Predictions always start with a look at the big picture. We are now up to 10 months of consistent destruction of Gaza, and the deterioration of a countless number of lives and society as a whole in a very dear part of the world to us. Does this dishearten us and cause us to become hopeless? I think the answer is in the response of those suffering. If they haven’t given up, why would we? Do not think for one second that Allah does not have the answer to all of this. Stay steadfast and use this situation as a lesson for us personally and as a community at large. We have a lot of work to do. May Allah grant the people of Gaza victory over their oppressors. May Allah grant all Muslims victory over their oppressors. May Allah unite the Muslim Ummah.

Hello everyone and welcome back to another week of predictions with the trusted Crystal Ball. Last time out, my post was not advertised in the main chat, partially due to my lack of communication. Nevertheless, you will be able to read my version of what’s in store as we travel back to the Hoop Heaven after a short hiatus. Thanks to everyone who has made it a point to come consistently and on time. We are only as good as every person in our league is and the best ability is availability.

And now it’s time.

Qibya - Khan Yunis:

The time is ticking for Qibya. I will give them some slack as they haven’t had a full, healthy, rested roster to this point, but I don’t think any team has. It’s interesting to see that some teams fare better than others in the draft setting when every team has about the same shot. This team has not fared too well and a big part is Farhad. For this team to be great, they need Farhad to be the Farhad we are used to seeing: orchestrating the offense, making the defense pay for mistakes, and bringing the veteran killer tenacity. As I mentioned earlier, he can’t do it alone. Aadil, Medo, Ali, Raj, Muntasir have to be able to carry their own weight and maybe a little more for this team to be taken seriously. On the Khan Yunis side, the grass is looking pretty green. Their only issue coming in was size and they just beat arguably the biggest team without 2 of their 3 backcourt flamethrowers. Omar Qasem had no issues manning the paint with OBD by his side and I think the same goes this week. One team is gelling in every way and the other team still seems to have nothing figured out. That’s how the Crystal Ball sees this one. Khan Yunis also has coach Ammar to devise a scheme of keeping Farhad contained and that is the key for me. I can’t see Qibya staying disciplined enough on both sides of the floor to deal with the IQ-driven styles of Capone, Charrkas and others. Also shoutout Elias, I don’t think the Crystal Ball has highlighted him too much but the guy is a great role player that is the passion of any team he joins.

Khan Yunis by 12

Al-Bireh - Nablus:

Wow, both these teams were busy at the deadline and were on opposite sides of this season’s blockbuster trade. Ali Hassan is now paired up with Mana and Nablus will welcome Hamza Abdelghani to the team with them needing shooting badly. They also get another big in Muhanad Darwish who will sure up their board issue. Towfeek was gifted a great draft day compository for big moose but things didn’t seem right, so he decided to reroll the dice. He gets his running mate, JoJo, who he has yet to play with in MB and Ol’ reliable state trooper Khaled. I think this trade actually works for both teams and it will be fun to see who won the trade as they get to match up Wednesday. The problem for Towfeek now becomes Mana, which is ironic. The pick and roll of Ali and Mana may be the best in the league but they won’t be able to win every game with just two guys. Al-Bireh still brings a deep squad to the table. JoJo, Amir, Elsammak brothers and now Khaled Sehwail. I think they will do enough of a job defensively and on the boards to give their deep team a real chance in this one. I’m still not sure how Humza Shah will be this season yet as his performance thus far has been lackluster. I expect him to get it back but not sure if it will come this early. He’s a key for this Nablus squad. Nevertheless, this trade makes both of these teams competitive

Nablus by 2

Bethlehem - Qalqilya:

A battle of 2-0’s. Both these teams were put together extremely well and both benefited off of early trades which turned out to be great moves. It’s gonna be interesting watching this play out as we have two of the top guards going against one another. I think Shahzaib will take the responsibility of guarding Shafic, but I expect Shafic to throw a mix of Adam Daoud, Moe Rayyaan and Elsamna on Shah. Rayyaan will be a better offensive option while Daoud or Elsamna will be the better one defensively. This could affect the rotations though. I think Bethlehem definitely makes up for it with size and it will be interesting to see how Qalqilya matches up defensively on Ali and Jake. Omar and Mo Alzubidi will be the options for Moose’s side. Whether the stars show out or not, I think it’ll come down to an u likely X-factor that will push one team over the top. I’m gonna go with Deep Patel. Both these teams are well rounded and equipped to win it all. This is definitely game of the week.

Qalqilya by 3

Al-Balah - Safad:

Will we see the return of Omar Singer? Safad is reeling after a bad start to the season. No trades have been reported so far don’t seems like they are sticking with the game plan. I don’t hate it to be honest but I think they definitely need to play as a team and not get frustrated when things don’t seem to be going well. Raied and Yazan will be a handful for Koyas and Deeb. I’m guessing Ahmad Saleh will be tasked with chasing Omar around and this may be a game where Omar comes to life which is what Safad desperately needs. I think Islam Abbassi can do a good job staying with Hassan but if Singer pulls through, I don’t know if Safad will be able to contain the both of them. That is also dependent on how the two mesh. There’s a lot to dissect in this one and it could play out a few different ways. Luckily, I have a Crystal Ball.

Al-Balah by 5

Yaffa - Al-Quds:

After a great start to the season, Yaffa sits atop the standings where Al-Quds was expected to be. This is another Zain/Musa matchup which never fails to be box office. The two have been going at it for some years now. Yaffa brings along the Yanes brothers (including Karim Ettayebi), newcomer Saif and the muscle in Elias and Kabar. Al-Quds has a big 4 with Omar Hussein, Moayad, Mahrooz, and Zain. I expected to see either Moayad or Mahrooz moved before trade deadline as I see them as having the same play style but that hasn’t happened yet so looks like Al-Quds is running with what they got. If they can figure it out, this is a great team on paper as they have a big role player in Ahmad Sehwail, which gives them a huge lineup they can close games out with. Last game was their first together so things weren’t expected to look pretty. The Crystal Ball thinks it’ll go better this week though. For Yaffa, the challenge this week will be defending the size of Al-Quds as they are a bigger team overall. Then, Yaffa needs to continue to move the ball seamlessly and play unselfish basketball, which is their mantra. Everyone may think that Musa is the guy making things work, but the Crystal Ball is showing that this is a complete team effort. Another scenario where one team is already clicking and the other is still working things out.

Yaffa by 10

Al-Wehdat - Ramallah:

I think we’re gonna see Jay Mustafa guard Mahdy. The two are cousins and both great talents that this league has welcomed. Mahdy is coming off a monster performance albeit taking a loss, which shouldn’t sit well with him or any other player on this passionate team. No raza which was a big factor but the Crystal Ball is still waiting on Ahmad Chaabane to pick things up which is predicted to happen this game. Ramallah is a great team as well. Anas Zubi and Jay Mustafa at the helm but there is Muhammad Assad and Khaled Musbeh who have come along confidently very quickly. They also have the two biggest guys in the league on the same team, Sal and Khalied, which is always nice to have. This team can score in a lot of ways and can also defend well which makes them another strong contender currently. Mahdy and Omar Marachli will have a really tough time containing the Ramallah bigs and I think Ramallah has the recipe to stop Al-Wehdats engine in Mahdy. Ramallah are the favorites in this one but Al-Wehdat likes to play with a chip on their shoulder.

Ramallah by 8

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