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By normal measures there shouldn’t be too much to worry about for Perth.
But this is not a normal franchise – the Wildcats expect and demand success.
The fact that missing the finals last year was the first time they’d finished in the also-rans in 35 years underlines how they don’t tolerate failure. Scott Morrison was removed from his post and replaced with a more progressive version – the Wildcats coach, that is, with John Rillie taking the reins.
Despite the West Australian borders being open again and Perth enjoying the huge benefits of their raucous home arena, they are treading water in seventh spot with a 3-4 record.
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It’s hard for the Wildcats to argue they’re not a one-man band when three-time MVP Bryce Cotton continually puts up big numbers, averaging 21.71 points per game and only Luke Travers (10.86) can be relied upon to contribute double digits.
(Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
That was the case again last weekend in the 91-90 home loss to the Phoenix and the 94-77 defeat on the road to Melbourne United.
Rillie needs to give Travers a starting gig or give him more minutes off the bench to maximise the Cleveland Cavaliers draftee’s offensive game.
Imported big Brady Manek has been underwhelming, averaging just 8.43 points and 4.7 rebounds and his demotion to the bench could be the forerunner to the Wildcats making a mid-season move.
Fellow import Tashawn Thomas and veteran quartet Mitch Norton, Todd Blanchfield, Corey Webster and Jesse Wagstaff also have to start contributing more buckets.
Here’s all the pre- and post-game talking points for this weekend’s Round 6 fixtures.
Illawarra vs Adelaide at WIN Entertainment Centre, 7.30pm AEDT
Illawarra (1-7) looked much better with Peyton Siva calling the shots last weekend in their double-overtime home heartbreaker against Melbourne as coach Jacob Jackomas shortened his rotation.
Adelaide (2-3) have been forced to fend off speculation suggesting import Craig Randall II – the NBL’s leading scorer at 21.8 per game – is causing unrest in the locker room after he was involved in a heated exchange on the sidelines with coach CJ Bruton as they racked up losses at home to the Breakers and on the road to the Phoenix.
Perth vs Tasmania at RAC Arena, 9.30pm AEDT
The JackJumpers will jump all over Bryce Cotton from the jump in Perth. The challenge for the home side is to prove they can get scoring from other options.
Cairns vs Melbourne at Cairns Convention Centre, 7.30pm AEDT
The Taipans (4-3) nearly stole another win in Sydney last weekend and after beating United (4-4) in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago while holding them to 77, should be too strong in the tropics.
Tasmania vs Brisbane at MyState Bank Arena, 5.30pm AEDT
Just when you thought it was safe to say Tassie has recaptured the secret ingredient behind last year’s late-season form with four straight wins, they laid an egg in Auckland, scoring just 62 in their 32-point thumping. The Bullets are now 2-5 but both those wins came against the struggling Hawks so they’re not even close to being out of the woods yet.
Adelaide vs Perth at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, 8pm AEDT
The expectations were high for both teams this season after missing the playoffs last season but as it stands, they both wouldn’t even make the play-in stage of the six-team format.
NZ Breakers vs Sydney at Spark Arena, 2pm AEDT
You could have earned a lot of money in the pre-season if you had been able to predict the Breakers would be in first place heading into the November FIBA hiatus at 6-2. No one has scored more than 77 against them since Melbourne’s 101-97 overtime win in the season opener.
Melbourne vs South East Melbourne at John Cain Arena, 4pm AEDT
The Phoenix came out of last round with a gold star after making the trek to Perth and then returning home to beat Adelaide in overtime to register victories in less than 48 hours. All five starters are sharing the offensive load – Trey Kell, Gary Browne, Alan Williams, Ryan Broekhoff and Mitch Creek each had double-figure tallies in the wins, making it hard for opposing coaches to game-plan a defensive strategy focused on a couple of main threats.
NBL Round 6 Double Dribble: Wildcats woes deepen, Breakers defence can’t be broken, 36ers’ import dramas – The Roar
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