Leap Of Faith
Tagged in: NBL
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Even as he became the winningest coach in league history last season, Nenad Vucinic learnt a thing or two about following his gut instinct.
That lesson has resulted in perhaps the most unexpected break-up of the 2007 Dominion Finance NBL so far, one that has seen Vucinic cut well-performed American Faron Hand from the Blue Chip Nelson Giants.
ìFaron is a good player and a good person,î insists Vucinic. ìHe has worked hard to get fit.
ìI just felt after the first seven games, the composition of this team was not enough for us to contend for the title and the imports are the only things we could really change.
ìIt was a tough decision, probably the toughest I have had to make in terms of replacing someone, because I respect him as a player and a person. I just didnít think it was the right mix.î
For sure, Hand (33) has been a pretty solid contributor for the 5-2 Giants, averaging 17.7 points (47.6% FG, 73.9% FT, 28.1% 3pt), 7.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists. At times, he has been outstanding Ö like the night he had 28 points (10/16 FG, 8/8 FT) in a 74-83 road loss to Youthtown Auckland Stars.
His biggest weakness, it seems, was that Hand was too much like frontcourt running mate Ed Book, not exactly gazelle-like in the open court. In the past couple of seasons, Vucinic has tried to introduce a more up-tempo system in Nelson, but that was simply not possible with both Hand and Book in his starting line-up.
ìI felt I could only have one of them on court at a time. But then I would have to play guys like Mika [Vukona] or Mark [Jones] out of position at ëfourí when they are really ëthreesí.î
Throughout this whole thought process, the new NZ Tall Black coach could also hear a nagging voice from the back of his mind, reminding him he had been here before, only 12 months ago, when he allowed American Eric Freeman to become a liability down the stretch.
Freeman, too, had been one of the leagueís best statistical performers (21.8 points, 57.5% FG, 84.6% FT, 53.1% 3pt & 7.8 rebounds) halfway through the regular season and was still in the Player Power Rankingsí Top 10 entering the semifinals. As the time the Giants bowed 82-88 to the Bay Hawks, though, he had lost his coach’s favour, managing just nine points and four rebounds in 18 minutes.
ìI had a bad feeling about his ability to perform under pressure and was proved right as the season went on,î recalls Vucinic. ìI didnít make the decision and paid the price.î
He knows itís a gamble that may or may not pay off. At 2.03m/90kg, replacement Marcus Watts (23) is surely taller, younger and more athletic than Hand, who will now trial for Gisborne-based Turanga Health Rising Suns in the Conference Basketball League.
But bringing in a new ìbigî at this stage of the season does leave the Giants exposed in their home encounter with the massive U Park It Waikato Pistons frontline – Pero Cameron, Ben Hill, Mike Homik, and Americans Jason Fraser and Kevin Smith – on Friday.
Watts, who hails from the University of Tennessee and most recently played in Denmark, only arrived in Nelson this week and will likely struggle initially to pick up the Giantsí schemes.
ìWe will probably go backwards at first,î concedes Vucinic. ìBut if we can get to the playoffs, hopefully we will be stronger for it.
ìIíve seen some tape of Marcus Ö he may not be as good a player as Faron, I donít know, but I did like his energy and his enthusiasm.î
Dominion Finance NBL Guide (Round Seven) (pdf 1.2KB)
