Melbourne tipped as team to beat
Dan Shamir has no doubts about the side that stands between his New Zealand Breakers and the Australian NBL title in 2021.
They just signed his best player from last season, as well as probably the premier local player on the market.
Shamir is convinced he has a squad capable of going all the way to their fifth title in this expanded season that now includes eight additional games in a Victorian hub.
But to get there they are likely going to have to find a way through Dean Vickerman’s outstanding Melbourne United lineup which now includes 2019-20 Breakers MVP Scotty Hopson and 25-year-old Aussie big man Jock Landale, reputedly the highest paid local in the league.
‘‘There are a lot of good teams,’’ says Shamir of what might be the deepest lineup of clubs the league has boasted.
‘‘But Melbourne right now is probably the top team. Their backcourt of Mitch McCarron, Chris Goulding and Hopson is very creative, and they are capable of putting up 70 points on their own. Now they’ve signed Landale, and with solid rotation players, they seem to me like the best team.’’
So strong is Vickerman’s squad, he has elected to go with just the single import for the start of the season which will see them tip it all off against crosstown rivals the South East Melbourne Phoenix on Sunday. That’s a potential move he will have up his sleeve later, should injury or other issues predicate a personnel change.
Hopson’s presence in the Melbourne United lineup stings the Breakers. They went hard to re-sign him early, prepared to break the bank to return him to Atlas Place, but were rebuffed.
They then snapped up the wellperformed Lamar Patterson as a handy alternative, only to see Hopson eventually accept Melbourne’s deal when it became clear his NBA prospects were dim.
Though Shamir downplayed Hopson’s decision, it should elevate the rivalry with Melbourne even higher, with the two clubs among the early title favourites with the bookies. The Breakers open the new season against Vickerman’s side on January 15 and are based in the Victorian city for at least the first two to three months of the campaign.
Shamir cautions against writing off perennial contenders and 10-time champions the Perth Wildcats who have the wheels turning on a game-changing move.
‘‘If [league MVP] Bryce Cotton gets his Australian citizenship it looks like
they could have Bryce as a local, then bring back Miles Plumlee as an import alongside John Mooney. That would change things markedly.
‘‘There are no bad teams. South East Melbourne are strong, with Keifer Sykes at the point, good shooters around him and Ben Moore at the four. The Hawks are interesting, and have an advantage with a Next Star (Justinian Jessup)
who’s an import-level guy. [Brian] Goorjian is very defence-minded and they’re going to be aggressive and active. Even Adelaide with Donald Sloan and Tony Crocker and a solid local squad, they’re also good.
‘‘It’s going to be a very competitive league and this is how I like it.’’
Shamir has basically had a month, and five pre-season games, to get his
squad up to speed from their Melbourne base. Patterson only arrived recently after a deep playoff run in Puerto Rico, but the coach has no concerns regarding his Kiwi core melding with the new additions (experienced American sevenfooter Colton Iverson, Dane Rasmus Bach and Aussie big Dan Trist complete the main roster).
‘‘We have a very good team. There are
not a lot of unknowns. Our guys are proven, experienced, and we have a strong core that knows how we’re playing, knows our coverages, our system. Lamar is a guy you can rely on; Colton knows how to play this kind of system.
‘‘I’m not afraid of good signings in other places. I want to compete against good teams.’’