NBL 2013/14: November Power Rankings
1. (1) Perth Wildcats (10-1)
The Wildcats just keep on rolling with their amazing 10-1 start to the year. James Ennis is starring, but they also have an incredibly deep team of role players that can step up at any given time with special mentions to Shawn Redhage, Damian Martin and Jermaine Beal.
A team that you will be hearing a lot of throughout the season and down the stretch come playoff time. This is just another number one spot which they won’t intend on losing.
2. (3) Adelaide 36ers (8-2)
Adelaide has produced a very sweet November which clearly sits them in second on the NBL table and second in The Pick and Roll’s Power Rankings. Gary Ervin and Daniel Johnson have consistently led the team to a five and zero November record, and are also riding a six straight win streak.
The next month is crucial for the Sixers if they want to have a chance at catching the Wildcats for top spot, however they certainly have the ability to run with the ‘Cats as they proved that in their recent win which handed Perth their only loss for the season.
3. (4) Sydney Kings (4-4)
With A.J. Ogilvy standing tall in the middle, the Kings have built a steady team which look to be a real underdog contender this season. What makes them look even better is their recent signing in ex-NBA player Sam Young.
Young will brings to the table a bit of everything and will only improve each game he plays in the purple uniform. The Kings sit in third above the Tigers despite their dreadful 40-point loss to Perth as they have really shown a lot more potential.
4. (6) Melbourne Tigers (4-5)
Melbourne has been up and down this season with a recent reliability on Chris Goulding to provide a high percentage on the team’s offence. Although Goulding is a standout player and in discussions for the MVP, giving him the ball every time certainly isn’t the way the Tigers want to be running their offense.
New import Mustapha Farrakhan Jr hasn’t impacted the game as much as the Tigers would have liked however in time they are looking for him to fill a role. Melbourne blew a couple of very winnable games over the past month, in particular a double digit home loss to Townsville.
5. (7) New Zealand Breakers (4-6)
The Breakers have found a rhythm despite their poor start to the season. While their big players haven’t quite burst onto the scene like the year’s gone by, the team is slowly starting to click with wins over Melbourne and Townsville.
Thomas Abercrombie is a player to watch over December as he really needs to find his game if the Breakers are to be legitimate contenders again this season, with his past three outings much better than his start to the season.
6. (5) Townsville Crocodiles (3-5)
A team that has flown under many media outlets over the past month, the Crocs are facing a massive stretch ahead of them if they are to see themselves take a step into playoff contention. A record of 2-3 in November, Townsville knocked off Melbourne and the Breakers.
They face a tough home stand first up with the surging Sixers coming to town, with two winnable games following with a trip to Cairns and a home game against the Tigers. While it doesn’t look like they were jump up the table immediately, the Crocs will need to win tough games before daylight may be seen at the end of the tunnel.
7. (8) Wollongong Hawks (2-7)
Wollongong was the laughing stock of the NBL when they copped a 40-point hiding to the then undefeated Perth Wildcats. Since then they have bounced back to force respectable margins despite failing to grab multiple wins this month.
As they topped the struggling Cairns Taipans for their solitary win in November and climbed off the bottom of the table, the Hawks grab seventh spot in our Power Rankings.
8. (2) Cairns Taipans (2-7)
After what was such a positive start to the tall timber of the Cairns Taipans, they have seemed to have lost their mojo. Although centre Alex Loughton put in a big month for the Snakes, the team dropped all six games in November to slide to the bottom of our Power Rankings.
The problem isn’t that they stay competitive in games. The problem is they fail to finish any sort of positive position they achieve throughout the first three and a half quarters.
Games against Melbourne (twice), Sydney and Perth (twice) may seem to be reasonable losses to some; however the real eye-opener was the home defeat to the Wollongong Hawks. The team will need to have a massive December in store if they are to turnaround their misfortunes.