Extra time perfect for injured Bullets
THE Brisbane Bullets will make the most of a 10-day gap between NBL games as they wait on the fitness of two stars and try to forget about a poor last-start loss.
Adam Gibson (calf) and Perrin Buford (achilles) are both in doubt for the Bullets’ home clash with Cairns on Sunday and did not take part in a full-scale scrimmage at training yesterday.
But with a full eight days to rest between the 112-81 loss to Illawarra and Sunday’s visit from the Taipans, Brisbane coach Andrej Lemanis is optimistic about their return.
He also said the break would help the club reset after a long run of action dating back to an October 13 NBA pre-season clash in Phoenix.
Brisbane played five NBL games in 15 days after returning from the US, mixing good with bad to currently sit in seventh with a 2-4 record.
“From last game to this game we’ve had time ... to regroup, work on some things and just spend some time at home,” Lemanis said.
“For me it’s always about process and performance and up until last Friday’s game I thought we’d done OK managing what we need to.
“I’m hoping that was just a bit of an outlier in terms of performance, because it wasn’t where we needed to be.”
Gibson and Buford will be tested thoroughly by medical staff tomorrow, which is when Lemanis will have a better idea of their involvement against the Taipans.
Cairns (3-5) sit one spot higher than the Bullets and have won only one of their past six games with star centre Nate Jawai (foot) sidelined.
“I don’t buy too much into that,” Lemanis said of Cairns’ vulnerable state. “We can’t control how they come in and often on the back of some losses teams come in with a bit of focus and bit of an edge.”