In a season of turmoil for the NBL with clubs struggling to survive, some struggling to perform to expectations, others performing brilliantly (at times!), sackings, new signings and even walk outs, this last week has been no exception.
Recent shake-ups have seen the likes of Rob Grizzard sacked from the “struggling to find form” Tigers only to see him signed for the 36ers to finish the season off in Australia.
With just a handful of games remaining he’ll have to provide a big lift for the club after the shock departure of star import Julius Hodge (Hodge walked out of the Sixers prior to their game against Wollongong on Wednesday night).
This gives Grizzard an opportunity to prove his worth in the league, but only for a short time.
The Sixers still managed to string a couple of wins together despite the upheaval and are looking good for the playoffs.
If they can make a serious play for the finals Grizzard indeed has a great opportunity to “rattle some Cages”!
Meanwhile, the Sydney Spirit have managed to keep their hopes alive by notching a solid win on Saturday against the Hawks, celebrating Jason Smith’s 400th NBL game in style.
The club still has its sights set on the playoffs but with a tough game against Melbourne coming up at the Cage they’ll have to reproduce whatever it was that got them over the line against New Zealand last week.
Grizzard – photo by Trevor Jackson
This last week has been so typical of the season so far in a league that’s heading for a do-or-die restructure. There must be an immense amount of pressure on all clubs to perform going into the playoffs given that sponsorship dollars are sure to be hard to come by for the next season.
The reactions of some of the clubs seem to show this desperation.
Michael DiFabrizio
Expert
Never a dull week in NBL life, that's for sure. The previously-consistent Breakers hit a three-game losing streak. The Tigers may have already gelled in the wake of their roster changes. And as for Julius Hodge... It's a shame to see him leave, but the way he did it wasn't full of class. Hitting back via a YouTube video, but not fronting the media. Stringing along his team-mates until 10 minutes before tip-off as to whether he would be playing or not. Not to mention the whole situation reaks of "take the money and run".