FORDE VOWS ‘NO DAYS OFF’ TO REPAY FANS

CAIRNS Taipans are one game away from the off-season but coach Adam Forde won’t be having a break after enduring another lacklustre loss in front of a loyal home crowd.

As Cairns sunk to 8-19 after a disappointing 87-77 loss to Sydney Kings, Forde was taken aback by the unwavering support of the Orange Army for whom, the coach said, the team simply hadn’t delivered.

“I’ve said it multiple times before: we’re not delivering,” he said.

“(But) no one left. This is a remarkable fan base. This is my third club and depending on what city you’re in the criticism is always different depending on the history of the club, the momentum the team’s on.

“We are not delivering the product the fan base deserves.”

Majok Deng has been one of many Taipans to experience an uneven season. The 29-year-old scored no points in the first half on Thursday before finishing with 13 – after the Kings had already established a sizeable lead.

While a scoring cold-streak was something Forde could handle, the defensive-minded coach was more concerned about his forward’s energy on stoppages.

“(It’s the) same message every week. It’s the same message every week,” Forde said.

“I mean that’s part of his job description. If we talk about job descriptions in that position as a four man, ideally I want you to be able to defend the other four man. I want you to get rebounds, I want you to protect the rim, I want to be able to switch out and defend the perimeter.

“I need you to be able to communicate, talk and protect the on-ball screens.

“Just all the non-negotiables on the defensive end – you can control those every week, and then be aggressive on the offence end.”

In Cairns’ last four losses, Deng has averaged 12 points, but has notched just over one defensive rebound a game.

Deng, and fellow scorer Mirko Djeric, are the only two players already contracted to the Taipans for next year.

Forde said he was less concerned with the upcoming finale against the Brisbane Bullets – a team Cairns has beaten all season – and more focused on NBL23 for the sake of Cairns’ loyal fan base.

“I’ve made a commitment that this is going to be one of the hardest working off-season’s myself and the staff are going to conduct,” he said.

“People (are) coming up, shaking my hand saying, ‘good job’ – (I think) ‘did you watch the same game I did?’

“It’s unbelievable – you just want to reward the support everybody gives us here and we’re definitely not doing that.

“We’ve got to reward them with something more sustainable and long term, that’s what we owe them.”

Cairns will host the Bullets on Saturday night to finish the season.