To say there's been a fair bit happening in the NBL world in the past week is a vast understatement. Here's What to watch for in Round 8
1 - Culture first? Not at the Breakers
Generally speaking, the old adage about longing for the benefit of hindsight holds true, especially when the truth is particularly inconvenient.
But it's especially valid for the New Zealand Breakers, who in the space of a very short period of time have done yeoman's work in dismantling what had been a rich and proud tradition of success and a culture that ensured it was a binding part of the very fabric of the NBL community.
For a team that had already been hit with enough off-court distractions and a slew of on-court injuries, the last thing the squad from across the Tasman needed was to jeopardise an already fragile chemistry.
By signing Glen Rice Jr. -- a player who no matter what may be said to the contrary, has had off-court trouble find him wherever he's played around the world -- the Breakers decided the potential rewards more than compensated the obvious risks.
They didn't.
And then, somehow, things got even worse.
Bad enough that Rice was arrested for assault and ordered to be stood down by the league.
But for there to be reports of further mayhem on the flight home from Perth -- an incident involving Tom Vodanovich, who said he has no recollection of the events thanks to a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills -- speaks to a club in absolute freefall.
Throw in owner Matt Walsh's suspension and fine after a vocal run-in with league commissioner Jeremy Loeliger and you have to wonder just what the heck is going on at Spark Arena.
Culture starts at the top; no club that respects its own heritage would have allowed a player to run out in CJ Bruton's retired number, as happened a few weeks ago.
What Next Star RJ Hampton is making of all this is anyone's guess but it couldn't possibly be positive.
Matters on the court aren't much better with the Breakers languishing in second-last place and have lost their past four games on the trot. A trip to Adelaide to take on the resurgent 36ers on Sunday afternoon only adds to the myriad challenges they face.
Walsh has vowed to keep taking risks in his custodianship of the Breakers, which means the pilot definitely needs to switch the seatbelt light back on.
Buckle up folks, we could be in for even more turbulence yet.
2 - Honeymoon over?
It's been a super-impressive start to their NBL existence but the shine has come off the SE Melbourne Phoenix.
An agonising defeat to hometown rivals United was followed with a baffling loss at home to Adelaide.
Despite an indifferent first half, the Phoenix had all the momentum after the break and couldn't capitalise, throwing the ball away on numerous occasions with some decision-making that coach Simon Mitchell referred to as "bone-headed".
A 5-2 start collapsed to 5-4 in the space of a single round, pulling the league newcomers back to the middle of the pack, with a white-hot Sydney Kings outfit coming to town on Saturday.
A friendly home schedule to start proceedings may have masked some deficiencies and with a slew of road games to come over the next two months, the Phoenix will have to show and prove they're made of sterner stuff than what they showed on Monday night.
3 - Snake oil or the real deal?
Has there ever been a more exciting 3-6 team than the 2019 Cairns Taipans?
Hyperbole? Sure. But when they're up and running there might not be a more entertaining team in the league right now.
The Snakes punched the Bullets in the throat repeatedly to start their Sunshine Stoush clash and were never properly threatened thereafter, easing up to a 94-85 victory that was predicated on solid offensive execution and a breakout 20-point, 10-rebound performance from Kouat Noi.
Having moved out of the bottom two after earlier looking like a sure-fire bet to claim the wooden spoon, Cairns has an intriguing slate of games this round.
The Perth Wildcats are in town on Saturday and will no doubt be looking to extract a hefty revenge on the Snakes for the shocking beatdown they handed to the reigning champions in Round 3.
The 99-76 smacking was the largest winning margin by a road team in the history of RAC Arena and was a klaxon around the league that Cairns simply cannot be taken lightly.
They close out the round at the WIN Entertainment Centre against the Hawks, who desperately need a win of their own to climb out of the cellar.
4 - Really good or just middling?
Round 8 is a round for the mid-pack teams to perhaps get some real momentum rolling as December approaches.
Smack bang in the middle of the er, middle is Adelaide, who sit level with Brisbane at 4-5, both teams just one game back of fourth-placed SE Melbourne.
The 36ers snapped a four-game losing streak and in the process not only defeated a team in the top-four for the first time all season but also outscored their opponents in the second half, breaking a pattern that was downright frustrating, if not completely maddening, for coach Joey Wright.
Wright would have been heartened, then, by the performances of Eric Griffin and Daniel Dillon, who combined for 31 of the 36ers subs' 38 points in a game where the final margin reflected the scoring disparity between the two teams' benches.
The 36ers open proceedings this round by travelling to Brisbane for a clash with the Bullets before hosting the aforementioned free-falling Breakers on Sunday afternoon.
In a boost to their chances, import Ramone Moore has been cleared to play following his withdrawal from Monday's clash with the Phoenix due to experiencing calf tightness during the warm-up before the game.
5 - Brisbane bounce back?
As mentioned, the Bullets took a hit last weekend, losing the Sunshine Stoush to FNQ rivals Cairns to drop their record back under .500.
The lingering question now is whether the imbroglio surrounding coach Andrej Lemanis and his aborted tenure with the Australian national team will prove to be a distraction or a galvanising force.
Brisbane faces a tricky home-road double to bounce back as well, hosting Adelaide on Friday night to open the round before heading to Melbourne Arena for Sunday afternoon matinee with United.
The 36ers are coming off a gritty road win over the Phoenix so fronting up to Nissan Arena won't hold too many fears for the visitors, who disposed of their hosts 104-98 in Round 3.
And while we still haven't seen a breakout performance from Cam Gliddon, the Bullets guard will hopefully be available after he was a late withdrawal last week with a back complaint.