Emus Ready for the World

Australia's Under 19 team finished off preparations for the upcoming FIBA Under 19 World Championships by winning the Four Nations tournament held in Melbourne recently. In the first game of the tourney, Australia ran out to an impressive 96-74 win over Greece. Brock Motum lead the way with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Ample support was provided by Ryan Broekhoff who scored 17 points while Cody Ellis chipped in with 13 points and 4 assists. Jorden Page scored an additional 13 points for the Emus.

In the final match, Australia was again lead by Brock Motum who scored 18 points and grabbed 7 rebounds as the Emus narrowly defeated Spain to win the trophy. Cody Ellis with 13 points 9 rebounds, Jorden Page, 11 points and Ryan Broekhoff 10 points, 9 rebounds, lead the supporting cast for Australia.

The other final day result went to Greece with a 84-65 defeat of France.

In the first round, Australia barely defeated France 85-83 thanks to 20 points from Brock Motum, 12 points and 10 rebounds from Mitchell Young, 15 points from Cody Ellis and 14 points/4 assists from Matthew Dellavedova.

The other first round result saw Greece bounce Spain 95-71. In the other second round encounter, France held off Spain 74-71.

The Final Ladder for the tourney stacked up as:
Australia 3 wins, 0 losses
Greece 2 wins, 1 loss
France 1 win, 2 losses
Spain 0 wins, 3 losses

All four teams will be participating in the World finals in Auckland New Zealand starting on July 2.

Draft...the day after, Speculation time.

With the NBA Draft over and done with albeit hugely overshadowed by other world events in the last day, we can now take a look at who came out winners and who stuffed it up.

Winners:

Denver Nuggets-Ty Lawson was a steal with the 18th pick draft and trade deal. He will provide solid backup to Billups and Anthony and eventually become the teams leader from the point.

LA Clippers-Taylor Griffin was the stud of this years draft and the Clippers were right in taking him. He will have time to adjust and will have a healthy Kaman and Camby up front to help shoulder the load. Will this be enough for the Baron to return to being a productive team first player?

Memphis Grizzlies-Drafted well and could get immediate help from Carroll and Thabeet will be a dominant defensive force in the years to come. Young was also a second round steal.

Orlando Magic-though they had no draft picks, the trade to bring Vince carter back to the Sunshine state will make all parties happy. The loss of Tukoglu may not be as tough as it once seemed.

San Antonio Spurs-No first round picks, no worries!! The Spurs made out like Bandits whether or not they keep or trade Blair, Jack McClinton can score with the best of 'em and the acquisition of Jefferson helps the team transform itself into more of a threat.

Philadelphia 76ers-The Sixers got a still when a lottery pick Jrue Holliday fell into their hands at pick 17.

Losers:

Chicago Bulls-Questions surround Johnson & Gibson.

Minnesota Timberwolves-Either a bad Chemistry experiment or stocking the shelves for a fire sale?? They are building, but what are they building??

Other Notes:

Shaq will again don the number 33 for the first time since his college days for his Cleveland debut next season.

Rubio did not show up at a Wolves press conference.

Turkoglu opts out of Orlando contract.

Next week I will start looking at the upcoming Under 19 World Championships, the WNBA, the local Aussie scene and a few other things.

Nelson says the Warriors will not trade Curry.

'til then ... shoot 'em if you're open and if not, drive and dish!!

The Diesel pulls into Cleveland, hooks up Championship train!!

Shaquille O'Neal has left the building in Phoenix and headed for Cleveland in hopes of winning another title before hanging up the big boots. In a Draft Eve trade O'Neal was sent to the Cavs in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and a 2010 second round draft pick. The combonation of the big Diesel with King James has Cav fans rejoicing in the streets.

In another big trade, Vince Carter has gone home to Florida after a trade by the New Jersey Nets sent him to the Magic along with Ryan anderson for Rafer Alston, who will return to the NYC/Mix Tape area where he is a cult figure, Courtney Lee and Tony Battie. A healthy Carter could be the slasher the Magic are looking for in their quest for finals glory next season.

I will have a complete wrap up of todays draft and other trades in tomorrows blog...'til then, happy speculating.

Back to the Prospects

After yesterday's trade excitement, I will get back to having a look at more of the drafts top prospects.

Look for:

DeMar DeRozan (SG): Following O.J. Mayo's footsteps as a one and done from USC to the NBA, could follow his lead as a prime rookie performer in say...Toronto.

Jonny Flynn (PG): A fearless leader from the point will go to the hoop, pull up or dish with the best of them from this years draft, may become a Buck.

Stephen "Son of Dell" Curry (G): Definitely has the curry DNA though a bit shorter than his dad, could end up playing in Charlotte which would be friendly hometown confines.

Chase Budinger (G/F): Yes, white men can jump as this former volleyballer will prove, look for him to stay local and hop onto the roster of the Suns.

Eric Maynor (PG): A true floor general who has unquestionable floor leadership skills and smarts to bring to the table. May become a Philly favourite.

Biggest Bust:

Austin Daye (F): While intriguing with height for a big guard/small forward and with pedigree, should have taken another year or two to bulk up and hone his skills at 'Zaga. With that said look for Detroit to possibly be the ones to take a chance on him.

'Til tomorrow fans, we wait anxiously for the results and unpredictable outcomes of this years draft, while it is said to be a weak one, it is rather strong for back court players and deep at the PG position. As for Australia's own Patrick Mills, another year in the NCAA would not have hurt but look for him to go anywhere from late first round to not drafted at all. thus is the nature of the beast of Draft day 2009.

Stop the Presses...There's tradin' afoot!!!

Before I write about more prospects today, I first must report there has been trading activity over the last 24 hours. The Minnesota Timberwolves have sent guards Randy Foye and Mike Miller to the Washington Wizards for the number 5 pick of the Wizards and Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila and Oleksiy Pecherov. The Timberwolves now own four first round picks and are in an excellent position to wheel and deal even more before draft time.

Also in the last 24 hours, the San Antonio Spurs have gotten younger by trading for Milwaukee's Richard Jefferson. The Spurs sent Bruce Bowen (38), Kurt Thomas (36) and Fabricio Oberto (34) to the Bucks in the deal. The move is seen as a Bucks ploy to clear salary cap room for 2009-2010 as all of the players received have a short time left on their current contracts.

There is sure to be more activity between now and draft day so stay posted.

Two Shopping Days 'til Draft Day!!!

For NBA General Managers and die hard fans around the globe, the time is nigh, draft day is upon us!! On Thursday, Friday morning for us in Australia the suspense will build to a crescendo. So far all is quiet but expect moves to be made leading up to the draft in the form of trades. There are several rumours around with Shaq, Yao Ming, Chris Bosh and , Josh Smith being the hottest. As for what your team gets under their tree, here is my look at the notables.

Blake Griffin (PF): raw power and attitude, a pure NBA power forward, don't see the Clippers going past him, needs to develop mid range game.

Hasheem Thabeet (Goes On) (C): I have already given him the addition to his name because now that Matumbo has retired, "Thabeet goes on", get it!! Seriously though he may develop a vit more of an offensive game than Matumbo had. Along with the next few names could end up anywhere from pick 2-7. Oklahoma City widely predicted to take him at number three.

James Harden (SG): he shoots well, he handles well and he's athletic. Could be bound for New York if not taken sooner.

Ricky Rubio (PG): may continue the Spanish invasion of Memphis.

Jordan Hill (PF): another power forward of note, he may be a King for more than a day in Sacremento.

Tyreke Evans (PF): a tall athletic point guard who will cause nightmares for defenders and coaches in a few years time, could be off to mystify them in Washington.

DeJuan Blair (PF): a smallish power forward but a big dog in any fight under the basket, could be roughing them up on the Jersey Shore.

I will mention more in my next edition tomorrow as the time nears, until then, happy speculating!!

Emu's announced

Basketball australia has released the Emu's squad for the upcoming FIBA Under 19 World Championships in Auckland from the 2-12 July.

The squad consists of:

Bryce ARNOTT / Dandenong / VIC
Ryan BROEKHOFF / Frankston / VIC
Jason CADEE / Bankstown / NSW
Matthew DELLAVEDOVA / Maryborough / VIC
Cody ELLIS / Sterling / WA
Hugh GREENWOOD / Hobart / TAS
Shane HARRIS-TUNKS / Liverpool / NSW
Matthew HODGSON / Ipswich / QLD
Brock MOTUM / Brisbane / QLD
Jorden PAGE / Maroochydore / QLD
Christian SALECICH / Southern Districts / QLD
Mitchell YOUNG / Logan / QLD

Listed by player, Association played in and State.

The coaching/administration staff consists of:

Head Coach: Marty CLARKE
Assistant Coach: Tim MALLON
Assistant Coach: Damien COTTER
Manager: Bob McGUGAN
Physio: Peter SUFFOLK
Doctor: Dr Graham LEE

The emus will play in a Four Nations tournament in Melbourne on 26-28 of June along with teams from Spain, Greece and France.

If you are in the area, get out and support the Emu's in their preparation for the Championships.

Did Dwight Howard really have a terrible Finals series??

After taking time to digest my humble pie and assess what went wrong with the Magic, I went no further than young Dwight Howard initially. Some may say that his game needs more work? That he misses too many free throws? That he is not a leader?

All of the above are relevant questions, but now ask yourself, how many other 23yr olds have taken teams to this position? True Kobe Bryant went but there was the "Big Aristotle" to show him the way along with the "Zen Master" on the sidelines.

Some of the more glaring press slants are Dwight misses two free throws down the stretch in Game 4 and suddenly he is an offensive liability, Kobe misses four free throws down the stretch in Game 3 and he is considered "just tired".

In the Eastern Finals Game 6, LeBron James had a shocker, no one writes about the fact that he had a bad game, just that he needs more help. Howard still gets criticised even though he actually averaged 15.4 points and 15.2 rebounds in the finals. True he shot only 60.3% from the line but other great big men through NBA history--Bill russell and Wilt Chamberlin--have shot worse while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was probably the best foul shooting big man in the finals over the years.

Remember most big men Howard's age are only one year into their NBA careers or 2-3yrs at most if they spent at least one year at college whereas Howard's has been on the job training. He will be back again and the league will have to deal with a more determined, polished young buck the next time around.

Fat Lady sings in Orlando!

Yes it is over! The Magic have fallen in Game 5 of the NBA Finals losing to the LA Lakers by the score of 99-86. After falling behind by nine points early the LA outfit regrouped in the second and third quarters to put the finishing touches on their 15th Championship.

The Lakers were again led by Kobe Bryant with the support of Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Bryant can now claim ownership of a crown without the "can't do it without Shaq" hoodoo as he was also the Finals MVP. Once again the Orlando backcourt was non existent putting in another horrible shooting performance.

Finally, in conclusion, I put forward this closing statement. I am not a Laker Basher per se, I have always been an admirer of the franchise over the years. I have always appreciated the way the game was played by Magic, Jabbar, Worthy and company along with the more recent contributions from Shaq in the late 90's - 2001. Recently I feel too much of the focus/hype surrounding the team has centered on one person while the likes of Gasol, Odom, Bynum and the rest of the supporting cast went unheralded. Now all of those gentlemen can enjoy and savour the spoils of a true team effort. Congrats!!

Orlando in six prediction dead!!!

My prediction of the Orlando Magic winning the NBA title in six games fell by the wayside with todays 99-91 overtime loss to the LA Lakers. Kobe Bryamt returned to form for the Lakers who survived early foul trouble and more hot shooting by Orlando to go ahead in the third quarter and eventually pull out the win after trailing by double digits at half time. The game marked the first occaison since 1984 that two finals games have gone into overtime. Bryant finished with 32 points while Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 25 but missed several key free throws late in the game.

Game 5 of the series will be Sunday night (Monday Aussie time). The Magic need a win to extend the series while the Lakers can claim championship number 15 with a victory.

Has the power been restored??

Good Question as the Orlando Magic simply shot the lights out in their 108-104 win over the LA Lakers on Tuesday night (Wed Aussie time). Even with the great shooting performance, the Lakers will have to look at missed freethrows and defensive lapses as contributing factors in letting aan opportunity to go up 3-0 in the series slip away. Kobe Bryant who shot only 50% from the line missed a crucial attempt in the last minute that would have cut the Magic lead to one. The Lakers poor foul line performance came after a Game two performance where they made 14 in a row late in the game.

The Lakers shooting aside, the Magic set an NBA Finals record in shooting 62.5% from the field. It was the first Finals win for the Orlando franchise and got them back into the series with Game 4 scheduled for Thursday (Friday Aussie time). Will this be Miami-Dallas redeux?? If the Magic can eek out another home win, it will be game on!!

Guards from Orlando lose Magic!!!

So far in the NBA Finals series the Orlando Magic backcourt has been lacluster at best. Only Mikeal Pietrus in Game 1 has scored in double figures for the beleagured title contenders. Did anyone else notice that at times on Sunday the Magic went with a no point guard lineup? Rafer Alston did not play in the fourth quarter and Jameer Nelson only made a cameo appearance. No guard is shooting better than 38% and the group of backcourt players are shooting a combined 29%! Not championship contending stuff! Does anyone else think the early return of Nelson may have thrown a spanner into the chemistry of the guard group? Will the return to familiar turf for game 3 result in better performances?? Is there really a finals jinx for the Magic? Until Tuesday, we are left to ponder.

Prediction in trouble!!!!

My forcast of a Macic win in the NBA finals looks to be in trouble!!! After losing again to the Lakers in LA today, Orlando finds themselves in a 2-0 hole. The Magic put forth a much better effort but fell short in overtime as Pau Gasol came up huge in the extra period.
Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu showed vast improvement in their shooting efforts over game one. dwight Howard had a better all around game but committed a costly seven turnovers.
Maybe the hoodoo of having never won a Finals game is keeping the Magic from getting over the hump, we will find out on tuesday as the Finals shift to Orlando. There is still a slight chance of my 4-2 prediction surviving!!!!

Under 19 World Championships

The FIBA Under 19 World Championships will be held from 2-12 July in Auckland, New Zealand.
The groups are set as follows:

Group A: Angola, Greece, Lithuania and Puerto Rico
Group B: Egypt, France, Iran and USA
Group C: Australia, Canada, Spain and Syria
Group D: Argentina, Croatia, Kazakhstan and New Zealand

Some of the worlds finest young basketballers will be competing in the tournament so if you are in the area get out and have a look before they become famous!!
There will be team previews forthcoming in the next few weeks so stay tuned.

Also have a visit to : fiba.com where you can find more on the international game.

Local Scene

The Australian National Basketball League (NBL), is set to tip off its revamped competition on 24 September 2009. The season opener will see the New Zealand Breakers hosting the Cairns Taipans at the North Shore Events Centre. The eight team league will have its season conclude on Valentines Day 2010 with post season play to follow. The eight teams for this season's competition are:

Gold Coast Breakers
Cairns Taipans
New Zealand Breakers
Melbourne Tigers
Adelaide 36ers
Perth Wildcats
Wolloongong Hawks
Townsville Crocodiles

By all means get out to matches as often as possible to keep the game alive in Australia. Also visit nbl.com.au, the offical website of the NBL.

Game 1 NBA Finals

Ouch!! Maybe Kobe can do it all!!! but will he be able to do it for the entire series?? Perhaps this will be a wake up call for Mr. Howard and the rest of the Magic?
Clever as ever, Zen Master Jackson used a smothering at times triple teaming strategy to keep Howard to 12 points with 10 of those coming on free throws. Bryant to his credit showed no signs of the "Me Kobe" selfishness that has been known to surface in the past and was nothing but a pure team player getting 8 assists and 8 rebounds to go with his 40 points for the night. The Magic's outside shooters were non-existent.
The excellent game by Bryant overshadowed the return on Magic point guard Jameer Nelson. Will his prescence matter in the rest of the series?? Stay tuned, game two is on Sunday.

NBA Finals are here!!

The finals of the NBA season are upon us with the Orlando set to face Los angeles in the best of seven series starting Thursday June 4. This promises to be an interesting championship series featuring the brute inside force of Orlando's Dwight Howard seemingly pitted against the will to win it all of Kobe Bryant from LA.

After the surface is scratched look for the undertones of the battle to boil down to Orlando's outside shooters and play of point guard Rafer Alston against the role players of LA getting their job done. Throw in a sidebar of the possibility of a big game or series from Derek Fisher of LA and the wisdom of "Zen Master" turned coach Phil Jackson in LA's corner.

Will the Magic be able to frustrate Kobe or will he get his way?? Can the Lakers stop Howard inside?? Hmm...stay tuned.

For opening predictions I'll say look for the Magic to win it all in six games. In finals basketball, I think ultimately the big men decide outcomes and I see Howard as the biggest man stepping up to the challenge.