Ware’s woes rock Kings
Sydney talisman struggling to find his range
SYDNEY coach Will Weaver needs to unravel the “historic” free throw frequency of Perth NBL superstar Bryce Cotton and ignite a spark in struggling Kings guard Casper Ware.
The two American backcourt aces are at opposite ends of the form scale after three games of the best-of-five grand final series.
Perth leads 2-1 in a series in which every game has been won by the away team, and could wrap up a tenth title — and a fifth in seven seasons — with a home victory at RAC Arena on Friday.
The last two games have been closed to the public because of the coronavirus outbreak, and it remains unclear whether the series will be completed. Cotton, who recently won his second league season MVP award, has averaged 30 points a game to Ware’s eight, with the latter making only one of 23 three-pointers.
Cotton has made 26 trips to the free throw line, missing just one, and has visited the charity stripe 11 times more than any other player. Ware has had only six free throws across the series and none in Sunday’s 111-96 loss to Perth in Sydney.
Weaver said Sydney’s inability to avoid fouling Cotton had become both a distraction and a fixation for the Kings.
“He (Cotton) is drawing fouls at a rate that’s got to be historic,” Weaver said after Perth’s win. “But I can’t imagine that there’s been a player, certainly not as small (as 182cm Cotton), that’s drawn fouls like this, especially when you consider the fact that he never drives to the rim, it’s all floaters and jumpers. We’ve got to figure out ways to get Casper to operate in the same kind of environment.
“To not earn any foul shots, you never see it go through the net, you never get to rest. It’s a challenging battle to engage in and it definitely distracted us.”
Asked if he was frustrated by the referring calls or just his players’ frequent fouling of Cotton, Weaver said: “I don’t feel like it’s appropriate for me to comment on that.”
Ware’s teammates still have faith in his offensive ability, despite his shooting woes.
“It’s not just on Casper to make plays, it’s on us all, but we have faith that it’s going to turn for him,” Kings guard Shaun Bruce said.