Aussies Abroad

Joe Ingles had a Spanish Christmas to remember. Read below how.

Although many of us enjoyed a Christmas break, there were some Aussie hoopers that had no such luck.

Here is some information on how some of the Aussies are traveling abroad.

- Joe Ingles has had his Christmas wishes answered as he played big today. Ingles played all 40 minutes for his Spanish team Granada and rewarded his coach with a 23pt, 13reb and 6assist performance.

- St Mary's Gaels have been dubbed "AIS 2" and the argument can only get stronger. On Christmas Day the Gaels were in Hawaii eating turkey and taking on the locals.

The interesting story to me is, the Gaels played seven players in this game and five of them were Aussies. I doubt any USA college can lay claim to this type of stat.

Word out of Canberra is Gaels Head Coach Randy Bennett is asking AIS Head Coach Marty Clark to build the first ocean tunnel build from the nation's capital through to the Bay Area just to make the school's recruiting trips a little easier.

Back to the game, the best Aussie in the game was Ben Allen with 15pts and 3rebs as the Gaels got a victory over the Warriors.

- The Valparaiso Crusaders is home for two Aussies (Ryan Broekhoff, Cameron Witt) right now but their Christmas cheer was purely off court as they suffered a 20pt loss to Akron.

- David Anderson has been playing some solid basketball of the bench for the Houston Rockets. Today David and his team ran into a red hot Cleveland Cavaliers and lost by 25.

- Former Brisbane Bullet Spice Girl Wade "Gerri" Helliwell is still plying his trade in Europe. The lumbering centre plays in Greece for POAK as a backup big man.

Another familiar name playing over in Greece is Mark "Sparkie" Dickel. I would be interested to know what colourful language the Kiwi international has picked up in his time over there.

- Aussie, Swedish teammates Rhys Carter (1st in steals) and Neil Mottram (9th in rebounding) are performing solidly for their Gothia Basket squad.

- One time Boomer Daniel Kickett remains in Spain with Gran Canaria. Is still remains in a limited minutes role.

- Matt Nielsen and his Valencia team scrapped by with a 1 point win against Bilboa. "Nellie" turned in an all round performance with 12pts, 5rebs and 3assits.

- Former Perth Wildcat Alex Loughton was on the wrong end of a butt kicking. Loughton is currently playing in the Spanish Leb Gold league.

- Aron Baynes continues to play some solid basketball as he had 12pts and 4rebs for his Lietuvos Rytas coached by the legendary Rimas Kurtinaitis, heading into the Christmas break.

- Julian Khazzouh suffered a defeat at the hands of former NBL import Rod Grizzard in the top Israel league.

- Former Sydney Spirit forward Matt Knight is currently 6th (8.7/game) in rebounding in the Hungarian league.

Ingles vs Nielsen & Griffin Injury

I come across this footage of Joe Ingles on his on Facebook page. He has been pumping up his own tyres all day.

First it was his broken tooth, now he is happy driving right and finishing over fellow Aussie Matt Nielsen.

Watch carefully as Ingles give Nielsen a little head rub, but it "Nitro" that got the last laugh with the win.



The other big play of the day is 2009 NBA #1 draft pick Blake Griffin has not been able to side step the Los Angles Clippers curse.

With a routine block at one end, followed with a dunk at the other, Griffin will miss up to six weeks with a broken knee cap.

Ingles Toothless

Jumpin Joe Ingles will now be now known as "Toothless" Joe. During his weekend's Spanish ACB clash against fellow Aussie Matt Nielsen, Ingles takes a shot to the chops wit5h only minutes remaining in the game.

Joe will be seeking dental advice in the upcoming days. I will endeavour to get a report on the damage.

Joe Ingles To The Rescue

Former South Dragons championship winning guard (and regular reader of this blog) Joe Ingles has started his European career off with a bang (and block).

Playing in Spain's top league, the ACB, Ingles came up with a huge block to send the game into overtime (see footage below - thanks to my overseas correspondent J-Drumm). Not only did Ingles play the 'D' in this game, he also produced 14pts, 6 rebs and 5 assists as his CB Granada team defeated Xacobeo, 95-92.

Other notables in the game, former NBA player Marc Jackson, Richard Hendrix and Tar Heel Reyshawn Terry.

Ingles Saves The Day

Joe Ingles saved the day for the Boomers tonight.

For what appeared to be a scrappy Game 1 of this Australian Boomers versus New Zealand Tall Blacks series, Joe Ingles stepped up in the fourth and saved what could have eventuated into an embarrassing lose for the Boomers.

Ingles (game high 26pts) was the man to kick start the green and gold in the first quarter, then he saved his best until the fourth, when his team really needed it. The Boomers eventually overcome a pesky Tall Blacks 84-77.

For the first three quarters of the game, it looked like most guys on the floor were trying to show their respective coaches they deserved to be on the floor. I guess that can happen when you feel this is an opportunity to impress.

As everyone would have expected, Kirk Penney (23pts) was the offensive punch for the Kiwi's early. To my surprise Penney received scoring support from 7 foot centre Alex Pledger (16pts), but most of these would have come in the first half.

It looked like this game was going to become an arm wrestle down the stretch until Ingles stepped up and showed why he has generated interest from the NBA over the past few years.

He kick started it with a stand still three and followed it up with a rhythm two along the baseline. Then Tom Abercrombie become putty in Ingles hand. The rest is history and the Boomers move on to Game 2 with a +7 advantage (two game series so points spread can come into it if it ends 1-1).

Just a few notes from the game:

- Mark Worthington was dressed in street clothes. Does anyone know why "Wortho" did not grace the court tonight?

- Tom Abercrombie was "apple crumble" tonight. If he wants to make me a believer about this hype he is receiving, he better bring something on Tuesday.

- Nathan Jawai needs to slow down in the post. "Heath" Pledger is not going to cause you any headaches down low. Slow down young fella.

- Brad Newley can still sniff out some points late in a game. Andrew Gaze was speechless during this part of the game as it brought back fond memories.

- Damien Martin was surprised to see that many people attend a basketball game at the State Sports Centre. I would still like to see what the official attendance was...and I hope they only counted Andrew Vlahov once.

- Message to Joey Wright about Mika Vukona's "smooth stroke"..that is Vukona having an offensive game.

There you have it, don't forget Game 2 is on Fox Sports Tuesday at 5pm.

"Homicide" Williams Is A Croc & Aussies In Vegas

Dunk you very much. Twitter confirms "Homicide" will be back in Townsville.

I'm sure if you read my latest post you may have still had a little uncertainty as to Corey "Homicide" Williams was returning to the Townsville Crocodiles this season.

Well, I'm here to tell you that "Homicide" must be a regular reader of this blog because he did drop the news of him signing with the Crocodiles via Twitter yesterday.

These two messages in succession on Corey's Twitter page are enough for me to believe that he is a Croc for next season.

Here is how "Homicide" broke the news via Twitter, so you can make up your own mind.

"it's green and yellow one more time!!!!! Da Ville here we go again" about 13 hours ago from web (@chomicide)

"I AM THE FACE OF THE NATION YOU CAN'T HAVE CROC NATION WITHOUT THE FACE OF THE NATION CROC NATION STAND UP! GREEN MACHINE LETS GO BABY" about 13 hours ago from web (@chomicide)

News

- ``I said I'd need to see (tape of) someone pretty impressive to change my mind about going (to Las Vegas) and John (Gilchrist) is that player,'' Scott Ninnis told the Adelaide Advertiser. ``He's just knocked our socks off."

Adelaide 36ers Head Coach Scott Ninnis talking up the prospect of former Maryland Terrapin point guard John "don't call me Adam" Gilchrist.

I wonder if Ninnis was wearing the popular 1990's tube sock when he made the decision?

- While on the 36ers, former import Julius Hodge is trying his luck in the NBA again. Over the summer he will join the Chicago Bulls at various Summer Leagues.

During this recent radio (am850 the Buzz Sports Radio) interview, Hodge talks about how he is ready to rejoin the NBA.

He mentions how his "jumper" is ready.

My two cents worth on Julius' jump shot. It will be ready when my shotblocking abilities are NBA ready.

NBL fans take note, Julius believes that the French league is a little better than what Australia (NBL) has to offer.

- Brad Newley entered Day 2 of the Vegas Summer League looking to put forward a better performance from Day 1. His Houston Rockets had a win over Nathan Jawai's Dallas Mavericks.

Newley was solid in his performance with 9pts (3-6) and pulling down four boards.

Jawai did not play in this game.

- Fellow South Australian Joe Ingles was in action as well. Ingles had a quiet night shooting the ball (1-7 for 3pts) but he chipped in with 8 boards.

- North Queensland product Aron Baynes is playing for the NBA champions, LA Lakers in Vegas.

He was solid without being eye catching yesterday with 4pts and 4rebs of the bench.

- And just in case you missed it, Pat Mills will miss the entire Summer League circuit because of a broken foot.

Jonathan Thurston Kicks For Charity

This morning I was fortunate enough to hang out and kick some goals with the current world's best rugby league player Johnathan Thurston.

The North Queensland Cowboy gave up his early morning to kick goals blindfolded for charity. It was great to see Thurston give up his time as the NRL are constantly getting buried with negative stories about it's sport. Too bad a promotion such as this will not get the same attention the "bad" stories receive.

Back to the action. Local radio station 4TO uses the month of June to raise money for the Children's Ward at the Townsville Hospital.

How Thurston gets involved is local businesses pledge so many dollars per successful kick. The trick is, JT had ten kicks blindfolded from 15m out with each successful kick getting the children $100.

JT converted seven of ten, raising $700 for the 'Give Me 5 For Kids" charity.

Now, I'm the first to admit my attempt at the camera did not fair to well. I tried to get adventurous but absolutely stuffed up. I will be better for the run next time round.

To view the video, just turn your laptop or monitor sideways and all is good. Check out JT showing he is human when he "grubbers" one of the kicks off the kicking T.

Well done to JT and thanks for bringing home the bacon for the kids.

News

-I'm hearing the Townsville Crocodiles will be announcing an "import" player very soon. I'm sensing that there is still going to be a "Homicide" in town, aka Corey Williams.

- The NBL is looking at the idea of moving the season to a February to June time fame by the year 2011.

- Aaron Grabau keeps his title of "Mr Taipan".

- The far north to host an NBL pre-season tournament.

- The Australian Boomers go down 0-2 against China despite Nathan Jawai having 27 in the game. Click here to see a little footage from Game 2.

- Joe Ingles will be wearing a Golden State Warriors jersey in this year's NBA Summer League.

- NBAtipoff blog has an article where he interviewed a fellow blogger and my main man DJ Rod got his question (via twitter) answered about Brad Newley and his chances of ever suiting up for the Houston Rockets.

- Detroit Pistons fire first year coach Michael Curry.

News, Notes & New Logo

Less than twenty fours hours until we know whether Australia has once again contributed to the product we know as the NBA.

Pat Mills will be the first Aussie name we hear tomorrow. My gut is telling me if Mills goes in the first round it will be at nineteen to the Atlanta Hawks. If the Hawks roll with someone else, Mills will slip into the second round.

Joe Ingles has been very solid while on his NBA workout tour over the past six weeks. Although Eurocamp was not his best showing, Ingles has done enough to be called in the second round.

I'm trying to find out if there is any truth to the rumour that Mills and Ingles are hosting a joint Draft Party. The menu will be two items deep, vegemite sandwiches and Foster's.

Other Aussies you may hear about on the day are Aron Baynes (WSU) and Luke Nevill (Utah).

Both are interior players who will find themselves on a Summer League roster but have they done enough to sneak into the second round? I'm saying no but I still believe Nevill will find a home in the NBA.

Not since the 1997 draft has Australia had multiple players select in a draft.

News

- Big news. Shaquille O'Neil has been traded to the Cleveland LeBrons. Will the Cavs regain their old nickname back now with O'Neil relocating?

- Toronto Raptor Nathan Jawai headlines the Australian Boomers team.

As weak as the Boomers team is looking, the Chinese team will be undermanned as well. Both of their NBA players Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian will be missing during these two games against the Aussies.

Los Angles Lakers guard Sun Yue will suit up against the green and gold.

China to win 2-0 thanks to their three little helpers at home.

- The NBL is to remain as the NBL.

- Larry Sengstock hinted about the television deal on "The OT". It seems we are only days away from hearing a formal announcement.

- Hope your sitting down when you read this announcement. Glen Saville signs with the Wollongong Hawks.

- This is past rumour status if you ask me. Dave Thomas to play for the Sheep Shaggers (New Zealand Breakers).

- Ever wondered what happened to former NBA player Sam Vincent? He is coaching the Jamacian national team.

- Rogers, Cattalini and Wagstaff sign with the Perth Wildcats.

- NBA aspirant Joe Ingles is just waiting for his name to be called, now.

- Phill Jones named MVP of the NZNBL.

- Q&A with Marty Clarke.

Boomers Team, NBL & Tiny At Discos

- Basketball Australia - “The players selected displayed a combination of physical grunt and skill on a daily basis during the camp and I’m looking forward to getting on the road with the team and seeing the same effort and intensity in a game situation,” Head Coach Brett Brown said.

The announcement of the Australian Boomers team is still fresh in my mind but I wish to take some time to digest it all before I make a comment on this very diluted national team.

In the meantime here are some audio grabs from the camp in Canberra.

- Head Coach Brett Brown
- Nathan Jawai
- Pat Mills (from USA)
- James Harvey

- wwos.com.au - "I've been given the all clear now from doctors, so I'm thrilled I can continue playing basketball at the highest level with the Tigers," Sam Mackinnon said.

With a healthy Sam MacKinnon lining up for the Melbourne Tigers it really does not matter who they sign at the point guard spot.

I'm not being disrespectful to any incoming point guard (I'll guess Nathan Crosswell and already signed Luke Kendall) but MacKinnon, when healthy, is one of the best creators in the game.

Chris Anstey, Mark Worthington and David Barlow will be hoping that MacKinnon has shaken his much documented health issues so they can be the recipients of his playmaking abilities.

I'm guessing with this signing the Tigers will start the season as title favourites.

- Adelaide Advertiser - "I've got a decent outside shot and I'm a bit more mobile running up and down the floor with my athleticism" said new Adelaide 36ers signing Matt Burston.

The NBL is short on big men but I think Burston is being a little kind to himself talking about his perimeter game and athleticism.

I'm sure Coach Scott Ninnis would have preferred to be hearing about rebounding and a low post prescence from his newly signed big man.

- Illawarra Mercury - "I'm (Glen Saville) not quite ready to make an announcement yet, but we're definitely getting closer. There's still one or two minor things that my agent (Geoff McGuire) is sorting out, but it's nothing that's going to be a deal breaker."

My question to "Sav", if they are not deal breakers, why haven't you signed yet?

- Sacramento Kings taking a long look at Pat Mills?

- NBA FanHouse feels Mills is not getting the hype he deserves leading into this week's NBA Draft.

- Keith Langlois who covers the Detroit Pistons thinks Joe Ingles "could develop into a Hedo Turkoglu type" of player.

I'm sure Joe can live with that considering Hedo will be receiving a contract in the $10mil/year range this offseason.

- Who would have thought Kendall "Tiny" Pinder loved discos. Enjoy a trip down memory lane with the Sydney Supersonics. Also, check out a young John Harker with no Nappy San in sight.

Mills, Ingles Interview & More On The Beep Test

Aussie and now former St Mary's Gael point guard Pat Mills talks about why he left Moraga for the greener pastures of the pro game.

The latest from Joe Ingles.

- Yesterday I posted about James Harvey winning the beep test at the Boomers camp. Many a fan out there contacted me asking about the result/level that Harvey reached.

I can tell you that the event started at level 10 (think of Aaron Trahair at full pace with this level). Coach Brett Brown threw 20 minutes up on the clock and you keep on running until you could not keep pace with the beep test.

Harvey lasted until there was 7min 50sec left on the clock. This would have been a cracking pace by the time he finished. With this test, the pace increases after every minute.

My source tells me that Harvey and Holmes were well in front of the rest of the pack.

Mills, Ingles & Others

June 15 (USA time) is a date to circle on your calender. This is the day underclassmen who do not have an agent need to notify the NBA if they are returning to college and forgoing the June 25th NBA Draft.

More to the point, Aussie hoop fans will be glued to some media outlet to hear or read Pat Mills' tough decision ahead.

There are pros and cons for both sides of the story for Mills, but what will be his decision?

I have tried to get a feel from some of the people close to Mills and the results are interesting. Some say yes, some say no. I just hope Pat knows.

I guess we will have to wait for June 15 to roll around to get an answer. Good with your decision Pat.

In the meantime, I will provide you with some links for you to make up your own mind.

- The Two Man Game website has an article where they compare Pat Mills to San Antonio Spur Tony Parker.

- ESPN's college guru Andy Katz reports that Pat Mills is not the only underclassman with a tough decision to make.

- Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg must read my blog. Just last week I compared Mills to Earl Boykins.

- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress has shown us just how deep this year's draft is at the point guard position. Could we see a record number of PG's go in the first round?

- NetScouts an international site has thrown their two cents worth in about the point guard depth. They have Mills at nine in their depth chart.

- While a lot of the focus is on Mills, Joe Ingles is quietly going about his business as he tries to secure a solid draft position for himself.

Today Joe worked out for the New Jersey Nets as the session was viewed by 22 other NBA teams. Ingles told me that the workout "went well".

Over the upcoming days Ingles will also showcase his skills for the Portland Trailblazers, Los angles Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

- nbadraft.net - "(Joe)Ingles started to warm up as the camp (Eurocamp 2009) went on but overall he was a disappointment. Appeared to be going through the motions most of the time lacking the presence to get noticed. Teases you with good length and some skills, but appears to lack any fire."

- The Australian u/19 Men's team is currently playing in the Douai Tournament in France.

Yesterday saw the young Aussies take on host nation France in an epic battle.

The Emu's went down to the French, 68-65.

Rick Majerus and St Louis will be happy to see Cody Ellis leading the scoring with 14 and a team high 5 rebounds, while Valparaiso bound Ryan Broekhoff had 8. Joining Ellis at St Louis next year will be Christian Salecich who dropped in 8 and Colorado bound centre Shane Harris-Tunks had 8.

A few nights earlier the Aussies knocked off the Americans in a thriller, 79-77. Jason Cadee scored the winning basket with a layup on the buzzer.

Washington St bound Brock Motum led the team with 19, while St Louis bound pair of Salecich and Ellis contributed 12 each.

- HoopsWorld delivers "Five Things We Learnt In The NBA This Week".

One of them being that Brandon Jennings feels Ricky Rubio is "all hype".

- Looks like new Gold Coast Blaze Head Coach Joey Wright and former Brisbane Bullets owner Eddie Groves are going to have to put the gloves on.

- Former New Zealand Breakers Phill Jones and Tim Behrendorff are looking for new jobs.

Before I leave you, here is some lighted hearted stuff from Dwayne Wade on the Jimmy Kimmel Show.

Mills Has 30 & Lil Wayne Lovin Kobe

Pat Mills (middle) and Joe Ingles (right) are joined by Brad Williamson in a cameo performance.

Who said basketball was struggling in this country? This picture can be found on the front page of ESPN's NBA section. Three out of the four are Aussies.

It seems that Pat Mills has come to life all thanks to the All Star Game that was held at the Reebok Eurocamp 2009.

Here is a review of how Mills looked today through the eyes of DraftExpress.

"Australian Patrick Mills was absolutely the star of the evening’s all-star game, posting an impressive 30 point performance on 8/18 shooting from the field and 12/13 from the line. Mills handled the ball on a string all game long, showing terrific quickness keeping his man off balance, and making an absolute living in the mid-range area with his deadly pull-up jumper. His ability to utilize strong hesitation moves makes him extremely difficult to stay in front of, and he did a good job not settling for tough shots from beyond the arc today, getting to the line repeatedly. He clearly thrives in up-tempo settings such as the one seen in today’s all-star game, which came in stark contrast to his morning performance, where he seemed to over-dribble somewhat while trying to create in the half-court.

NBA teams we spoke to still expressed some doubt regarding his point guard skills, which is something he could still stand to work on. He posted 3 assists compared with 4 turnovers in the evening game, seeming to be hunting shots quite a bit, and didn’t look all that comfortable getting others involved. Scouts generally were impressed by the quickness and shot-creating ability he showed, and he also did a better job defensively today as well. "

I hope Mills continues with the form he showed in scoring the basketball but can convince the scouts that he is capable of leading and distributing the ball amongst his teammates. Otherwise I fear he will be perceived as the next Earl Boykins. An undersized point guard with a scorers mentality.

- While it was a day for Pat Mills to shine, there is still plenty of buzz about fellow countryman Joe Ingles.

ProBasketballNews believes that Ingles is a "top prospect" and "may hear" his name called on Draft Night (June 25th, USA).

Also, when Ingles finishes in Europe in the next couple of days, he will head back to Chicago and workout for the Bulls on Thursday. Ater Majok will also join Ingles at this workout.

- Australian Opal Suzy Batkovic has tied the knot at the age of 29. Batkovic talks about her willingness to have children but it is "not set in cement - if it happens it happens".

With this attitude, I think "The OT" better hunt down the Olympian and have the "birds and bees" chat with the Seattle Storm centre before it is all too late.

- Yesterday I wrote about the draw for the upcoming 2009/10 NBL season. Some readers made comment and felt that I was "brown nosing".

I was just merely pointing out that the NBL has finally produced an even draw for the first time since 1996.

In 1996 we played 26 regular season games which meant we played each team (14 team comp) once at home and once away.

In the upcoming season each franchise will play each other four times. Two at home and two away.

Through my eyes this is fair and even (Yes, teams will argue about the schedule but venue availability plays it's part here, so get over it.). Where as over the past 13 seasons, one can argue over the fairness of the draw as there has been an uneven number of games against teams.

- I have not commented on the NBA Finals because my regular readers know how much I love Kobe Bryant's game, so I don't want to be tagged as being biased. But right now Kobe and the Lakers are letting their game do the talking against the Orlando Magic so I will leave the series alone.

I will let Lil Wayne's new song speak for my love of Kobe's game though.

Pat, Pero, Paul & The Draw

Joey Wright feels that Pero Cameron will give opposition teams some "food for thought". I too feel like the Kiwi international may surprise a few people this season.

On Friday the NBL released the schedule for the upcoming 2009/10 season.

If you did not already know, each team will play each other four times (2 home, 2 away) for a total of 28 games. Once the regular season is completed the top four teams will advance to the playoffs.

I'm a fan of this format as the regular season has some meaning to it. Over the past few seasons, teams that have had very mediocre season's have been rewarded with a birth in the playoffs.

So congrats to the league office for taking a step in the right direction in creating an exciting regular season. We could truly be seeing worthwhile games right to the death.

I'm sensing a 16-12 record should see you reach the playoffs.

While the NBL has been racing against the clock to get a schedule out, there are two clubs that have already made comment on the draw.

I would love to hear from both Townsville Crocodile and Perth Wildcat fans on their feelings about the draw.

Other News

- Pero Cameron re-signs with the Gold Coast Blaze.

I believe Pero is one player that has really underachieved during his NBL career. He has a skill set that should see him contributing more to his team in a Tony Ronaldson type of way.

In saying that, I'm not sure whether his skills have been utilized the best during his time with the New Zealand Breakers and the Blaze to date.

The questions is, will new Blaze Head Coach Joey Wright be the guy to get the most out of the "Rock"?

No doubt time will tell whether Wright can push the right buttons like former New Zealand National Team Coach Tab Baldwin managed to do.

- Former NBL MVP Paul Rogers has decided to remain with the Perth Wildcats for the upcoming season.

My former teammate at Gonzaga has been battling to overcome a knee and back injury that allowed him to play in only two games last season.

If the former second round draft pick of the Los Angles Lakers is healthy, the Wildcats will be a better lineup.

- The Cairns Taipans will "move on" after missing out on prize recruit Mark Worthington.

- It seems that Matt Burston is going to be the big winner with Luke Schenscher deciding to try his luck overseas.

With the lack of depth in the "big man" department, Burston has been a commodity around the NBL.

Sorry Cairns, but I'm expecting Burston to sign with a team that also is home to a WNBL team.

- A new television deal for the NBL is looking the goods.

- DraftExpress - "In the third game of the day, Patty Mills’ very talented team was blown out almost right from the get-go by Nando De Colo’s very French influenced team. Mills made plenty of shots but really struggled to control the pace of the game from the point guard position, not finishing particularly well around the basket and appearing to settle excessively for outside jumpers. His teammate Joe Ingles had somewhat of a nightmare performance, with just 1 point and 3 turnovers in 30 minutes."

- NBAdraft.net - "Overall, his (Pat Mills) performance did very little to slow the dropping of his stock and he will need to show more in the next two days if anything is to change."

- This afternoon is was just surfing the net and tweeting (@johnrillie) some light hearted banter to whoever would listen.

After a few tongue in cheek comments I become a guest on a sports talk radio show in Melbourne.

So, if next Sunday between 12pm and 2pm you have nothing else happening, listen into SportzFan. These guys are laid back and easy to listen to as they cover all sports. You can even tweet them a question. Oh, if you miss them, you can download there podcast.

- Depending on who you ask, but most people seem to think my eldest son is a "chip off the old block". So much so he created his own blog over the weekend. Parents, be careful of what you wish for.

- Shaq's beef with Orlando Magic centre Dwight Howard.

- Allen Iverson and Larry Brown to re-unite?

Dwight Howard - vitaminwater AD

Analyzing The 2009 NBA Draft Combine

Thanks to the DraftExpress, below you can find an in depth review of the recent 2009 NBA Draft Combine.

Check out all of our combine data and see how prospects in this class stack up with players in our database from the last 10+ years. Keep in mind that you can sort them by position and by where they were drafted with the help of the drop-down menus on top.

Each year we’re presented with a spreadsheet of data from the athletic tests administered at the NBA combine, and each year we wonder just how relevant any of it really is. Though the conclusions that we can draw from the vast majority of the data is extremely limited, we’ll nonetheless try to take something away from the information we’ve been presented with.

Trying to pinpoint a player’s athleticism based on their combine testing is akin to trying to get a feel for their basketball IQ by watching them play one-on-zero –it simply doesn’t make all that much sense. It does help us get a very general idea of where a player is at in terms of physical conditioning and strength, which often speaks to their work ethic, but rarely sheds much light on what it really aims to portray.

Unlike the NFL combine, all parties involved realize that few people put much stock in these results. Players aren’t trained in running 40-yard dashes from their days in high school like most gridiron stars and simply aren’t well versed in many of the events. Raw athletic data can be useful in a football setting where certain properties manifest themselves more completely on the field, but for the NBA’s purposes, a player’s ¾ court sprint team is virtually meaningless on the top end.

In basketball, where anticipation and coordination play major roles in how players perform on the court, combine numbers will always take a back seat to how a player uses the tools it aims to measure in actual games. Scouts have done their homework, they know who the fastest players in the draft are, and know which athletes are the most explosive. The combine only provides them with a standardized metric that often fail to live up to the consistency of what they already know.

Despite our reservations about the data, it still exposes some players who land at the extremes of each test, and gives us the chance to draw some historical perspectives on certain stats. The combine does a decent job exposing which players are truly lacking in some aspects physically. At the end of the day though, the numbers these players posted at the combine are only as valuable as their ability to use them on the floor, and no matter how many times a player runs or jumps beyond his perceived means on test day, if he doesn’t “play athletic” in games, he’s not going to magically change his ways at the next level.

[i]Note: Following the NBA’s lead this year, we’ve added two measurements to our historical workout database, for every player ever tested at the pre-draft camp:

No Step Vert Reach - This is the total amount of reach a player gets jumping from a stand still position and reaching as high as they can. It's a good estimation for how tall a player can actually play, because it doesn't require a running start to reach this height. Things like dunking a drop-off pass underneath the hoop, jumping for an offensive rebound, jump-ball situations, contesting shots and other skills where players need to get off their feet quickly from stand-still positions are much easier for a player with a great combination of no-step vert+reach. See the top ranking players in this stat historically.

Max Vert Reach - This is the total amount of reach a player gets from jumping with a running start. The number may not be as useful as no step vert reach because there are fewer times an player gets a running start and gets to leap and still needs height—think alleyoop plays, chasing a block from behind, etc. See the top ranking players in this stat historically.

Observations

- The often cited Blake Griffin – Amare Stoudemire comparison holds weight at the combine if nowhere else. The two look very similar on paper. Griffin’s no step vert of 32” and max vert of 35.5” are the same as Stoudemire’s, his lane agility time of 10.95 is .24 seconds faster than Stoudemire, and his 3.28 ¾ court sprint mark was a fraction of a second slower than the All-Star forward. The biggest differences between the two in terms of combine measurements lie in Stoudmires two inch wingspan advantage and Griffin’s ten extra reps on the bench. Though the two look considerably different in how they use their athleticism on the floor, their tests couldn’t have matched up any better for anyone supporting that comparison.

-James Harden tested out far better than anyone could have expected, which will likely cause teams to pay keener attention to his athleticism in competitive workouts. Harden’s 37” max vert tied him with a player than many consider one of the best athletes at the wing position in this draft in Terrence Williams, and had his 31.5” no step vert bettered him by a full inch. This is a clear case of a player testing well above the level teams project him at. The best example of that is in Harden’s 11.10 lane agility time, with is only .01 seconds behind the time posted by arguably the quickest point guard in the NBA, Chris Paul. Harden also showed good strength on the bench, throwing up 17 reps, but also recording the highest body fat percentage amongst wings with 10.1%. Those tossing around Brandon Roy comparisons were likely surprised by Harden’s speed and strength, Harden topped the Trailblazers franchise player by 11 reps on the bench and beat him by .14 seconds in the ¾ court sprint. However, Roy out-jumped Harden considerably, posting a 40+” max vert three years ago.

-Jordan Hill tied for the second highest max vertical reach in this class, maxing out at 11’11”, which ties him historically with Nene and puts him just ahead of Al Horford. His 31” no step vertical was quite impressive for a guy his size, and his no step reach of 11’7” tied him with the likes of Josh Smith. Unfortunately, his lane agility time of 12.23 seconds ranked last in this class. Though players are able to perform each test twice with laser timing, Hill’s agility test shouldn’t raise any major red flags. Hill’s 11 reps on the bench and 3.30 second ¾ court sprint were both par for the course.

-Tyreke Evans didn't stand out in many areas athleticially, posting one of the worst lane agility times amonst guards at 11.81 seconds, and didn't compensate with a great vertical, only leaping 34" in the max vert test.

-Stephen Curry didn't wow anyone with his speed related results, posting average times of 11.07 in the lane agility test and 3.28 in the 3/4 court sprint. He did, however, put up 10 reps on the bench (an area you would think he’d struggle in) and posted an above average max vertical leap of 35.5".

-It didn’t take long to find a couple of players with measurables similar to DeJuan Blair, as past draftees Craig Smith and Paul Millsap both fit the bill on most levels. Blair posted a lower body fat percentage (12%) than Smith (12.2%), and compares well to Paul Millsap in his numbers across the board. His max vert of 33” was half an inch better than Millsap’s and while Millsap did marginally better in the no step vert (Blair jumper only 26” which explains some of the issues he’s had at the rim against good shot blockers) and ¾ court sprint, Blair did three more reps on the bench, finishing with 18 reps, and was .17 seconds better than Millsap in the lane agility drill, finishing in 11.5 seconds. Considering where Blair likely started his trek towards fitness, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to undergo a Craig Smith-like transformation and come into the Summer League looking significantly more fit and moving better because of that.

-Jonny Flynn had the best vertical leap of the day at 40" even, but posted only decent times in the lane agility drill (10.86) and the 3/4 court sprint (3.23) for a player his size. For comparison's sake, Nate Robinson ran a 10.75 and a 2.96 in those drills. Just to give you a feeling of how the speed based drills look historically, Flynn's time is matched by historic speedsters Shaun Livingston and Ronny Turiaf.

-Tyler Hansbrough’s no step vertical leap of 28” is a pretty good indication of why he tends to have his shot blocked at the rim quite often. The same can be said about the likes of DeJuan Blair, Luke Harangody, and Taj Gibson. His lane agility time of 11.12 seconds and his ¾ court sprint time of 3.27 were consistent with the rest of the players at his position, though, if not slightly above average.

-Eric Maynor was in the same boat as Hansbrough, testing as well as you would expect him to, finishing slightly below average at his position across the board, tallying a bottom-10 max vertical leap of 31.5”, but posting a respectable 10.78 lane agility time

-Rodrigue Beaubois Demar Derozan, and Chase Budinger all jumped well as expected, posting max verticals over 38”. Joining them was Wayne Ellington, who on top of his surprising vertical leap, was above average in every category.

-Every year there are always a couple of players whose lack of upper body strength get exposed when they have to hit the bench. This season those players were Grievis Vasquez, who tested very poorly on top of his single rep, and Austin Daye, who unsurprisingly could muster only one. Three international players tied for third to last, with Joe Ingles, Rodrigue Beaubois and Omri Casspi all managing just three.

-Daye’s poor upper body strength didn’t shock scouts, but his other numbers certainly had to. Daye tied Vasquez for the lowest max vertical leap at a poor 28”, edging out Jordan Hill for second to last in the lane agility drill at 12.11 seconds, and running ¾ of the court .02 seconds slower than Eddy Curry at 3.55 seconds. Obvious Daye is more smooth than he is explosive, but his body couldn’t have been less equipped to excel in this setting by all accounts.

-Harden was the strongest guard, putting up 17 bench reps, while Luke Harangody took the top spot with 23 followed by Blake Griffin (22), and Xavier’s Derrick Brown (20). It isn’t surprising to see Brown near the top of this list, as Xavier players always seem to outperform their peers when it comes to the bench

–a testament to their strength and conditioning program. Brown posed some other very impressive totals, tying Jordan Hill with a max vertical reach of 11’11” and running an excellent time (3.13) in the ¾ court sprint for a forward.

-Jermaine Taylor reminded everyone why he was offered a football scholarship without stepping on the gridiron by posting a 34” no step vertical, and putting up 16 reps on the bench, but joined both Evans and Demar DeRozan as guys who probably were a little too aggressive in their two attempts at the lane agility drill. DeRozan finish in 11.88 seconds and Taylor in 11.54, both in the bottom 10 in the entire class. Obviously, even the top athletes in attendance had a hard time transitioning their merit to this setting.

-Toney Douglas ran the top ¾ court time at 3.03, with Damion James, Patrick Mills, Jodie Meeks and Dominic James finishing just behind him at 3.10 or faster. For reference, Douglas’s time was one of the ten best we’ve seen in our database, which dates back to 1989. His 10.63 mark in the lane agility drill, 36.5” max vertical, and 15 reps on the bench landed him as one of the top overall athletes at the event. Damion James also posted a 37” max vert, tied for second in max vert reach at 11’11”, and tossed up 14 reps on the bench, being one of the better forwards across the boards in attendance.

-Jack McClinton, Rodrigue Beaubois and Darren Collison all ran under 10.5 in the lane agility drill, with McClinton’s time of 10.44 landing him in the top-10 in our database. Both Collison and McClinton posted strong marks across the board.

-AJ Price earned the dubious distinction of having the highest body fat percentage of the players tested at 12.4%, while James Johnson, Luke Harangody, DeJuan Blair and Josh Heytvelt were all above 10.8%. On the other side of the spectrum, Gerald Henderson, Jeff Teague, Dante Cunningham, Marcus Thornton, Sam Young and Demar Derozan all posted percentages under 5.

-Gerald Henderson didn’t live up to expectations despite his chiseled frame, posting a max vert of 35” managing 8 bench reps and running a solid 3.13 ¾ court sprint. For a player touted for his athleticism, Henderson didn’t test out well.

Mills Needs Help Via A Beveridge But LeBron Is High

Is LeBron talking to Pat Mills?

Pat Mills has declared that he is in the 2009 NBA Draft but it could come down to fellow Aussie, new Perth Wildcats Head Coach Rob Beveridge as to whether Mills will be a first round pick.

If all else fails, it is good to have NBA MVP LeBron James singing your praises.

Thanks to thewest.com.au he can read how this scenario may just unfold.

Patrick Mills could soon be feeding the ball to NBA superstar LeBron James after the Cleveland Cavaliers commissioned new Perth Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge to provide a comprehensive background report on the exciting Australian point-guard.

James has raved about Mills, especially to the Cavaliers’ front office, since the 20-year-old Boomer scored 20 points against the mighty Team USA during last year’s Beijing Olympics.

The Cavaliers wanted a background check on Mills and sought the advice of Beveridge, considered one of the game’s best development coaches who last April steered the World under-age team to victory over the US at the Nike Hoops Summit in Oregon.

Cleveland have also invited Beveridge to be a visiting coach at their NBA draftees and free agents camp, starting the day after the competition’s annual player lottery on June 25.

The Cavaliers don’t have a pick in the draft until No. 30 — the last in the first round that will guarantee a million dollar contract — but Mills has been linked to teams with selections around that mark.

“I love Patty,” Beveridge said. “And timing is everything in the NBA. There is the marketing aspect that has to be considered as well. He is a good story — a kid from Australia who played at the Olympics and did exceptionally well against the USA.

“But I spoke to his dad recently and he said if Patty doesn’t get that firstround guarantee he will probably go back to college for another year.”

Working with one of the NBA super clubs will boost Beveridge’s search for two new imports for the revamped 2009-10 NBL season. He also hoped the link would encourage NBA organisations to send NBDL players here for career development.

With Alex Loughton departing Perth and WA-produced captain of the defunct South Dragons, Mark Worthington, expected to sign with Cairns, Beveridge might be looking for a power forward among his import options.

Shawn Redhage, Brad Robbins and Stephen Weigh will have existing contracts honoured next season, Paul Rogers is believed to be close to signing a new deal while Beveridge has contacted the remaining local players from last summer’s team — Peter Crawford, Tom Garlepp, Jeff Dowdell, Ben Knight and Adam Caporn — over the past week.

Perth’s development player last season, Chris Goulding, will play for Gold Coast next season.

Other News

- Australian Boomer Mark Worthington is set to join the Melbourne Tigers. It seems the Tigers will roll with an all Aussie line up.

- NBA Draft hopeful Joe Ingles talks about the possibility of playing in the D-League.

- Darwin Basketball is looking at joining the South Austrailan ABA ranks.

- Perth Wildcats Coach Rob Beveridge feels Europe is a mistake for players.

- Russell Hinder finally gets some sleep.

Pat Mills Is In & NBL Has Action

Pat Mills is ready to hang with the NBA guys on a fulltime basis now.

Today Aussie Olympian Pat Mills has told reporters that he will be putting is name into the 2009 NBA Draft.

This is only one topic of many that is making news within basketball as we speak.

- sfgate.com - "In my head, I'm 100 percent in (the draft). There's an opportunity there, and I want to make sure I grab both horns and go for it," Pat Mills said. "I suppose there's always a backup plan, but in my head, there's no backup plan."

- nba.fanhouse.com - "According to several observers who saw the two afternoon workouts, Pittsburgh's Sam Young was the most impressive player. Young, a 6-foot-6 swingman, was in Group 1, and played with/against Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), Joe Ingles (Australia), Damion Jones (Texas), Jeff Pendergraph (Arizone State) and Marcus Thornton (LSU)."

- cougcenter.com - "Anyway, a little surprising (Aussie Aron) Baynes didn't want to see if he could catch on somewhere in the NBA this summer and fall, but good on the big fella for continuing his career. He's joining a good team that has qualified for the first division Euroleague in the upcoming season."

- The Canadian Press - "Representatives from 20 NBA teams attended, while Omri Casspi (Israel), Eric Devendorf (Syracuse), Danny Green (North Carolina), Daniel Hackett (Southern California), B.J. Mullens (Ohio State) and Luke Nevill (Utah) moved around the court in the morning. Another half-dozen were due in the afternoon, with more workouts scheduled throughout the week."

- FoxSports - "Perth Wildcats have confirmed forward Alex Loughton will not return to the NBL club for the upcoming season."

- Brisbane Times - "Centre Julian Khazzouh and forward Matthew Knight, both of who played under (Head Coach Rob) Beveridge at the Sydney Spirit last season, also informed their former coach they were Europe-bound and would not join him at the Cats."

- WAToday - "Perth Wildcats' scoring machine Shawn Redhage is staying at the club for at least the next year - and new coach Rob Beveridge has also launched an ambitious bid to bring fellow Boomer Mark Worthington back to his home state."

- Blaze website - "(Gold Coast) Blaze young gun Tyson Demos and towering centre Greg Vanderjagt will line up for their second seasons on the Gold Coast alongside former Brisbane Bullet and Perth Wildcats guard Chris Goulding."

- NBL.com.au - "After all the players and the club have had to endure over the past six months with the uncertainty of the league, it is good news to have Russell Hinder back as a Croc."

- NBL.com.au - “It has been an absolute pleasure being a part of the NBL for the past 13 years,” (Ben) Melmeth said. “Winning a gold medal at the Under 23 World championships, suiting up with Andrew Gaze at the world senior championships in Athens and winning an NBL championship with the Sydney Kings will be my three fondest memories I take from my time playing professional basketball."

Dwight Howard Interrupts Nike Puppet Commericals

NBA Draft Combine ft Pat Mills & Joe Ingles

Not what you want to be on the back page for.

While I try to figure out what the future holds for me, I will not put you guys on hold. Here is the latest news, especially how the NBA Draft Combine is going for the Aussies.

- ABC Northern Grandstand radio commentator Zane Bojak was on top of all the issues happening in the far north over the past day. Click here to here the thoughts of Townsville Crocodiles CEO Ian Smythe, former teammate (again) Russell Hinder and myself on the day's events.

- DraftExpress.com - "Having already evaluated the other players here on multiple occasions, we were especially excited to see Joe Ingles, as he’s generating some pretty nice buzz these days. While there were a few interesting things to take away from this workout, the lack of competitive action seen here means we’ll probably have to wait until the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso to get a real read on what type of player he is."

"The OT's" very own Joe Ingles is starting to get the attention of many scouts in the USA right now. Keep it up Joe, and all the best with the draft.

- NBA.com - "Austin Daye really stole the show amongst the small forwards. His shot barely touched the net on almost all attempts, and he looked ridiculously smooth in pretty much everything he did. Internationals Joe Ingles and Omri Casspi both shot the ball well. Tyler Smith and Damion James look like they'll be heading back to school, while Sam Young showed some serious athleticism."

Just a small snippet from the NBA Draft Combine.

- DraftExpress.com - Representatives of eight NBA teams spent their Memorial Day in Washington D.C. watching a workout featuring UConn freshman Ater Majok. The Sudanese big man competed alongside college seniors such as UAB’s Lawrence Kinnard and Chicago State’s Josh Mayo, in both individual skill-based drills and a two on two setting. The feedback we received seemed to be lukewarm at best and very poor at worst. Majok is apparently trying to showcase himself as some type of small forward prospect, and the reaction in the gym was not very positive. “He’s five years away from being five years away,” one high-level NBA executive told us. “He definitely needs to go back to school,” said another. Majok’s frame reportedly looked good, and he actually sports fairly nice shooting mechanics. The problem is that he looks like someone that has barely played any competitive basketball whatsoever in the last few years, which just happens to be exactly the case. He’s also not quite as athletic as you might think looking at him on first glance, as he appears to be “more long than he is athletic.” “It’s going to be very tough for him to get drafted this year,” the NBA executive opined. “By the time he’s ready to play, who knows where you’ll be. He needs to go back to UConn for at least another two years” Majok’s “advisors” are apparently exploring the option for him to play overseas next year, according to reports we’ve gotten from teams in Europe."

Sudanese born Australian Ater Majok has his feelers out there. It will be interesting to see if the kid heads to college or Europe?

- Day 1 Draft Combine notes.

- NBA teams are asking draft prospects if they have "friends with benefits" during the interview process.

- Andy Katz ESPN - "Pat Mills showed some Ty Lawson- and Darren Collison- like speed during point guard drills Thursday. Mills isn't a lock for the first round. "I'm doing everything to stay in," Mills said. "If the feedback is negative then I may come back." Mills, who broke his right hand during the season but came back for the West Coast conference tournament, said his right wrist is completely healed after an X-ray three weeks ago.
An Australian Olympian, Mills said he is also going to the Reebok Euro camp next week in Treviso, Italy. "I want to expose myself in these workouts to experience playing in games," said Mills. The NBA draft combine is limited to skill work. "Me being an international player allows me the chance to go over there as well." But he said he won't take a guaranteed contract in Europe over returning to Saint Mary's if he is a second-round NBA pick. He wants to play in the NBA, but he also wants to make sure he's in the first round."

- Yes, we have the Melbourne Tigers back in the mix but there is no cigar for the defending champion South Dragons. They are definitely staying home for at least this season.

- Chris Anstey's premature retirement is over. I'm guessing he is a Melbourne Tiger again.

- 2002 FIBA World Championship All-Star Five player Pero Cameron brings up game 300 in his native country of New Zealand. Congrats Pero..and set one of those illegal screens for old time sake.

- Gold Coast Blaze will announce the signing of Adam Gibson very soon, while captain James Harvey will take a good look at European options first.

- Cairns Taipans feel they will miss the boat on some players with the return of the Melbourne Tigers.

Joe Ingles Workout & Interview