The Otago Nuggets have taken a more compassionate route.
Star point guard JaQuori McLaughlin has not made the start list for tonight’s final round-robin game against the Taranaki Airs in Dunedin.
He is very unlikely to be fit for the playoffs, either.
His troublesome knee was in a brace earlier in the week. His season looks done.
The Nuggets have played down his injury for weeks.
Perhaps they wanted to keep the other teams guessing. Perhaps they took a punt his knee would come right. Perhaps, once Tall Black point guard Tai Webster arrived, it was no longer such a pressing issue.
Maybe it was all of the above.
But a more calculating approach would have seen them sever ties with the 25-year-old American and replace him with a forward two or three weeks ago.
The Nuggets have certainly got enough guards. They could start a cult with the number of little guys they have buzzing around. And an extra big would have come in very handy.
McLaughlin has been sidelined since the 93-84 loss to the Auckland Tuatara in Dunedin in mid-May, so management had plenty of time to ruminate.
The campaign stumbled briefly during McLaughlin’s absence as well.
Coach Brent Matehaere held firm, though.
"It does not look great. But you never know, the medical team might come up with a miracle or two," Matehaere responded when asked whether McLaughlin would make it back on court this season.
"But I think it is about looking after people. We’ve got to be an organisation that puts people first, and I think taking care of him and doing the best we possibly can by JaQuori is really important.
"At the end of the day, wins and losses happen. You want to win and don’t want to lose. But the most important thing is you look after your people.
"And I think, if we can be seen as an organisation that is seen as doing that, we’ll be successful in the future because people will want to play for us."
Who knows — McLaughlin might even return for another stint .
He strung together back-to-back career highs before he got injured, so he is certainly a valuable player. And, until Webster arrived, the Nuggets had struggled to win without him.
Nikau McCullough and Darcy Knox also play the point, so the Nuggets are well-resourced.
The defending champions locked in a playoff berth with an 86-72 win over the Franklin Bulls in Dunedin earlier in the month.
Now the focus is on beating Taranaki tonight and rediscovering their touch after a patchy 86-75 win over the Giants in Nelson on Saturday.
"We did not reach the standards we would be happy with and so we’ve focused on getting to those standards and make sure we are playing with that intensity at both ends of the floor.
"The Airs are a challenging group offensively. They have a lot of weapons and they can certainly score quickly."
National Basketball League
Dunedin, 5pm
Otago Nuggets: Sam Timmins, Todd Withers, Michael Harris, Tai Webster, Nikau McCullough, Robbie Coman, Matt Bardlsey, Darcy Knox, Jack Andrew, Josh Aitcheson, Max Pearce, Joe Ahie.
Taranaki Airs: Anzac Rissetto, Kendrick Ray, Armon Fletcher, Anthony Hilliard, Carlin Davidson, Richie Rodger, Scott Telfer, Quiton Bailey, Tobias Cameron.
