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Fuming Perth Wildcats coach Scott Morrison has lashed out at speculation over the club changing imports in an expletive laden post-match press conference following the team’s loss to Tasmania.
The Wildcats lost 85-83 and Morrison was already annoyed at Tasmania winning both the rebound count and the game.
But a question about whether or not the focus on Saturday’s deadline for the club to change imports had been a cloud over the games, Morrison unleashed.
“If we’d have won I’d be in a good mood and I maybe could do this f…ing song and dance again where I smile and tell a joke and pretend that I don’t know what’s going on. It’s annoying,” he said.
“I’m tired of the questions. I was tired of them four days ago. It’s not fair to the guys on the team that it’s all anyone cares about. It’s stupid.
“That’s the last time I’m even acknowledging that as a question. These guys are busting their ass out there every day. I go to a press conference and it’s eight minutes of some f…ing phantom legend guy that no one knows about or knows anything they’re talking about.
“All they want to do is start some gossip or find something to write about. Learn about the game of basketball. Write about our failure to execute or our break downs on defence or anything of that nature. I’m tired of these questions.
“If we sign someone or make a change, there’s going to be an announcement. We’ll put an announcement out. We’ll all hear about it. I’m sorry for this rant. I’m sure I’m going to get lots of criticism. I don’t care.
“I did two weeks of hotel quarantine with my family. I got sent away with the rest of the team for two months and yet still this is the most annoying thing that’s happened all season. Just wait and see what happens.”
The Wildcats have been the focus of speculation all week about whether they are going to replace Michael Frazier Ii with American John Brown.
Brown has been seen in Perth but hasn’t signed and is currently contracted to a club in Russia. Frazier is recovering from a hamstring injury and didn’t attend the match against Tasmania.
Morrison praised Frazier for his professionalism despite the saga during the week.
The Wildcats were riding high on a six-game winning streak but couldn’t match the JackJumpers who won 18 offensive rebounds.
Morrison said the lack of effort was his biggest gripe.
“Rebounding, toughness, you could start with those,” Morrison said.
“They showed some good skill with some tough shots at the end but their effort won the game. They played harder, they cut harder, they guarded more physical, they destroyed us on the glass.
“I’ll take a team like Adelaide beating us on the glass by a coupe of rebounds or one of the other teams that is bigger than us like we’ve talked ad-nauseum all season in these media conferences. But there is no excuse for a team that is playing small beating us on the glass.
“They wanted it more. All the things I just said means they wanted it more.”
