Top coach Kelly in NBL limbo
MIKE Kelly is a basketball coach in a unique situation.
The second-year Snakes mentor has lifted his club into the finals and won the coach of the year trophy in a landslide.
But, if Cairns are sent packing by the Perth Wildcats, Kelly has no certainty around his coaching future, with his two-year contract set to expire at the end of this campaign.
All season, the 52-yearold has said negotiations between he and the club were positive.
But it does present a curious circumstance: arguably the best coach in the NBL right now is not locked up into season 2020-21 and beyond.
In Perth, the Wildcats believe the inclusion of former NBA big man Miles Plumlee will be the x-factor they need to advance past Cairns in the semi-finals.
The Snakes won the season series against the defending champions 2-1, but all three meetings occurred before Plumlee landed in Australia.
THE Perth Wildcats believe the inclusion of former NBA big man Miles Plumlee will be the x-factor they need to advance past Cairns in the NBL semi-finals.
The Snakes won the season series against the defending champions 2-1 in NBL 2019-20, but all three of the meetings between the two clubs occurred before Plumlee landed in Australia.
Plumlee, who spent almost a decade in the NBA, replaced struggling import centre Dario Hunt mid-season.
With six wins from their past seven games since Plumlee joined the team, Perth skipper Damian Martin says the imposing centre will be key against the Snakes.
In a scary prospect for the rest of the NBL finalists, Martin thinks Plumlee’s best performances are still ahead of him.
“We have got someone who can match-up with Cairns’s big guys, as well as Majok Majok; we are really happy with who we have got at the five spot,” Martin said.
“Miles adds the extra bit of height and gives us a different look, throwing lobs or giving him space to work under the basket. His best basketball is still to come for us.
“He has seven games under his belt now and I think he is comfortable about what it means to be a Wildcats player; he is an amazing player and a great teammate.
“Hopefully it all can click against Cairns.”
Martin, regarded as one of the best defenders in NBL history, described Plumlee as an excellent defensive player, who can genuinely switch through all five positions.
Experienced Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson is happy with the form his club takes into the playoffs. “You want momentum going into the finals,” Gleeson said.
“In championships we’ve won in the past, we’ve gone through the last weekend playing great basketball.
“The times we have struggled, we didn’t finish the season well and got put out straight away.
“We’ve had four playofftype games, tough, and that’s what you want. I couldn’t draw it up any better.”
Wildcats skipper Martin, who has battled with a heel injury for much of the season, says their scout for the threegame series starts and finishes with NBL MVP runner-up Scott Machado.
“There is a reason why he was first team all NBL and why he was Fans’ MVP, and why the Taipans are playing finals basketball,” Martin said.
“It is not just about the production he puts on the board, he also makes the four guys on the court better, he brings them into the game and gets them open looks in favourable positions so they can play to their strengths.
“He just makes his teammates better and they have been able to step up while he is out on the court.
“He has been fantastic this year and he is a huge part of what they will do in the postseason against us.”