NAsh Challenge Building Momentum & Beijing Hoops

All systems go for Men's Basketball.

While the world was talking about and celebrating the start of the Beijing Olympics, I had my own party as I celebrated my rookie appearance on Yahoo.com's - Ball Don't Lie.

I think the correct way of saying this is a huge hat tip to JE Skeets and his The 10-Man Rotation article.

Makes me start thinking of creating my own movement, Rod Benson style.

While I'm tipping my hat, I must include A Stern Warning. He is teaching me and looking out for me in this dangerous world of blogging. He pumps up my tyres via Ball Hype as well. Thanks.

I don't wish to keep harping on it but the free throw challenge started by Steve Nash is gaining momentum.

US hoop mag, Dime, has jumped on board as well.

World Hoops Blog is all over the contest as well. Cheers knackers.

Unbelievable what knocking down free throws can do!

Lets move on, shall we.

Today saw the women hit the hardwood (all scores here) at the Olympic Games and tomorrow will bring the first day of the men.

I take a look at all six games that will take place tomorrow.

Russia vs Iran (9am China)

Russia has slid under the radar leading into these Games. They won the European Championship last year but everyone seems to have forgotten this when they discuss medal possibilities.

This is a great warm up game for Russia.

Flag bearing Russian Andrei Kirilenko and Co will have too much for Iran's 7'2 Hamed Ehadadi and his teammates.

If there is heavy smog the Russians may break a sweat.

Germany vs Angola (11.15am China)

Germany's NBA pair of Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas) and Chris Kaman (Clippers) should control the boards which will limit Angola's scoring opportunities.

If the Germans start out sloppy, look for Angola's trio of Olimpio Cipriano, Joaquim Gomez and Eduardo Mingas to cause some problems.

I'm predicting Angola to upset someone at these Games. If Germany takes them lightly, they could be the first victim.

In the end the Germans will be too big, too strong for the African Champs.

Spain vs Greece (2.30pm China)

Game of the round. Both teams would be thinking they will be around the mark when the medals are being decided. Neither team will want to start their Olympic campaign with a loss.

Spain is star studded with NBAers Pau Gasol, Jose Calderon and NBA castoffs Juan-Carlos "Nissan" Navarro and Jorge Garbajosa. Also they have talented youth on the roster (Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Rudy Fernandez) to give them depth.

Greece on the otherhand rely on great team play to get them the "W".

Sure Antonis Fotsis and Vassilis Spanoulis can light it up in a heart beat but it is the unselfish play of Dimitris Diamantidis and Theo Papaloukas that sets the tone for this team.

Greek centre Ionnis Bouroussis needs to stay out of foul trouble against the Gasols. Bouroussis is a player that can have an effect on the game at both the offensive and defensive ends, but foul trouble will hinder his ability to have an impact on the game.

In the end I feel the Spaniards have too much firepower for the Greek's sticky team defense.

Lithuania vs Argentina (4.45pm China)

If the previous game is not the game of the day, then this one is.

Lithuania is not as talented as they have been over the previous three Olympics, but while Saunas Jasikevkius is controlling the point guard position, the Lithos will be in any game.

Argentina on the other hand have all their studs in uniform. Manu Ginobili, Fabricio Oberto, Luis Scola, Andreas Nocioni and Carlos Delfino are one hand but I feel the pressure to perform is on Pablo Prigioni.

The point guard spot has usually been controlled by Pepe Sanchez but he is no longer with the team. Sanchez was a great PG at the international level. He had the ability to control a game without scoring a point.

Now it is Prigioni's turn. They are the defending gold medallists so he needs to perform well if the South Americans are to repeat Athens effort.

Argentina to win this game because of their superior depth everywhere.

Australia vs Croatia (8.00pm China)

This could be the game that sees the winner advance through to the quarter final round.

The Boomers (Aussies) have been building nicely during their warm up games and look ready for a strong Olympic campaign.

Over the past month these two teams have met three times. Croatia won two games while Australia managed a solo win.

Should we read into these results? I don't think so. The health of Andrew Bogut's ankle should be more of an issue.

If Bogut is healthy we have a strong front line to compete with anyone, let alone Croatia.

I'll say it again though, CJ Bruton needs to control the situation for the Boomers to be at their best.

Croatia is another team that is not as strong as they once were but they still have enough to scare most.

NBAer Roko Ukic (Raptors) and former Net Zoran Planinic are talented enough to cause Aussie coach Brian Goorjian some headaches.

If the Boomers are to make some noise in Beijing they need to win this game.

Aussies to win for me.

USA vs China (10.15pm)

This game is going to be filled with emotion. For the host nation China, they have sat around all day waiting for their game to arrive.

Yao and Co have an expectation to live up to in their homeland. There is some pressure there for them to succeed. Don't forget, Dell Harris got this team to the quarter final in Athens. They are at home now.

The USA or should I say "redeem team" have made it know they are in Beijing to get back what they feel they deserve. The gold medal. They want to get the first game out of the way.

Yao will pose some problems for the USA as the red, blue and white lack size inside.

The trouble for the Chinese is point guard Liu Wei will struggle against the USA's pressure defense which will limit Yao's impact on this game.

I'll be keeping an eye on newly acquired New Jersey Net Yi Jianlian to see if him and the coach are getting along a little better than during their warm up games.

USA to win this very easily. Will China be able to bounce back though?

News

Quote of the Day

"At the 1996 worlds, I got into it with Alonzo Mourning and Shawn Kemp, and I told them: 'If either of you want to fight me, one of you will never walk again." Words from former Australian Olympian Andrew Vlahov, courtesy of ESPN.

Group A Olympic team breakdown by ESPN's Chris Sheridan and here's Group B.

Five flag bearers are basketballers.

Carlos Boozer to Europe? Andrew Bogut is a Aussie at heart!

Boomers press conference before first game. (video footage)

Croatian game is all about credibility for Boomers.

Patrick Mills gets a wrap from NBA players.

Aussie players get mentioned in ESPN's Chad Ford article.

Josh Smith re-signed by the Hawks. He was a Grizz for a minute.

Kobe to test global market.

LeBron to test Europe waters as well.

Click here to see Pat Mills and Joe Ingles during the Opening Ceremony.

There Is Only One "Dream Team" & News

The one and only "Dream Team". USA named its Beijing Olympic Team today. (read about it below.)

Today the U.S Olympic basketball team was named. Although it is a stronger outfit than the Bronze Medal 2004 Athens team, I feel they will have their work cut out for them if they are to capture the Gold in Beijing.

The team is very strong on the perimeter with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Jason Kidd anchoring the guard positions.

They have great depth at the point guard position with Kidd (who has never lost in the red, white and blue colours), 2008 NBA MVP candidate Chris Paul and always improving Utah Jazz PG Deron Williams.

At shooting guard you have options in the way of Bryant, Dwayne Wade and the only pure shooter on the roster, Milwaukee Buck Michael Redd.

The small forward position is loaded with James, Carmelo Anthony and defensive specialist Tayshaun Prince. You have a nice mix here with Anthony being your best international player at this position and maybe on the team.

The "big man" department is where I see the USA team being vulnerable. Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh are your only true interior players. Foul trouble could see the USA forced to play "small ball".

Although Boozer has experienced the Olympics before, I'm not sold on him being a force at the international level yet. Packing the defense in will force Boozer to make some decisions. This is not a strength of his. While both Bosh and Howard are still maturing as players and will be tested for sure against some of the veteran international players.

This lack of depth here will see Anthony log a lot of minutes in the four position. Going with this type of line up should be advantageous for the Stars and Stripes with Anthony having the ability to knock down the perimeter shot.

The point guards on this roster are primarily penetrators so having a big to spread the floor is a necessity for the PG's to be effective. Remember, in the past players like Stephon Marbury have struggled due to the inability to knock down the outside shot.

I was surprised they did not pick another legitimate "lights out" shooter to go with Redd. If he is having an off night or tournament, Kobe and Carmelo better to hitting from the land of plenty.

If they cannot consistently knock down perimeter shots, the USA better get used to facing a lot of zone defense again.

The strength of this team will their pressure defense. The wings will play the lanes like a hawk knowing the Howard or Bosh is back there to help if they get beaten on a backdoor play.

In Athens I saw James have an impact on the game by just playing the lanes and creating easy baskets. I look for more of the same from this team, but with better success as Bryant will be doing the same on the other wing and Prince backing these guys up.

If this team can create a lot of points from their defense they will not have to worry about their half court offense. The only trouble is, to win a medal you will be forced to play in the half court by the European teams.

Carmelo Anthony is the key to success for the US. His ability to play both inside and out will create mismatches against all opponents. He needs to be huge in Beijing if they are to win back the GOLD.

The NBA Draft is fast approaching so ESPN's Chad Ford has put forth his 6.0 Edition Mock Draft. He currently has Aussie Nathan Jawai going to the Minnesota Timberwolves at number 34.

If NBA rumours are for you, check these out.

Carmelo to miss first two games for DUI.

NBL News:

NBL and BA to merge, eventually.

Stephenson to be rubber stamped as Bullets owner. (side note: If this goes ahead and Jeff van Groningen is involved, Joey Wright will not be the coach.)

Latest on Jawai.

Crosswhite could become a Snake.

Former Towel Boy trying to save the Kings.

Shaq rapping and killing anyone who gets in his way.

King's Have A Saviour & Lakers Begin Their Run

Old is new again, Wrublewski is back in fashion.

Former owner Mike Wrublewski has put his hand up again in an attempt to breath life into a club that he loves with a passion, the Sydney Kings.

Wrublewski was the owner of the Kings franchise back in the late 80's and 90's when they were considered one of the best sporting franchises in Australia. Since Wrublewski had sold the Kings they have tasted great success on the court (3 championships) but have suffered greatly in holding onto corporate support within the Sydney community.

For the past twelve months their owner Tim Johnston (Firepower) has been running the club into the ground and has gained much media attention over the past two weeks due to his lack of paying his players their monthly salaries.

Enter Wrublewski. To cut a long story short, Wrublewski called Johnston and told him your doing the club no good. Give it to me before we have absolutely nothing to restore.

It is not as simple as that though. The NBL Board has to meet and agree that Wrublewski has a plan that is fit for the Kings and the NBL. Lucky for everyone the Board just happens to be meeting late this week.

He feels he has what it takes. "I need to come in with a clean slate, come in with some credibility, to come in with some statements that people will believe in and will support," he told Fox Sports

"In the past the one thing that I did leave the club with was when I said I would do something I did it and the corporate world backed me", he continued to say.

Obviously the man has the runs on the board so I cannot see the NBL knocking this on the head.

This is great to hear for the league and the Kings players. Finally some good news and finally maybe, some bums on those ugly purple chairs at the entertainment centre.

Although I did make comment that the league would continue with or without the Kings and Brisbane Bullets, I'm sure glad they are staying.

Kings are truly a sporting franchise that you love to hate and I think that will only be enhanced with Wrublewski at the helm.

Sydney, Sydney, Sydney.....I can hear Rodney O already!

Today myself and teammate Brad Sheridan made a visit out to the Children's Ward of the Hospital. It was part of a community project the Townsville Crocs and the hospital do together.

It is always a good time out there when you spend a little time with kids that are having a tough run with sickness or injury.

We just sat around a table with the kids helping them colour in and shoot the breeze. Yes, I had trouble staying between the lines but I'm sure I will get better.

Other NBL News:

Pero Cameron cleared of rough play.

Former Razorback Miles Pierce dumped.

Jawai works out for Warriors.

Young Victorian player shooting for the stars and college.

A reduced Boomers squad has been announced. (More on this in the coming days.)

Wildcats to get a "big" as second import.

Fox Sports will cover the Boomers/Iran series.

Maric works out for Pacers.

NBA News:

You can catch Game 1 of the Lakers/Celtics series on ESPN (508). It all starts at 10.30am.

What will win out? Celtics "D" or the Lakers "O".

Bill Simmons with his preview of the Finals.

Flip Saunders gone from Detroit.

Former Piston player to be new head coach.

Could D-Wade be leaving Miami?

Draft notes.

Could Kobe go for 81 Against the C's?

Europe Update and Other News

Newley is ready to wear the green and gold but he has a Game 5 decider first.

While the oncourt action has been quiet here in Australia there have been a few Aussies still in action in Europe.

Firstly, David Andersen and his CSKA Moscow team have won its sixth straight Russian championship. CSKA swept Khimky 3-0.

These where the best two teams during the season by a long shot, but Andersen's team demonstrated throughout the series why they are the best team in Europe. Khimky only dropped two games during the regular season but could not come close to taking a game off CSKA.

With all the playing completed for Andersen now his focus will turn to the Boomers and his free agent status.

Andersen can sign for any team in Europe or my opt for an NBA experience. He will be able to make more money in Europe but he may be thinking it is time to give the NBA a crack.

Although he will not get Andrew Bogut money ($80 million) he will get a nice little pay rise that would have him comfortably in the top ten sports money earners from Australia.

I only hope for the best for this guy as he took the punt to go to Europe when he was a youngster (19) and has made the most of it.

Click here to read about the results of all three games.

Now to Brad Newley. He is playing in a fifth game decider today (Wednesday) for third spot.

You may ask why for third? In Greece the third placed team gets promoted to Euroleague which brings great exposure to the club. Think about being promoted in Premier League soccer in England. That's what it means to a club.

As for Newley's play, he has been on fire. Game 4 Newley played a major role in getting his Panionios team to a decider.

His 24pts, 5rebs and 4ass should get Boomers coach Brian Goorjian excited. Being able to play an all round game against some of Europe's best teams has to be encouraging to Boomers fans as well.

Come the Olympics we will need to beat some of the strong Euro teams to advance to the medal round. By Newley having played in this type of environment he will be ready to perform on the Olympic stage and hopefully help lead the Aussies to the medal round.

After Newley completes Game 5 he is back on the plane Sunday to Oz as he is keen to don the green and gold against the Iran National Team.

With another big performance by Newley in game 5 this should see him secure a multi year deal in Europe. He has had a very solid year and will only get better from his first year experience.

I'm sorry to let 6er fans know it will be a long time before you see him in your colours.

Click here to read about Game 4.

NBA News:
Chad Ford has dropped Nathan Jawai out of the first round for now. Don't be alarmed, he will have his individual workouts with teams now and his stock will be determined on his performances here.

Zo wants one more year if body allows it.

Bloggers have their say on the NBA Finals.

You want stats on the NBA Finals look no further. Click here.

For all things KOBE. The ultimate Kobe experience.

Kareem and his sky hook have a blog. It will be overrated like his play!

NBL News:
Kings paupers, who would have ever thought?

Harris happy to be back on the Apple Isle. The mind boggles when someone is happy to be back in Tassie in the middle of winter.

Phill Jones calls it a day for Tall Blacks. I cannot see the Kiwis qualifying for Beijing with everyone retiring.

Clint Reed re-signs with Pigs.

Boomers camp underway. Find out who is hot!

ABA Weekly Wrap

Have your say on who wins. Turn left, point and vote!

It's that time of the week again where I post all the ABA boxscores for you to peruse. Enjoy!

Queensland: Cannot believe Cameron Tragardh had 6 assists on his way to fifty points. Cam, you may have had sixty had you not passed or fumbled six times.

Waratah: My Sydney sources are telling me the Comets are the "Real Deal" down there!

Big V: Former Tiger Luke McMillan still gets the job down. Has a lazy 27pts and 17rebs on the weekend.

Western Australia: Geraldton's Michael Lay has a triple double (17pts, 12rebs, 10ass) against Wanneroo. While Cockburn is still On Fire.

South Australia: Joel Goodenough did not live up to his name as his Southern Tigers got spanked by the Norwood Flames.

SEABL: Greg Vanderjagt is looking for a NBL contract and his play for the Southern Districts Spartans reflected this. Check out his stats!

Other News Around Here:
Boomers coach Brian Goorjian will have a sports psychologist on hand at camp for players that need help due to the events that have transpired over the past week.

Maybe he should call in Dog the Bounty Hunter as well.

Rice in Singapore. Who would have thought the Singapore Slingers could sign a guy of this calibre, but once again coach Gordie McLeod and Bob Turner have found a good one in Darius Rice.

I remember seeing this guy fill it up at the University of Miami and he has continued to do so in the D-League.

If he comes to this league with the right attitude I see him as a potential leading scorer in the league.

BA and NBL release statement regarding James Henderson and his involvement with Firepower.

Boomers will match up against the USA team before the Olympics. I just hope Iran and the Kiwis get them ready for Kobe and company.

Aleks Maric is in good shape to give the NBA a shake.

The Cairns Tiapans have made comment about their strength as a club in the NBL.

Q & A with Corey "Homicide" Williams.

"One day I would love to play for the Crocs. I have had the chance to train with and against John Rillie these past two seasons. The way he works hard at training and the extra work he puts in is something that I have tried to instill in my own game." www.crocodiles.com.au

These are the words from budding basketballer Damon Heuir who is trying to get a place on the u/19 national team.

Thanks for the kind words Damon but there will be no relief for you on Wednesday night.

NBA News:
Top 10 Lakers/Celtics post season moments.

Paul Pierce gets it done against the Lakers.

Bill Simmons with another classic.

How did the "Big Dogs" look at the pre draft camp?

Sunday Conversation with Kobe Bryant

Lakers vs Celtics and Hot Rods

Can Kobe/KG match Bird/Magic?

Not since the 80's have the Los Angles Lakers and the Boston Celtics matched up against each other for a shot at a championship. (So out of respect to the game, throw away your DVD players and tape the series on VHS, please.)


David Stern and his NBA people could not have asked for a better Finals match up at the start of the season. Fans and media will be digging into the archives until this series tips off.


Remember it was the Bird/Magic era that really kicked off the globalization of basketball while Michael Jordan carried it to another level. So what better way to re-ignite the same level of enthusiasm for the sport than with a Kobe Bryant led Lakers taking on "The Big Three".


David Stern must go to sleep with a smile on his face right now.


So after playing 82 games we actually have the two best teams remaining so who is going to win this thing?


The Lakers will once again rely on Bryant to led from the front with his killer mentality but it seems to me that Kobe is growing in confidence with his teammates abilities. He no longer seems to have trust issues.


There is no doubting that Kobe will take over the game when necessary, but Spanish international Pau Gasol and versatile forward Lamar Odom quite often have heavy involvement early.


You focus on these three too much and leave Derek Fisher or Vladimir Radmanovic open, a few open threes later you are chasing your tail early. This starting five unit is playing very well together right now.


Enter the Laker bench. These guys have been holding their own every night. On one night it is Luke Walton and Ronny Turiaf then the next it is Jordan Farmar and Sasha Vujacic.


Right now I feel the Lakers squad is playing like they believe they are going to win any game, anywhere. They came back and won two games against the defending champ San Antonio Spurs from double figure deficits. Quite impressive and quite a good confidence builder leading into the Finals.


As I've mentioned before in blogs, Phil Jackson has them feeling good while Kobe's play gives them the confidence and attitude on the court.


It will not be all one way traffic in the series so lets look at the C's and their strengths.


The "Big Three" all seem to back on the same page together. There was a minute there where Ray Allen was struggling but he is back on track.


All three need to be playing well together if the Celtics want to give themselves the best chance of winning.


The most important guy for the Celtics this series is going to be James Posey. (He came up with a key steal on Tayshaun Prince and the Pistons in Game 6) Quite often forgotten about, Posey will be asked to defend Bryant often and well. This is something Posey is used to as his role with the Miami Heat championship team was the same. This guy is fast becoming a clutch three point shooter as well so look for him to play key minutes down the stretch of games.


Rajan Rondo will need to keep the crafty veteran Fisher honest at the offensive end otherwise it will allow Fisher to roam and double on defense. (Look for Sam "I Am" Cassell to play more if Rondo becomes ineffective.) Rondo really began to pick his play up in the last few games in the Pistons series so the Celtics will be looking for this to carry over.


Kendrick Perkins needs to stay out of foul trouble in this series. Sure the C's have depth (PJ Brown and Leon Powe) but Perkins is going to have to be the guy to match up on Gasol for the majority of the minutes.


If Perkins can keep Gasol honest at both ends this will leave Garnett with a lot more freedom to operate down low. Garnett and Perkins seem to have a good understanding if KG gets doubled.


Allen must remain "on fire" to keep Kobe busy on the defensive end. Ray Ray was lights out in the last game so the Lakers know they need to contain his perimeter firepower otherwise he can split a game wide open in a hurry.


I feel this series will have many twists and turns but the Lakers have been the one team that has consistently won on the road in the playoffs. I see this continuing throughout this series and should see them hoist the trophy after SIX games.


As part of our NBL contract all players have to do promotional work for the club and sponsors. There is no doubting some are better than others and today I was lucky enough to be involved in the 7th Annual Bluwater Ute, Car and Bike Show.


By no means am I a petrol head but I did get a buzz out of being asked to drive a Hot Rod in the show.


Thanks to David (owner of the vehicle) for having the confidence in me behind the wheel. A day my kids and I will remember for quite a while.

Other News:

Fellow blogger Glockers chips in his two cents worth about the NBL dilemmas. I cannot agree more with him about how the league changed the rules to allow Tim Johnston to become the owner of the Kings.

Is there a conflict of interest within basketball's review committee? (interesting read, draw your own conclusions)

Mee getting the Boomers some love in the US.

Harris to measure up for Guinness Book of Records.

NBL needs to find a star.

Jamaica basketball receives millions in sponsorship!

Kings and their rough ride.

KOBE, KOBE, KOBE

Winner, Winner....Chicken Dinner

I know there are a few Kobe Bryant haters amongst my readers, but surely if you watched the game today you have to at least respect his game.

For those of you who are in the dark the Los Angles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs played Game 1 of the Western Conference Final today. The Lakers come back to win after being down by twenty points mid way through the third quarter.

The second half was the Kobe Show. Lets not even worry about the 25 points he had after the half. I'm looking at the spoon fed layups he gave Pau Gasol. Greg Vanderjagt would have looked like an All Star out there.

Then there is the "D". He hawks the lanes and gets his hands on a lot of balls creating "easy basket" opportunities for his team.

The one basket I will talk about though is the game winner. Everyone in the building knew who was going to shoot it. Cool and calm as you like, Kobe waited until he had the space to take Bruce Bowen to his sweet spot. Giving a little nudge with the shoulder he created enough space in the lane to get a good look at the rim from 10 feet. Sweet as a nut the shot went.

As I wrote yesterday, this will be a chess match series. It lived up to that today. The Lakers played Tim Duncan one on one to start the game, but come the fourth quarter they where doubling in a hurry. It became very disruptive to Duncan's rhythm. No coincidence this lead to a Spurs scoring drought.

Both teams will make minor changes for Game 2. This will continue to be a ripper series and I can't wait for more KB24.

Other Hoops News:
"Plane debacle" is how Spurs coach Gregg Popovich put it.

Daily Dime

Beasley or Rose for the Bulls?

Stephen A Smith on the OJ Mayo situation.

Scott to stay with Hornets?

Bill Simmons on KG.

A bit of Boti Nagy.

The NBL needs this guy. Anyone interested in helping our game needs to be contacted, fast.

Adelaide get their "Aaron Grabau".

In this article ESPN'S Chad Ford talks about teams making a "promise" to players. Has Joe Ingles been the recipient of a "promise"?

Crocs keep assistants on board.

David Barlow wins another weekly award.

Western Conference, I Speak..Did Anyone Listen?, Jawai On The Rise

Bulls win Lottery.

The Boton Celtics take a 1-0 lead over the Detroit Pistons but the action turns to the Western Conference today. The Los Angles Lakers take on the defending champs, San Antonio Spurs.

How do I see this series going?

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe will do it again. (Bad joke for those Toni, Toni, Toni R&B fans) I just sense that Bryant is on a solo mission to win the championship this year and if anyone else (Odom, Gasol) wants to help out, it just makes that Lakers that much harder to beat.

I feel that Odom is a the key guy to this series. He has been great for the team all season and if he can continue to play efficiently the Spurs are in for a long series. The Spurs will have a problem matching up on him.

Bruce Bowen will need every super power possible to stop Kobe, but then who do the Spurs stick on Odom. If you go with Manu Ginobilli, Odom will post him all day long. Tim Duncan does not have the footstep to contain him on the perimeter. I will be interested to see how this develops over the course of a series.

As for the Spurs, Tony Parker has been tough to date. Keeping him out of the paint will fall onto the shoulders of Derek Fisher. I'm sure he is looking forward to slowing the Frenchman down. If not, it will be left up to Kobe to do a number on Mr Longoria.

Ginobilli and his flopping antics will not work with Kobe. I will give the Argentinian credit though. His spirited play quite often keeps the Spurs around the mark when they go through a scoring drought or two.

Duncan will be looking forward to his matchup against Gasol. He should get some better looks and might even get Gasol into early foul trouble. I'm looking for an aggressive Tim Duncan early in this series.

As for the benches, the Lakers are looking for energy. Ronny Turiaf and Luke Walton are the main providers, while the Spurs a looking for spot up shooters (Brent Barry and Mike Finley) to spread the floor and give Duncan the room to operate down low.

This will become a chess match of a series. Two good teams that are both well coached.
Lakers in 7.

Tonight I was invited to be the guest speaker at a Channel 7 function in my hometown of Toowoomba. Ch 7 were launching their Olympic campaign and asked me to talk about my experience in Athens.

Before I took the stage they showed a brief DVD of memorable Olympic moments. In the highlights there was footage of defining moments in Athens and the memories of some of these events came back like it all happened yesterday. Talk about triggering the emotional buttons.

It truly is an unbelievable experience to have. Words can never really do the Olympic experience justice. You do have to be there to believe it.

I just hope the people in attendance left there thinking, "I cannot wait to see who the next great Aussie athlete will be". History shows that this great sporting country always unearths some hidden talent at the Olympic Games.

After talking about my experience in Athens and watching the DVD footage I left there wishing I could board a plane for Beijing immediately and feel those same emotions I did four years ago.

Good luck to all our Olympians and make the most of the experience.

Changing speeds here. Nathan Jawai has landed in the USA and he is off to a flier with his NBA workouts. He is currently working out in Las Vegas with other potential draft picks and NBA veterans and the feedback has been positive. Check out what ESPN'S Chad Ford had to say.

Chicago Bulls were the winners in the race for the Number 1 pick. The Lottery was held today and here is how the ping pong balls fell.

Cairns guard Dwayne Vale has surgery on his dodgy wheel. He will be out for the rest of the ABA season.

For all those diehard Kings fans, is "Mouse" Robilliard looking for a roster spot on next year's team?