Time For Me To Ball and Some News

I hope my coach does not want us to adopt this blocking out technique Chris Bosh is using.

Over the next four days I will be in Cairns for their annual Queensland Cup. This has become a four team event that the Taipans put on during the preseason.

This year Sydney Spirit will join the three Queensland franchises (Gold Coast, Cairns and Townsville) as we battle it out for this prestigious title.

All teams play each other once during the tournament and a winner is crowned at the end. If there are multiple teams on the same amount of wins at the end of it all, Cairns head honcho Juanita O'Brein finds her Casio fx-82 (calculator), punches some numbers in furiously and will then announce that Cairns won due to the formula she was using.

What I'm really looking forward to seeing over the weekend:

- If Pero Cameron has changed his eating habits over the off season. I'm sure I will find out when he sets his first screen on me.

- How new Sydney Spirit import Derrick Lowe is handling playing for a high octane team. Lowe went to Washington State University, a school that takes every ounce of air out of the ball.

- Will anyone have a worse haircut then Corey "Homicide" Williams? I find that hard to believe, but I will take my camera just in case.

- How many times a Cairns fan yells out "nice shot (Brad) Newley", when it is actually Cam Tovey.

- Does Daniel Joyce have any new ink?

- Will Spirit rebounding machine Matt Knight still be rockin a perm this year?

- How confused Corey Williams will be when both Brad and Drew Williamson are on the court at the same time? Corey has had a little problem so far remembering who is who.

Tomorrow night's games are as follows:

Townsville Crocs vs Sydney Spirit (5.30pm)
Cairns Taipans vs Gold Coast Blaze (8.00pm)

I will have daily updates on these games, providing Cairns hotels have Internet service.

News and Views

- Yao Ming's bed from the Beijing Olympics is just one of the many items up for auction.

- Darryl McDonald and Warrick Giddey will lace them up this weekend for the Melbourne Tigers. The Tigers are hurting for numbers for their preseason game due to several of their players (and coach) committed to the ABA finals this weekend. I wonder if Andrew Gaze will dust them off, just so Giddey can get a stat in the form of an assist?

- I know my man over at A Stern Warning will have covered this so go there to find more. But former Portland Trailblazer Kevin Duckworth has died at the age of 44. I once bumped into the "Duck" in a USA airport. My recollection of this moment - the biggest leather jacket I have ever seen to this day. (I have seen 7'6 Shaun Bradley wearing a leather jacket but the "string bean" shopped for his jacket in the belt section.) RIP Kevin Duckworth.

- Perennial ABA juggernaut Cameron Tragardh is trying to flex his muscle. This year's ABA is not over and the Wollongong Hawks centre is already putting demands on Bundaberg if they wish to secure his signature for next season.

- The guys at Sports Count have a few good reads. First one is on NBA players and their tuff stickers, while they also get in on the athletes and blogging debate.

- Cairns Taipan Gary Boodnikoff is getting back to his best.

- Darwin All-Stars lighting it up in the Brunei Cup.

- Adelaide 36ers believe they have a good feeling about this team.

- World Hoops Blog has athlete/blogger Rod Benson signed in France.

- New Zealand Breakers are coming to the mainland for 8 days to see what is new in the world plus play some preseason games.

- Crocs go hard, as always.

- TrueHoop has a nice write up about Kevin Duckworth.

- Not a good day for former NBA players. Wayman Tisdale has part of his leg removed to stop cancer.

- A couple weeks ago I introduced an Aussie kid by the name of Angus Brandt. He has caught the attention of many college coaches in the USA. Here is a little update of what a scouting service is hearing and check out the list of schools already.

- New Zealand Breaker fans, you can now get closer to your favourite player. Check this out.

Check out athlete/blogger Rod Benson on ESPN's E:60