Brave call on somebody who has proven himself before. Chappell has only had limited preparation and is not at his best yet. Just look at the man's history - he can play. Given the circumstances, you are being too quick to condemn him IMO

he will be fine just has no fitness at the moment due to the back and not having played with the team in a game yet. I do accept that we dont have a showman like willie was but i would rather solid points spread over the whole team than a individual or two having to score all the points.

Yeah give Chappell a chance. Anyone playing with not much fitness is going to have an average game especially an athletic player like Chappell. But I do understand where you are coming from.

what we should be saying is how well the team did not relying on 2 scoring imports not baggin one out because hes not match fit due to and injury

Come on Anonymous, give the guy a break, you cant judge him from that one game....he will come good.

Have you seen him play before last night..??

The guy can PLAY!... Give him time...once he is fit he will prove a great pickup!

remember KB's first couple of games,think his 2nd game for us was 5 pts and fouled out in about 20 mins,imagine if we had cut him after only 3 games

fair call... beginning last nights game i'd thought we'd cruited Schapelle Corby, not Chappell, but i can see a team that (without injuries) can be a large part of finals action. Big call? maybe, but i'm on board.

Played while only 65-70% fit with a crook back.
29 year old, 20ppg will be handy.

I was seriously worried watching this bloke and thought the chop might not be far away. I hope I'm wrong.
He looked and moved like a 50 year old Farley! Did anyone else see him get up from the bench to go in the game and struggle to stand up?
The team looked good last night but if Maher's legs continue to suffer injuries and Chappell's back doesn't get any better we could be looking at a finish out of the finals again.

If you have seen Chappell play before Friday's game you already know he's a solid player and a previous All-Star in the NBL. I think that anyone should expect someone coming off a back injury and no real prep time or training with the team would have a rough start. If anything it shows a lot of heart that he got out there so soon. We already know there are some fairweather fans on here who don't know much about basketball. 'Nuff said.

Clearly not quite with the right touch yet and just being given match time to get him used to the team.

Even then, there wouldn't be too many doubters if he just hit the shots he normally would swallow up. He ended up 2-10, which is less than you would expect, but he was clearly short-arming them.

But he can shoot the rock, 42% from outside 3 in 2004. Just gotta give him a few weeks to get into it.

quote GreatWhite55:
"I think that anyone should expect someone coming off a back injury and no real prep time or training with the team would have a rough start. If anything it shows a lot of heart that he got out there so soon."

Precisely.

Obviously, some wet nappy-heads here, have never suffered a back injury. Guys, I've got news for yah, they don't go away with 2 'Spros.
Mike's been/being looked after very professionally, to bring him responsibly back to where he wants to be. His unbridled enthusiasm to be in the mix with his mates, through all his pain & frustration, is what he's all about. That's what they're up against, & you guys wouldn't have seen.
He's bust'n his butt to get out there, & it would've been inhumanely cruel to hold him back. Mike's on track, with out a doubt.
You guys? I'm not that hopeful, but prove me wrong.

As Someone thats only 25 and has cronic back injuries I know how hard it can be to run out a SOCIAL game, To play at that level with a back injury and run it out like he did I am happy with, shows he is willing to put it out their. He looked more upset than anyone with his performance.

If you think we should drop people based on their performances after no pre-season games or trainig then maybe its time you should support Sth Melbourne.

Mottram looked a bit lost at times aswell, should we cut him because he hasnt played with us this season, oh and noone scored 30 points this game, cut them aswell because thats what Im paying to see, not this 20 points per game crap. (sarcasm for those that dont get it)

If you can get out their and play better then you have the right to critises until then shutup

Mottram is a different proposition to Chappell. Not as much is expected of him. Chapell has come into the team expected to play a major role. In last Friday's game it was quite expected that he wouldn't do much better than that given the lack of training. What has me so concerned is the length of time its takiing to get his back right. Even if he does come good and then unfortunately injures his back again, we can again expect him to be out of action for atleast 2 months. Sorry, but its not looking too promising to me at all. Especially when you can't even start the season without injury. Chappell has been fantastic in the past but luck may have been on his side in avoiding a major injury. It smells too much of Wheeler to me. Hope I am wrong because I am desperate for him to make a huge improvement as early as this week because the Tigers are coming to town.

Skud, "If you can get out their and play better then you have the right to critises until then shutup". This is the most ridiculous comment I have ever heard. I don't know anyone on this forum that needs to play better than Chappell to criticise because they have not been given the 6 figure contract to go out there and play better. Its like saying a plumber should be capable of performing open heart surgery. People will criticise because they have an expectation of something that they are supporting.

EC, maybe we should trade Chappell for Dusty eh?

Possibly, you know what you are going to get with him. At this point in time I would change Chappell for any of the other NBL imports.

chill ec...

EC (shakes head)... you want Chappell gone because he's hurt his back and therefore couldn't play at his best... you're out of your mind.

Chappell for any of the other imports? That's a big statement. I haven't seen most of them play yet.

I seem to recall certain people using the line "what have you ever done, can you do a better job" in defending Phil Smythe's woeful coaching last season.

The real world as I know it:
1 .. 2 sneezes & it's a week off of work for some.
2 .. A sore throat, equates to Tonsillitis, for most.
3 .. Physical pain does not exist on the internet.
4 .. A freak'n headache, can get in the way of a potentially Earth-mov'n orgasm.
For those that don't know any better, Mike's human, is in immense pain, & wants more than anybody, to be at his best.

Chill out all of you, I did say I would change him at the present moment. The difference between this present moment and some time in the future is that Chappell is injured and other imports are not. I sympathise with him as it must be so frustrating to be in that position and no doubt he wants to quickly get out there and prove the player that he is. Sorry, but after last season and the injury problems then, I am being a little apprehensive. You know the saying "once bitten twice shy". I will also be very happy to eat humble pie when he does come good.

but...

ur jumping over him for one game...u'd say id prefer anyone else to brett maher when he is injured coz he cant play - thats just a really stupid thing to say..

injuries are part of the game...give him a break...

Jules, I said nothing about Brett Maher, you did. I have seen enough of Brett Maher to know that I wouldn't change him for anyone else in the league. The problem I have is with a new recruit starting off the season injured and taking a long time to overcome it, just like Wheeler last season. Last season came and went, but Wheeler didn't come good. I am just hoping that it doesn't repeat itself this season.

The 36ers Trainer is doing everything he can, so that you WON'T have another Wheeler.
Does that help?

no EC...

i used a hypothetical that clearly u didnt understand...u tried to clear urself up once people got on u about what u said, saying that u'd only prefer anyone else to him because he is injured...

im saying isnt that the same with anyone??? i mean u'd rather have someone playing than not playing right?

What the? I was talking about Chappell, not Maher. I don't even know how Maher all of a sudden became part of this conversation. The player I would replace right now is limited to Chappell only. No hypotheticals, just facts. And no its not the same with anyone injured. If you read what I wrote I specifically voiced a concern over any injury to a new recruit before the season even starts. That only applies to Chappell and Wheeler. The similarities start and end there.

"I did say I would change him at the present moment. The difference between this present moment and some time in the future is that Chappell is injured and other imports are not"

im just saying it sounds like u are simply stating its better to have an active player than an injured one, but somehow made it sound like u were knocking chappell

Yes Jules, its not a good sign of things to come when the season starts off with injuries (as we saw last year). You expect the injuries to come later in the season when everyone has had their fair share of battering on court. Until then, you expect everyone to be fairly fresh. Chappell is not that old at 29 so I am baffled as to why a 29 year old body takes so long to heal.

so in conclusion, ur just angry AT chappell because he has a really annoying back injury that he wishes he never had, and did everything he could to play in the opener?

give him another week or 2 at least...