Welcome back to another week of predictions. As always, we start off with the big picture and remember our Muslim brothers and sisters that are suffering throughout the world. May Allah ease the suffering of the people in Gaza. May Allah destroy the oppressors and all who support them. May Allah allow for this suffering to be a path to Jannah for all those in Gaza. May Allah accept the martyrs into Jannah and allow us to be with them in the Hereafter.

Last week was somewhat interesting with the Qibya squad proving everyone wrong as they won convincingly in their first win of the season. The first 3 weeks of the season have been competitive, but the trade deadline showed why the draft season is so interesting. Lots of new faces in new places as we look ahead to this week.

Bethlehem - Ramallah

Not sure how Shafic was able to pull that trade off, but I’m guessing there was a chemistry problem in Al-Wehdat. To gut your whole team, trade away your best player, and get what many believe to be less in return makes me think that this was less about the personnel and more an emotional thing. Anyways, that doesn't matter now. Shafic now has Ali Sufian, Mahdy and Ahmad Chaabane to work with which I believe fits his style better. This team is now completely run and gun with two mobile “bigs” and fast guards that can handle the ball. They face a Ramallah squad that can pretty much do it all. Anas Zubi and Jay Mustafa provide a poised, calming leadership to the squad. Big Sal and Khalied have been holding the paint down and bringing a veteran voice to the huddle as we expected. Himey was a great addition as a glue guy, pass-first player and great defender. Lastly, they got 3 young guys that can play and will benefit tremendously from the vets on the team. Jay Mustafa will guard Mahdy and that seems to have worked last week, which makes sense since he probably knows a thing or two about his game. The key for Ramallah will be the young guys in this one as they will have to keep up with the agility of the new Bethlehem squad. I don’t know if the two big combo would work in this one, as Bethlehem consists of mainly guards. Although there seems to be a slight matchup problem for Ramallah, I think they have the most firepower in the league and that's also why the Crystal Ball has Ramallah winning

Ramallah by 6

Nablus - Qalqilya:

One of 2 unbeaten teams will face off against they only winless squad so far. That seems to be the tale of the tape in this one. I will say, Nablus has not played a game with their full squad, but they look completely different than they did in week 1 anyway. Seems like Humza Shah is going with Ali Hassan and Mana to save the season, as he now has role players that include Sameh Shahsamand, Sube Deeb, Mohamed Sileem and Mustafa Brown. These players have an average MB rating of 3-4. To put that much pressure on two players is asking a lot, but they are two first-round players, so we’ll see how they fare. On the other side, not much really needs to be said about this team. No trades were necessary as they are already complete. Alzubidi will match up against Mana, Shahzaib will match up against Ali Hassan. Stop those two and the game is in Qalqilya’s hands. I feel that the starting lineup for Qalqilya is too well-rounded for this game to be competitive but crazier things have happened. Anyways, the Crystal Ball says this was an easy one to figure out.

Qalqilya by 15

Al-Quds - Al-Balah:

Al-Balah made atrade at the deadline, giving up Singer, which was expected. However, i do not like the loss of Yazan Abdelkarim as he is a big that can clog the paint and finish layups. I assume this was to free space for Hassan to work with his drive. They gain Qasem and Elias, two solid guys that have been around and can definitely play. This now becomes the Hassan show for Al-Balah. The word is that Raied broke his nose last week, which is extremely sad news. Get well soon brother. That's a big loss for this squad. Al-Quds has a lot of personnel issues to work out. Although Mahrooz and Zain are two great players, it seems like they don’t compliment each other that well. The one space I feel they work well is the pick and roll, but I know Zain likes to work out of the low post, where its easy for people to help as the shooting is lacking on this team. Mahrooz may have to start making shots consistently or become an off-ball slasher that wreaks havoc on the boards and let Omar Hussein and Zain run the show offensively. Then there is the Moayad question which is a big question. I am still scratching my head trying to figure out where he fits on this team and I expected him to be moved prior to the deadline. Regardless, as was stated at the start of the season, this team is not short of talent, so we'll see where that takes them. We know Zain will be playing safety in the back and Mahrooz will guard Hassan primarily. Shooters Idris and Ahmad will cause problems if they can hit their shots, but if they can’t and Al-Quds does a good job closing out, this may be a game where Zain can get going and lead his team to a win. Of course, they have to put him in positions where he's in single coverage, because that is where he is nearly unstoppable. I think Al-Quds can get it done this week due to the lack of size on the Al-Balah side.

Al-Quds by 4

Khan Yunis - Yaffa:

I think this is the game of the week. Khan Yunis made some moves after suffering a tough loss at the hands of Farhad, who bullied their small ball lineup so badly that they traded for a big. However, the masterminds KE9 and Ammar did not just patch the holes but they were able to snag a piece that fits perfectly in their system. Welcome Singer to Khan Yunis, a savvy guard that can play defense, handle the ball, score when needed and drive and kick to the best shooters in the league in Amir, Joey and Elhindi. This team was already a contender and I believe they upgraded in two positions, which is absurd. Interestingly enough, they get to put their new roster to test against the number one team in the league. 3-0, with a +18 point differential, Yaffa has cruised through the first three weeks. They were also able to beat Al-Quds without Habi or Saif, their second round pick. Sadly, they lost Kabar to injury which is tough as he was a key role player that brought valuable size and IQ to the team. Get well soon Kabar. The main reason Yaffa has been so dominant is their defense as they are giving up just 47 points per game. This week will be their toughest test yet as Khan Yunis is a very offense-driven team that likes to get a lot of shots up. The Yaffa guards will need discipline but if they can make life difficult for the shooters of Khan Yunis, I think their versatility in the bigger positions will be a problem for Khan Yunis. If Khan Yunis is able to open the game up with shooting, it may be difficult for Yaffa to pull back into the game. This will be fireworks,

Yaffa by 9

Qibya - Al-Wehdat:

Yamin made headlines this week. I can’t say I agree with the trade but I kind of see what he did. Raza, as we have mentioned, looks like the Raza of old. There would be no way for him to get his fair share of touches with Mahdy and Ahmad on the squad. Therefore, he goes with a back to the basket guy in Jake that Raza knows well, adds shooting in Moe Rayyaan and adds another Afghan in Ali Omari which will definitely boost chemistry. He also gets Hosam and Muhannad and Splash as a secondary ball handler, which now gives him a big team that is pretty complete. They may be missing that consistent 20 point performer, but I think Jake and Raza can definitely step up to the plate if they are willing. Qibya got a much needed win last week and Farhad did not necessarily do it all. 4 players in double figures, 8-10 from Raj and 4 assists from Aadil. If Farhad and Aadil can facilitate and make good plays for this team, there is enough shooting for them to go far. This team is constructed well and definitely has what it takes to compete, so I’m glad to see them perform well. This week, they will come in with momentum and will face a squad that is pretty much brand new. That always works in the team that has played together’s favor, which is Qibya in this case. I can see Marachli matching up well with Farhad, and the Jake-Aadil matchup will be interesting. I expect Medo to be tasked with slowing down Raza which is a key to this game. Most of all though, the Qibya shooters must be effective and consistent so that pressure is taken off of Aadil and Farhad. I think Qibya is starting to look promising and the Crystal Ball is forecasting another great team performance.

Qibya by 7

Safad - Al-Bireh:

The smile on Towfeek’s face after finally feeling like a winner again was great to see. He botched the draft but made up for it with a great trade. Granted, he was playing against a team that has never played together before and decided not to play defense in the game, but a win by 30 is a win by 30. This is a deep team that is also versatile which will make them tough to guard. Towfeek and Nader are the playmakers, but it will be interesting to see how things work when there isn’t wide open shots being given out to everyone. That definitely won’t happen this week as they face Safad, who also got their first win last week and Omar was back to walking with a pep in his step. Malik Zubi came up with a vintage performance, going 8-12 which is a calming sight for this team. If he can be Omar’s running mate, this could be a working project. Safad was also able to survive Fursan going 4-17 and Koyas/Deeb going 4-15 which is impressive. This game will be tough for Safad because they will need to match the firepower of the Al-Bireh squad. I do believe they match up well defensively, but they will have to be disciplined and out work the Al-Bireh side to keep up in this game. The Crystal Ball does see this happening and it may be time for either Deeb or Koyas to put their imprints on a game. Omar Abbassi will show out and I think Malik Zubi has found his role. Overall, I feel that Al-Bireh will find a way to pull away due to their ability to get down and dirty as well, as they have Abdul Kareem and Khaled who are not afraid of doing the dirty work.

Al-Bireh by 10

As always, this ain’t Lavar Ball, this ain’t Lonzo Ball, this is the Crystal Ball