Crosscourt: All the biggest talking points out of the week’s NBL action
The NBL brought in a tougher interpretation in a bid to speed up the game. But some stars say the referees are now more guilty than the players. LIKES, DISLIKES
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The referees are holding up the game more than the players, prompting calls for the NBL to reconsider its tough stance on its Delay of Game interpretation.
That’s the emphatic message from NBL players and fans alike following another frustrating round of wasted minutes.
A host of NBL stars took to social media to vent their frustrations about the referees continually calling a ‘Delay of Game’.
The general consensus is that the officials need to have a better feel for the game.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TIGHTENED RULE INTERPRETATION? SCROLL DOWN TO TELL US I THE COMMENT BOX BELOW
Nothing delays the game more then the ref blowing the whistle to call “delay of game†😂
— Antonius Cleveland (@ac_uno1) October 27, 2022
“Nothing delays the game more than the ref blowing the whistle to call ‘delay of game’,” 36ers import Antonius Cleveland said.
Kings guard Dejan Vasiljevic and United import Xavier Rathan-Mayes shared Cleveland’s opinion via social media.
Omg I didn’t wanna say it 🤣🤣🤣 They delaying it more then us https://t.co/BxqyPTtF1I
— XRM 22 (@xrm_22) October 27, 2022
Lol no logic what so ever . They gotta chill
— Antonius Cleveland (@ac_uno1) October 27, 2022
@NBL this delay of game bs is getting out of hand 🙄 needs to change ASAP!
— Dejan Vasiljevic (@3jvasiljevic) October 27, 2022
League officials maintain they informed all 10 clubs during the pre-season that they would be placing an emphasis on delaying the game.
Teams were told: “Referees will be directed to issue a delay of game if a player shoots the ball after a call is made when it does not involve an act of shooting situation.”
The league insists “on the right track”, but the referees are clearly making delay of game calls that are incorrect and players are becoming increasingly annoyed because it’s impacting the game’s flow.
NBL’S LITTLE-KNOWN IMPORT CLAUSE
Some of the NBL’s new imports only have three rounds left to save their jobs.
The league’s 10 clubs have the option to include an eight-week probation period into a new import’s contract.
If such a player is let go during the probationary period, he will be paid one month’s salary in lieu of notice, together with the reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses immediately upon notification of his contract’s termination.
Where a club seeks to end the employment of such a player after the conclusion of the probationary period, then it must be done in the same way it would with any other player.
Melbourne United import forward Jordan Caroline headlines a list of star attractions under pressure, although Crosscourt understands that he isn’t on probation.
It’s believed Caroline is on a guaranteed contract, meaning United will have to negotiate a payout, should the club choose to cut him.
The American-born forward, who is likely facing an extended stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, is on the outer because he isn’t a good fit in the wake of centre Ariel Hukporti’s season-ending injury.
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Caroline has averaged just 5.5 points and 6.7 rebounds while shooting a lowly 27 per cent from the field.
At 201cm, he has been forced to play as an undersized five for much of his stint.
Caroline joins the likes of Brady Manek (Perth), injured forward Devondrick Walker (Bullets) and Craig Randall II (36ers) as new imports under pressure.
Manek had lofty expectations after excelling in college at North Carolina but he has struggled, highlighted on Friday night when he scored just four points in a loss to South East Melbourne.
Randall has proved he can play, but he is inconsistent and his attitude and temperament has been questioned, as shown when he had a heated exchange with coach CJ Bruton at halftime during the 36ers’ loss to New Zealand.
DISLIKES
DISLIKE: BROWNE’S ONLINE ABUSE
Just stop it.
The personal abuse directed at NBL players online is beyond disgusting.
Morons feel they can slide into players’ DMs and spit absolute hatred at them after games.
Take one muppet targeted South East Melbourne import Gary Browne on Friday night.
Browne, who has only just made his Phoenix debut after dealing with a knee injury, received these shocking messages:
“Tear your ACL and never play again you weak piece of s---. Complete dog s---, hope you die.”
Horrid.
Browne posted it to his Instagram story, accompanied by the words “Praying for a downfall don’t make you religious #StayWithOrGetLost” before later deleting it.
Sydney Kings guard Dejan Vasiljevic received death threats after hitting the winning bucket against Tasmania in game two of last year’s NBL grand final.
Crosscourt understands players regularly receive online vitriol from mug punters who have lost money on statistical props bets.
It has to stop.
SIXERS, RANDALL IMPLODE
Frustrations reached boiling point at halftime when Randall and coach CJ Bruton were caught on camera exchanging strong words about the team’s poor first-half performance.
The young import attempted to storm off as Bruton grabbed him on the arm.
There’s a talent trap for this Sixers team. With Randall, Robert Franks, Antonius Cleveland, Mitch McCarron and Daniel Johnson, there are so many mouths to feed on the offensive end – one, or more of them must swallow their pride, sacrifice, and give up good shots for great ones.
Pre-season, there was talk of ‘championship or bust’ for this team and, while there is still a ton of basketball to play out, that certainly wasn’t the performance of a team which, not a month ago, defeated an NBA club.
LIKES
Some pass to cap off a stunning half for Shaun Bruce. It all came up Bruce - even on those two missed free throws - offensive board led to a Cooks dunk. Pretty special way to celebrate your birthday for Kouat Noi, too. pic.twitter.com/s5HgWvXHXX
— Michael Randall (@MickRandallHS) October 29, 2022
PERFECT PASS FOR BIRTHDAY BOY’S GAME-WINNER
Bruce produced a pearler of a dime from the baseline with just 0.9 seconds left on the clock.
The dish was so good that it found Noi right on the chest – and the former Taipan produced a game-winning bucket as the perfect postscript to his birthday celebrations.
Shout out to the cheeky Sydney Kings ball kid who waved goodbye to the Cairns bench as the players celebrated the buzzer beater.
SOBEY FINDS MOJO
Bullets guard Nathan Sobey displayed his finest in a big win over Illawarra on Thursday and he can’t be forgotten when it comes to selection for the Boomers at next year’s World Cup.
The Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist missed most of last season with a serious knee injury and had been enduring a slow start to the 2022-23 campaign as he completed his gruelling comeback to full fitness.
But Sobey showed he was back to his best against the Hawks with a masterclass that featured 22-points, five-assists and two-steals on seven-of-ten shooting, guiding Brisbane to a 2-5 record after its 0-5 start to the season.
He still has his sights on donning the green and gold for Australia at the World Cup.
“I‘d love to be playing there but I’ve just got to focus on what we’re trying to do here and it’s trying to get the body right when that break comes, and enjoy that little bit and be ready for the second part of the year,” Sobey said.
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Originally published as Crosscourt: All the biggest talking points out of the week’s NBL action
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