Damn.
Injuries really hitting hard lately.

https://nbl.com.au/news/injury-update-macdonald-out-for-season

Injuries do indeed kill teams

Magnay and Macdonald out for the JJ's, Leupepe and Galloway out for Sydney with no more imports being added. Some of the main contenders dealt serious blows

Hawks in hot seat but it's wide open with so many injuries

If they weren't already gone with Magnay done now definitely.

Opens things right up for the Sixers not that they deserve to make the Top 6.

Young Stoddart is the nominated replacement player. Looked above average in junk time against SEM and has apparently been killing it at practice for the past few weeks. Will be interesting to see how he goes with minutes. Best case scenario for Magnay is back for the home game against the Hawks on 30 January. He had positive scan results today. JJs had 3 wins without MacDonald earlier in the season but had Magnay playing. Will probably need 4 wins from these last 8 games to make the playins. Certainly opens the door now for the 36ers and Bullets to get to the playins. Not counting the JJs out just yet as the more adversity the more they always find but the chip now looks well and truly a bridge to far.

I wrote them off, probably unwise though, Roth can pull rabbits out the hat though.

Sixers win enough games to make six, they certainly earned it, the derailment of their season by suspensions is equal to injuries.

More adversity for the JJs to overcome which they thrive at.

This could be really good for Nick Stoddart, looked nice in his brief time on the floor so far this season

Bugger - has been the glue for the JJs.

Yeah, this is a huge blow for the JJs. If they make the finals without Macdonald and Magnay then Roth needs a statue built asap!

Nothing surer than a statue outside MSBA one day. Will be interesting to see whether new ownership offer him mega bucks to extend his contract. He has been firm though that 2027 will be his last year. What happens in free agency will also be very interesting.

MacDonald is a classic euro guard, I could see a few Spanish clubs looking closely.

Where did he say 2027 would be it?

This is from the JJ's contract extension statement back in February last year:

" The Tasmania JackJumpers are pleased to announce Head Coach Scott Roth will finish his professional coaching career in Tasmania having inked a contract extension to remain in the role until the end of the 2026/27 NBL season. "

Roth has since spoken about it a number of times in interviews etc.

Personally, I hope he changes his mind. He will only be 63 in 2027.

MacDonald is contracted til 2026 and doesn't sound like he has any intentions of going anywhere. As the JJs starting point guard I expect he will be remunerated accordingly next contract extension. Assuming Doyle will be resigned in free agency and JC has done enough to be brought back again. The query is what happens if the JJs bring Batman home in free agency. Looks like he will go the NBA though.

His family (wife and daughters) live in the US which is the reason why it won't be a longer stint.

PW, might coincide with Gleeson wanting to come back to the NBL.

Hands off!

Losing MacDonald is kind of massive for Tassie. They've been a completely different team with him on the floor.
They started the season 4-8 when he wasn't playing. They were -107 in those games. Since he returned they have won 7 of 9 games. MacDonald had a positive +/- in all but one of those games and they lost the minutes he was on the bench in 5 of those 9 games.
Overall on the season they are +60 with him and -116 without him.

PW, trip down memory lane with Gleeson and Roth reflecting on Steindel's career including at the Cats (NBL app article on his 350th game). The longer time goes by the more incredible in terms of coaching resources that the Cats had all of Gleeson, Roth, Radford and Chance at the Cats at the same time.