Who’s to blame for Perth’s fall?

NBL legend Derek Rucker has called for more accountability throughout the Wildcats organisation for Perth’s poor run to open the season. 

The Wildcats sit eighth on the ladder with a 2-5 record and suffered a defeat against a Brisbane side missing stars Aron Baynes and Shannon Scott. 

Wildcats owner Craig Hutchison publicly backed head coach John Rillie earlier this week despite the club’s poor performances, and stated “[Rillie] has our full and unqualified support as our senior coach, and we back him. We know this will turn.”

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“It was something that had to be done, and anytime something almost feels obligatory it loses some sense of authenticity, any time a board comes out with some type of public show of support it means they’re considering a change,” Rucker said on NBL Now.

“I really hope Jonh Rillie is allowed to get through the season and show what he can do because everyone out there is to blame, there is responsibility right across the board – Danny Mills needs to take responsibility, John Rillie needs to, the players, everyone is sharing in this losing.

“This is twice now in successive weeks we’ve had a prominent person from that organisation make a public statement and, like team meetings, I find that terribly worrisome.

“We’re so accustomed to greatness from them and stability and just a real professional tone from that organisation for 30-plus years so to see the level of losing and dysfunction is quite startling.”

The Wildcats have kept their opposition to fewer than 90 points in three of their last four losses, but have not been able to unleash their offensive weapons to establish a winning score against any of Brisbane, Melbourne or Adelaide in that time.

Perth is shooting at the lowest field goal percentage of any team in the competition at 42.4 per cent, and have the second worst three-point percentage of any team at 30.5 per cent.

Rucker says a switch in rotation could help the Wildcats get the best out of their stars as they look to turn their fortunes around.

“I do think they lack some role players. We did a game Sydney vs Perth where I called for guys like Hyrum Harris to get more court time, Michael Harris, (Ben) Henshall, I think some of those guys would be more sacrificial in their stance in trying to help the team win,” he said.

“I’m not knocking the players who are getting minutes, but perhaps more of a mix and more of that Perth ethos into their playing style and a bit more grind.

“When Trevor Gleeson won all of those championships with Bryce Cotton it was not beautiful basketball, they ground you down, hit the offensive glass, worked their offence, it was a much different style of play than what we witnessed from the Sydney Kings the last two seasons.”

Perth next takes to the floor against the Adelaide 36ers on Saturday, November 4 at 8pm AEDT.