Shamir and Breakers up against it
Pre-warned is one thing, the reality something else altogether. And right about now Dan Shamir is discovering first hand the peculiar challenge that exists preparing the New Zealand Breakers for the Australian NBL season.
The new Breakers head coach and his men tip off their preseason campaign in Hobart tonight against the red-hot Melbourne United side ahead of what is tipped to be the most competitive ANBL season there has ever been.
Shamir, an Israeli league veteran, arrived in New Zealand with a lofty reputation. But even he cannot work miracles. He had one practice with his full squad before they headed to Tasmania and will send them out for their Blitz opener barely knowing each other’s names, let alone the the complex systems he plans to introduce for 2019-20.
The new Breakers clipboard man merely inherits a scenario all his predecessors have had to work around. Half of Shamir’s fully contracted squad are Tall Blacks, which means they’ve only just returned from World Cup duty in China. Of the other six, just one – springy combo guard Jarrad Weeks – is a returning Breaker.
So, with three new imports, 18-year-old Rising Stars poster boy RJ Hampton, Aussie-Lebanon backup big man Ater Majok and those half-dozen internationals with that single practice under their belts, Shamir must squeeze what he would like to be a lengthy period of instruction and teambuilding into just a few short weeks ahead of the season proper opening on October 18 at the Sydney Kings.
The Breakers follow tonight’s clash against Melbourne with a Sunday matchup against new chums SouthEast Melbourne Phoenix in Hobart, before heading to the mainland for games at the Adelaide 36ers (Sept 24) and Sydney Kings (Sept 26).
It’s a preparation fast-track ahead of the twin NBA pre-season games at the Memphis Grizzlies (October 9) and Oklahoma City Thunder (October 11), and then the real thing which follows soon after.
Just to compound matters, Shamir’s star Kiwi shooting guard, World Cup standout Corey Webster, has arrived back seeking a release to take up an offer in Turkey, which the club is denying him despite a US$125,000 buyout being offered.
The Kiwi club says it’s far too late notice to cut a player of Webster’s ilk loose without major reparation which this doesn’t classify as.
Webster has conceded the matter has clouded his mind ahead of the pre-season programme but has pledged to ‘‘be a professional’’ about whatever resolution is
agreed between player, agents and club. At this stage the Breakers, and Shamir, are adamant he is on board for this season, and are proceeding as such with the Tall Blacks sharpshooter part of a loaded backcourt alongside Hampton, import Sek Henry and the dynamic Weeks.
● Meanwhile Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie is out of action for up to three weeks having suffered a small tear his quadricep in training.
Tall Blacks teammate Ethan Rusbatch from Canterbury who was a standout for New Zealand at the recent FIBA World Cup in China, has been called into the roster as a nominated replacement player.
That means there are now seven current Tall Blacks on the Breakers roster.
Under NBL rules, all teams can call in up to four players at any time during the season to cover for injuries.
‘‘We knew going in this would be a challenging pre-season,’’ Shamir told Stuff.