NZ Breakers star Corey Webster has dismissed the widespread criticism directed at the club in recent weeks, insisting the squad are united and ready to bounce back from their struggles.
The Auckland-based Australian NBL franchise has endured a testing month, coming under-fire for off-court incidents - including import Glen Rice Jnr's indefinite suspension for an alleged bar fight, and forward Tom Vodanovich's ill-fated decision to combine sleeping pills and alcohol on the team's return flight from Perth.
Those issues have been compounded by their dire form on the court, where they've lost five straight games to sit at the bottom of the league ladder.
But according to Webster, the team's spirit and self-belief have been unwavering through it all, and they're confident of digging themselves out of their hole and proving a few people wrong, while they're at it.
"We all believe in each other," Webster told Newshub. "We believe in our process and what we've got going on.
"People don't know what's going on within these walls, you know, how the business is run or how the coaches are doing their job, and the work that we're all putting in every day. You've just gotta block out that noise.
"Once we get everyone back, I think we'll start getting the wins and then a lot of people who are throwing the negative at us won't have much to say after that. We're together as a club, as a team and we're going to stay strong."
The 30-year-old has carried his outstanding form for the Tall Blacks at the FIBA World Championships directly into the Breakers set-up, where he's compiling the best campaign of his long career at the club, posting per-game averages of 19 points, 4.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds.
He admitted being upset that general manager Matt Walsh denied his request for a release to take up an offer with Turkish side Darüşşafaka Basketbol just days out from the start of the season, but vowed he'd still give the team his best. To his credit, he's done precisely that, as one of the side's few bright lights to date.
But when he sprained his ankle in Sunday's loss to Adelaide, Webster became the latest in a list of injury concerns, which also included stand-out centre Rob Loe (fractured skull) and star import Scotty Hopson (knee).
The prognosis for Webster isn't as bad as initially feared and he hopes he'll be ready for Saturday's clash with the fellow bottom-dwelling Hawks. Hopson also seems set to return, after recovering from knee ligament damage, while Loe is due back next week.
"I've made a little bit of progress over the last couple of days, so if I keep improving, hopefully I'll try to get back on Saturday, if I can push a little bit and deal with the pain - but we'll see how it goes."
The injuries have undoubtedly impacted the squad's performance, says Webster, although morale remains high, as they edge closer to the light at the end of that tunnel.
"We've had injuries since day one, you know. A lot of our main guys have been out and that always changes the dynamics of the team.
"The off-court things that have happened are just unfortunate and sometimes these things happen.
"Despite everything that's going on with the injuries and all the other stuff, we are sticking together, and the boys still believe in each other and the coaches."
No stranger to controversy, Webster has done his best to avoid the negativity swirling around the team - but there's always a line.
"I try to block that stuff out. I do respond to a few things every now and then, if I think it's just plain wrong, but it comes with the territory. If you talk to Michael Jordan and Lebron James, they'd say, 'man, we had haters throughout our whole careers'.
"We're not in a great place, but we're not in a terrible place. We've got the guys who can dig our way out of this."
