Blitzing the Blitz: The Five hot topics

• The CODE Sports NBL Blitz pre-season tournament is in Canberra until September 31
• Teams will battle it out for the Loggins-Bruton Cup
• The MVP of the tournament will be named the Ray Borner Medallist

The CODE Sports NBL Blitz is underway in Canberra and it's going to put far-too-early predictions in overdrive from fans and experts around the league.

So while we see teams, new imports and stars which have switched uniforms for the first time, the team at basketball.com.au thought we would take a look at some, let's say out of the ordinary questions for the tournament.

We have a panel of five who have given their hot takes, including general manager Anthony Alsop (The GM), senior editor as well as Sydney Comets NBL1 East women's assistant coach Peter Brown (Mr Brown), website editor and NBL1 North championship coach Brayden Heslehurst (Brayden), writer and analysis expert Michael Houben (Houben) and writer Jackson MacDonald (Jacko).

Here is our panel addressing some of the most important, or least important, questions for the Blitz.

1. Which player's old team will miss them the most?

Mr Brown: Bryce Cotton and the Perth Wildcats. They'll say they don't or won't but they will. 100%

Brayden: One that not many people would think of and that's the Adelaide 36ers missing Sunday Dech. Imagine the firepower on this 36ers roster but still with one of the best defensive players in the league. A great signing for the Perth Wildcats but a big loss for the 36ers too.

Houben: Easy answer - Bryce Cotton. His move has been the talk of the offseason, and we already know the Red Army miss and adore him despite his departure. While Perth still have more than enough quality pieces to succeed, it’s never easy to make up for losing the best player in the league.

Jacko: Bryce Cotton. It's an obvious call but it's the right one. Heading into the Blitz, Perth are still without their Bryce replacement, waiting on NBA training camp deals to end. Cotton has just come off one of the best offensive seasons in NBL history and it doesn't matter what age he is. Bryce is Bryce and you just can't replace him. That hole is too big.

The GM: It has to be Bryce Cotton, doesn’t it? He’s the obvious choice, and with the Wildcats roster still not yet complete, he is hanging over his old squad the most.

2. Which call will NBL referees be red-hot on during the Blitz?

Mr Brown: Hopefully all of them! Basketball fans are tired of pros getting away with the most basic violations. Kids don't get away with it, so why should those being paid?

Brayden: Watch out big men! The illegal screen crackdown is here, as it always is in every preseason or start to the season. Yes, timing will be off and offensive execution won't be great from the teams at the tournament but no doubt we'll hear a whistle when there's significant contact on screens or dribble hand-offs.

Houben: Gotta make sure those jerseys are tucked in!

Jacko: Three in the key. Spin a wheel on every possible call a referee can make and this is what I got. A lot of good bigs are in the NBL now and every year they have to adjust to fouls but I think seconds might run a bit quicker for them this year than others.

The GM: Hopefully, they will be red-hot on letting the game play out. Watching a few pre-season contests become foul-fests has already made watching NBL26 a bit of a slog. We have one of the most stacked set of rosters in league history, just let them play.

3. Which coach will surprise with his choice of attire during the tournament?

Mr Brown: Fashion? Me, Fair Dinkum. As long as they aren't wearing double-pluggers ... it's probably too cold anyway.

Brayden: It's a fashion-off between Brian Goorjian and Scott Roth for me. And everyone knows why. They might be two of the older statesmen in the coaching group but they are true characters of the game and that usually transfers to some unique fits on the sideline during the obviously more casual pre-season tournament.

Houben: I don’t think we’ll see a lot of flair on the sidelines at Blitz. Maybe a little bit more of a smart-casual theme, but there’s no massive coaching characters this year.

Jacko: Goorjian will have the worst fit, bumbag and all, but I think Josh King will surprise some people.

The GM: Scott Roth would have to be at the top for me, but after seeing Josh King roll out the full tracksuit combo in the preseason, I’m going to go with Josh. After an offseason spent coaching in Puerto Rico, he might even have a nice Hawaiian shirt or two he could drag out from the cupboard, but just watch out for those Canberra temperatures.

4. If you let a player coach during the Blitz, AKA Adam Forde letting Tajhere McCall coach in Darwin a few years back, which player would it be?

Mr Brown: Give the clipboard to Montrezl Harrell, that would be a load of fun.

Brayden: Pull-up threes from metres beyond the arc, one-legged fadeaways and a lot of three-point celebrations - give me a team coached by Jack McVeigh any day. Why not? He's shown he can do everything else and Adam Forde is known for giving his senior guys extra responsibility. Let's see it!

Houben: It would be almost too easy for Matthew Dellavedova to hand the keys to Kendric Davis for a night and start barking orders from the sideline instead. One player we do know is still rehabbing is Chris Goulding, who would also make for some quality veteran instruction with the clipboard.

Jacko: Dellavedova. If Jason Cadee was still in the league, he would be number one, two and three. But now he's retired, I'm passing the whiteboard to Delly. Sharp basketball IQ, years of experience as a leading point guard in College, the NBA and NBL. He has the points on the board for this over anyone else.

The GM: I'd love to see Delly take over at the Kings. Brian Goorjian has coached plenty of Blitz’s in his time, so let's give the coaching legend a break and let his on-court coach step up. Will he run a bit of two-man action with him and Kendric Davis? Draw it up.

5. Your tip for Blitz MVP?

Mr Brown: Basketball will be the winner.

Brayden: Davo Hickey. His confidence is at an all-time high, will run the Hawks offence this weekend, and potentially for the season, and also after a successful FIBA Asia Cup campaign he can go to an even higher level. Look for Hickey to add a Ray Borner Medal to his... NBL Grand Final Series MVP?

Houben: He’s been in great form across two Melbourne United preseason games, and with Shea Ili out I think Tyson Walker could have a fantastic run of games across the Blitz and take it home.

Jacko: Sam Waardenburg. Coming off some red hot form from Puerto Rico, coming up against some high level bigs, Waardenburg showed his class. Being named to the All-League first team alongside new Illawarra Hawk JaVale McGee. Averaging 17.2 points, 7.3 rebounds at just under 40% from three, He has all the tools and form to win Blitz MVP.

The GM: This is a tough call because many of the potential MVPs are missing parts or the whole tournament due to injury. So, I’m going to pick Melbourne United guard Tyson Walker. With Chris Goulding missing at least the first game, Tyson will handle the ball more than usual. He’s averaging 19.5 points and nearly 70% from three in the preseason. With import big Jesse Edwards on the ground in Canberra, I reckon United will do well.