Round 12 of the Hungry Jack’s NBL26 season was not kind to the Brisbane Bullets.<\/p>\n
They fell to both Illawarra and Perth by double-digits, seeing their losing streak extend to six games.<\/p>\n
Add in the fact that head coach Stu Lash said last week that the club was “evaluating everything”, and there’s a sense that a change is looming at the three-time champions.<\/p>\n
One who believes the Bullets have a \u201creally hard decision\u201d to make is former star Derek Rucker, who won the NBL\u2019s 1990 MVP while in Brisbane.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it [hiring Stu Lash] was a high-risk move, and one that probably was not going to bear the type of fruit required to get into the post-season,\u201d Rucker said on Monday\u2019s episode of Moments That Mattered, presented by Mitsubishi Motors.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut they went with it. They felt it was the right move.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was somewhat disrespectful to the league to think that you can just bring in someone who really doesn’t know the league well enough to try and win basketball games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not Stu Lash’s fault. He was asked to do the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course you’re going to take the position. But it requires so much more.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe NBL is such a tough league to win in and be successful in.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s highly scouted, and you’ve got to understand the style of play in our league, which is so unique and so fascinating.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou only have to look at this last round to understand how difficult it is to navigate wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut right now, the Bullets have some really hard decisions to make. What direction do they go?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
One who echoed Rucker\u2019s honest sentiments was NBL champion Damon Lowery, who also called the hiring as \u201cdisrespectful\u201d.<\/p>\n
“It’s almost disrespectful to the coaching position, the title of coach to bring in a guy who’s never done it before at any level,\u201d Lowery said on NBL Overtime.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt least Justin Tatum had coached at high school. Whereas, Stu Lash hasn’t done any of that. So does he go back to the manager or a consultant like he was last season? Maybe that\u2019s probably best.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll that aside, I’m looking at the players. What are you guys going do? You’re the ones who shoot the ball, as Stu can’t go out there and do it for you.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe can’t go out there and get back on defence for you. I’m looking at the players. I’m questioning everybody’s character right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Bullets will look to end their six-game skid when they travel to John Cain Arena to face South East Melbourne on Saturday from 8pm AEDT, live on ESPN.<\/p>\n
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