyond the arc.
The positive is that they now get to host Game 3 on Sunday back at Spark Arena with the winner to advance to the Grand Final.
Maor has full faith in his team. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Coach Mody Maor continues to have full faith in what his group can produce and this is the time where all that work during the season to earn home court advantage needs to pay off.
“I honestly don’t think it’s going to be very hard to refocus for the next game,” Maor said.
“We never expected it to be easy, these are the playoffs of the NBL and every team that comes here is great. This is supposed to be high level competition and you’re supposed to be challenged and tested, and this is exactly what we’re looking forward to.
“We went through a really tough season and played well through it in order to earn home court advantage. It’s a huge thing in playoffs, I’m happy to bring Game 3 to Spark Arena and I’m really looking forward to it.”
NZ Breakers lock in second spot in NBL | 00:57
INTRIGUING VETERAN POWER FORWARD DILEMMA
Perth Wildcats captain Jesse Wagstaff has earned the right to make his own decision on his playing future, but there’s every chance his retirement could open the door for a long-awaited homecoming for seven-time Adelaide 36ers MVP Daniel Johnson.
Now that the Wildcats season is over after their loss in the Play-In Game to the Cairns Taipans, captain Wagstaff has a decision to make whether or not to continue a career that has seen him play 446 games and win six championships.
He deserves to be able to make that decision himself and there’d be nothing wrong with him deciding to play a 15th season, but what he chooses to do could have a significant impact on the immediate future of one of his great rivals, Johnson.
This time last year it would have been almost unfathomable to imagine Johnson ending his career anywhere but in Adelaide. While he grew up in Perth, he’s now settled in Adelaide where he’s played 366 of his career 414 NBL games and with seven club MVP’s to his credit, he’s a 36ers all-time great.
What does Jesse Wagstaff’s future in the NBL hold? (Photo by Emily Barker/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
There has constantly been intrigue over whether he might get to play for his hometown team one day, but with the Wildcats being well stocked for power forwards during his career including Shawn Redhage and Wagstaff, it’s just never been a good fit.
That’s not to say overtures haven’t been made. It did almost happen a decade ago when Rob Beveridge was Wildcats coach, but ultimately Johnson went to Adelaide and has put together a standout career.
So much so that no other current player has scored more points or collected more rebounds. He has been quite the reliable force whether coached by Marty Clarke, Joey Wright, Conner Henry or for the last two seasons, CJ Bruton.
However, Johnson’s minutes and overall production were at the lowest in a decade in his Adelaide time this season as he and coach Bruton clearly weren’t seeing eye to eye.
That appears to mean that Johnson’s NBL career would likely continue outside of Adelaide in NBL24 despite the fact he has built a life and family in the City of Churches.
Should Wagstaff decide to retire, it feels a natural fit for Johnson to get that long-awaited opportunity to play in Perth. One of the Wildcats’ all-time greats, Damian Martin, feels it makes sense should it all come together.
Is a reunion on the cards for Daniel Johnson? (Photo by Sarah Reed/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I don’t think they go after Daniel and then say that DJ’s in and then say that unfortunately we’re pushing Jesse out,” Martin said on SEN.
“I think they wait to see what Jesse wants to do and will be respectful. Knowing that DJ probably wants out of Adelaide and he’s from Perth, they have probably made an initial call at least just to gauge that if Jesse steps aside and says this is it for me, then they can quickly pull the trigger on Daniel.
“But they would also make it very clear I would assume to DJ that it’s only available if Jesse makes the decision to retire. They might even fast track Jesse’s decision because two weeks after the final game of the Grand Final Series is played, that’s when free agency begins.
“You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think that agents aren’t talking to other GM’s right now, but you can’t any sign any deals or announce them until the two-week period is over.”
The New Zealand Breakers have drawn first blood on the Tasmania JackJumpers in the NBL semi finals with the Sydney Kings and Cairns Taipans to begin hostilities, after the Perth Wildcats and South East Melbourne bundled out in the opening week of the NBL23 finals.
The NBL finals began back on Thursday night and that spelled the end for the Phoenix with a loss to the Wildcats before it was then Perth eliminated on Sunday with a loss to the Taipans.
We are now down to the final four teams with those who finished in the top four positions ending up in the semi finals with the New Zealand Breakers up against the Tasmania JackJumpers, and the Sydney Kings to play the Cairns Taipans.
Going back to Thursday night and in the Play-In Qualifier at John Cain Arena, the Perth Wildcats delivered the best quarter of any team this season led by triple MVP Bryce Cotton to beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix 106-99.
Next up was in Far North Queensland and the Tasmania JackJumpers booked in their place in the semi finals by beating the Cairns Taipans 87-79.
That led into Sunday and first up was the Play-In Game and despite the absence of Tahjere McCall and Keanu Pinder, the Cairns Taipans were too good for the Perth Wildcats led by DJ Hogg and Bul Kuol in the 91-78 victory.
Then in Auckland the semi finals got underway and the New Zealand Breakers were too deep and too good for the Tasmania JackJumpers to take the one-nil series lead, winning 88-68.
The other semi-final series will get underway at Qudos Bank Arena this Wednesday night with the Sydney Kings hosting the Cairns Taipans in Game 1.
Game 2 between the Breakers and JackJumpers will be at Hobart’s MyState Bank Arena on Thursday before the second match between Sydney and Cairns back in Far North Queensland on Friday.
Both deciding Game 3’s, if required, will be played on Sunday afternoon.
There’s been plenty else happening around the league including the Brisbane Bullets naming their new coach so let’s get stuck into it.
Catch up on the NBL Talking Points.Source: FOX SPORTS
MVP COOKS: NO QUESTION KINGS ARE BEST TEAM IN IT
Fresh off claiming the league’s MVP award on the back of being last season’s Grand Final MVP, Sydney Kings superstar Xavier Cooks has labelled his team as clearly the best in the NBL ahead of their semi-final match up with the Cairns Taipans.
Last Tuesday night ahead of the NBL finals, the NBL23 awards night was held and it was Sydney forward Cooks who took out the top gong as the Andrew Gaze Trophy winner as the MVP of the league.
Given that was voted on by his rival and coaches and captains, it’s hard to argue with the decision even if there’s been great debate since over whether it should have been Perth Wildcats superstar Bryce Cotton taking it out for a fourth time in his 200-game NBL career.
Nonetheless, Cooks was a more than deserving winner having been the best player on the best team in the league.
On the back of leading the Kings to the championship last season as the captain and Grand Final MVP, he has taken his game up another level so far in NBL23 and the MVP award should only help him in his quest to get an opportunity in the NBA.
However, all his focus right now is on trying to help the Kings win back-to-back championships with that quest starting with Game 1 of the semi finals against the Cairns Taipans at Qudos Bank Arena on Wednesday night.
The Kings finished as the regular season champions to automatically book a spot in the semi finals while the Taipans had to win their way through the hard way even after finishing third.
The Taipans lost their Seeding Qualifier to the Tasmania JackJumpers before beating the Perth Wildcats in the Play-In Game on Sunday to now set up their clash in the best-of-three series with the Kings with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.
For Cooks, he simply feels the Kings are the best team in the competition and he expects them to now prove it.
“It doesn’t really matter who we face,” Cooks said.
“We’re the Sydney Kings, we’re the best team in this league and we’re going to go show it. It’s important for us to have a good week preparation and we’re not really focused on scouts right now, we’re focusing on us and getting better with our habits.”
Xavier Cooks wins NBL MVP | 00:45
TAIPANS COULD VERY WELL BE BETTER WITH LESS TALENT
It seems quite the baffling thing to say, but with less pure talent on the court all season long, the Cairns Taipans have appeared to play better as a unit and that again was the case in Sunday’s Play-In Game victory against the Perth Wildcats.
Things appeared to be conspiring against the Taipans after Thursday night’s Seeding Qualifier defeat at home to the Tasmania JackJumpers.
Already without superstar big man Keanu Pinder, star guard Tahjere McCall injured a shoulder ruling him out of Sunday’s elimination Play-In Game against the Perth Wildcats.
However, a look back through the season gave an indication of what was to come and that’s that some of the Taipans’ best performances have come when they have had less talent out on the floor.
When McCall missed five games earlier in the season, the Taipans were able to win three of them including against their semi-final opponents Sydney.
The positive for the Snakes in those five games was the chance for DJ Hogg and Bul Kuol to step up further. Hogg averaged 19.4 points and 4.8 rebounds with Kuol putting up 10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists.
Then later in the season, Pinder injured an ankle and missed six games. The Taipans won all of those and then after he returned for two matches which they lost, he suffered a fractured orbital socket has been sidelined since.
The Taipans won eight of the nine games to close the regular season that he missed, and in those Hogg averaged 18.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists while Kuol produced 11.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists.
The best example of the way especially Hogg and Kuol can thrive to be game winners for the Taipans was in their last game of the regular season in Perth. With both McCall and Pinder missing, Hogg and Kuol led the charge in what could have been the Snakes’ best win of the season.
It gave them a chance to still finish second and snapped a 10-game losing streak against the Wildcats with Hogg scoring 14 points and hitting some huge shots while Kuol was superb with 15 points and nine rebounds.
That’s why coach Adam Forde still had confidence in his group even without McCall and Pinder going into Sunday’s Play-In Game against the Wildcats.
The whole team stepped up but it was again Hogg and Kuol who proved the stars to guide the Taipans into the semi finals against the Sydney Kings with Game 1 to start on Wednesday night at Qudos Bank Arena.
Hogg set a new finals franchise record for the Taipans by scoring 32 points on the back of shooting 11/19 from the field and 5/12 from three-point range to go with nine rebounds, four assists and two statement blocks on Perth’s Bryce Cotton.
Then there was Kuol who set the tone for Cairns at both ends of the floor to finish with 23 points, eight rebounds seven assists on 9/14 shooting while spending all but one minute of the game on the floor.
It’s unlikely Hogg and Kuol would have been able to play such a significant role had McCall and Pinder been out on the floor. That’s not really a complaint, it’s just the reality of having to work together as a team with so many capable players.
However, Forde, who was named Coach of the Year last week, never doubted his team even without two such important pieces and wasn’t surprised Kuol stepped up to such a degree.
“Two players go down and two players step up even more with Bul and DJ,” Forde said.
“I’ve always considered Bul that type of guy for me and we caught on early on when he got his opportunity what he’s capable of.
“His progression as an athlete and a basketball player has continued to grow. It’s almost like he’s discovering his ability that people can’t necessarily stay in front of him when he wants to put the ball on the floor.
“Then you have his outside threat and he’s a strong guard so again, I’m not surprised in a sense that it’s the player we got and I’m ecstatic that he’s progressing quicker than even what I anticipated. He probably expected it.”
Forde also was anything but surprised with what Hogg delivered because all season long he has shown that the bigger the moment, the more likely he is to deliver.
“The crazy thing is I look at him going 11/19 and I want another 10 shots from him,” Forde added.
“He was 5/11 against Tassie and he’s been extremely effective all season and it’s been my biggest fault not getting him more looks.
“We caught on just in time I reckon and if he does that, which he’s capable of, we’re not asking guys to play outside their roles. We just ask them to do their job.
“These guys just have to do what they’ve been doing their entire careers and that’s what DJ has been doing. He is capable of this every single night, it’s not like he dropped 50 and didn’t miss. He shot 41 per cent from three and that’s been his career. He played to his standard.”
Melbourne lose out in epic final NBL day | 03:09
NO PRIDE IN FINISHING FIFTH FOR WILDCATS COACH
This was supposed to be the season of redemption for the Perth Wildcats with new coach John Rillie taking over the helm. While there were good signs highlighted by opening the finals beating the South East Melbourne Phoenix, the man in charge is taking no satisfaction.
After a remarkable run of reaching 35 straight finals series in the NBL, the streak ended in 2022 for the Wildcats and it was always going to bring about change.
That included a new coach with Rillie arriving to replace Scott Morrison giving the ‘Cats three coaches in three seasons as he began his head coaching career on the back of doing an apprenticeship in the college system, and after his own 481-game playing career.
That included his 10 three-point shooting effort in a quarter-final win for the Townsville Crocodiles over the Wildcats. That ultimately ushered in the next era of success for Perth with the arrival of Rob Beveridge, Damian Martin, Jesse Wagstaff and the rest is history.
So Rillie knew what he was walking into taking over as Wildcats coach as the man charged with earning redemption after that finals streak ended. Ultimately he did get them back to finals, but not into the semi finals with Sunday’s elimination at the hands of the Cairns Taipans.
It turned out to be quite the rollercoaster season for the Wildcats and their two games last week in the finals summed it all up perfectly.
The Wildcats finished the regular season in sixth position just sneaking into the finals and then found themselves 13 points down to start the fourth quarter on Thursday night on the road to the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
However, the ‘Cats had been a potent offensive team all season and Bryce Cotton led the charge after shooting 3/29 between the last game of the regular season against Sydney and the first half on Thursday.
He inspired Perth to a 41-point fourth quarter to beat the Phoenix and book in a place in the Play-In Game in Cairns on Sunday against a wounded Taipans team who just lost to the Tasmania JackJumpers, and were missing Tahjere McCall and Keanu Pinder.
It was also a building the Wildcats had scored two dominant wins in during the season, but the rollercoaster ride took another downward turn on Sunday and they produced a decidedly lacklustre performance.
That was a surprise given their season was on the line but a lot of the problems that plagued Perth all season became a concern. Cotton did all he could with 19 points and 10 assists, which was a good performance given the intense focus the Taipans put into denying him the chance to shoot and score.
What the ‘Cats needed was others to step up and it just didn’t happen enough to give them a chance to reach the semi finals. Corey Webster shot just 5/14 for 14 points, Luke Travers struggled for five points on 2/7 and Brady Manek went 5/14 for 13 points.
Tai Webster didn’t play at all having been touted as the final piece of the puzzle when he arrived late in the piece and then veterans Todd Blanchfield and Majok Majok continued to ride the bench as players Rillie clearly lost faith in.
Despite Cairns missing two of their stars, Perth gave up 91 points and 51 per cent field goal shooting to the Taipans. No matter how dynamic their offence at times was in NBL23, ultimately their poor defence was their downfall.
The season was a learning curve in a lot of ways for Rillie in his first season in charge, but he didn’t arrive looking to have a feeling out period.
He came to win and that’s why he will go away feeling this was a disappointing season even if they did play finals again.
“It’s very disappointing. You’re at the time of the year you want to keep playing and we weren’t the best team out there so that’s very disappointing,” Rillie said.
“When you finish sixth and you don’t win a championship, yes there’s some moments to be happy about and to be proud, like the way we battled and got to the situation we did. But I didn’t take this job to finish sixth and lose out in a Play-In Game so no, I’m not proud of our season.
“What let us down the most was our consistency. Our highs and lows, the crevices were too deep. You look at a team like Cairns and they were very consistent with their performance throughout the regular season. That’s why they put themselves in a position to host home games in the playoffs.
“Our consistency has to raise to give ourselves the best chance on the ladder come the end of the season next year.”
Wildcats nick NBL finals spot late | 00:30
MITCHELL UNSURE OF FUTURE WITH PHOENIX
Fresh off their season coming to an end wasn’t the time for clear thinking on his future, but the only man to coach the South East Melbourne Phoenix so far in the NBL, Simon Mitchell, isn’t sure if he wants to put his hand up to remain in charge moving forward.
Across their first four seasons in the NBL now, the Phoenix have done a good job of putting together competitive rosters and putting themselves in the finals hunt.
While their first season ended up with a rough 9-19 record, it started promisingly enough before the wheels fell off in the second part of the campaign.
Then in NBL21, they were a genuine championship threat and were ever so close to reaching a Grand Final with a hot start to Game 3 of their semi-final battle with Melbourne United before being overrun.
With Melbourne going on to win that championship over a Perth Wildcats team missing Bryce Cotton, it is the ultimate case of what might have been and Mitchell could have quite easily have become a championship winning coach.
Again NBL22 promised so much for the Phoenix and they did show signs of what they were capable of, but ultimately they just couldn’t stay healthy enough to make a run and narrowly missed the playoffs with a 15-13 record.
Then coming into NBL23, there was again high expectations on what South East Melbourne could accomplish. When at full strength, they could well have been the best team in the competition too.
Alan Williams and Mitch Creek were virtually unstoppable up front, Gary Browne and Trey Kell III were solid imports in the back court, and at their best, Ryan Broekhoff and Kyle Adnam could step up with Reuben Te Rangi, Owen Foxwell, Dane Pineau and Junior Madut solid role players.
The recruitment of Zhou Qi never quite panned out, though, and that was only the tip of the problems they had. It was all down to health and with Browne, Kell and Broekhoff all missing significant stretches, they could never quite build momentum.
That’s why they only finished the regular season fifth at 15-13 and ultimately their season ended in disappointment with Thursday night’s Play-In Qualifier loss at home to the Perth Wildcats.
Again it was so close to being a success with South East Melbourne leading by 13 to start the fourth quarter, but they were outscored 41 points to 21 the rest of the way to lose and have their season ended prematurely.
It was a South East Melbourne team talented enough to win the championship, but they now aren’t part of the semi finals and coach Mitchell was understandably an exhausted man by the time Thursday night’s game ended.
It wasn’t the time for him to make any grand statements on whether he wanted to, or didn’t want to, continue to be the only coach in the Phoenix’s history and lead them into a fifth season.
But perhaps tellingly, he didn’t commit to wanting to continue in the job. While his passion to remain might spark up in the coming days or weeks, right now, he isn’t sure if he even wants to continue in the job.
“I haven’t even thought about it. It’s one of those things where we’ll let the dust settle and in time we’ll sit down and have a discussion, and review the season forensically,” Mitchell said.
“We’ll work out if I’m the best man for the job and if so, we’ll move forward maybe. Do I want to do it again? I’ll discover that over the next coming weeks as we review the season and then it’s up to if the club wants me back.
“There’s a few machinations there and a few things to ponder over, but I haven’t really thought about it at this point.”
BULLETS GO LOCAL WITH THEIR MAN TO TAKE THEM FORWARD
There was talk the Brisbane Bullets wanted an American coach, but they’ve turned local and to Melbourne United assistant Justin Schueller as the man to try and lead them forward after quite the tumultuous NBL23 campaign.
The Bullets now have a fourth coach in the past couple of months but after a season full of turmoil and a disappointing performance on court, the new man in charge is excited for what the future holds.
For all the same reasons why the NBL23 promised so much for the Bullets is why Schueller now arrives feeling confident the future is bright and that’s largely because they have two Olympians, Nathan Sobey and Aron Baynes, to build around.
Having a star guard and big man who are both locals is a perfect starting place for the build of any roster leaving the door open for three imports to fit around them, and for a strong group of local players.
The greatest understatement of NBL23 would be to say the Bullets were a disappointment. With Sobey and Baynes as the cornerstones, and with Tyler Johnson, Jason Cadee, Harry Froling, Tanner Krebs and Tyrell Harrison around them, there were no signs of how poor the season would pan out.
The signs were there early though. They were never able to fully use Baynes’ strengths and he was playing catch up coming back from his long lay-off while it also took Sobey and Johnson time to get back into a groove after almost 12 months without playing too.
Then along the way, there was the departure of Devondrick Walker as import to eventually be replaced by Andrew White III, and the injuries mounted with Cadee, Krebs, Froling, Harrison and Kody Stattmann sidelined for significant periods.
However, above everything on the court, things were in even more upheaval off the court with the direction of the club difficult to understand. James Duncan was sacked as coach after nine games.
Sam Mackinnon took over for the next three and then on the flight to Cairns, Greg Vanderjagt was appointed for the rest of the season without even being told first.
Despite all that, there were positives. DJ Mitchell showed he could be a quality forward in the league, Gorjok Gak showed a glimpse into his potential and Sobey, Baynes and Johnson got better the longer the season went.
Perhaps the great positive was the support from the Brisbane locals. The crowds at Nissan Arena were outstanding for a team performing so poorly and now Schueller’s job is to give them some reward for their support.
He has no doubt the Bullets are ready to fire and he is confident he’s the man to get the best out of them as he becomes the next man to earn a head coaching role having worked under Dean Vickerman at Melbourne United.
“I think it’s a sleeping giant, the program,” Schueller said on SEN.
“The roster has been hampered by injuries in the past couple of seasons which is never ideal, but the two key pillars in Baynesy and Sobes as a key starting point means the point guard is the next most important piece.
“That’s where our search will start and there’s high level talent on the squad already with high level culture guys. We know they just need a bit better direction and things can go in the direction that we want.
“It’s obviously been a program that’s had some ups and downs this season but the opportunity to work with two Olympians on the roster and be able to move this club in the forward direction was definitely an exciting prospect to me. I just can’t wait to get started and getting things going in the direction that we want to go.”
Sydney star Xavier Cooks has capped off a stunning season by being named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player, adding to his allure for already keen NBA teams.
The 27-year-old big man did it all this season, averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists in leading his team to the minor premiership, dominating both ends of the floor as a hyper-efficient anchor for the Kings.
Ballarat-born Cooks, who grew up in Wollongong while father Eric played for the Hawks, was a runaway winner of the Andrew Gaze Trophy, beating out Perth’s triple-MVP Bryce Cotton by 24 votes. Star South East Melbourne forward Mitch Creek was third.
Only injury has stood in the way of Cooks being the league’s best player in each of the past two years and the top individual honour is rich reward for his rapid improvement.
The crown is another feat to add to a resume that includes a 2021 NBL finals MVP in the Kings’ championship and underscores the strong interest from NBA scouts.
He joins Andrew Bogut and Jaylen Adams as the third King in the past five season to take home the award.
NZ Breakers lock in second spot in NBL | 00:57
The trio of MVP finalists were joined in the All-NBL First Team by versatile Tasmania guard Milton Doyle and Kings’ floor general Derrick Walton Jr.
Adelaide 36ers’ star Antonius Cleveland’s rugged defence helped him make it consecutive Damian Martin trophies.
The American was named Defensive Player of the Year in a field of three which sparked controversy during the week.
The Kings’ hierarchy was miffed Cooks and lockdown wing Justin Simon were not named among the three finalists. Even Martin, himself, had Simon winning the award.
Cleveland, who was the reigning winner after his brilliant season in Illawarra, used his supreme athleticism to impact games at the defensive end — although his team struggled to contain opponents.
Cairns mentor Adam Forde held off New Zealand’s Mody Maor and Sydney’s Chase Buford for the Coach of the Year after spearheading Cairns’ rise up the ladder. Forde used pre-season predictions the Taipans would finish last to spur his team to third on the ladder.
Jackjumpers thrash Hawks in Wollongong | 01:12
Maor could consider himself a little stiff, given the Breakers had spent the best part of two Covid-affected seasons in the doldrums, playing home games in Australia, before he took the reins, revamped the roster and led the Breakers into the semi finals.
Cairns dominated the other awards on a banner night for the club, star big man Keanu Pinder taking home back-to-back Most Improved Player gongs, teammate Sam Waardenburg claiming the Next Generation Award and club boss Mark Beecroft named the league’s Executive of the Year.
Breakers’ bench spark plug Barry Brown Jr was the obvious Best Sixth Man, netting more than half the votes after his instant offence put him in the top five scorers in the league.
Departing Adelaide 36er Kai Sotto enjoyed a flood of support from his Filipino compatriots, claiming a second consecutive Fans MVP.
Andrew Gaze Trophy for Most Valuable Player
Xavier Cooks (Sydney) – 120 votes
Bryce Cotton (Perth) – 96 votes
Mitch Creek (South East Melbourne) – 80 votes
Most Improved Player
Keanu Pinder (Cairns) – 48 votes
Will McDowell-White (New Zealand) – 46 votes
Sean Macdonald (Tasmania) – 34 votes
Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player
