Hoops

Shane Heal - average coach?

You've got to think that when opposing teams fans stick up for him and say he's doing an ok job, that's got to count for something...

Is he perfect? No... But which coach is? Has he signed a couple of players that he's buddies with instead of possibly other options? Maybe... It could be said that they're more known quantities to him as much as buddies and I'm sure that as a coach, that's something... Allen's signing was a bit lineball... as has been mentioned, Shane managed to get a lot out of him in QBL, but since then, in the NBL, it hasn't translated... As a last minute back up when there weren't any other options around (unless Burston was still available at the time) then maybe worth the risk, knowing that Ellis was coming... If he could have gotten even a little bit more out of him, it would have been a success, but I think he's getting the minute (or less) he deserves...

That's not to take anything away from the job he's done with the players he's got... I think Garlepp has come along greatly from when he first started and is working really well with AJ and is more capable now of shouldering some of the scoring and hustle burden... Hill has shown glimpes of fulfilling the potential he's had, but I'm not sure how much flack a coach can take for him missing easy put backs or not hustling... IF he continues to develop and improves over the year, win... If not, well, we re-assess...

I see Ben Allens name mentioned a bit and about how bad he is

Shane actually coached him in the QBL for Ipswich 2 years ago.If Shane has gone ahead and signed him what does that say about him.

To be fair I'm not sure Bruce could have really stuck around after the social media episode with the home & away douche but he would have been just as good as the Import from what I have seen so far of Sydney.

Will Ellis start?

"Also...you try coaching a team with Ben Allen on it and see how far you get. The guy was the worst player on the worst Crocs' team of all time. Anyone who wins a game with him getting minutes deserves enshrinement in Springfield."

^ love this comment

From what I've seen of Heal so far he can get a team to overachieve and create an us against the world mentality. Whether he can take the next step time will tell as it is early in his career. Basketball wise he runs his players off a LOT of screens but think part of AJ not getting the ball is more the players rather than the coach. Think bringing in Cotter as an assistant was a smart move by him

"I don't buy into him 'punching above his weight' either. When talking about 'punching above their weight' the Wollongong Hawks come to mind, not the Sydney Kings. He is leading a very strong brand, with responsibility comes expectation and so far he has been underwhelming as a head coach in the NBL."

very fair comment.

"A losing record last season with the Kings and losing record with the South Dragons also suggest that he is out of his depth as a coach."

Cassie, Perth and NZ were the only teams with winning records last season... Were 75% of NBL coaches out of their depth?

Cassie, NZ won game 1 at Vector and game 2 in Perth to win the 3rd title.

Lol... I love it when idiots say "Facts are facts" right after making a stupid comment like "Beveridge lost his job after losing game 3 of the finals to the NZ Breakers for a 3peat."

Heal isn't perfect, he's made some mistakes, but I think everyone agrees that given the team he's had the last two seasons, not what he's done years ago, has proven that he's a decent coach... Like someone said above, it's a big difference between coaching a stacked team and a team where you need to get 120% out of to get the wins, it would be interesting to see how he'd go with a roster as stacked (and paid for) as the 36ers...

"I would not employ Heal. Who wants a head coach with a tattoo visible throughout broadcasts. It is highly unprofessional."

Nana can you please stay off the Forums!!!

Seems he hasn't beaten Joey Wright yet, Maher and Carfino mentioned on Ch10 yesterday.

I think Heal has done a pretty good job. The only thing that sticks out for me is the need for Ogilvy to get more shots. He's shooting 52.5% from the field and just under 90% on FT's but hasn't attempted more than 14 shots in a game. If they can get him up around 18-20 shots a game I think that would have a big effect.

Heal is not average. He is punching above his weight.

Gleeson has easily the most talented lineup in the NBL with the core group coming off an incredibly successful program by Bevo. Nothing against Gleeson's coaching abilities, but it's not a fair comparison.