An optimist would say it is the perfect opportunity to get a bit of exercise. And that is exactly the attitude Otago Nuggets coach Alf Arlidge is taking.
The Nuggets, who have lost their opening seven matches this season, face the prospect of playing the Southland Sharks tonight without their two best players.
American imports Antoine Tisby and Tyler Amaya have been named in the side, but the chances of them both playing are not good.
Tisby has a foot injury and is rated a slim chance to play, while Amaya is still feeling ill from an assault which left him with stitches in the back of his head and a swollen face.
Amaya rates his chances of taking the court at the Edgar Centre tonight as "50-50". He had a light training session on Thursday night and did some shooting yesterday. But the 27-year-old swingman was still struggling to focus, Arlidge said, adding the prospects of Tisby playing were low.
"I think [Tisby] is probably about a 20% chance of playing. But I don't think he will play," he said.
Tisby had a scan on his right foot to check for broken bones on Wednesday. The scan did not reveal any fractures but that was not necessarily good news, Arlidge said.
"It didn't show anything but he still has a lot of pain.
"We are going to assess both of them at lunchtime [today]. We'll run them through some plays and see how they go from there."
The Nuggets can expect a tough time without the pair. Tisby is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 23.5 points and 10.3 rebounds.
When he is on the court, the 2.03m centre tends to dominate proceedings for the Nuggets. In the six games he has played, he has scored 141 of the 420 points - that is 33.5% of the points. He has also accumulated 62 of the 222 rebounds (27.9%).
Without him, the Nuggets lack an inside presence. Amaya has also been a productive scorer, averaging 20.4 points, and he leads the assists for the franchise.
"You can find positives in anything," Arlidge said, adding it was a great opportunity for his young charges to match themselves against a useful Southland side.
"We sat down before the game last week and talked about what we have and haven't achieved so far in the season. And we just thought, well, how many other 19 or 20-year-old kids in other teams get to play as much?
"I just think the experience they are getting now will be good for the franchise, I really do. Obviously, this year is going to be very, very difficult."
The Sharks have made a splash in their debut season with three wins from eight matches. Had it not been for three close losses, the Invercargill-based team would find itself towards the top of the competition ladder. Instead, it is in eighth place.
The team has enjoyed great support from the community with crowds of between 1500 and 2400 filing into Stadium Southland to shout themselves hoarse.
Experienced guard Luke Martin will pose a stern challenge for Nuggets captain and point guard Sam To'omata, and American import Rene Rougeau has been improving each week for the Sharks.
The arrival of Mike Helms should improve the Sharks' offence. He was a standout performer for the now-defunct Singapore Slingers in the Australian NBL and is expected to make a similar impact on the New Zealand league.
NUGGETS v SHARKS
- Edgar Centre, tonight, 7pm
> Otago Nuggets: Antoine Tisby, Tyler Amaya, Matt Gillan, Steve Robinson, Sam To'omata, James Ross, Riki Buckrell, Tom Rowe, Matt Trueman, Luke Aston, Hayden Miller, Tim Coudret.
> Southland Sharks: Rene Rougeau, Martin Iti, Luke Martin, Gareth Dawson, James Paringatai, Ian Cathcart, Daniel Munday, Paratene McLeod, Pete Burgess, Andrew Wheeler, Tavita Bauer, Mike Helms.
