Henare faults Breakers for being ‘too nice’
"We're such a nice bunch a guys that at times we can be too nice to the detriment of the team." Breakers coach Paul Henare
The Breakers have welcomed in the new year by delivering a few home truths in an attempt to revive their stuttering Australian NBL campaign.
Coach Paul Henare was left questioning his players’ mindset after last week’s defeat to Adelaide as they failed to get out of third gear in the first three quarters before staging a late, but ultimately unsuccessful, rally.
That was their fifth loss in seven games since returning from the international break and the team that looked near-unstoppable during their 9-1 start to the season is in danger of becoming a distant memory.
The Breakers (11-6) are a tight bunch. It was one of the main factors behind their early-season success.
Yet now they are under adversity, Henare feels the strong camaraderie within the squad has the potential to become a weakness.
‘‘We’re such a nice bunch a guys that at times we can be too nice to the detriment of the team and how we’re performing on the floor,’’ Henare said. ‘‘So a little bit of accountability is what we have been looking for. Not being a dickhead about it but going about it the right way in terms of ‘this what we’re supposed to be doing’.’’
The Breakers enter Sunday’s home clash against Cairns in third position on the table, one game behind the league-leading Perth Wildcats and two ahead of the fourth-placed 36ers.
Henare is not paying too much attention to the standings, though. He is far more concerned about rediscovering their hard edge.
‘‘We just need to get back to playing some good hoops,’’ he said. ‘‘We’ve been asking for that and searching for that over the last few weeks but the last thing we want to get caught up in is looking at the table and getting the old calculator out.
‘‘We play Cairns on Sunday and that’s the most important game of the season right now. It’s a cliche but it helps us stay focused on what’s important.’’
Come tip-off time against the Taipans, it would have been nine days since their previous game.
The last time the Breakers were inactive for that long was during the Fiba international window in November, which triggered their mid-season slump.
But with everyone on deck in Auckland this week, he feels the lay-off will prove to be beneficial on this occasion.
‘‘That has been the biggest difference, that we can spend some time in front of the video, get on the practice floor and try and figure out a few things that have shown up the last few weeks,’’ he said.