Basketball: Breakers to focus on defence for Kings clash

Defensive intensity is occupying the minds of the New Zealand Breakers as they approach tonight's pre-season showdown against the Sydney Kings.

Winless at the official warm-up tournament last weekend, the Breakers have identified defence as their biggest area of concern ahead of the game at Manly, and tomorrow's match-up against West Sydney at Bankstown.

Coach Andrej Lemanis said yesterday that while the Breakers' offence had been encouraging, the players had been disappointed with their defensive effort and unanimous in their resolve to do something about it.

"They just thought it was of an unacceptable standard at Coffs Harbour, and that they needed to toughen up," Lemanis said of his players' reaction.

"There's also been a lot of talk about trust, about the need to trust your teammates at the defensive end and to concentrate on doing your own job.

"I thought the offence was pretty pleasing on the whole, apart from the turnovers."

Lemanis wouldn't be drawn on whether he was likely to start import Brian Wethers as a shooting guard or small forward tonight, a decision that has ramifications for forward Oscar Forman and Tall Black guard Aaron Olson.

If Wethers is preferred as the No 2 guard, Forman will start and Olson will almost certainly come off the bench, whereas if Wethers plays at small forward the reverse will apply.

"It's a good position for me to be in because they both could start," Lemanis said. "From their point of view, of course they want to start but they're both very team-oriented; they accept that one of them has to come off the bench.

"Often the match-ups will determine who we start and having Oscar there certainly makes us a bigger team," he said. "On the other hand, if were looking for extra mobility and defensive quickness we'd probably opt for Aaron."

The Breakers coach said there was even a possibility of supersizing the starting five if circumstances dictated, using giant forwards Ben Pepper and Tim Behrendorff in the No 4 and 5 positions, with Carlos Powell at small forward and Wethers as the shooting guard.

Tonight's full, 48-minute encounter is an excellent chance for the Breakers to test themselves against the league's glamour team, and, in all likelihood, one of this season's semifinalists.

"They get into their work early, employ a full-court defence and pour the pressure on," Lemanis said of the Kings.

"We struggled to cope with it on Friday night, making 18 turnovers, and that's something I really want to see improved this time around.

"West Sydney play hard defence. They're not too fussed about a half-court offence; they really like to push the ball and raise the tempo, so we'll have our hands full on both nights."