'They can't be trusted': Lowery slams voting process

The MVP voting has come under more scrutiny, this time from commentator Damon Lowery.

Just days after both seven-time NBL MVP Andrew Gaze and Sydney Kings star Kendric Davis called for transparency with the process, NBL champion Lowery echoed their sentiments on Monday’s episode of NBL Now.

“The captains and coaches cannot be trusted,” Lowery said on NBL Overtime.

>> Davis demands MVP voting change

This comment comes off the back of neither Davis (52), nor South East Melbourne’s Nathan Sobey (52) receiving the maximum of 54 votes for All-NBL First Team selection, as MVP Bryce Cotton did.

This means either two voters placed MVP runner-up Davis and Sobey on the All-NBL Second Team or didn’t vote for them at all.

“Gazey has called for transparency, and people are going to argue yes on both sides of that,” Hooley said.

“The whole point of it is what Gazey says is the accountability side of it. You are allowed to vote for whoever you want for whatever reason you want.

“But if you do go down the path of, for whatever reason, two people put him in the Second Team, someone's just going to say, ‘why did you do that’?.

“[Right now] it feels the only reason for that is if you don’t like the guy, because there's no base reason for them not being in the First Team.”

Lowery pointed to "envy" and "jealousy" amongst the votes.

“Shame on you, whoever you are. You know who you are. I don't know how you sleep at night,” he said.

“Take [a look at yourself in] all the mirrors out of your house, [after] putting that man [Davis] and Nathan Sobey in the Second Team.

“It is just ridiculous, and like I said, that hate, the envy, the jealousy. We have to strip the captains and coaches [of the power, because] they can not vote anymore.”

Fellow panellist Felix Von Hofe called for the voting to be made public, with Davis' former team in his sights.

“I would encourage the Adelaide 36ers to release the votes that they gave out because that's where you're looking right now,”  he said.

“I do think the Adelaide 36ers are better than that.

“I think they're well managed, they've gone out and spent the chequebook and given us one of the most entertaining teams the league has.

“But if you kept Kendric in that First Team, release the votes for a bit of transparency, because right now, it’s all eyes on them.”

The NBL26 Finals tip off on Wednesday, March 4, with the Seeding Qualifier between South East Melbourne and Perth at John Cain Arena from 7.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.