Fans’ take on News Corp’s exclusive NBL Players’ Poll surprises
The NBL’s players have had their say — now it’s the turn of the fans to weigh in on some of the league’s biggest issues and, surprisingly, agreement is hard to find.
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And they disagree with several key responses from the league’s stars.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE ALL THE FINALISTS IN THE NBL22 AWARDS
On the back of News Corp’s exclusive Players’ Poll, we gave the same questions to the supporters — and there were some interesting results.
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The players believe the race for the NBL’s best player is close, giving Perth star Bryce Cotton a slight edge over Kings gun recruit Jaylen Adams by two votes.
The fans, though, think Cotton remains the league’s best player, and it isn’t even close.
The Wildcats maestro received a whopping 57 per cent of the vote compared to Adams’ 20 per cent.
It appears the Sydney star has to produce for more seasons to come to overtake Cotton as the best player in the fans’ eyes.
The players voted United big man Jo Lual-Acuil as the NBL’s most improved player, but the fans selected Kings’ swingman Xavier Cooks.
Cooks has been enormous for Sydney, averaging 15 points and 9.57 rebounds – a jump of five points on the offensive end compared to last season.
The major disagreement between the players and the fans is on the best rising talent.
The players voted for Cairns forward Bul Kuol, who has been brilliant for the Taipans on his way to breaking Shane Heal’s all-time three-point record in a season.
But as good as Kuol has been, the fans selected Wildcats’ guard and NBA prospect Luke Travers as the league’s best rising talent.
Luke Travers runs the floor and gives the Red Army what they want! 😤
— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) April 16, 2022
👀 Live on ESPN via Kayo & Foxtel pic.twitter.com/N3hYO92Kqv
Travers, who has averaged eight points and 5.64 rebounds this season, romped home with 33 per cent of the vote compared to Kuol’s 20 per cent.
The players were also strong on Sydney to win this year’s championship, but the fans are holding firm, with the defending champions Melbourne United.
Forty-nine per cent of supporters believe United will win this year’s title while the Kings were second with 35 per cent, followed by the Hawks in third.
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PLAYERS POLL RESULTS
NBL FANS POLL RESULTS
NBL’s best player
Bryce Cotton (Wildcats) – 57%
Jaylen Adams (Kings) – 20%
Jo Lual-Acuil (United) – 10%
Mitch Creek – (Phoenix) – 8%
Most underrated player
Shea Ili (United) – 38%
Yanni Wetzell (Breakers) – 21%
Jason Cadee (Bullets) – 15%
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (Kings) – 11%
Kyle Adnam (Phoenix) – 10%
Most improved player
Xavier Cooks (Kings) – 37%
Jo Lual-Acuil (United) – 34%
Keanu Pinder (Taipans) – 25%
Kyle Adnam (Phoenix) – 3%
Best coach
Brian Goorjian (Hawks) – 40%
Scott Roth (JackJumpers) – 23%
Dean Vickerman (United) – 19%
Chase Buford (Kings) – 17%
Best sixth man
Shea Ili (United) – 67%
Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Hawks) – 13%
Kyle Adnam (Phoenix) – 11%
Angus Glover (Kings) – 7%
Best rising talent
Luke Travers (Wildcats) – 33%
Bul Kuol (Taipans) – 20%
Ousmane Dieng (Breakers) – 17%
Justinian Jessup (Hawks) – 16%
Hugo Besson (Breakers) – 10%
Who will win the championship
United – 49%
Kings – 35%
Hawks – 11%
Wildcats – 4%
Which team do you most like to beat
Wildcats – 40%
United – 33%
Kings – 19%
Phoenix – 8%
Which rival player would you sign
Bryce Cotton (Wildcats) – 49%
Xavier Cooks (Kings) – 22%
Mitch Creek (Phoenix) – 16%
Jaylen Adams (Kings) – 12%
Exclusive: NBL MVP, award finalists revealed
The NBL will unveil its end-of-season award winners next week, with the MVP title the hottest debate in the game.
Officially, Cotton, Adams, and United big man Jo Lual-Acuil are the three MVP finalists, but Cotton and Adams are the frontrunners.
So, who wins the MVP?
Cotton leads the league in scoring ahead of Adams in second position, but the Kings star is a walking stats sheet with his impact on the game at all levels.
Adams has led the Kings’ resurgence averaging 20.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds since his delayed start to the season.
Cotton will be looking to win his third straight MVP and fourth in the past five years. He could become just the second player in history to win three consecutive MVPs, joining the man the award is named in honour of, Andrew Gaze. Cotton is also leading the league in scoring at 22.4 points per game.
Other finalists are:
Lindsay Gaze Coach of the Year
Chase Buford (Sydney Kings)
Dean Vickerman (Melbourne United)
Scott Roth (Tasmania JackJumpers)
Most Improved Player
Jo Lual-Acuil (Melbourne United)
Keanu Pinder (Cairns Taipans)
Yanni Wetzell (New Zealand Breakers)
Sixth Man of the Year Presented by Marsh Insurance
Clint Steindl (Tasmania JackJumpers)
Shea Ili (Melbourne United)
Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Illawarra Hawks)
Damian Martin Trophy for the Best Defensive Player
Antonius Cleveland (Illawarra Hawks)
Shea Ili (Melbourne United)
Xavier Cooks (Sydney Kings)
Bul Kuol adding to the record! 🎯#OrangeArmy | @CairnsTaipanspic.twitter.com/QJoI4QKDvJ
— Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) April 18, 2022
Rookie of the Year Presented by Champion
Bul Kuol (Cairns Taipans)
Luke Travers (Perth Wildcats)
Ousmane Dieng (New Zealand Breakers)
***The winner of The Andrew Gaze MVP Award, along with all other awards for the 2021/22 season, will be announced next Wednesday April 27, live on ESPN.
NBL weighs up finals format as players remain torn
The NBL’s growing competitiveness and closeness could prompt the league to expand the current four-team finals format from next season.
Head office is currently looking at a host of finals models, including an NBA style play-in tournament, which the majority of team owners would like to see introduced.
These options could include expanding the finals to five or six teams for a play-in scenario to quality for the finals.
NBL players’ poll ðŸ€ðŸ‘€#NBL22https://t.co/B1quxp2cO7
— Matt Logue (@mattlogue7) April 17, 2022
It appears not all players are keen on an NBA style play-in tournament based on News Corp’s Players’ Poll.
42 of the 75 players polled said they wouldn’t like to see a play-in tournament introduced to the finals format.
33 players voted in favour of a play-in tournament – and NBL commissioner Jeremy Loeliger thinks the format would work in Australia.
“We are looking at options to include a Play-In tournament next season,” Loeliger said.
“We have seen how successful the Play-In Tournament has been in the NBA and think it would be a great addition to the NBL season.
“It will create more excitement for fans, keep teams alive for longer during the season and make the race to the finals even more tantalising.”
Bruce welcomes trash talking
Sydney Kings guard Shaun Bruce couldn’t help but laugh when he was asked about taking home the NBL’s biggest trash talker in News Corp’s players’ poll.
Bruce, who picked up a whopping 42 votes from the 75 players polled, revealed his trash talking title was also picked up in America.
“It’s funny, I woke up on the Saturday morning when the poll came out and the first person to message me about it was former Kings coach Will Weaver,” Bruce said about Weaver, who is now an NBA assistant coach at the Houston Rockets.
“Will is still reading the Aussie media and we had a laugh about it, although I was probably surprised about the number of votes I received.”
Bruce won’t wear the trash talking title as a badge of honour, but he also knows his verbal barrages on the court is just gamesmanship and never personal.
“I thought about it a bit deeper and there are not that many people left in the league who do that much talking now that Casper Ware and Bogut aren’t playing here anymore,” he said.
“A few of my old coaches used to say there is a game within a game.
“I’m not saying anything personal out there, it is just something to get my opponent off his game a little bit or thinking about me a bit more.
“To get that many votes, I guess players have reacted to what I’ve said, but as someone not as talented as other guys in the league, you take whatever you can get with them getting worried about something else.”
Remarkable final round
NBL22 has provided twists and turns at every point – and fittingly the race to the finals will come down to the final round.
Round 19 gave us more curveballs, with Tasmania keeping their Finals hopes alive against South East Melbourne.
It sets us up with a thrilling finish to the season with Round 21 set to decide the final standings and also the last spot in the Finals.
Things we know:
— The NBL (@NBL) April 19, 2022
United have 99.9% locked in top spot.
The Kings have locked in a Finals spot.
The Hawks have 99.9% locked in a Finals spot. pic.twitter.com/Rqw1UlzABl
Here is where the teams stand, and the different scenarios that could play out for each.
The scenarios below are based on the presumption that the Kings beat the Taipans on Thursday night.
This game is crucial for Sydney. A win there will take them to 19 wins and will lead to the following.
> If the Hawks beat the Wildcats on Friday – the winner of Sunday‘s game between Sydney and Illawarra will finish second. The loser would finish third.
> If the Kings win Thursday and the Hawks lose to Wildcats – Sydney lock in second place.
> Two wins for the Hawks and they lock in second place.
> If Perth beats the Hawks on Friday, they are locked into the semi-finals.
> If Perth wins twice and the Hawks beat the Kings, percentage will decide third and fourth. (Currently Hawks have about a 20-point difference over Wildcats, but that difference would be worth twice as much if Wildcats won and the Hawks lost).
> If Perth beats Illawarra on Friday night, both teams would be on 17 wins and Perth would be ahead on percentage.
> Perth can finish second but they would have to win twice and rely on the Kings losing to the Taipans on Thursday and the Hawks beating the Kings with percentage going Perth’s way.
The block that helped keep the @JackJumpers Finals dream alive!
— The NBL (@NBL) April 19, 2022
Josh Adams showed off all the (Easter) bunnies on Sunday with a potentially season-saving swat 👀 #NBL22pic.twitter.com/LwvRbWzqNF
For Tasmania to make the finals, they need the Hawks to defeat Perth on Friday night.
The JackJumpers then need to beat United by on Saturday. Then sit back and hope Phoenix beats Wildcats on Sunday and they are in.
What is Goorjian’s future?
Dorry Kordahi stepping down as the Illawarra Hawks’ president has sparked speculation around Brian Goorjian’s future as Hawks coach.
Kordahi, who lured Goorjian home from China, announced his plan to step back from the day-to-day operations at the Hawks.
He is “still committed as a co-owner” in the immediate future, but could his decision prompt off-contract Goorjian to exit Illawarra?
Kordahi has done a tremendous job rebuilding the Hawks in his two seasons at the club.
Illawarra has qualified for the finals in two straight seasons and the club is considered a genuine championship contender, but there could be change on the horizon.
MILESTONES:
The NBL’s most successful mentor will coach his 800th game on Friday night when his Illawarra Hawks take on the Wildcats in Perth.
Adelaide guard Sunday Dech will play his 100th NBL game on Friday against the South East Melbourne Phoenix.
KEY STAT:
Tasmania JackJumpers are the first expansion team in NBL history that has beaten every other team at least once in its debut season.
NBL ROUND 21 DRAW
Thursday, Apr 21 from 7.30pm (AEST) at Cairns Convection Centre and Live on ESPN and Kayo
Cairns Taipans vs Sydney Kings
Friday, Apr 22 from 7.30pm (AEST) at John Cain Arena and Live on ESPN and Kayo
South East Melbourne Phoenix vs Adelaide 36ers
9.30pm (AEST) at RAC Arena and Live on ESPN and Kayo
Perth Wildcats vs Illawarra Hawks
Saturday, Apr 23 from 5.30pm (AEST) at MyState Bank Arena and Live on ESPN and Kayo
Tasmania JackJumpers vs Melbourne United
8pm (AEST) at Cairns Convection Centre and Live on ESPN and Kayo
Cairns Taipans vs Brisbane Bullets
Sunday, Apr 24 from 1pm (AEST) at MyState Bank Arena and Live on ESPN, 10Peach and Kayo
New Zealand Breakers vs Adelaide 36ers
3pm (AEST) at Qudos Bank Arena and Live on ESPN, 10Peach and Kayo
Sydney Kings vs Illawarra Hawks
5.30pm (AEST) at RAC Arena and Live on ESPN and Kayo
Perth Wildcats vs South East Melbourne Phoenix
Originally published as Fans’ take on News Corp’s exclusive NBL Players’ Poll surprises
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