No-one was expecting miracles from the Otago Nuggets in their comeback season.
The bar was set pretty low in terms of results.
All that was really asked of this young and inexperienced team was some sign of improvement.
That would be something tangible to build on for future campaigns, especially if the wins proved hard to come by.
But nine winless games into the season, one has to ask has the programme actually gained any traction?By and large the Nuggets have not been competitive.
Their average losing margin of 22.5 points has hardly done wonders for their reputation in the league, and the team's shooting percentages are comfortably the worst in the league (37% from the floor, 63.4% from the free-throw line and 25.1% from the three-point line).
Surprise, surprise the Nuggets also have the worst offence in the league, averaging just 70 points a game.
More practice needed.
And forget the barn door, think hangar.
The closest the Nuggets have come to winning this season was a home fixture against the Southland Sharks earlier this month.
The 82-76 defeat was a quantum leap forward in terms of performance but also a painful example of how much work remains.
In a clumsy 10-minute spell, the Nuggets conceded 11 points and went into the final quarter trailing by seven points.
It was quite some turnaround.
Bumbling at its best.
There is cause for optimism, though.
Defensively the Nuggets have made incremental improvements.
Where there was a yawning gap, now there is a body - albeit a small one - trying to plug the hole.
The team seems to have a better sense of what it has to do and how best to cover its numerous deficiencies.
Players like Riki Buckrell and James Ross have made pleasing strides.
Ross is a little haphazard and awkward on defence, but you cannot fault his effort.
He adds pace and enthusiasm and lifts the tempo when he is on court.
Buckrell has plenty of potential and a touch of class about his play, and with experience he can only get better.
Fingers crossed he remains in the region because he is a real talent.
But the plain truth is the Nuggets do not have the raw material to cover all the cracks.
That was made obvious in the game against the Nelson Giants.
Their twin towers of Tony Rampton and Michael Harrison dwarfed the under-sized Nuggets.
While the likes of Matt Trueman and Tom Rowe hustled, their efforts were no substitute for the centimetres they conceded.
Nelson was able to bully its way into the paint and there was nothing Otago could do to stop the eventual rout.
They were outclassed and it was no surprise.
The Nuggets are outclassed most weeks and there is not much relief in sight.
The franchise's policy of running with a side made up from mostly local talent is starting to unravel.
Perhaps the clearest sign the Nuggets' programme is not making any ground came this week, when the captain Sam To'omata was quoted in the Southland Times saying how much he would like to play for the "Orange Roughies" next year.
Yes, he is from down that way.
But if the Nuggets start haemorrhaging talent and losing players they have invested in, then they will continue lurching from one rebuilding phase to another and sink further into the mire.
It might be time to revisit the policy.
Fielding a largely local roster is a good way to build the franchise from the ground up, but in the short to mid-term period the Nuggets need to salvage some credibility.
If that means whistling in some support from outside the region then sobeit.
Of course, money will continue to be an issue.
The Nuggets' budget has to come in at under $300,000.
It is a paltry figure and a major hurdle for the franchise.
Southland, in its debut season, has a budget of about $400,000.
You can see what an extra $100,000 gets you on court - a Luke Martin, a Martin Iti, a Gareth Dawson, a Daniel Munday and James Paringatai for a start.
But there is also a sense Southland is doing the off-court stuff that much better as well.
The crowds have been growing each week, with Stadium Southland at capacity for the derby match against the Nuggets on the weekend.
None of 2400 fans appeared concerned the Sharks have imported virtually their entire roster.
There is a lesson to be learnt in that.
And the question the Nuggets need to ask themselves is whether mere survival in the league is enough.
