The Christmas period is upon us and with it comes less on-court action in the NBL with just three games shaping what is still set to be an exciting and unpredictable Round 12.
Talking points other than the actual action on court are what need addressing this week in the league though, with expansion becoming a confirmed possibility for the 2018-19 season, Christmas Day coming and going once again without any Aussie hoops and another open-air game in Melbourne.
It must be mentioned this isn’t necessarily a talking point for this week, but given this column wasn’t ran last week the fact that expansion has been confirmed, not necessarily for next season, but the one after must be talked about.
Expansion is something the league has been calling out for this season, and it looked like it would happen in the pre-season when the Brisbane Bullets were added – of course, that was until the Townsville Crocodiles bombed out.
The eight-team league has produced some stunning results, with just a couple of games separating the whole ladder after 11 rounds of action.
While the NBL have identified certain locations, the one that is a worry seems to be China – as we saw in the ABC before the season, the Chinese were blown off the court, and a team that plays in China but based at an Australian location seems foolish.
In a bright spot though, Melbourne and a second NZ team have been identified which means we should have at least ten teams in the league for the 2018-19 season – while it hasn’t been talked about – Darwin and Hobart, two cities without any national sporting team should also be looked at.
When the schedule was announced this season, it was again apparent the NBL were ignoring a massive opportunity with Christmas Day being missed and few games over the main holiday period.
While crowds might be lower during that period, TV ratings would be up and the league need all the exposure they can – something they drop the ball on at this time of year.
Unfortunately, the current injury crisis sweeping the league also needs addressing with some massive name players from plenty of teams sitting off the court and in some cases, for what will be the rest of the season.
David Andersen and Devin Williams are both out for about six weeks at Melbourne United, recovery times for Thomas Abercrombie, Ben Woodside and Damian Martin are still not clear and the Sydney Kings have been forced to rule out Julian Kazzouh for the season despite his rumoured return over the last fortnight.
Out on the court, we are limited to just three games to enjoy this weekend but it doesn’t make them any less entertaining or give us less storylines to follow.
Across the three matches we will see six separate teams in action in three different cities, with the Boxing Day open air clash headlining events.
That match sees the Brisbane Bullets travelling south for an important clash against Melbourne United, with the club from the sunshine state needing to find a way to continue winning, even without their Olympian Bairstow.
The Bullets have been inconsistent this season and nowhere did that show more in their match against the Illawarra Hawks on Monday as they were, down, then up and then back down again in both their level of play and on the scoreboard.
It simply wasn’t working on a level that is required to win in this league for the Bullets and without Bairstow on the floor it was little surprise to anyone that they eventually went down in overtime.
To go to Melbourne and get the better of United, it’s going to take a complete effort on the defensive end of the floor, especially on the perimeter where Casper Ware and Chris Goulding have been playing brilliantly.
Of course, all that line of thought could go out the back window when you remember Brisbane got the better of Melbourne just last week.
The weekend starts off on Thursday with the Adelaide 36ers taking on the Perth Wildcats in the battle of the west – still one of the NBL’s biggest rivalries.
The 36ers come into the contest on a seven-game winning streak and look odds on to extend that with the Wildcats struggling a little bit and in the midst of a month-long road trip.
In Round 12’s other clash, the Sydney Kings will be looking to turn their modest form line around and get back to the top of the table when they host the offensively exciting Illawarra Hawks.
The Kings went down to Melbourne and it proved that the on court issues for the club are deepening while the Hawks showed their offensive prowess but in bursts, losing to the Cairns Taipans and then sketchily defeating the Brisbane Bullets.
Fixtures (all times AEDT)
Adelaide 36ers vs Perth Wildcats at Titanium Security Arena, Adelaide (Thursday 7:30pm, live Fox Sports 503)
Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks at Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney (Friday, 7:30pm, live Fox Sports 503)
Melbourne United vs Brisbane Bullets at Hisense Arena, Melbourne (Monday, 7:30pm, live Fox Sports 503)
My Tips
36ers by 12
Kings by 5
United by 4
Lock of the week: Nathan Sobey to play a starring role against Perth
Nathan Sobey, the Adelaide 36ers guard has a solid season last time around, but what he has been able to produce across the 11 weeks of action so far this season has been something else.
At this point of the season, it wouldn’t be a stretch to have Sobey in the conversation for who will win most improved player at the MVP awards, because his rise to become one of the best guards in the competition has been astronomical.
Playing with an in-form Jerome Randle has obviously improved his game to an extent, but Sobey’s level of play is powering the 36ers to a whole new level.
His combinations with Brendan Teys, who has improved out of sight this season as well and with big men Daniel Johnson and Matthew Hodgson has been scintillating.
With the Wildcats struggling on the road and not having defensive linchpin Damian Martin this weekend, Sobey should have a huge game, combining with Randle to run over the Wildcats with ease.
Big question of the week (and moving forward): Five-game grand final series – hit or miss?
The NBL’s biggest announcement this week, as was talked about a little earlier in this piece was the five-game grand final series being restored for the end of this season.
I have written previously the NBL should be playing the finals as a five-game series and to see it come through, from this writers opinion is absolutely fantastic for the lead.
The problem, and what has been the problem in the past is the fact that five games can dilute crowd numbers as people refuse to attend early in the series.
A five game series though will give teams the opportunity to adjust to things in the series and potentially leave for a monster comeback from two games down.
If the NBL get their scheduling right, which, judging by the dates announced it looks like they will, things are looking up for the concept.
As always, be sure to join The Roar’s live coverage of the 2016-17 NBL season and keep it locked into the website for analysis, opinion and news.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
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