AussieBball.com

Patty Mills likely to be cut from Portland Trail Blazers

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 09:01:05 +0000

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The Portland Trail Blazers have signed second-round pick Armon Johnson.

Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed Monday.

Portland selected the 6-foot-3 guard out of Nevada with the 34th overall pick in the June draft.

Following the draft, Johnson averaged 11.6 points and 4.2 assists while starting all five games for Portland’s Las Vegas Summer League squad.

Well I think this spells the end for Patty Mills at the Portland Trail Blazers. Him and Armon Johnson were basically battling for the last point guard roster spot throughout summer league. Might be the best thing for Patty, means another team can look to sign him, or he can now concentrate on a European contact. I hope he doesn't give up on the NBA yet, I still think he has alot to give the NBA.

Some think he might still be at Portland e.g. http://www.examiner.com/x-24705-Portland-Trail-Blazers-Examiner~y2010m8d2-Trail-Blazers-sign-Armon-Johnson-Patty-Mills-left-in-the-dark

But I doubt it

NBL ACTION THIS WEEKEND!!!!

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:46:59 +0000

Season getting closer, there are a few games on this weekend as follows.

NBL Pre Season Games

Friday 3rd Sept - Wollongong Hawks vs Sydney Kings � Tip off at 7:00PM. Tickets Ph 02 4229 7722

Sunday 5th Sept - Cairns Taipans vs Townsville Crocs. Tip off at 4:00PM. Tickets Ph 07 4041 3000

Ater Majok withdraws from UCONN

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 03:05:08 +0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5519804

Not sure what's happening here. Majok seems to have a massive hype on him, but fails to deliver.....maybe he's just very raw and needs the right coach.

Andrew Bogut named #2 best center in the NBA

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 02:25:20 +0000

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That's right. The man who I think is the second-best center in the NBA didn't even make the All-Star team last season.

This isn't me trying to be obscure -- Bogut was a No. 1 overall pick fercryin'outloud. It's just the end result of seeing this guy work expertly on either end of the court last season. Bogut was an at-times dominant defender on par with Dwight Howard, especially when Howard started 2009-10 slow. And Bogut's versatile offensive game still isn't being taken advantage enough by his Bucks teammates.

All he does is do everything well, save for the odd trip to the free-throw line. And because he turns 26 just a month into the season and so many other bigs are either playing out of position, coming back from injury or starting to put it all together, I think Bogut establishes himself as a clear No. 2 in 2010-11. To those that pay attention to defense, at least.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Ranking-the-centers-11-through-1;_ylt=AnTXK.Tnp4ijQV4eGwo7faS8vLYF?urn=nba-265548

No surprise in regards to who was named #1, not sure why Chris Kaman is not more highly regarded?

Antoine Walker for the NBL

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:57:24 +0000

I think it would a good move for a team trying to fill the last import spot, he would kill it in the NBL and would certainly draw crowds.

Thoughts?

2010 NBL Top End Challenge � Schedule

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 02:25:34 +0000

2010 NBL Top End Challenge � Schedule

All games at Marrara Indoor Stadium in Darwin unless otherwise indicated

Tues 28 September

7:00PM - Perth Wildcats v Adelaide 36ers (Alice Springs Basketball Stadium)

Thurs 30 September

2:00PM - Cairns Taipans v Wollongong Hawks

4:00PM - Townsville Crocodiles v NZ Breakers

6:00PM - Melbourne Tigers v Adelaide 36ers

8:00PM - Gold Coast Blaze v Sydney Kings

Fri 1 October

2:00PM - Townsville Crocodiles v Sydney Kings

4:00PM - Cairns Taipans v Gold Coast Blaze

6:00PM - Wollongong Hawks v NZ Breakers

8:00PM - Melbourne Tigers v Perth Wildcats

Sat 2 October

12:00PM Noon - 7th v 8th

2:00PM - 5th v 6th

4:00PM - 3rd v 4th

6:00PM -9th v Darwin Airport Resort All-Stars

8:00PM - 1st v 2nd

Nathan Jawai signs with Partizan Belgrade

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:49:20 +0000

According to Hoopshype, Aussie big man Nathan Jawai has signed with Serbian powerhouse Partizan Belgrade.

http://hoopshype.com/transactions.htm

Townsville Crocs Offseason Thread 2010

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:23:16 +0000

Well they have signed Luke Schenscher from Perth, but baring that it is all bad news.

They have lost Corey Williams and have a lot of work to do in order to replace him, huge loss for the Crocs and the NBl as a whole.

Wollongong Hawks Offseason Thread

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:20:11 +0000

Just Updates on the Wollongong Hawks

Andrew Bogut injury update

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:45:42 +0000

Quote

It's now been over four months since the injury that shall not be watched (warning: it's spliced into the clip above), but we're still wondering how reasonable that caveat will be. Early summer reports were fairly optimistic (or at least not pessimistic) about Bogut's recovery, with the Bucks suggesting that they expected Bogut to be ready for opening night on October 27. But Bogut's been making the press rounds in Australia this week offering a slightly less optimistic tone

http://www.brewhoop.com/2010/8/19/1632448/bogut-elbow-rehab-continues-to

Does not sound all that good, I doubt he will be ready for the start of the NBA season

Sydney Kings Offseason Thread

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:25:03 +0000

When will Sydney actually sign a player for the new Kings team ?

In an article about NOT chasing league MVP Corey Williams for the Kings, coach "Moose" said: ''It's nothing against Corey, he's a hell of a talent, but . . with the signings we've made it's not where we're headed.''

This is an interesting statement, particularly as it implies there have allready been signings. WHO ARE THEY ????

Classic Wildcat Games on DVD

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:11:02 +0000

This is from another forum (the guy selling it isn't me so don't ask me for details)-

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OK, this is my list of games that I have converted to DVD:

1990 Bullets vs Wildcats Grand Final Game 3
1991 Wildcats vs Spectres Grand Final Game 3
1993 Wildcats vs Bullets Semi Final Game 2
1993 Wildcats vs Bullets Semi Final Game 3
1993 Wildcats vs Bullets Reg Season
1993 Wildcats vs Tigers Grand Final Game 2
1993 Wildcats vs Tigers Grand Final Game 3
1993 Wildcats Season Review - A FISHERmans Tale
1993 Giants vs Wildcats Quarter Final Game 1
1993 Wildcats vs Giants Quarter Final Game 2
1993 Wildcats vs Hawks Reg Season
1993 Wildcats vs Giants Reg Season
1993 Wildcats vs Magic Reg Season
1994 Bullets vs Wildcats 4 x Overtime Reg Season
1994 Geelong vs Wildcats Reg Season
1994 Kings vs Wildcats Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Bullets Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Devils Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Kings Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Rollers Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Supercats Reg Season
1994 Wildcats vs Tigers Reg Season
1995 Giants vs Wildcats Grand Final Game 2
1995 Wildcats vs Giants Grand Final Game 3
1995 NBL Season Review
1996 Wildcats vs Rollers Reg Season
1997 Wildcats vs JC's All-Stars - James Crawfords Testimonial Game
2000 Wildcats vs Titans Grand Final Game 2
2002 Wildcats vs Titans Reg Season
2003 Wildcats vs Kings Reg Season
2006 Brisbane vs Wildcats Elimination Final
2006 Hawks vs Wildcats Elimination Final
2006 Tigers vs Wildcats Reg Season
2007 Bullets v Tigers Grand Final Game 5

This is the list of tapes that I have found that I will be converting to DVD soon:

1989 Wildcats Rap
1990 Wildcats - Against all odds
1990 & 1991 Wildcats - Back to Back Finals Fever
1991 Wildcats - Hunters to Hunted
1991 Rebound 91 - NBL Season Review
1994 NBL All-star game (Sydney)
1995 Magic Johnson All-Stars vs Boomers (Perth Game)
1995 McDonalds Championship in London (Wildcats vs Houston Rockets & Real Madrid)
1996 Magic vs Wildcats
1997 NBL All-star game (Sydney)
1997 Grand Final Game 3 (Tigers vs Magic)
1999 Wildcats vs Newcastle
2000 Semi Final Game 1 (Wildcats vs Crocs)
2001 Grand Final Game 3 (Hawks vs Crocs)
2002 Wildcats vs Cannons
2002 Grand Final Game 3 (36er's vs West Sydney)
2003 Wildcats vs Hawks
2003 Wildcats vs Sydney
2003 Wildcats vs West Sydney
2003 Semi Final Game 2 (Wildcats vs Hawks)
2003 Grand Final Game 1 (Wildcats vs Sydney)
2004 Wildcats vs Tigers (Summer Jam)

If anyone wants any of thr DVD's, give me the list of what you want. $3 per game (inc DVD) + postage, which is dependant on how many you want, and where you live.

If you have any games on tape (NBL, NBA, Olympics etc) and would like me to convert them for you, PM me. You only need to supply the blank DVD's.

New rules for NBL in 2010/11

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:18:35 +0000

National Basketball League: New rules for NBL in 2010/11: http://bit.ly/a87mLi

NEW RULES FOR NBL IN 2010/11

The National Basketball League will introduce a number of adjustments to their rules for the 2010/11 NBL season, Basketball Australia has announced.

Four major changes are being introduced for the new NBL season, which will start in mid-October this year:

- The shape of the keyway will adopt the new standard FIBA rectangular shape;

- The distance from the three-point line to the basket will be increased from 6.25 metres to 6.75 metres;

- A “no-charge” zone marked by a semi-circle will be instituted directly under the basket , in which defensive players cannot take a charge;

- An adjustment to what used to be known as the Young Australian Player rule will see all teams required to have one Australian or New Zealand player under the age of 24 as one of their 10 contracted players (for the 2010/11 season they must have been born after 1 April 1987).

NBL General Manager Chuck Harmison said the adjustments to the keyway, the three-point line and the introduction of the no-charge zone will ensure the NBL stayed aligned with the rules of the international governing body of basketball, FIBA, which was making those changes following the 2010 FIBA World Championships.

“Basketball Australia previously made the decision following the unification of the sport in this country to bring the NBL under the standard FIBA international playing rules and this is the continuation of that initiative,” said Harmison. “There are obvious benefits to that, especially for the development of our international players, and we have been happy with the initial changes instituted last season.

“It’s going to be interesting to see how teams adjust to the new rules, particularly to the longer three-point line. That, and the no charge area under the basket, were pioneered by the NBA in the US and have assisted in opening up play somewhat so we think the fans will see the benefit.”

Harmison said the increase in the age limit of the NBL’s rule which requires teams to have a young Australian or New Zealand player on their roster from 23 to 24 had been greeted enthusiastically by clubs.

“The original idea behind teams being required to have a young player amongst their 10 contracted players was to ensure that we addressed the need for offering legitimate playing opportunities for our emerging young talent,” said Harmison. “After a review of how the rule was operating we determined that an increase in the age limit would provide an opportunity to more young players who may have gone to the US for a college experience and are looking to start their NBL careers.”

The new rules will be in place when the NBL holds its official pre-season tournament,

Click here to see the new FIBA court markings. http://app.streamsend.com/c/10442851/45761/a3JyAhE/e3Eq?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.basketball.net.au%2Ffileadmin%2Fuser_upload%2FAttachments%2FCommunity%2F2010_Court_markings.pdf

Brisbane Bulletts Campaign

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:59:34 +0000

Apparently there are a group of business's interested in bringing back the Bullets, they are meeting today (a.m)and Larry Sengstock is attending, ill post any further outcomes.

Cairns Taipans Offseason Thread 2010

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:01:52 +0000

Well so far the Cairns Taipans have signed former Gold Coast star import Ayinde Ubaka and Perth Wildcat Alex Loughton. Add to that Daniel Dillon.

Anyone else heard any new player signing coming the Taipans way?

Aleks Maric confirmed for FIBA World Championships

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:20:13 +0000

Recent reports out of the Serbian press have confirmed that Aleks Maric will be lining up for the Australian Boomers in the up a coming 2010 FIBA World Championships of Basketball and will join the team in early August for preparation with the rest of the team.

Aleks Maric is a key addition for the Australian Boomers front court, especially considering the absence of Andrew Bogut. Maric had an outstanding season in Euroleague play for Partizan Belgrade this year and won various awards including MVP of the month and all Euro 1st team selection.

All of us at Aussiebball are delighted with the news and special mention goes to oncooldude for picking up on the source.

Adelaide 36ers Offseason Thread

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:26:03 +0000

Ok so this is what we have so far (edited 16th April)

Head Coach: Scott Ninnis out, replaced by Marty Clarke
Assistant Coach: Richard Hill out, Mark Radford in. One spot undetermined - was held by Liiam Flynn last season, no word yet on if it will be him or someone else.

Players:
RE-SIGNED:
Darren Ng
Nathan Herbert
Adam Ballinger
Brad Hill (AGAIN!?)
Jacob Holmes

NEW:
Daniel Johnson

What we still need:
A starting quality (read: import) point guard who can shoot the 3, is a pass first playmaker who can and will feed the post (hello John Gilchrsit you've got Adam Ballinger in the post, get him the ball!!!!!!!).

A physically strong, athletic swingman to start at the 3 but can also cover the 2 or 4 if necessary. Must be able to shoot the 3 and rebound, most likely looking at an import (someone like Kevin Ratzch perhaps??)

A big man to backup DJ - i like Neil Mottram perhaps? someone who likes the physical stuff, getting down and dirty.

A veteran backup PG. Oh what do you know Brad Davidson is still living in Adelaide.....

Do NOT sign Oscar Forman when you have already signed Brad Hill, please Sixers, I'm begging you!

What the team should look like:

DJ
Ballinger
Import forward (Kevin Ratzch maybe)
Ng
Import PG (Maybe Tywain McKee? Troy Jackson? NOT John Gilchrist or Cortez Groves)

Herbert
Holmes
Backup Big (Mottram?)
Backup PG (Davidson?)
Hill

So i think this is how the Sixers will lineup. The names I have mentioned are not an indication of any upcoming signings or anything i know to be in the works, they are purely speculation and used to typify the TYPE of player i think the Sixers need by using people that are available.

Perth Wildcats Offseason Thread 2010

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:30:39 +0000

The current NBL champions have resigned their core of Kevin Lisch and Shawn Redhage. They have lost Alex Loughton but have signed Matt Knight as a solid replacement big man.

Just some more fine tuning this offseason and they will look around the mark again in 2010/11

David Andersen traded to Raptors

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:29:22 +0000

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/wires/07/28/2030.ap.bkn.rockets.raptors.trade.0137/

Melbourne Tiger Offseason Thread 2010

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:48:41 +0000

Well its a major changing of the guard for the Melbourne Tigers, They have lost Mark Worthington, Chris Anstey and Sam Mac who all feature as some of the best NBL player we have ever seen.

But we are talking about the Melbourne Tigers, they will put a good team on the court again.

So far they signed
Wade Helliwell back from Europe,
Luke Nevill who was borderline getting onto a NBA roster after playing last year in the NBADL
Matt Burston from the 36ers
Eric Devendorf from the USA has been going great guns in New Zealand League so far this season

NBL can't Market Itself

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:48:17 +0000

After reading through the forum, and seeing the disappointment in BA and generally in the NBL, I went to the nbl.com.au and this first thing I see is Chris Anstey ... Didn't he retire? He is still in uniform on the front page.

I have played basketball for 30 years in Australia. I love the game, but the Australian National Competition has never had any strategy of excitement about it. Now I look at the site and it is out of date - It makes you wonder who is employed there? Maybe they just dont give a shit.

We have ex NBA, lawyers, ex players, some say they MBA's - but GOOD LORD !!! do they really know what they need to do to make people in Australia watch the local game.

No plan, no direction, no strategy. I dont even know who won MVP? Who is the best player these days?

NBL - get relevant!

Patty Mills 2010 NBA Summer League

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 20:16:43 +0000

Quote

Patty Mills, playing his first extended minutes as a Trail Blazer since breaking his foot before the start of last year's summer league, flirted with a triple-double in just 26 minutes of play. Mills finished the contest with 12 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while showing off the blazing speed he has become known for while playing for the Australian national team.

Great start for Patty and the media was very keen to talk about him, bodes well.

Video highlights: http://www.nba.com/summerleague/games/20100711/PORHOU/gameinfo.html

Some interviews : http://www.nba.com/blazers/video/2010/07/11/071110postm4v-1370938/index.html

Basketball Australia's solution - the IBA

Thu, 22 Jul 2010 08:36:02 +0000

I thought this idea has some merit for basketball in Australia by taking our league internationally - Basketball Australia's solution - the IBA

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For decades now the NBL has been a financial nightmare for all stakeholders involved in the sport. The solution to Basketball Australia's problems could be solved by going international.

Quote

In theory, if the entire of Australia had one or two teams to field in the IBA, they would be far more profitable than the NBL teams have been combined, because the quality will be better, the coverage will be better, more people will want to attend, watch and participate.

The travel factor is a big financial negative but a good comment was made in regards to maybe "following the Super 14 Rugby is perhaps the best model, if Basketball went down that path, or run an Asian Champions League alongside a local season (like in the A-League)"

Was curious in everyones thoughts, do you honestly think something like this would work?

Aussies in 2010 NBA Summer League

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 04:12:36 +0000

Quote

A.J. Ogilvy became the second Vanderbilt alum to play for the Chicago Bulls' exhibition team this summer after agreeing to join the squad after failing to be drafted in last week's draft. He'll likely join last year's Summer League standout Derrick Byars, who made it through what seemed to be final cuts with the team last year before getting the axe the day before the NBA's regular season started in 2009.

Ogilvy will be in line for plenty of playing time as the team's only legitimate center, but he'll be joined by former standout big men Samardo Samuels, Trent Plaisted, and Rob Kurz. Samuels, like Ogilvy, was another high-profile snub from this year's draft. The situation seems like a great one for the Australian, as the Bulls lack a second true center behind Joakim Noah with the eminent departure of Brad Miller. However, Chicago is loaded with cap space and will be looking to add some big men in free agency, which would cloud Ogilvy's chances for a roster spot.

Good luck AJ

Patty Mills interview in the OregonLive/Oregonian

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 04:03:58 +0000

http://blog.oregonli...talks_summ.html

Good stuff. Lets see what Sunday brings.

Great video interview - well worth a listen

AUSTRALIAN U17 MEN THROUGH TO WORLD QUARTER FINALS

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 02:27:03 +0000

AUSTRALIAN U17 MEN THROUGH TO WORLD QUARTER FINALS

The Australian U17 Men’s team has secured its place in the Quarter Finals at the FIBA U17 World Championship for Men after a last gasp jump shot from forward Owen Odigie stole the win over European Champion Spain, 68-66, this morning in Hamburg, Germany.

The Australians recovered from a 0-2 start to the tournament to win three consecutive games and advance to the next round. Australia goes through as the fourth placed team from Group B behind Poland, Canada and Germany.

The Australians will have a tough task ahead of them tomorrow as they take on the first placed team from Group A, the United States, in a sudden-death playoff; the winner advances to the Semi Finals, the loser plays off for 5th-8th place. The undefeated USA finished the Preliminary Round with an average winning margin of nearly 39 points per game.

Lithuania, China and Serbia also advanced from Group A. Both Spain and world number one-ranked men’s basketball nation Argentina failed to advance beyond the Preliminary Round.

Today’s encounter was a do-or-die game for Australia and Spain and the teams threw everything they could at the opposition.

Guard Mitchell Norton was once again a steady force for the Australians, leading the team with 13 points. Daniel Hill, Andrija Dumovic and Phil Chircu added 11 points apiece.

The opening quarter was a grinding defensive affair as both teams struggled to gain some offensive flow.

The second term opened at 10-10 when the Spanish found some rhythm but the Australians continued to stutter, missing four consecutive free throws, but a Norton 3-pointer on the siren kept Spain’s lead to just single figures at halftime, 34-25.

The third quarter was a tight contest with both teams finding their range. Spain stretched the margin to 12 points before the Australians started to peg it back with points coming from all across the team. Chircu hit a trey to bring the Aussies within two points with less than two minutes to play in the period but Spain closed out the quarter with three converted free throws to take a five-point lead into the final term, 52-47.

The Australians were assertive as they came onto the court in the final term, Norton opened the scoring with a jump shot and as Dumovic and Hill sunk three free throws the scored was already levelled 52-52.

Spain finally added to their points tally two minutes into the quarter but with Dumovic, Chircu, Norton, Odigie and Hill combining, the Aussies had stolen the momentum and were leading 61-54 with only four minutes to play before Spain reacted again.

The last few minutes were scrappy as the Australians committed a couple of turnovers and fouls, allowing Spain to creep back into the contest and level the scores at 66-66 with 18 seconds remaining.

Ever-reliable Norton missed a 3-point attempt to take the win but Odigie grabbed the offensive rebound and the Australians could not have asked for the ball to be in better hands in the dying seconds; Odigie had not missed a basket all game, and he made it count to give Australia the two-point win.

Australian Head Coach Guy Molloy said “Spain had a good game plan and outplayed us for much of the game. But the boys played with heart and rebounded well against an excellent defensive team.”

Australia’s top-scorer Mitchell Norton said “When we stuck to our game plan it worked. We hope we can go on from here.”

Australia will take on the United States at 12.45am Saturday July 10 AEST. The Quarter Final will be shown live on www.fibatv.com.

Quarter by quarter:

1: ESP 10 AUS 10
H: ESP 34 AUS 25 (24-15)
3: ESP 52 AUS 47 (18-22)
F: AUS 68 ESP 66 (21-14)

AUSTRALIA 68 (M Norton 13, D Hill 11, A Dumovic 11, P Chircu 11) def
SPAIN 66 (A Ramon 19, A Suarez 12, D Diez 12)

Australia’s FIBA U17 World Championship for Men Schedule

Quarter Finals: Australia v United States 4.45pm Friday July 9 (12.45am Saturday July 10 AEST)
Semi Finals: Saturday July 10
Finals: Sunday July 11

U17 World Championships - Live

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 14:56:48 +0000

Hi Guys, Who do you think�s going to win the U17 World Champs? My money�s on the USA after they demolished Egypt!

I�ve seen on FIBA TV you can watch all the quarter finals , semis and final live! http://www.fibatv.com/page/Home/0,,12805,00.html

Go USA!

B.A Still Incompetent!

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 07:32:08 +0000

Now this is truly disturbing how badly Basketball is run in this Country, Boti lays it down...

Boti Nagy has a go - Argies up in the air ... BA in tailspin | Adelaide Now http://mrv.me/c4Mf0W

Andrew Ogilvy signs with Turkish club

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:24:18 +0000

Quote

After going unselected in the 2010 National Basketball Association Draft, former Vanderbilt center A.J. Ogilvy has found his backup plan, agreeing to play with Turkey-based basketball club Besiktas if he fails to catch on with an NBA team this offseason. Besiktas has featured several prominent players over the past several years, including former Maryland star Lonny Baxter and another Australian standout, guard Brad Newley. The 2005 Turkish League runner-ups are hoping Ogilvy can add much-needed depth to their frontcourt and bolster their offensive attack.

http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/14308

The Melbourne Tigers Should Have Chased LeBron

Sat, 03 Jul 2010 05:40:40 +0000

An entertaining thought, a huge what if in the NBL, good article - The Melbourne Tigers Should Have Chased LeBron

Quote

I would have liked the Melbourne Tigers to enquire with the Victorian Government if there was a possibility that they would be willing to pay James $400,000 per game for one season. If it’s money that is good enough to be spent on Woods, isn’t the money also just as well spent on James?

State your case

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:10:18 +0000

With the majority of teams only having a few spots to fill, who will
1. finish top 4
2. play off in the finals
3. Win the championship

For me its the following

Perth
Gold Coast
Melbourne
Adelaide

Finals will be Perth V Melbourne
Will be a classicc Big V small match up by the looks of it, I think Perth might have the upper hand due to the majority of the team from the c-ship last year still there with the addition of Matt Knight I think they are going to be very hard to beat. Melbourne will start the season slow due to players not arriving until late in the preseason.. A big plus for the tigers is that they will be very hard to score on, with the PG spot yet to fill if they add a defensive & passing pg then this could be what they need to win the whole thing..

Bottom 2
Wollongong
Cairns

NBL to ditch Fox, move to Free-to-air

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 06:47:16 +0000

The Advertiser's Boti Nagy reports:

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BASKETBALL Australia could announce as early as tomorrow a new free-to-air television deal with Network-10, ending a long association with pay-TV provider FoxSports.

Ten is believed to have offered a five-year deal on its One-HD high definition channel which FoxSports, which had last rights in its contract with BA, did not seek to match.

The move back to free-to-air television has been intertwined with the Foot Locker Elite Classic High Stakes Hoops series winning coverage with One-HD for every match of its tournament at Brett Maher Court from April 6-11.

The event, being run by independent entrepreneur Elite Classic Basketball, appears to have made the initial breakthrough to get locally-produced basketball back on free-to-air TV.

One-HD has enjoyed great success with American basketball, including both NBA and college matches.

With BA's flagship competition, the NBL, returning to free-to-air, its clubs now will be given carte blanche to release players for the High Stakes Hoops.

Fox is believed to have been unhappy NBL players, shown exclusively on the pay-TV provider, might participate in an event on a rival network. That also is believed to be the reason a clear directive from the NBL to its Players Association regarding availability for High Stakes Hoops was so slow in coming.

But with Fox now out of the picture, rosters of the eight tournament participants will now be open to draw from the NBL.

Former 36er and Perth NBL championship starter Luke Schenscher is the only current player to publicly to commit to High Stakes Hoops before the official announcement but many already are on the various rosters.

The new TV deal for the NBL may also include provision for some matches, most likely finals, to also be shown on Channel 10.

The Adelaide 36ers tomorrow also will announce their new coach, confirming Marty Clarke in the role.

Now this is more like it! Looks like this high stakes hoops comp. just gave the NBL it's greatest gift left in the relaunch. I hope Larry sends Jeff Van Groningen a nice thankyou note for this move.

Anatoly Bose Bose's Down Under Blog

Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:42:07 +0000

Quote

After a highly productive junior season, Nicholls State University guard/forward Anatoly Bose was invited to the Australian National Team Camp this June. To keep all his Nicholls fans posted on how he does as well as introduce South Louisiana to his homeland, the Sydney native will be blogging periodically from Down Under this summer. In his first entry, Bose recaps the 2009-10 season, talks about the national team selection procedure and explains what the airlines put him through to get home.

Entry 1

G'day Nicholls!

School is finally over and I am sure everyone is looking forward to a nice relaxing summer. Too bad for me, I have to go back home to Australia tomorrow where the seasons are opposite and it's winter.. No more sun tanning or crawfish for a whole 3 months!

http://geauxcolonels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/051710aab.html

Gold Coast Blaze Offseason Thread 2010

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:37:23 +0000

The Gold Coast Blaze got close last year in the race for the title, sop far this offseason they have lost Ayinde Ubaka to Cairns, but have also made some good signings including one of the countries best youngsters in 19 year old Jason Cadee.

Some Aussiebball fans think it was the wrong option for Cadee : http://www.aussiebball.com/forums/topic/35129-cadee-with-blaze-disappointing-he-decided-on-the-nbl/page__p__58653__hl__blaze__fromsearch__1&#entry58653

Time will tell.

The Blaze have what looks like a great depth of big men including Bennett Davison and well know former Breaker Rick Rickert.

Gold Coast are already looking good for 2010

Aleks Maric is massive fight during Serbian title game

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 19:15:11 +0000

Hemofarm, in the absence of center Boban Marjanovic went 78-77 ahead of Partizan when all hell broke out with several players throwing punches and kicks at each other while several other players were seen trying to stop the fight.

The video of the fight which has since gone viral on many Video sharing websites including Youtube has shown that the whole incident started after a squabble between Partizan�s Australia international Aleks Maric and Hemofarm�s Rasko Katic.

http://www.nationalturk.com/en/fight-overshadows-serbian-basketball-final-partizan-vs-hemofarm-34645565

Andrew Ogilvy declares for Draft, signs agent

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:10:42 +0000

AJ Ogilvy has declared for the draft and has apparently signed an agent (Wasserman Media Group) - so if this is true he is done.

Despite Stallings saying nice things about AJ, rumors around the USA basically are saying the relationship between AJ and Stallings was not very good and was getting worse by the game. Although it was kept quiet, the mid-season benching of Beal and AJ has been indicated as the breaking point between the two, especially when Beal was quickly returned to the starting line up and AJ had to wait several games. I have no idea if any of this is true - but these rumors are very strong at the moment.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/09/2868997.htm for comments for AJ et al.

NBL Off Season Rumour Mill.

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 06:46:20 +0000

Ok i will start with...

Luke Nevill being chased by Tigers and Kings.

Matty Neilson being chased by Kings and is interested.

Donte Draper has stated he wants to return to the Kings.

Daniel Johnson is leaving Tigers,he will head to Perth no doubt.

Andrew Ogilvy - New Jersey Nets try outs

Sat, 12 Jun 2010 06:07:10 +0000

NJNets.com: How did your workout go today?

A.J. Ogilvy: I didn�t shoot the ball as much as I would have liked but, other than that I thought it went really well. Everyone was really competitive, and it was good.

NJNets.com: What have you been working on during the draft process?

Ogilvy: Making sure my physicality is good, trying to keep up with the physicality of the NBA.

NJNets.com: Is there anything about your game that you think has surprised people?

Ogilvy: I think my ability to shoot the ball. But I think everyone knows a little bit about me.

NJNets.com: What was the biggest adjustment of coming to play in college in the US?

Ogilvy: The speed of the game and the athleticism of the players, we don�t have the same kind of athleticism back home as there is here.

NJNets.com: Have you had a similar jump now that you are looking at the NBA level?

Ogilvy: I feel like it was an easier adjustment, but definitely bigger, more athletic guys. It�s one that I had to make.

NJNets.com: From what you know about the league and these guys in particular, how can you see yourself fitting in?

Ogilvy: I can see myself playing a supportive role for the team, doing everything I could just to help them out, and I think I can play anywhere, but New Jersey is a great place.

NJNets.com: Have you been getting guidance from anybody as the draft process moves forward?

Ogilvy: Yeah, I have spoken to a few guys from Australia that have been through the draft process, their thoughts, and their agents have been helping me out as well.

NJNets.com: What advice have they been giving you in particular?

Ogilvy: Just stay positive make sure you keep your head up, and work hard until the last day.

NBL 2010/11 Schedule Relesed.

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:54:12 +0000

New Schedule Here.
http://app.streamsend.com/c/11151551/46661/a3JyAhE/e3Eq?redirect_to=http%3A%2F%2Fhosting2.sportingpulse.com%2Fwww.nbl.com.au%2Ffileadmin%2Fuser_upload%2F_temp_%2F2010-11_NBL_Schedule.pdf

2010/11 NBL SEASON TO TIP-OFF 15 OCTOBER

Basketball Australia has released the schedule for the 2010/11 National Basketball League season, with the Sydney Kings scheduled to make their highly-anticipated return to the NBL on the same day the competition begins play on Friday 15 October.

The Kings, who will return to the NBL after a two-year absence, will face long-time rivals the Melbourne Tigers on the road in a classic Sydney-Melbourne confrontation on Opening Night at the State Netball Hockey Centre (AKA ‘The Cage’).

Ironically, the last time the Kings played a game in the NBL they went up against the Tigers before a capacity crowd of 10,244 people at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in a deciding Game Five of the 2008 NBL Grand Final series.

For the first time since that match back on 14 March 2008, the Kings will play in front of their home fans at ‘The Kingdome’ (the Sydney Entertainment Centre) when they return to Sydney on Saturday 16 October to host the New Zealand Breakers in their home opener. That will see the Kings end a 927-day absence from the competition.

In other Round One matches:

- Last season’s surprise packets and runners-up the Wollongong Hawks will host the Gold Coast Blaze on Opening Night at the WIN Entertainment Centre;
- The Cairns Taipans will visit their archrivals the Townsville Crocodiles on Saturday 16 October at the Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre (‘The Swamp’)’
- Reigning champions the Perth Wildcats will begin their quest for a repeat on the road against traditional rivals the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday 17 October at The Dome.

The Wildcats will unfurl their 2010 Championship banner for the first time in Round Three at their home opener on Friday 29 October. Fittingly, the Wildcats’ opponent that night at Challenge Stadium (‘The Jungle’) will be the team they beat to win the title, the Wollongong Hawks, making the game the first Grand Final rematch of the season.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock said the schedule was a marked improvement on recent years and should have fans looking forward to the new season’s tip-off on October 15.

“We feel this is the best schedule we’ve had in many years, and the fans will directly benefit from the work we’ve done to get it right,“ said Sengstock. “We’ve liaised closely with all nine clubs to maximise our opportunities to have themed rounds and regular marquee match-ups.

“Our focus this year is very much on having games on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays,” Sengstock added. “That’s great for families and is right in line with the feedback we have been receiving from fans. We also have managed to increase the average time between games, which mean our athletes will be fresher. That should have a positive impact on the standard of play that fans see.”

The schedule, which features nine teams each playing 28 games (14 home, 14 away), will run over 25 rounds with the regular season concluding on Saturday2 April.

The 2011 Finals will once again see the top four teams qualify for the post-season, with one playing four and two playing three in best-of-three Semi Finals. The Grand Final will once again be a best-of-three.

The 2010/11 NBL season will be seen nationally on Network Ten’s digital sports channel ONE after Basketball Australia recently signed a new five-year deal to show games through to the end of the 2014/15 NBL season.

Shawn Redhage

Fri, 28 May 2010 07:28:04 +0000

Apparently he he really kicking butt over ther and also he got knocked out the other day,ill find out more.

Here is the footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQzPkbihLtg...player_embedded

2010 / 2011 Season Format

Wed, 26 May 2010 04:55:00 +0000

Well we now have 9 teams in the NBL next season which is good to see... what I like more is we have not changed the finals format.

Top 4 teams make it in, I think this is the right way to go... If we can ever make it back to 12 teams in the competition only then should we make it top 6.

Best of 3 for the semi's and best of 3 for the grand final series is good too.

Your thoughts people?

LAUREN JACKSON RETURNS TO WNBL

Tue, 25 May 2010 01:49:09 +0000

I cant believe her team owner was assassinated!

Anyhow she is back in Australia now read below.

LAUREN JACKSON RETURNS TO WNBL

Basketball Australia (BA) can confirm that four time Women�s National Basketball League (WNBL) Most Valuable Player Lauren Jackson has signed a contract with the Canberra Capitals to play out the remainder of the 2009/10 season.

The Capitals announced Jackson�s signature this morning at ActewAGL House in Canberra alongside ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and ActewAGL Chairman John Mackay.

Chief Minister Stanhope and Mackay played vital roles alongside Capitals CEO Mark Cartwright in providing and generating the funds necessary to secure Jackson�s services.

Jackson became the hottest free agent in women�s basketball when she signaled her intention to opt out of a two year deal with Russian club side Spartak Moscow in the aftermath of the assassination of team owner Shabtai von Kalmanovich.

The Capitals were quick to swoop and Jackson�s international clearance to join the Capitals was received overnight, just hours before a league deadline for player registration.

Under Rule 3.3 (e) of the WNBL Operations Manual, �A club can register no further players after half the regular season games for that Club in that season has been played.� In the Capitals� case, that �half the regular season� date is today, November 25th.

�This is terrific news for the WNBL and basketball,� BA Chief Executive Larry Sengstock said.

�It is a rare chance for basketball fans to see the best player in the world playing in our WNBL and we urge the people of Australia to take that opportunity.

�We have a number of Olympians in the league already this year and the competition has been first class but adding Lauren to the mix will undoubtedly be a huge boost.

�Spectator numbers will increase dramatically as will media interest and they are just a couple of indicative positives we�ll see from having Lauren back in the WNBL.�

Jackson has played 154 WNBL games since her rookie season with the Australian Institute of Sport in 1998/99 and has won five WNBL Championships; one with the AIS and four with Canberra.

She last played in the WNBL in the 2006 Grand Final where she led Canberra to victory and was named Most Valuable Player of the Grand Final.

The Capitals have indicated that Jackson is not expected to suit up for the Capitals this week as her rehabilitation from a back injury continues.

Her return to the WNBL is tentatively slated for Saturday December 5th, when the Bendigo Spirit hosts the Canberra Capitals at Bendigo Stadium. That clash is the ABC TV Game of the Week, televised nationally on ABC1 at 1:00pm AET.

If Jackson was not ready for action on that date her next available opportunity would be the Capitals� round 11 clash with Perth on December 12. That would allow Jackson to play 13 games for Canberra if it makes the Grand Final.

After eight rounds of competition, Canberra is running fifth of 10 teams with a 6 win, 4 loss record.

NBL - AND1 signed as offical apparel partner

Thu, 20 May 2010 02:59:57 +0000

12 May 2010

NBL APPOINTS �AND 1� AS OFFICIAL APPAREL PARTNER

In the first major step towards the relaunch of the National Basketball League�s official licensed merchandise program, Basketball Australia has announced the appointment of internationally recognised basketball brand And 1 as the Official Apparel Supply Partner of the NBL and its teams.

In a four-year agreement with And 1�s Australian distributor, Basketball Australia has assigned the exclusive apparel supply rights for the NBL and its nine clubs to Fiddes Enterprises (Aust.) Pty. Ltd.

Aaron Flanagan, the NBL�s General Manager of Sales and Marketing, said And 1 was the perfect fit with the NBL brand.

�We went through an exhaustive process to identify the best possible partner for our apparel program,� said Flanagan. �Following the successful relaunch of the NBL last year, the securing of the free-to-air partnership with Network Ten and the re-entry of the Sydney Kings into the league for 2010, the opportunity to develop an industry wide apparel partnership was another significant step forward in rebuilding the equity and confidence in the NBL brand.After reviewing submissions from the major players in sports apparel, it became clear that And 1 was the right choice for the NBL."

Flanagan said the deal signalled the commencement of the NBL�s strategic move back into licensed merchandise.

�What was clearly highlighted through this process was that there is a real enthusiasm and appetite for the NBL and basketball generally. And 1 is an incredibly strong global basketball brand with solid relationships in the key retail channels. The opportunity to see NBL Teamwear back on the racks in the major sport retail chains next year is great news for our fans.�

CEO of Fiddes Enterprises Peter Fiddes, who was one of the NBL�s original apparel licensees in the early days of the league, said it was clear that the NBL was starting to regain momentum and the time was right to get back involved.

�We�ve watched with interest as Basketball Australia has undergone the reform process to get the NBL back to where it is today,� said Fiddes. �The steps that have been taken to consolidate the league and unify the clubs convinced us that it was time for us to renew our relationship with the NBL. The very fact that this agreement covers every NBL team is testament to the fact that the new governance structure BA has put in place has positioned the NBL to effectively tap into the true potential of the sport of basketball in this country. We couldn�t be happier to be back on board.�

As the Official Licensed Apparel Partner to the NBL, And1 will supply every NBL team with their on-court and off-court teamwear and will invest significantly into the marketing program to support the licensed range in retail.

As per standard Basketball Australia policy, the financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

About AND 1

Founded in 1993, AND 1 makes basketball footwear and apparel for players with serious game. The company that first made its mark in the apparel industry with a line of "in your face" trash talk tee shirts now offers a complete product line for basketball players, including on-and off-court performance footwear, sports apparel and team uniforms. AND 1 endorses Monta Ellis of the Golden State Warriors, Steve Blake of the Portland Trailblazers and star of AND 1 Mix Tape� Volume 1, Rafer Alston of the Orlando Magic, James Jones of the Miami Heat, and international basketball star Carlos Arroyo. For more information on the brand visit: www.AND1.com.

Australian players abroad heading back to NBL

Wed, 19 May 2010 06:44:47 +0000

Quote

Already seven Australian players who have featured heavily on the Australian Boomers� radar have returned from playing internationally to take up contracts in the revitalised NBL, including hulking 218cm centre Luke Nevill who signed with the Melbourne Tigers last week and recently acquired Perth Wildcats� forward Matthew Knight.

�It�s really exciting to see players that feature heavily in national team consideration showing confidence in the NBL and making the move back home from Europe and the United States,� said Sengstock. �The likes of Luke Nevill, Matt Knight, Julian Khazzouh, Alex Loughton, Blagoj Janev, Luke Cooper and Ben Allen all have had successful careers either at collegiate level or professionally. They�re now making the choice to come back home to play in the NBL while they are in the prime of their careers. That is just a tremendous boost to our playing stocks and also a vote of confidence in what we have achieved with the growth of the NBL over the past 12 months.

http://www.nbl.com.au/index.php?id=15&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=15910&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=babda63698

When is the 2010/11 Schedule suppose to come out?

Tue, 18 May 2010 04:27:48 +0000

anyone know?

Cadee with Blaze... Disappointing he decided on the NBL

Thu, 13 May 2010 04:04:26 +0000

Congrats to the Blaze for signing Cadee who looked like a real player in the few minutes I saw him in the World/USA game in the USA.

However, unless there are compelling non-Basketball reasons to do so, there is NO reason any college eligible basketball player in Australia should not be heading over to the USA to play college ball over picking up the $30k a year you might get playing in the NBL.

The Major Reasons.

1. NCAA basketball is ONE SHOT. You either go or you miss out. The NBL will ALWAYS be there for you as an Australian player.
2. College experience is worth more then $30k/year anyway. And you get a degree - and contacts for the rest of your life. You know - stuff you will need when your basketball career is over. At some stage your basketball career will be over. Be generous - lets say 10 years @ $50k average per year. 30+ years old, no real world work experience, limited careers available (and little money in them) in basketball administration and coaching. NOW what are you going to do?
3. Exposure in the USA is just huge. You will see players of all types, sizes and playing styles. You will have the opportunity to access the best coaching in the world. You will have the opportunity to be seen by scouts from the NBA and Europe and Asia and everywhere else.
4. You want to play for the Boomers. Let me tell you - Aussie basketball is getting better and better. If you do not play overseas you can basically forget it.

I am worried that some of these kids in Australia are given bad advice which helps people other than the player themselves. I still remember reading in Phil Smythe's biography about how Lindsay Gaze told him to stay in Australia to play for the Boomers (who Lindsay was coaching) instead of going to a US College because he would get more experience that way - Smythe was truly a NBA level talent who I truly believe missed out because of this. I wont even go deep into Andrew Gaze's short NCAA career which could have been so much more - he played one more year and Gaze is drafted in the first round and had an entirely different career.

Absolute apologies to Jason Cadee if there are additional reasons he has decided to go this route.

What the Sydney Kings need to to to regain the city

Wed, 12 May 2010 07:55:41 +0000

The Sydney Kings are back !! I'm interested in how they plan to win back not just the basketball community (who have been burned by two dodgy NBL operators in the past few years), but also the wider public of Sydney as well.

My local association (Hills Hornets) still have a lifesize poster of Simon Dwight in Razorbacks uniform on the wall ! Interestingly a few years ago it was a similar story in Melbourne when I lived there. The Diamond Valley Eagles Association had a lifesize poster of Tony Ronaldson in South East Melbourne Magic uniform on the wall. When the South Dragons entered the NBL they purposely set about building a relationship with the various basketball associations who had felt marginalised from the NBL because the Tigers heritage was from their own association. Everybody else felt left out of the NBL loop.

I hope the Kings set about building relationships with the Sydney based associations. A lifesize poster might not seem so important, but it is vitally important that junior players all over Sydney feel a strong alignment to their only NBL team. Of course it goes beyond simple branding, the club needs to engage the associations in other ways including skills leadership. I also lived in Perth for a few years and I can tell you that no other NBL team in recent years has managed their 'place' in the state basketball community better than the Wildcats. There is a clear line of 'ascent' for local junior players to make it to the NBL and juniors playing all over Perth feel a very strong pride in following their NBL heros.

Ther is a lot of work to do to regain the position the Kings once held in this town. A lot can be learned from the success (off the court) of the early days. Former club captain Damien Keogh said it best: "If you shopped, went to school or were hospitalised in the early 90's in Sydney...you met a King" !

What does evryone think the Kings should do off the court to grow the game in Sydney ??

Andrew Bogut Watch 2009/10

Wed, 12 May 2010 04:19:29 +0000

Andrew Bogut and Carlos Delfino each scored 21 points, Bogut also grabbed 11 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the winless New Jersey Nets 99-85.

Rookie Brandon Jennings, had 19 points and eight assists.

Bogut and the bucks have been hot in the month of November, in the 7 games so far Andrew Bogut is averaging 19 points (at 60%), 10 rebounds, 2 Blocks and 2 Assist a game. the Bucks are won off 5 of 7 in that period.

Brad Newley denied transfer to Milano

Wed, 12 May 2010 04:17:27 +0000

Brad Newley apparently not happy with not being paid on time (as much as 2.5 months by some reports) by Turkish team Besiktas had arranged for a transfer to Italian club Olimpia Milano (Danillo Gallanari's former team). FIBA has denied the transfer for reasons that are unclear.

[update] Looks like the reason it was denied was because Besiktas paid him and escrowed some extra money to show that they have future salary set aside for him.

Newley had recently started playing again after a knee injury had held him out for quite a while and is apparently playing very well. A move to Italy would have been a very nice move to a higher level of competition at a very well known team in Milano.

Bogut makes All-NBA 3rd team

Fri, 07 May 2010 01:09:48 +0000

Quote

Bucks center Andrew Bogut has been named to the 2009-10 All-NBA Third Team, the league announced today. Bogut earned 149 points, the most for any player on the Third Team and 11th most overall.

Bogut started 69 games for the Bucks this year, averaging career-highs with 15.9 points and 2.5 blocks (second in the NBA) and added 10.2 rebounds (second-highest total in his career). The fifth-year veteran was one of two players (Dwight Howard) to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game this season.

Bogut helped the Bucks to a 46-36 record, their most wins since going 50-32 in 2000-01, and their first playoff appearance since 2006. The Bucks were 40-29 with Bogut in the lineup before the center missed the final six games of the season with injuries to his right elbow, wrist and hand after a fall against Phoenix on April 3.

The Melbourne, Australia native blocked 175 shots in 69 games, which included a franchise record streak of 39 consecutive games with a block, the longest such streak in the NBA this year and longest since Marcus Camby blocked a shot in 51 straight games in 2007-08. When Bogut blocked four or more shots in a game, the Bucks went 14-4. Milwaukee was also 23-8 when their center scored 17 points or more, 16-3 when he tallied 20-plus points and 13-1 when he recorded at least 20 points with 10 or more rebounds.

Bogut is the first Bucks player to be voted onto an All-NBA team since Michael Redd earned Third Team honors in 2003-04. The All-NBA First Team consists of: Kobe Bryant (L.A. Lakers), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City), Dwight Howard (Orlando), LeBron James (Cleveland) and Dwyane Wade (Miami). The All-NBA Second Team included: Carmelo Anthony (Denver), Steve Nash (Phoenix), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas), Amar�e Stoudemire (Phoenix) and Deron Williams (Utah). Joining Bogut on the All-NBA Third Team were: Tim Duncan (San Antonio), Pau Gasol (L.A. Lakers), Joe Johnson (Atlanta) and Brandon Roy (Portland) on this year�s Third Team.

The All-NBA Teams were voted on by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters, with players receiving five points for a First Team vote, three points for a Second Team vote and one point for a Third Team vote.

2009-10 All-NBA Teams

FIRST TEAM
Forward - LeBron James, Cleveland (122) 610
Forward - Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (107) 579
Center - Dwight Howard, Orlando (122) 610
Guard - Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (119) 604
Guard - Dwyane Wade, Miami (81) 520

SECOND TEAM
Forward - Carmelo Anthony, Denver (9) 321
Forward - Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas (10) 356
Center - Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix (2) 239
Guard - Steve Nash, Phoenix (24) 366
Guard - Deron Williams, Utah (14) 343

THIRD TEAM
Forward - Tim Duncan, San Antonio -- 125
Forward - Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers -- 94
Center - Andrew Bogut, Milwaukee -- 149
Guard - Joe Johnson, Atlanta -- 118
Guard - Brandon Roy, Portland -- 87

Mills looking for next contract...

Thu, 06 May 2010 01:04:45 +0000

http://www.beyondthebeat.net/20100503466/2010-articles/april/mills-looking-for-another-contract-with-blazers.html

Mills might be better looking for a different team to sign him if he has the option.

Maric nominated for All-Euroleague team

Sat, 01 May 2010 02:58:27 +0000

Aleks Maric has been nominated for the All-Euroleague team after his breakout season with Partizan Belgrade.

Source :

Voting for the All-Euroleague team by fans and media members around Europe and beyond has produced a world-class list of nominees for the 2009-10 season.

Tens of thousands of fans from around the world were able to cast votes for their favourite players, as did media members from each of the countries with Euroleague teams this season.

Maric led the Euroleague in average performance index rating, rebounds and fouls drawn. He was weekly MVP three times in one month and recorded five double-doubles in 16 games.

Teams that qualified to the Final Four dominated the nominations, with Olympiacos Piraeus having three nominees, while Regal FC Barcelona, Partizan Belgrade and CSKA Moscow each had two. Only one nominee came from a non-Final Four team.

The All-Euroleague first and second teams, plus the Euroleague MVP, will be named at The Euroleague Basketball Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 8, during the Final Four in Paris.

Maric and Partizan play in the Euroleague Final Four on May 7.

Anatoly Bose To Declare For Draft

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:16:16 +0000

Anatoly Bose will put his name in the Draft this year (Midnight is cut off time) but not hire an agent.

Is a good idea as a Junior i think just to see how the proces works and find out what he needs to work on for his Senior year

Billikens Sign New Zealand Standout Rob Loe

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 07:14:38 +0000

Quote

Saint Louis University head men's basketball coach Rick Majerus today announced that 6-foot-11 forward Rob Loe (Auckland, New Zealand / Westlake) has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Billikens. Loe will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2010-11 academic year.

http://www.slubillikens.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/041410aaa.html

Same team that Aussie stand out Cody Ellis is playing for.

Mills gets playoff minutes....

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:33:35 +0000

Mills in with 1:44 in the third.

It is ugly for Portland tonight so he might get some time tonight.

Patty Mills gets some quality court time....

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:17:28 +0000

In what was a meaningless game, Mills got a bunch of court time (13 minutes), scored 11 pts, 2 ass, 2 turnovers and 1 rebound.

I am not sure what to say except that he looked fit, healthy and very much like a NBA quality player. Which can't be said for Bayless or Diener who also got a bunch of minutes today. Bayless (12 pts on 4-13 shooting in 30 minutes) just didn't want to be out there (games was below him apparently) and Diener (0 pts in 13 min) has been injured and can't guard anyone - despite that they gave Diener basically $1m to sit on the bench for the second half of the season.

Mills made a few defensive errors going under screens (what do you expect for basically his first significant NBA playing time), but was the only Blazer quick enough to stay in front of Curry or Ellis and the game moves seems to just move at a different pace when he is on the court. Just staying in front of quick guards is something the Blazers haven't done a single time this season and it is frustrating to see Mills on the bench when he has this ability.

His shot looks fantastic, and he looked quick. Reports all year have been that Mills has practiced and worked hard all year (several articles mention he is there an hour before practice and at least that long afterwards every day) and it showed when he got on the court. Something Jawai could learn from.

In the end it is frustrating. If Mills had been given some development minutes through the season (like say the Mavs did for Rodrigue Beaubois), he could easily be part of their rotation. If this had been done 5-8 times this season then Mills would have been available to take some minutes which are now available since Brandon Roy is likely not going to play in the playoffs.

Well, good news is that Mills et al now have 8-10 minutes of quality NBA minutes to shop around the league if it ever becomes necessary. NBA teams like players who treat minutes as an opportunity - even in a meaningless situation.

And you never know - there are still some play off games left to play for Portland, though frankly I don't see them going far without a fully fit Brandon Roy

Anatoly Bose named first team All-Louisiana

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 01:13:09 +0000

Quote

Anatoly Bose was named first team All-Louisiana and sophomore guard/forward Fred Hunter was named third team all-state as the Louisiana Sports Writers Association unveiled its 2009-10 All-Louisiana Men's Basketball Team on Sunday.

The postseason honor is just the latest for Bose who finished the season ranked 16th in the nation with a 21.1 point/game scoring average. The Sydney, Australia native scored 20 or more points in 20 of 30 games including a pair of 40 point performances. Bose set a career-high with 46 points in a double overtime game on Jan. 23, and Bose added a 40 point performance in the first round of the 2010 Southland Conference Tournament against Sam Houston State.

In addition to being named to the All-Southland Tournament team, Bose was named first team All-Southland, and first team All-District 23 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Hunter, an All-Southland Conference Honorable Mention recipient, backed up his 2008-09 Southland Conference Freshman of the Year campaign with a solid 2009-10 season. Hunter finished second on the team with a 13.8 point/game average. The Denton, Texas native finished among the Southland Conference leaders in steals (10th, 1.5 steal/game average) and offensive rebounds (T-9th, 2.4/game average).

Caps off a great season for Anatoly Bose, feelings on him being included in a Boomer squad?

Wollongong Hawks new import?????

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 06:34:34 +0000

Anyone heard news on Hawks new import

Ian Robilliard named Sydney Kings coach

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 06:48:07 +0000

Quote

Bad timing has denied the Sydney Kings the chance to bring back coach Brian Goorjian, with Ian Robilliard to be handed the job of leading the club back into the NBL.

Kings general manager Bob Turner contacted Goorjian about re-joining the club he led to three championships between 2003-05, but the greatest coach in NBL history had already committed to another year in China.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,26902421-23769,00.html

I had never heard of him before, anyone know much about Ian Robilliard?

Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops Schedule

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:29:20 +0000

Tuesday 6 April
12:00 pm Cyclones v Monarchs
2:00 pm Coasters v Rays
4:00 pm Fleet v Rush
6:00 pm Reef v Pythons

Wednesday 7 April
12:00 pm Pythons v Coasters
2:00 pm Rush v Cyclones
4:00 pm Rays v Reef
6:00 pm Monarchs v Fleet

Thursday 8 April
11:00 am Fleet v Cyclones
1:00 pm Reef v Coasters
3:00 pm Rush v Monarchs
5:00 pm Pythons v Rays

Friday 9 April
4:00 pm Semi-Final #1
6:00 pm Semi-Final #2

Sunday 11 April
4:30 pm Championship Game

http://www.highstakeshoops.com/

The Foot Locker Elite Classic - High Stakes Hoops is like no previous basketball event in Australia. Eight teams will compete for a minimum total prize pool of $250,000 over a five-day period at the Adelaide Dome. All games will be broadcast live on ONE HD.

looking for live basketball match reporter

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 13:18:10 +0000

Hi,everyone,

My name is Jerry. I am working as an live sports scout agent for an online bookmaker. Currently, we are looking for some basketball enthusiastics to join in our live reporting team for ongoing SEABL and other relevant basketball events in Australia.

The main duty of live basketbal scout is to provide up to seconds live match information from stadium to our bookmaking customer via mobile phone. Live scout need to speak to company's operator what is going on for the match with simple comments requested like score, foul, time,substitution,etc.

The scouting fee for each match is AUD70. The qualified scout must be reliable, good time concept and certain knowledge of basketball rule.

Now we need a few participants who are able to attend the home match ground of following men's teams: Ballarat,Mt Gambier,Nunawading,Albury Wodonga,NW Tasmania,Frankston,etc.

Please refer to SEABL offcial website:http://www.seabl.com.au/index.php?id=201

For more information, please kindly contact Jerry. Mobile:0403872463 or Email&MSN:x_gang66@hotmail.com.

Kings are back?

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 03:19:51 +0000

Hi I have heard in the news that the Sydney kings will be back next season?? Just wondering if there's anyone out there knows if they will be helding a tryout for it? Or do they have players already??

Hawks MVP??

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:37:50 +0000

Who Will Win the Hawks MVP, imo either McKee or Tragardh, even though mckee is mah fav player i reckon trigger will win cos of ty's injury

NBL 2010 Free Agents

Tue, 06 Apr 2010 06:34:20 +0000

The National Basketball League (NBL) today released its free agent list in order to allow clubs to begin their recruitment process for the 2010/11 season.

The free agent list shows players from all clubs that had not signed new contracts with their existing teams by the deadline of 5:00PM AEDT today (Thursday 1 April).

Any player on the free agents list may now be approached by any club who wishes to offer them a contract for season 2010/11.

Some of the league's leading stars appear on the list including the reigning NBL Most Valuable Player Corey Williams as well as fellow 10-point players Tywain McKee, Adam Ballinger and Ayibde Ubaka.

As attached for full list.

Free_Agents_list.pdf (166.24K)
: 2

Andrew Bogut injured - Season Over

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 12:12:44 +0000

In Milwaukee's clobbering of the Suns, Bogut got injured after being forced to hang onto the ring after a dunk.

From NBA.com

"With Milwaukee leading late in the second quarter, Bogut took a long outlet pass in for a fast break slam dunk. He hung on the rim afterward, was touched in the back by Stoudemire and crashed to the court. Bogut wrenched his elbow on the way down."

I saw it live and the contact was pretty minimal and probably wasn't significant - it certainly wasn't an aggressive act or anything similar.

Hopefully it is just a nasty arm strain, or a hyperextended elbow or something and not a 8-week break, massive ligament damage or something horrible like that. I may be living in denial though.

Aleks Maric Watch 2009/10

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 19:06:27 +0000

From Draft Express, one of the consistently worst places to get opinions on players, but one of the best for info on players outside of that.

This was from a ranking of available free agent prospects for the NBA next year.

25 Aleks Maric C
25 years old, 6' 11" 265lbs.
KK Partizan Belgrade

After a ho-hum rookie season in the ACB, former Nebraska product Aleks Maric has absolutely exploded this season for Partizan Belgrade, averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Euroleague and ranking amongst the top players in European basketball in virtually every statistical category. His below average athleticism and defensive potential limits his NBA upside to a certain extent, but considering his production, he will surely be getting extensive looks from teams this summer.

Matthew Dellavedova named Mid-Major Freshmen All-America Team

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 09:30:31 +0000

Quote

Saint Mary's freshman guard Matthew Dellavedova was selected as a 2010 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Freshmen All-America, which was announced on Tuesday. During his freshman season, Dellavedova finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.1 points per game.

Dellavedova, a native of Maryborough, Victoria, Australia, scored 412 points, which ranks second on the Saint Mary's freshman single season scoring list. In addition to his ability to score, he also finished second on the team with 153 assists (4.5 apg), which are tied for seventh in the SMC single season list.

http://www.smcgaels.com//ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=21400&ATCLID=204919987

Geelong Supercats import J'Nathan Bullock turned back on NFL career - Geelong Advertiser

Tue, 30 Mar 2010 21:25:39 +0000

Geelong Supercats import J'Nathan Bullock turned back on NFL career
Geelong Advertiser
"My ultimate goal is to play in the NBA but the (Australian) NBL is a great competition. It's got a lot of respect over in the States so I would definitely ...

St Mary's crash out of NCAA

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:03:13 +0000

Well it had been quite the fairytale for the St Mary's Gaels in the last month, first they beat their main rival in Gonzaga to ensure their place in the the NCAA tournament and then had a dream run as they beat more highly rated opponents on the way to the sweet sixteen. But is all came crashing down as the Gaels went down to Baylor 72-49, all in all it was a game St Mary's would like to forget, they shot a combined 35% from the field and allowed Baylor to shoot 47% from 3 point range, you'll lose every game with those sorts of stats lines.

From an Aussie point of view (St Mary's has 5 Australian players), Ben Allen had a very solid game with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Matt Dellavedova scored 6 points and dished out 7 assists.

The stories now coming out from all of this are, Could Omar Samhan land himself a NBA contract? Will we see Ben Allen (from Melbourne) in the NBL next season?

Potential Aussies for the 2010 NBA Draft and Aussies getting NBA contracts in general for next season?

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:36:31 +0000

Just curious to see which aussies may go for the draft and if they have any chances or not and also other aussies who may get contracts for NBA teams next season..like i have been hearing pretty good reports about Aleks Maric in the euroleague for Partizan Belgrade..

Andrew Gaze helped open Australian pipeline to NCAA

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:27:39 +0000

Quote

Twenty-one years ago, Seton Hall�s lone run to the Final Four was made possible, in part, by Andrew Gaze, a 6-7, sharp-shooting Australian.

Back in his native country, those NCAA Tournament games were broadcast on a free-to-air network available to all Australians � a breakthrough for a nation preoccupied with rugby, cricket and Australian Rules Football.

�College basketball was unheard of in Australia back then,� Gaze explained this week from Melbourne. �But because Seton Hall did so well, they broadcast the Final Four, and that introduced the public to what college basketball was all about.�

http://www.nj.com/college-basketball/index.ssf/2010/03/ex-seton_hall_star_andrew_gaze_helped_open_australian_pipeline_to_ncaa_saint_marys.html

Anatoly Bose scores 46 points

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 23:38:17 +0000

Bose scores 46 points , but Northwestern State tops Nicholls, 99-98, in 2 OTs

Bose's 46 led all scorers and shattered his previous career high of 27 points. Bose's point total was the most by any
player in the Southland Conference this season, and his 14 rebounds gave him his second double-double of the
year.

Bose's point total also broke a Prather Coliseum record set 34 years ago by Demons coach Mike McConathy.

http://geauxcolonels.../012310aaa.html

Anatoly Bose Watch 2009/10

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:47:56 +0000

Quote

The Nicholls State University men's basketball team (0-1) overcame a ten-point first half deficit to take a 36-33 halftime lead, but a 21-7 second-half run by Duquesne (1-0) gave the host Dukes an 85-62 win in the season opener for both teams and spoil Nicholls' hopes for an upset in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

Nicholls was led by junior guard/forward Anatoly Bose, who totaled 23 points on 35.0 percent shooting (7-for-20, 4-for-12 from three-point range), and sophomore guard Fred Hunter who posted 12 points and a team-high 7 rebounds in Nicholls first-ever contest against a current member of the Atlantic 10.

http://geauxcolonels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/111309aab.html

Anatoly Bose Named First Team All-Southland

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:40:21 +0000

Junior guard/forward Anatoly Bose was named first team All-Southland and sophomore guard/forward Fred Hunter picked up honorable mention honors as the Southland Conference named its 2010 All-Southland Men's Basketball Teams on Tuesday.

Bose earned first team accolades after averaging 20.4 points/game during the regular season. The Sydney, Australia native's point/game average ranks him 23rd in the nation heading into Wednesday night's tipoff against Sam Houston State. League-wide, Bose's nightly point production ranks behind only Texas-Arlington's Marquez Haynes, whose 22.8 point/game average leads the league and ranks fourth in the nation.

Hunter, the 2008-09 Southland Freshman of the Year winner, followed an impressive debut freshman season with a solid 2009-10. After averaging 10.6 points/game as a freshman, the Denton, Texas native led the Colonels with a .486 field goal percentage and ranked ninth in the conference with a 14.1 point/game average.

Bose, Hunter and the rest of the Colonels will return to action when they open Southland Conference Tournament play on Wednesday night. The eighth-seeded Colonels will take on No. 1 seed and regular season champion Sam Houston State at 6:00 p.m. at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in the Houston suburb of Katy, Texas.

Bogut injured with back pain

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:57:28 +0000

Not good news for the Bucks and not good news for the Boomers chances of getting him for the world championships.

Quote

Bucks center Andrew Bogut is out for Milwaukee's game against the Miami Heat on Friday night because of middle back pain.

Bogut is Milwaukee's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.8 points and 10.2 rebounds. The surprising Bucks are in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and have won 15 of their last 18 games, but Bogut has struggled recently.

In his last three games, Bogut has averaged 21 minutes and totaled 19 points and 17 rebounds. His back is of particular concern because he missed most of last season with a stress fracture in the lower part of the spine.

Ninnis is Gone!

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:39:35 +0000

36ers looking for a new coach! i think Scotty tried but wasnt up to it! Goorg maybe or Stacker???

http://www.nbl.com.au/index.php?id=15&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=15447&tx_ttnews[backPid]=4&cHash=c686071784

NBL defensive player of the year 2009/10

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 03:35:36 +0000

New Zealand Breakers veteran Dillon Boucher taken out the NBL�s Defensive Player of the Year Award for the 2009/10 competition. Boucher finished with 42 votes to leave his rivals in his wake. Damian Martin from Perth (29), Adam Gibson from the Blaze (28) and Mika Vukona from the Blaze (21) were left to fight for second place.

Boucher was the shining light for the Breakers on defence this season, who allowed opponents to score 83.6 points per game. During the regular season Boucher recorded 37 steals, 12 blocks and 74 defensive rebounds, but it was his ability to bulldog opponents for the length of the court that made him invaluable in Coach Andrej Lemanis� system.

In his seven years of playing in the NBL he has been instrumental in helping his teams win games on the defensive end. He helped New Zealand make a late season push towards the end of the 2009/10 season by getting his teammates to pitch in on the defensive end of the floor.

This is Boucher�s first Defensive Player of the Year award and he becomes the first New Zealander to take it out.

The award is determined by a vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.

2010 Best Defensive Player Voting

Dillon Boucher (NZ) 42

Damian Martin (Perth) 29

Adam Gibson (Gold Coast) 28

Mika Vukona (Gold Coast) 21

Tommy Greer (Melbourne) 8

Brad Robbins (Perth) 6

Rolan Roberts (Townsville) 5

Glen Saville (Wollongong) 3

Thomas Abercrombie (NZ) 1

Aaron Grabau (Cairns) 1

MVP...

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:00:07 +0000

Id like to hear everyones thoughts on who they believe should win the MVP and why???

Saint Mary�s Gaels Watch 2009/10

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 18:03:50 +0000

Matthew Dellavedova scored 19 points and dished out 7 dimes for St Mary�s, While Andrew Ogilvy once again struggled for Vanderbilt scoring only 2 points.

Saint Mary�s men�s basketball lost a heart breaker to Vanderbilt, 70-72, making the Gaels 2-1 this season. In a fast paced game, full of fouls and lead changes, the Gaels and Commodores fought till the last second.

At the last second, Clint Steindl pump-faked and side-stepped on the right hand baseline, and narrowly missed a 3-point attempt. Omar Samhan�s put back was just after the buzzer as the Gaels lost at home for the first time this season.

Aussie in the USA press re NCAA

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:04:10 +0000

A whole series of articles have come out in the last few days about Australian playing college in the USA. Mainly focusing on the Saint Mary�s Gales connection

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/mar/17/sports/la-sp-st.-marys-basketball-20100318

http://www.projo.com/college/content/projo-20100318-ncaa-roundup.1bd175ecf.html

http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/mens_basketball/articles/2010/03/18/down_under_theyre_above_and_beyond/

NBL Game/News Thread.

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:12:21 +0000

Ok so games start on 24th and thats 8 days wooohooo..

Adam Ballinger has been named 36's captain.

Russel Hinder has been named Crocs Captain.

Matt Campbell Hawks Captain.

who is excited

New Zealand V Taipans kicks off the season.

1 24-Sep-09 THU New Zealand V Cairns 7:00 PM North Shore Events Centre
1 25-Sep-09 FRI Wollongong V Perth 7:30 PM Wollongong Entertainment Centre
1 25-Sep-09 FRI Gold Coast V Townsville 7:30 PM Gold Coast Convention Centre
1 26-Sep-09 SAT Cairns V Adelaide 7:30 PM Cairns Convention Centre

Perth Wildcats - Awards night

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 06:13:18 +0000

MVP - Shawn Redhage

Most Improved - Damian Martin

Defensive Player of the year - Damian Martin

Coach Award - Brad Robbins

Members Award - Stephen Weigh

Was a great night, retirement speach by Paul Rogers and Martin Cattalini were both great. I guess this is it now until next season starts... time to hybernate.

NBL 2010/11 club licence decisions?

Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:24:02 +0000

Quote

National Basketball League clubs will have to wait until next week to find out if they will be part of the competition next season.

The NBL was due to make an announcement this week, but a spokesman says the Commissioner is still finalising licence agreements.

Most of the interest revolves around bids for new teams in Sydney and Brisbane, while the Cairns Taipans are still working to meet the league's financial requirements.

I'm still not sure Sydney works for me, unless they have some new model that guarantees a fan base e.g. attached to the Sydney Swans or something. I'm not sure how a Sydney team can survive.

Brisbane and Cairns have a great supporter base's, its a shame Cairns did not have a good season this year.

I'd actually like to see a second team from New Zealand. Imagine a NZ derby game in the NBL. Maybe even a team that plays in various cities e.g. Wellington, Christchurch etc

Perth Wildcats win record 5th championship

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:48:00 +0000

The Perth Wildcats came into the game as hot favourites, but at half time the game very much look in the balance with the Wollongong Hawks seemingly having their way on the offensive end. But the 3rd quarter changed the game for the Wildcats, Kevin Lisch continued to play well knocking down shots (he had 29 points at the last break) and it is was the Perth Wildcats full court defense and their offensive rebounding which rattled the Wollongong Hawks,led by Galen Young among others. This combined with a bit of luck that 3 pointer by Kevin Lisch on the buzzer should not have counted. But you make you own luck in sport and this was no different, the Perth Wildcats ran away with the game (96-72) in the 4th quarter and history has been written.

The Perth Wildcats are now the most successful team in Australian history having now won 5 championships (separating themselves form the Adelaide 36ers and the Melbourne Tigers on 4)

Martin Cattalini has now retired form basketball were it al start for him, he now has 4 championship rings (2 with Perth and 2 with Adelaide)

Kudos must go to the Wollongong Hawks, they were at one stage not going to be part of the league and were always written off. The NBL needs fairytales and teams against the odds that play with heart and the Hawks have done that

Congrats Perth Wildcats, enjoy the PARTY
Discuss at: NBL Forum

NBL All 1st,2nd,3rd Teams 2009/10

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 13:28:59 +0000

All-NBL First Team

Corey Williams (Townsville)

Kirk Penney (New Zealand)

Tywain McKee (Wollongong)

Mark Worthington (Melbourne)

Shawn Redhage (Perth)

All-NBL Second Team

Adam Ballinger (Adelaide)

CJ Bruton (New Zealand)

Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast)

Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)

Ayinde Ubaka (Gold Coast)

All-NBL Third Team

Julius Hodge (Melbourne)

Glen Saville (Wollongong)

John Gilchrist (Adelaide)

Cameron Tragardh (Wollongong)

Larry Davidson (Wollongong)

NBL Most Improved Player 2009/10

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:54:27 +0000

Gold Coast Blaze big man Anthony Petrie has been named Most Improved Player of the National Basketball League for the 2009/10 season, after a year where he established himself as one of the hardest workers in the game.

Petrie won the award after receiving 32 votes in a poll of all NBL Coaches, head assistants and captains. The award didn�t come easy as Daniel Johnson from Melbourne finished with 28, Larry Davidson from the Hawks (27) and Chris Goulding from the Blaze (23).

The 26 year old from Tenterfield, NSW definitely showed his worth this season. He averaged 11.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. Petrie shot the ball at 45% from the field, 40.5% beyond the arc and 74.1% from the stripe.

One of Petrie�s breakout games came in a loss against Townsville where he finished with 26 points and six rebounds.

Other previous winners of the award include CJ Bruton, Chris Anstey, Shane Heal and Mark Bradtke. Petrie becomes the first Gold Coast Blaze player to win this award.

A vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club determine the Most Improved Player award, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team. Ballots are cast on a 3-2-1 basis.

2010 NBL Most Improved Player Voting

Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast) 32

Daniel Johnson (Melbourne) 28

Larry Davidson (Wollongong) 27

Chris Goulding (Gold Coast) 23

Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand) 13

Stephen Weigh (Perth) 10

Rhys Martin (Wollongong) 8

Kerry Williams (Cairns) 1

Damian Martin (Perth) 1

Michael Cedar (Townsville) 1

Andrew Bogut may not play at world championships

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:05:24 +0000

Well the news reports are all over the web

e.g. http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1029069

The statements from Bogut : "I think I'm a 50-50 chance for the world championships," Bogut, in Los Angeles where the Bucks had a disappointing 101-93 loss to the lowly LA Clippers, told AAP on Wednesday.

"I'm not going to make a decision until the end of the season.

"My back has been up and down.

"There's been days when I'm great and days where I feel horrible."

The statements from Hammond, Bucks GM:
"We are going to support Andrew as he goes through this process, but we do have concerns," Hammond told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"... We know the importance of the world championships and the importance to Australian basketball.

"Not trying to be selfish throughout this process, but to a certain extent we do have to watch out for our own best concerns here."

The statements from Scott Skiles, Bucks Coach:

"It's a sensitive subject because you're dealing with almost a patriotism-type issue, people playing for their country," Skiles told the newspaper.

"On the other hand, Andrew's injury was an injury from overuse.

"We're trying to impress on Andrew the importance (he has to the franchise) and he understands it.

"From our seat, we want Andrew working on his game and staying healthy in the summertime.

"That's a big priority."

NBL END OF SEASON AWARDS NOMINEES REVEALED.

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:37:05 +0000

NBL END OF SEASON AWARDS NOMINEES REVEALED

In the wake of last Friday�s thrilling conclusion to the National Basketball League (NBL) season, where the Perth Wildcats took the title over the Wollongong ahm Hawks, the nominees in four of the major award categories for the 2009/10 NBL season have been revealed.

The players nominated for the Most Improved Player, Best Sixth Man, Rookie of the Year and Best Defensive Player awards have been announced. The eventual winners will be named at the 2010 NBL and WNBL Awards Dinner in Melbourne at Crown Casino this Friday night.

Each of the NBL�s eight teams were able to nominate a maximum of two players from their own roster for each of those four award categories. In all, four players were nominated by their club for Rookie honours, 15 for Best Sixth Man, 15 for Best Defensive Player and 12 for Most Improved.

Voting for the award winners was conducted at the conclusion of the regular season, with the Head Coach, one Assistant Coach and one Captain from each team having the chance to cast 3-2-1 votes for their preferred choices. Voters were not allowed to vote for players from their own team in the final balloting process. The player who receives the highest vote total when all ballots are counted will be declared the winner.

Other awards that will be announced this Friday night include the Andrew Gaze Trophy for the NBL�s Most Valuable Player, the All-NBL First, Second and Third Teams, Referee of the Year and the Lindsay Gaze Trophy for Coach of the Year. None of these other awards required clubs to nominate players.

The players nominated by their clubs in the Rookie, Most Improved, Sixth Man and Defensive Player categories are listed below.

Rookie of the Year

Chris Molitor (Adelaide)

Tommy Ammar (Gold Coast)

Jesse Wagstaff (Perth)

Tim Coenraad (Wollongong)

Sixth Man

Jacob Holmes (Adelaide)

Nathan Herbert (Adelaide)

Phill Jones (Cairns)

Rich Melzer (Cairns)

Mika Vukona (Gold Coast)

Erron Maxey (Gold Coast)

Daryl Corletto (Melbourne)

Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand)

Tony Ronaldson (New Zealand)

Jesse Wagstaff (Perth)

Brad Robbins (Perth)

Stephen Hoare (Townsville)

Brad Williamson (Townsville)

Rhys Martin (Wollongong)

Dave Gruber (Wollongong)

Defensive Player of the Year

Jacob Holmes (Adelaide)

Nathan Herbert (Adelaide)

Aaron Grabau (Cairns)

Ian Crosswhite (Cairns)

Adam Gibson (Gold Coast)

Mika Vukona (Gold Coast)

Tommy Greer (Melbourne)

Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand)

Dillon Boucher (New Zealand)

Damian Martin (Perth)

Brad Robbins (Perth)

Cameron Tovey (Townsville)

Rolan Roberts (Townsville)

Mat Campbell (Wollongong)

Glen Saville (Wollongong)

Most Improved

Nathan Herbert (Adelaide)

Kerry Williams (Cairns)

Anthony Petrie (Gold Coast)

Chris Goulding (Gold Coast)

Daniel Johnson (Melbourne)

Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand)

Stephen Weigh (Perth)

Damian Martin (Perth)

Michael Cedar (Townsville)

Cameron Tovey (Townsville)

Larry Davidson (Wollongong)

Rhys Martin (Wollongong)

NBL Coach of the year 2009/10

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:33:06 +0000

After helping the undermanned Wollongong Hawks get to an NBL Grand Final in his first year with the club, Gordie McLeod has won the National Basketball League�s (NBL) Lindsay Gaze Trophy as Coach of the Year for the 2009/10 season.

McLeod won the award by earning 59 votes to finish ahead of Perth coach Rob Beveridge (29) and Townsville�s Trevor Gleeson (28).

McLeod had his Hawks flying early in the season, winning five of their first six games. The Hawks ended the regular season with a 16-12 record. This meant that the team whom was predicted by many to finish last, finished second on the NBL ladder at the end of the regular season.

Under McLeod, the Hawks formed a chemistry which could be seen both on and off the court. They played team basketball throughout the season, averaging 16.3 assists per game, which got them to the NBL Grand Final. McLeod did it tough however, with Tywain McKee going down injured mid season. McLeod brought in former Sydney King Luke Martin to fill the role and lost nothing in doing so. Some of the younger Hawks in Rhys Martin and Tim Coenraad blossomed under the guidance of McLeod.

With McLeod at the helm, the Hawks became a defensive force this season limiting their opponents to 81 points per game on 44% shooting. The Hawks averaged 5.4 steals and 2.8 blocks per contest.

The Lindsay Gaze Trophy for NBL Coach of the Year award is named after the legendary Melbourne Tigers coach. It takes into account regular season performances only, and is voted on by head coaches, assistant coaches (one per club) and team captains (one per club) on a 3-2-1 basis. Balloters are unable to vote for members of their own club.

2010 NBL Coach of the Year � Voting

Geordie McLeod

59

Trevor Gleeson

28

Rob Beveridge

29

Joey Wright

22

Aaron Fearne

5

NBL Most Valuable Player 2009/10

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:31:57 +0000

Townsville Crocodiles� star point guard Corey �Homicide� Williams has been named the winner of the Andrew Gaze Trophy as the National Basketball League�s Most Valuable Player for the 2009/2010 season at the NBL and WNBL Awards Dinner in Melbourne on tonight.

Williams received 92 votes to take the award from Adelaide 36ers forward Adam Ballinger, who polled 80. Melbourne Tigers� forward Mark Worthington came in third place with 72 votes, followed by Wollongong Hawks� guard Tywain McKee in fourth place with 70 points. Perth Wildcats forward Shawn Redhage, whose team won the 2010 NBL Championship, was fifth with 69 points.

Williams, who has now been a Croc for three years, averaged 18.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.1 assists over his 31 games this season, shooting the ball at 50.6% from the field. For the second year running Williams led the Crocodiles to a Semi Final berth.

Williams becomes only the second Croc to win the award after club legend Robert Rose claimed the honour in 2001.

Voting for the MVP award is conducted following each regular season game by the coaching staffs of each team, with the player amassing the most votes at the end of the season being declared the winner.

The NBL�s MVP award is named after Melbourne Tigers great Andrew Gaze, with the trophy being a specially commissioned sculpture of Gaze in action.

NBL 6th Man Award 2009/10

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:27:41 +0000

The National Basketball League has announced that Gold Coast�s dynamic import Erron Maxey has won the Best Sixth Man for 2009/10.

Maxey took out the honours as the NBL�S best-off-the-bench polling 33 votes after being called into the team following the first two games of the season. The Sixth Man award this season was tight with Maxey�s teammate Mika Vukona polling 29 votes and last year�s winner Phill Jones of Cairns 25.

In his last season in the NBL, New Zealand�s Tony Ronaldon polled 14 votes and Crocodiles swingman Brad Williamson finished with 13.

In 28 regular season games for the Blaze, Maxey averaged 13.7 points and 6.4 rebounds off the pine. He made 48% of his shots from the field, 40.8% from three point territory and 75.9% from the foul line. Maxey was an integral part of the Blaze�s regular season 16-12 record, helping the team from the Gold Coast get to the Semi-Finals.

Previous winners of the Best Sixth Man award include Jason Smith, Bruce Bolden, Stephen Black and Chris Anstey. Maxey is the first member of the Blaze to take out the award.

The Best Sixth Man award is determined by a vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.

2010 Sixth Man of the Year Voting

Erron Maxey (Gold Coast) 33

Mika Vukona (Gold Coast) 29

Phill Jones (Cairns) 25

Tony Ronaldson (NZ) 14

Brad Williamson (Townsville) 13

Thomas Abercrombie (New Zealand) 7

Stephen Hoare (Townsville) 6

Jesse Wagstaff (Perth) 5

Daryl Corletto (Melbourne) 5

Rhys Martin (Wollongong) 3

Nathan Herbert (Adelaide) 3

Dave Gruber (Wollongong) 1

NBL Rookie of the year 2009/10

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:25:44 +0000

Perth Wildcat�s explosive power forward, Jesse Wagstaff, has been named by the National Basketball League as the 2010 NBL Rookie of the Year.

Wagstaff took out the award after polling 59 votes, comfortably beating Wollongong�s Tim Coenraad (47) and Chris Molitor of Adelaide (24). He received 19 out of the possible 21 first-place votes.

The former Metro State NCAA star averaged nine points and 3.5 rebounds per game coming off the bench for the Wildcats and his contributions helped Perth to win their fifth NBL Championship.

In his NBL debut Wagstaff looked comfortable scoring 10 points and collecting four rebounds in his 15 minutes on the floor. In one of Perth�s crucial games towards the end of the regular season, Wagstaff had a season high 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and five rebounds, helping Perth take out Melbourne 94-78.

Previous winners of the rookie honour have included Andrew Gaze, Sam Mackinnon, Andrew Vlahov, Shane Heal, Matt Nielsen, John Rillie, Brad Newley, Joe Ingles and Nathan Jawai.

The Rookie of the Year Award is determined by a 3-2-1 vote of all league head coaches and captains and one assistant coach per club, with voters excluded from voting for members of their own team.

2010 NBL Rookie of the Year Voting

Jesse Wagstaff (Perth) 59

Tim Coenraad (Wollongong) 47

Chris Molitor (Adelaide) 24

Tommy Ammar (Gold Coast) 9

Andrew Ogilvy Watch 2009/2010

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:26:52 +0000

Now AJ has recovered from a concussion from a few weeks ago, he is really starting to put up numbers that will make some people stand up and pay attention. He has fully recovered from all the injuries from last year and is moving very, very well. He may be a little short of conditioning but that is about it.

Stallings still has no clue how to use AJ - and none of the guards know how to pass to the post, but being healthy AJ just keeps working until they can't help give him the ball.

Tonight he is destroying the Missouri Tigers. He has 22+ pts, a bunch of rebounds, set some screens, ran the court, took some charges and there is still 7 minutes to go. Assuming he still gets the ball this should really be a 30pt night. With the way Stallings coaches and the guards pass there is really no guarantee that will happen. Like right now - AJ has 25 and is killing people and he gets subbed out for a 'rest' and Missouri go on a little run. It went from a 15pt game to 5 pt game while AJ has been out.

Basically AJ does all the same things Bogut does for the Bucks but he does them a little quicker to make up for being a little shorter and he is a little more mobile. Still has a horrid hitch in his shot. Hopefully he can stay healthy all year.

Patrick Mills Watch 2009/10

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 09:08:26 +0000

Hi all so i was on NBA.com the other day and sore that Patrick mills has now been singed by Portland how does everyone think he will go and what kind of mins do you all think he will play? i must say i was really happy to see that they did sign him

Bogut is NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:54:31 +0000

Thought this was news-worthy enough to deserve its own post. Bogut has been named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Here’s why:Bogut led Milwaukee to a 3-0 week, which included wins over the Celtics and Jazz. Bogut led the league in blocks (3.67) and was second in rebounding (13.7), while scoring [...]

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Aussies in NCAA 2010 Tournament

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:32:39 +0000

Vanderbilt 4th seed playing Muarry State (and if they get past that the winner of Butler/UTEP)
Muarry State is the sort of team that Vandy should handle easily except they are athletic and very, very well coached. Same issue with the other two teams they get... I was going to say this no matter who they drew :-) Vandy are so, so talented and they do so, so little with it.

Gonzaga's loss to St Mary's dropped them from a probably 5th seed to an 8th seed playing Florida State. That is pretty rough but it also says what the committe thinks of the WCC beyond Gonzaga and St Mary's. More and more likley SMC gets a 11th or 12th seed which is WAY low.

St Mary's are going to be in the South.... last bracket announced. There are some, tough, tough teams left to be placed. 10th seed versus Richmond! A very, very winnable game! I think SMC moved up from a 12th to a 10th seed with their win over Gonzaga.

Old Dominion (Perth guard Trian Iliadis, Soph) get a 11th seed against Notre Dame. This is a winnable game. Notre Dame is playing really well but didn't deserve to be seeded this high.

Florida shouldn't of got in and got an undeserved 10th seed.. but they did. Minnesota is a bit of a crappy pick as well. There were more deserving teams than these two. Notre Dame deserved to be in but they got a way too high seed. No way are they a 6th seed. Sienna got the best luck as a 13th seed - they get #4 Purdue who are without their best player and they have been playing like it.

I wasn't overly surprised with the teams selected, but this years seeding's seemed to be a little off.

More analysis on the bracket after I go eat :-)

Nathan Jawai Watch 2009/10

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:42:40 +0000

Jawaii did not get any game time again today. I thourght when he got traded to the T wovles that it would have been great for him but it does not seem like he is going to get game time. Did he go to the NBA to soon? because it seems that way to me and does any see him getting some mins down the track?

NBL 2010 Playoff Thead.

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:59:25 +0000

Some action packed games to come,here's the semi final schedule, Go Hawks!

2010 NBL Semi Finals Schedule (best of three games)

Perth Wildcats (1st) versus Gold Coast Blaze (4th)

Game 1 � Thursday 18 February � 7:00PM � Challenge Stadium

Game 2 � Tuesday 23 February � 7:30PM � Gold Coast Convention Centre

Game 3 (if required) � Sunday 28 February � 4:30PM � Challenge Stadium

Wollongong Hawks (2nd) versus Townsville Crocodiles (3rd)

Game 1 � Friday 19 February � 7:30PM � WIN Entertainment Centre

Game 2 � Wednesday 24 February � 7:30PM � Townsville Entertainment & Convention Centre

Game 3 (if required) � Saturday 27 February � 7:30PM � WIN Entertainment Centre

All times listed are local.

Martin Cattalini Retires

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:59:07 +0000

Have heard that Martin Cattalini will retire

A great career for Martin, championships, national team, played in Europe.

With him and other like Chris Anstey and Sam Mackinnon, we realy have lost alot this year in the NBL

Perth Wildcats 1993-1995
Adelaide 36ers 1996-2000, 2003-2004
Cairns Taipans 2006-2009
Perth Wildcats 2010
Championships 1995, 1998, 1999
Career Highlights Boomers Olympic Squad Member (2000, 2004)
Played in Spain for Deportivo Baloncesto Sevilla, Caja San Fernando Sevilla & DKV Joventut

Cody Ellis Named A-10 Rookie of the Week

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:29:53 +0000

Quote

Saint Louis University freshman forward Cody Ellis (Perth, Australia / A.I.S.) was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Rookie of the Week for the period ending Feb. 27. The honor is Ellis' first of his Billiken career.

Over three games, Ellis averaged 14.3 ppg while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, 42.1 percent from 3-point range and 81.8 percent from the line. He began the week by hitting four 3-pointers, both free throw attempts and finished with 14 points at Massachusetts as the Billikens won their third straight road contest. He sank half his shots against Xavier and all seven free throws to finish with 19 points, his second-highest total of the season. To close out the week, Ellis made two 3-pointers and finished with 10 points in the victory over Duquesne.

The Billikens (19-9, 10-4 A-10) welcome nationally ranked Temple to Chaifetz Arena Wednesday, March 3, in a 7 p.m. game. The contest is the final regular season home game for the Billikens.