Broken Toe, Dusty Style

Click here to see why this equation makes sense to Cairns Taipan Dusty Rychart.

Danger Game For Hawks

Hawk Larry Davidson is 3rd in block shots. Can he have an impact tonight? I think so.

Tonight's Fox Sports game is a clash against the community teams. The league leading Wollongong Hawks (4-1), takes on the road inept (0-3) Cairns Taipans (3-4).

The two teams have already met this year with the Hawks taking the Taipans to school in the Gong, 71-59 in Round 3.

I'm sensing this is a danger game for the Hawks though. They have bolted out of the gates and have taken care of business at home to date with a blemish free 4-0 record at home..

This game will really show me what type of team the Hawks can be this year. It should be a game they win but if they do not apply themselves mentally the Snakes will take advantage as they have been on struggle street of late.

It's going to be important that the home team comes out strong early and put the Taipans under pressure. Plant doubt in the Taipans mind early.

A key match up will be at the point guard position. Can Taipan Skip Mills slow down Ty McKee? McKee (2nd in scoring at 22ppg) has won recent battles against studs CJ Bruton and Corey "Homicide" Williams so I hope Mills is resting up as I speak.

Rebounding is going to be key, in particular the Snakes on the offensive glass. Both Ian Crosswhite (2.4) and Dusty Rychart (2.9) are in the Top 10 for rebounding teammates misses. A team that is a little down on confidence can hand around with second chance opportunities and these two guys make a living from this.

The Hawks offense has been running very smoothly and a big reason for that is they create easy baskets from their defense. They have four guys (McKee, Mat Campbell, Glen Saville and Ryhs Martin) in the Top 10 in steals. (That is almost unheard of.) Steals lead to easy baskets so the Snakes will need to look after the ball otherwise the Hawks will be "off to the races", making it a long night at the office for the Snakes.

My X factors in this contest are Larry Davidson of the Hawks and Rich Melzer of the Snakes.

Davidson has been doing a little of everything for the Hawks and I have grown to appreciate his skill set. Whether it has been a three from the top or starting the break with a defensive rebound, he has become quite a factor in the Hawks success to date.

Melzer needs to provide offense for his team. If Phill Jones is having a quiet night Melzer is the other guy on the squad that can score points in a hurry and put his team in a winning position. He is a tough match up for other four men in the league as he can knock down the three but but the ball on the floor and get to the rim. He needs to come ready to play if the Taipans are to taste success on the road.

For some strange reason, I'm pumped to watch this game and that is something I can say I have never said about this matchup before.

My tip, Hawks by 13.

In the other game tonight, the Melbourne Tigers will bounce back from their loss to the Perth Wildcats on Sunday. They host the Gold Coast Blaze.

Snakes/Blaze Open Round 3

Is Erron Maxey telling Corey "Homicide" Williams that he is king of the streets?

Tonight on Fox Sports you can tune in and catch the Cairns Taipans (2-1) host the Gold Coast Blaze (1-1).

The Taipans have been tough at home to date as they remain undefeated in two games.

Meanwhile the Blaze come to town for their first road trip with new import Erron Maxey ready for action.

The Blaze are a little banged up at the moment as import Ayinde Ubaka is battling an ankle injury and is doubt, while versatile forward Anthony Petrie will miss the game with an ankle sprain.

Cairns have no injury worries but Aaron Grabau is still recovering from a preseason hand injury.

With Petrie out and Maxey with his training wheels on,who will contain current Player of the Week winner Rich Melzer? If Melzer comes with an aggressive mindset, no one can defend him one on one. If he wakes up groggy from his afternoon nap, Pero Cameron will eat him alive.

Blaze captain James Harvey will need to get out of the blocks fast and be at his scoring best as the Blaze may be a little light with scoring options due to injury.

Skip Mills (Taipans) will keep Adam Gibson honest at the defensive end, but I'm sensing Gibo will be looking for a breakout game. The Boomers point guard has been relatively quiet to start the season but he did drain 7 crucial points in the fourth quarter against the Wollongong Hawks to get his team over the line.

Somethings telling me this game could be ugly. The Taipans need to play a scrappy style to keep themselves in games, while the Blaze will not hit top form until a few months into the season.

In the new 40 minute version of the game I'm tipping a Snakes win but the scores to be in the 70's.

Don't forget to tune into Fox Sports to see if I'm on the money with my prediction. Queensland viewers, do not forget that tip off time is 6.30pm local time as the southerns have gone to daylight saving.

Glen Saville has his say on the "Hammer Drill"!

Taipans Strike

Former Kiwi international Phill Jones has produced the goods for his new team the Cairns Taipans so far.

Last night saw the Cairns Taipans win an overtime thriller against the Townsville Crocodiles, 89-86 in front of a small crowd (couple hundred) in Townsville last night.

Crocs new signing Peter Crawford had a chance to win the game for his team at the end of regulation, but his missed free throw with 1.5 seconds remaining saw the game head into the extra period where the Taipans remained the more composed team to escape with a sloppy win.

From the outset, the game was marred by turnovers from both teams but it was the Crocs that got off to the fast start (up 7-0 to start the game) and it seemed they would not miss the services of import Corey Williams (sick), Russell Hinder (injured) and Brad Williamson (injured).

Slowly but surely the Taipans (missing Aaron Grabua and Gary Boodnikoff) worked themselves back into the game, thanks to some sizzling Phill Jones shooting, and led 46-44 at the main break.

The second half saw neither really stamp their authority on the game but the Taipans held a narrow lead for the majority of the time.

Fast forward to the last 10 seconds of regulation and the Taipans used their remaining two team fouls to eat up the clock and have the Crocs take the ball from the side.

With five seconds left in the game Crawford penetrated from the top of the key to the basket and was fouled and send to the free throw line with 1.5 seconds left.

First one was successful, while the second found a way to bounce off the front of the rim, and time expired.

In overtime it was back to back Skip Mills threes that opened up a five point lead for the Taipans. Sensing that the game was over the Taipans next few possession ended in disaster (shot clock violation on one). This allowed the Crocs a sniff.

Cutting the deficit to three and Crocs had one last chance to send it to a second overtime. The Crocs called timeout so they could advance the ball to half court and run a set play.

A well executed play saw Kelvin Robertson get fouled with 2.5 seconds left. Thinking that he had spotted up from the land of plenty the referee righted called only two shots for the "Kelvinator" as his feet where all over the line.

Thinking of making the first and missing the second, Robertson missed the first free throw. After missing the second on purpose, the mad scramble for the ball saw time beat everyone.

The Taipans walked out of the gym as winners but I'm sure neither coached would have been happy with this scrappy, turnover laden affair.

Both teams will now head to Cairns as they round out their preseason schedule with the return game on Saturday.

Thoughts From The Game

- Phill Jones is in good early season form. He was shooting the ball well at the Top End Challenge and it continued last night. His game high 17pts came at an efficient 67%.

I believe Jones will win his team at least 3-5 games this season due to great shooting performances on certain nights. With the games shortened to 40 minutes, someone like Jones who can score points in a hurry will have a huge impact on games.

- Taipans import Skip Mills (16pts, 9rebs) is solid without being flashy. The combo guard was not too heavily involved in the offense early, but it was his two threes in overtime that helped the Taipans build their lead.

- Crocs import Roaln Roberts (16pts, 9rebs) looks like he needs to continue to work on his fitness. Where I noticed it the most is his finishing around the basket. He has not found his touch around the hoop yet.

- Michael Cedar (Crocs) forced to play the point guard spot in the absence of Williams was solid with 15pts 6/16fgs, 8rebs and 6 assists.

- Cameron Tovey was the only player to record a double double (13pts, 10rebs) but his back to back three point attempts during the third quarter were not exactly good offense by the Crocs.

- I was impressed with the composure Taipans centre Ian Crosswhite played with last night. Finishing the game with 16pts, 5 rebs and 4 assists, he displayed a good feel for the game.

Where To Now For Players

Will the Wildcats become interested in Cats instant offense?

The playoffs are just around the corner and we already know what six teams will make up the playoff picture. So, I thought it was time to breakdown the fate of the players who are on those rosters (Cairns, Sydney and Wollongong) that are 99.9% sure they will gone when the new league tips off sometime in October later this year.

I'll writing this as if there will be eight teams in the new competition.

Let's put the Cairns personnel under the microscope.

Guys that will not struggle to pick up a new contract.

Martin Cattilini has already stated that he will be pulling up stumps in the north and heading back home to the west. The question here is, will the Perth Wildcats want him?

I cannot see how they would not want him on their roster. I can see Catt coming of the bench and providing instant offence for the franchise that gave him his first dollar in pro sport.

Ian Crosswhite has been absolutely great for the Taipans (18pts and 11rebs)since their roster become depleted.

Crosswhite is a big body and there are not too many of them floating around at the moment. He is a lock for a contract, purely on size alone.

The situation will have to fit the team.

I will lump Darnell Mee, Aaron Grabau and Matt Smith into this group.

All these guys could add value to a roster but will they be happy moving to a new environment and possible role.

Mee and Grabau have been some of the better defenders in the league for their entire careers. There will be a team that will love the idea of adding a veteran defender to their playing group.

Just how many spots will be available will dictate how many of these guys get picked up.

Smith is rather intriguing for me. He is never flash but has the ability to be in the right spot at the right time. He always finds his way onto a roster. Can his knack of finding a roster spot continue?

The Youth

Kerry Williams has a bright future I believe. He has one of the best handles in the NBL and can get to the rim on anyone.

But, the kid needs to spend the off season working on his "J". Get into the gym and fire up 500 plus shots a day if you are serious kid.

Scott Cook and Dwayne Vale I feel are going to feel the pinch due to the reduced number of teams.

From my understanding both these guys work their butts off at practice and deserve all the court time they are getting rewarded with right now.

The harsh reality is, someone has to miss out.

As for Gary Boodnikoff, my understanding is he has numerous business opportunities happening around Cairns so I'm not sure if he's looking to move.

Sydney Spirit's turn under the microscope.

Guys that will not struggle to pick up a new contract.

Matt Knight has shown over the past ten games that he is a double-double guy. He has expressed interest in looking at Europe but Knight will have no problem finding a new home in Australia.

Jason Smith would get another contract but the question is, does he want to move his family around?

If Sydney gets a team Smith will remain put. Otherwise, I'm sure a team like the Dragons may become interested in the defensive minded veteran since he has shown no signs of his early season shoulder injury.

A question franchises will be asking themselves is, Smith or Grabau?

Damien Martin's phone will ring. Teams that are looking to improve would love to have this tough as nails guard on their roster.

Martin's stats are never going to blow you out of the water but this guy has a knack of coming up with the ball when it's most important. This skill will keep him on a roster for a number of years in the NBL.

These guys need to have a strong ABA season.

Former teammate Drew Williamson needs to go out and put up huge numbers with an ABA team if he is to convince someone to go with him. In truth Drew is a guy that does everything OK, but nothing great.

He needs to go and find a skill that separates him from the rest of the pack.

Greame Dann has all the natural talent under the sun but has not been able to take his game to a consistent level.

I'm sure coaches are starting to run out of patience (and hair).

Dann needs to learn to play with intensity all the time instead of when he wants. But is it too late?

The Rest

Everyone that has been a teammate of Tony Rampton says what a great guy he is. It seems that injury is catching up with the guy so I cannot see the Kiwi international in the league next year.

Clint Reed and David Gruber will become casualties of the new league.

Microscope time for the Wollongong Hawks.

Locks for a new deal.

Two time Olympian Glen Saville will have his suiters providing he wants to leave the sun and surf of the Gong.

I think Sav, like many other long serving players in the league, will have to decide whether they want to pack up and move teams or retire to the place where they want to live the rest of their life.

I'm guessing Sav would love to see a new Sydney team come into the competition.

The situation will have to fit the team.

Cameron Tragardh has shown over the last few seasons that he is more than capable of putting points on the board. He needs to find a team that requires this skill.

Anthony Petrie has been this year's big improver through my eyes. This hard working second year forward will have to pack his bags again if he wants to continue his pro career.

I see him becoming a Mika Vukona type with more offense in his repertoire.

Looking for a strong ABA season.

Rhys Martin and Lindsay Tait do not possess true point guard skills so they will need to produce something special in the offseason to catch a coach's eye.

Tait may fair ok if the Wellington franchise joins the new league as he is playing for them in the New Zealand NBL domestic league.

Tough times ahead.

Larry Davidson and Daniel Jackson will find it hard to go around again if the number of teams are reduced.

Davidson seems to be forever struggling with injury, while Jackson has not cashed in on his limited opportunities.

Caught between a rock and a hard place.

The mayor of Wollongong, Mat Campbell. "Soupy" has played his entire career with this club so you have to really feel for this guy in a time like this.

Campbell would help out a number of teams (see Smith and Grabau) but I'm guessing he does not want to pack his bags at this stage of his life.

Both imports, Dusty Rychart and Kavossy Franklin have served this league well but will probably get caught out in a numbers game.

I believe that Rychart is trying to get Australian citizenship. If his paperwork comes through it becomes a different ball game for him as the picture becomes a little more rosy.

This is one aspect of professional sport that is never good. A reduced number of teams means less jobs to go around.

Sometimes we all have to have a little reality check, the trouble is, it is getting close for everyone.

Rudy Gay Talks Dunks For All Star Game

Thanks to BDL I came against this footage. Classic stuff I you ask me.

Rudy Gay tries to get a little help from his friends in deciding how he will woo the crowd during this year's All Star Dunk Contest in Phoenix.



It's a little after the fact, but the Cairns/Townsville rivalry saw some big statements being made by all before the game tipped off. Good to see boys.

My Hat Is Off To The Taipan's Players

Many of you may have already heard about the demise of Cairns Taipans and the many side stories that seem to be swirling around the remnants only add to the colour of the whole situation. I debated whether or not to add to the publicity that has already been generated, but came to the conclusion that ignoring it would be along the same lines as the old white elephant.

The story began last week when the Taipans organization dropped the bombshell that they were going into voluntary administration. Much like the Sydney Spirit before them, the players met and agreed to take a 45% pay cut which, when added to the NBL bailout package, would allow them to finish this season.

Imports Dave Thomas and former Croc Larry Abney, however, were not to be part of this plan and were sacked. As recently as Monday, cuts were still being made and Coach Alan Black was relieved of his duties.

It was just the last year or so that NBL circles were talking about the supposed big dollars being thrown toward players to make the move to the Far North, so what caused co-owner and car yard tycoon John O’Brien to pack up his ball and go home?

My personal opinion on the situation is that this guy has just made an intellegent business decision and he was simply allowed to execute the decision.

I am also going to take an educated guess and say that Mr O’Brien pulled up stumps now because it was becoming more and more obvious that the Taipans were not going to play a part in the newly revamped NBL for next season.

The one question that constantly enters my mind about his decision, however, is “Would he have been so hasty in pulling the pin mid-season if the Snakes were sitting on top of the ladder instead of suffering a seven game losing streak?”. This question is obviously a rhetorical one, as now that the decision has been made we will never really know.

Mr O’Brien’s cost cutting exercise has left many players and their families struggling through the next few months in “survival mode” and you can’t help but feel for them.

Taking a paycut of that magnitude midway through the season can be the equivalent of one member of a family losing their job. I am not sure how some of the guys are making it work but my hat goes is off to them. I have been through financial difficulty of this magnitude in my time as a professional athlete and it took my family and I years to recover financially. I would not wish something similar on anyone I know.

The next question I continue to ask myself is, in bailing both the Taipans and the Spirit out, has the NBL set a precident for teams who are not only financially struggling, but who are in doubt over whether they are to be a part of the future of basketball in Australia? Will we see a trend of clubs dropping out early to cut their losses and lining up with their hands out asking for the NBL’s help?

I hope the answer is no for a couple of reasons: #1 the NBL does not need any more of its financial woes brought out in the media. It’s just not good for the league, present or future. And #2 because I can’t imagine the coffers being full enough to support any more franchise collapses.

When you live and love your job as I do, it is always disappointing to see its image painted in dark light. I could fill many pages with my personal thoughts and feelings on the future of the NBL. My first hope for the NBL would simply be that we get on with the basketball and turn our attention to what appears to this season, which right now appears to be one of the most hotly contested races we have had in a very long time.

My article can be found in the Townsville Bulletin every Wednesday.

Goes From Bad To Worse For Taipans

This is from today's Cairns Post.

LIFE after full professionalism has already started for the Cairns Taipans who last night held their first evening training session.

Full professionalism had previously allowed the NBL players to train twice during the day, completing on-court sessions in the morning and weights and individual shooting drills in the afternoon.

But after the club was placed in administration last week, several players were forced to reconsider their finances and seek outside employment.

Former coach Alan Black, whose contract was terminated yesterday by the club’s financial administrators, initiated the move but visited training only briefly last night, dropping in to farewell players barely an hour after learning he had been axed.

"I said this to the guys, it may be that we need to train at night and make it more like an ABA program that an NBL program," Black said last week when the players learned the club had been placed in voluntary administration. "If that’s the case, then that’s the case."

"We may end up training late at night or doing weights early in the morning to get it done, however, we can get it done."

Captain Martin Cattalini said the players had felt sorry for Black after learning of his axing.

"We were shocked but after the week we’ve had, you learn to expect anything," he said.

Despite the woes of the past week, Cattalini reiterated the need for community support at tomorrow night’s home game against the Melbourne Tigers.

"We want that Wednesday night game against the Tigers to be a sellout so they can see us and we can say thank you," Cattalini said last week after the players voted to take a 45 per cent pay cut to save the team.

The Taipans ended a seven-game losing streak when they beat the Blaze in an overtime thriller on the Gold Coast last Saturday night.

The Taipans leapfrogged Wollongong on the competition ladder with the win but face a tough test against the third-placed Tigers tomorrow.

- And to top off the week for the Taipans, young Dwayne Vale has been caught drink driving.

- Wollongong's favourite basketball son, Gordie McLeod talks about where basketball has gone wrong.

Kenyon Martin talks about his "lips" tattoo.

Cairns Are Goooooone

This jersey has just become a collectors item.

This statement was released by the NBL earlier today.

The National Basketball League released the following statement from interim Chief Executive Officer Scott Derwin in response to the announcement by the Cairns Taipans that the club had been placed into voluntary administration.

“I received a call from Cairns Taipans majority owner, John O’Brien late last night informing us that he had placed the club into voluntary administration,” said Derwin.

“The decision to hand the club over to administrators has come as a shock to the League as it had received no previous indication from the Taipans that the club was experiencing extreme financial difficulties.

“There was also no prior indication from the club that it intended to take this course of action when the recent issues surrounding the Sydney Spirit were being addressed, which is disappointing.”

“The League understands that John O’Brien is acting in a responsible and ethical manner by appointing an administrator, choosing not to run the risk of trading while insolvent,” said Mr Derwin. “We are confident the appropriate administrator has been appointed to make sound business decisions regarding the financial viability of the club.

“I will be meeting with the administrator today to determine the extent of the club’s financial situation and to explore all possible options for the Taipans to continue to play in the NBL. However, it is the administrators, which will ultimately decide the future of the club.

“We remain hopeful that a way can be found for the club to play out the rest of the season.”

Derwin stated that the recent issues surrounding the financial viability of some NBL clubs highlighted why basketball in Australia was undergoing significant reform. “Basketball now has a unified national governing body to run the sport with a revised management structure focused on delivering strong commercial and community benefits for the sport."

“The need for greater accountability and commercial viability will see the introduction of a more stringent criteria for the ‘New NBL’, in terms of ownership guidelines and financial guarantees, when it is launched next season.”