RIP Mike Wrublewski

Just weeks ago the Sydney basketball fraternity celebrated with this man. RIP Mr Wrublewski.

The former Sydney King's colourful owner Mike Wrublewski has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

One of the true pioneers behind turning the NBL into a professional sport in this country, his ideas, personality and quotes will sorely missed.

Below is an article from the FoxSports website.

"Former Sydney Kings chairman Mike Wrublewski has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

Wrublewski was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June and held a farewell dinner in Sydney earlier this month to raise funds for the Mike Wrublewski Foundation, which will be his legacy for young athletes needing financial help.

Basketball Australia CEO Larry Sengstock on Saturday paid tribute to Wrublewski, a pioneer of the NBL. "Basketball Australia (BA) and the entire basketball community are deeply saddened by the news of Mike Wrublewski's passing and our thoughts go out to his family," Sengstock said in a statement.

"Mike was a pioneer of the NBL who had a crazy vision of taking basketball from the tin sheds in which it was being played into major arenas.

"It is a true reflection of his energy, his passion and his brilliance that he was actually able to realise that dream.

"Mike almost single-handedly put basketball on the map in Sydney, and turned the Sydney Kings into an iconic Australian sporting team.

"The fact that he did so whilst working in Australia's toughest sports and entertainment market is all the more amazing.

"BA, the NBL, the WNBL and all of basketball owes him an incalculable debt and we will now look for some appropriate way in which we can honour his legacy."

NBL On E-Bay

This piece of Scott Ninnis history can be yours for 10c.

As I pondered as to what to blog about today, it came to me to surf E-Bay to see what quality NBL merchandise is available at a respectable price. Here is what I found. Happy bidding.

First up is a Andrew Gaze signed and framed photo. Asking price - $149.99 + $20 for shipping.

There is no doubting you can argue he has been the country's best product in the sport, but even the great man himself may have a little chuckle at this asking price.

Different story if the photo was of him at the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics when he was the flag bearer in Sydney. But it is a "generic" Aussie uniform he is in during the action shot.

I'll be watching this item closely and if it does reach the asking price, I will be donning some of my Aussie gear and getting the missus to take some happy snaps.

The next item's current bid stands at $10. For just a little more a worn Canberra Cannons training jersey could be yours. This is great buying if you ask me. A true piece of NBL history.

I'm trying to find out if it is a Willie Simmons jersey so I can get the goggles thrown in.

Next item is two Sydney Kings signed balls (insert own joke). It is being promoted as "too many names to mention", but I can tell you Mark Dalton, Steve Whitehead, Matt Nielsen and Scott MacGregor are just a few of the names on the balls.

Bidding starts at $29.99. My question would be, can the balls be pumped up or are they flat just like the franchise?

The "best" buy has to be this Scott Ninnis NBL Futera 1995 card. Bidding starts at 10 cents. Yes ten cents, but postage will sting you for a dollar. (I cannot wait for Ninnis to read this.)

Last but not least is twenty one One On One magazines.

Right now you can purchase these mags for a total of 99 cents. Not a bad buy if you ask me because it was a good read every month plus you can reminisce about the good times.

Well I hope you enjoyed my shopping list. It is time for me to go bidding and 10c is way too much for Ninnis.

Tim Johnston & The Firepower Saga

I could not keep ignoring this article I stumbled across in the Sydney Morning Herald about Firepower con-man Tim Johnston. Thanks to journo Paul Sheehan for providing a good read on the trials and tribulations of the company that was going to provide fuel relief through a "pill".

It is difficult to exaggerate the scale of the lies, the extent of the damage, the trail of destructive bastardry left behind by Timothy Francis Johnston, who lied to everyone, cheated everyone, and, as you read this, lives in luxury overseas because the Australian authorities are too stupid to charge him with fraud and thus be able to seek his extradition.

Perhaps "inert" is the best word to describe the collective ineffectiveness of the Australian state and federal regulatory authorities which allowed Johnston to run rampant for the past 14 years, stealing at least $100 million in the process. Or bovine. Or lazy. Or complicit. Take your pick. When the authorities eventually rouse themselves on this matter, they will find a paper trail that leads all the way to Moscow.

Since Johnston graduated from St Laurence's College, a Christian Brothers school in Brisbane, he has become an increasingly deluded, reckless, pathological and criminal predator. His exaggerations accumulated until they became a pyramid of lies which became a pyramid of frauds, built on pyramid selling. Almost nobody checked the detail, and there were so many details which would have exposed the lies.

He could never have wreaked the damage he did without the active support of the Australian government, and the passivity of regulators and police.

Johnston had no patents. No intellectual property rights. No scientific evidence. No factories. No prospectus. No audited accounts.

No large export orders. In fact, he had almost no sales. He spoke of a global company but in reality it was a handful of people in an industrial estate in Perth. The unprecedented scale of this horror story has never been fully understood, and never been available to the public, until today.

Because today is the publication date of a book, Firepower, which lays out the magnitude of this fraud and the depth of its implications. It has to be mandatory reading for the Trade Minister, Simon Crean, and his senior departmental officials. Crean will enjoy the discomfort it brings to his Liberal predecessors in government, but not for long, because Johnston is now his problem.

Firepower must be read by the chief executive officer of the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), Peter O'Byrne, who could only feel a burning anger and unease as he reads the full extent of his agency's reckless naivety. Anger and unease, too, should be felt by Tony D'Aloisio, the chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the ASIC commissioners, who will read, yet again, that ASIC was slow and passive in the face of large-scale corporate fraud.

Firepower does what the state and federal regulators failed to do.

It is the missing due diligence, the prosecutorial zeal, the big picture. It presents the events that should have animated every agency that came into contact with Johnston and his idiotic narcissism. Instead, the job has been done by Gerard Ryle, a journalist.

Firepower groans with a mass of damning detail, the work of someone who has won 15 awards for investigative journalism, including four Walkley Awards. Ryle has been a Walkley finalist 11 times. He is the news editor of this newspaper.

Four defamation suits were issued against the Herald in 2007 by Johnston and his chief executive after the paper published the first expose. Johnston deployed a squad of lawyers and spin-doctors and created a labyrinth of corporate entities to prevent investors and supporters from seeing that the core of his story, the essence of his business, was just an innocuous brown pill.

The pill, the Firepower, was a fuel additive which Johnston and his numerous supporters claimed increased fuel efficiency and cut pollution. It was going to help the world and make millions for early investors. Nonsense. Firepower was an industrial placebo. At best the pill was worthless and at worst it was corrosive.

The fraud could not have continued for so long, or become so large, had it not been for the crucial intervention of Austrade. Somebody at the trade commission, probably someone junior, failed to make a rudimentary verification of any of the grandiose claims Johnston was making. Austrade took on Firepower as a client, and opened doors to contacts around the world through Australian embassies.

Over time, Firepower received $394,000 in grants under the Export Market Development Grants scheme. A senior Austrade manager, John Finnin, was recruited by Johnston as his chief executive. The senior trade commissioner at the Australian Embassy in Moscow, Gregory Klumov, was recruited to run Firepower's Russian operation. For years, Johnston was able to wrap himself in the credibility of government patronage.

Every prominent person connected with Firepower, and there are many, has been damaged by the association. After the Herald's first expose was published on January 7, 2007, the co-owner of the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league club, Peter Holmes a Court, described the piece in a private e-mail as "a largely unprincipled piece of journalism".

Ten months later, when Firepower's credibility was under siege, Holmes a Court still publicly defended Firepower, saying it had met all its obligations to the team. (Such was Johnston's desire to insinuate himself into the circle of South Sydney's other co-owner, Russell Crowe). They were the exception.

After Johnston took over the Sydney Kings basketball team he drove the franchise out of existence.

That Tim Johnston has not even been charged with fraud, and extradited, is an indictment on the federal authorities. These are the same federal authorities being given considerably more power and responsibility by the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, as he builds a command economy run by Canberra.

Based on the evidence presented in Firepower, they are not up to the task.

I Have Touched Down In China

For some reason the fluro lighting on top of a roadside toilet stop caught my attention.

After a ten hour flight from Sydney to Shanghai and then jumping onto a bus for a few more we have made it to Wuxi.

For those who are not in the loop "WE" are a put together team from the NBL that are playing the Chinese National Team in a two game series.

The team is: Darren Ng, Oscar Forman, Peter Crawford, Alex Loughton, Rhys Carter, Matt Burston, Greg Vanderjagt, Cameron Tragardh, Matt Knight and Cam Tovey.

The Head Coach is Andrew Gaze and I'm here to assist where necessary.

Tomorrow will be the first time the team will have a practice session together. I can't wait to see Gaze put them through the "Auburn" shuffle offense. It should be quite interesting to see him teach something that he has known all his life, while some of the players would have never played this style of offense.

Right now the buzz or the question being asked is, will Yao Ming play?

He is getting over an injury he sustained during the NBA season but it is tipped that he may play minimal minutes in these two games.

That will be quite an experience for those guys that will match up on him.

I will keep you posted on what happens from day to day on tour. Hopefully some photos will be included.

Now onto the NBL. The sword was dropped on Brisbane Bullets today but the Sydney Kings still are living in hope.

I feel I have expressed my view on this topic enough over recent times, but I had to feel for Greg Vanderjagt today when we touched down in China.

The Big Fella found out via a text message that the Bullets are done. To make matters worse his luggage was lost in transit. China is not the place for a seven footer to try and find some clothes at eleven at night.

I can only hope Vanderjagt has a good tour so it helps his cause in finding a new team somewhere.

Articles From The NBL

Brisbane get the bullet.

Loggins disappointed in Bullets end.

Kings rescue plan.

Is basketball dead?

Dragons Nick Horvath makes Kiwi cut.

Tigers Dave Thomas makes Canadian team.

Breakers Kirk Penney has been working out for the San Antonio Spurs.

NBA News

Top Free Agents

DraftExpress.com team by team draft grading.

Can Never Have Too Much Bill Walton

I'm Lovin The Comments

Kings fans can hold their breath. There may be a saviour by the end of the week!



All weekend I have been down in Mackay helping out with junior basketball clinics. I arrive home to blog about the upcoming Australian Boomers/Iran series starting tomorrow night in Perth but I have put that on hold due to the passionate comments I have been receiving over the past few days.

I love that people are taking a keen and passionate interest in the state of the NBL and their team so keep the comments coming.

Below I have posted some of the more opinionated one's and put forth my view, again.

"You're playing the PR game bravely John, but you're only kidding yourself. Sydney is the heart of corporate Australia. It's the proving ground for the advertising dollar. So much of the nation's media is run out of Sydney that if you can't attract attention there, you lack a truly national presence.You talk about `the long run'. Truth is, there likely won't be one. Who will sponsor a competition without a Sydney presence? (And don't give me `what about the Razorbacks?' Most Sydneysiders don't know who they are.)Your obvious delight at the Kings' situation likely comes from being a former Pig ie losing GFs to the Kings, attention etc.Truth is, the league is on its knees. The A-League is about to wipe it out.Kings fan." Spud said.

Spud,
Do I think the NBL needs a Kings type of team in Sydney and the NBL? Absolutely, but it needs to be a well run organisation otherwise the NBL gets the negative attention we are seeing right now. No business needs this type of attention that tarnishes the overall product.

I have no "obvious delight" about what happened to the Kings. They were the team everybody loved to hate. Every league needs a team like this in their competition. It brings people to the game when the Kings are on the road.

As for losing the Grand Final to the Kings, I have never spent a minute thinking about the Kings winning it. Everyday I just think about how we "choked".

"If you think that the league is going to be better off without the Kings (and fingers crossed the Bullets somehow survive) then you are delusional. There are no positives to come out of Sydney losing its license. The only positive is that Johnston is gone, and the NBL could have done that over a year ago but was too incompetent! If anything, the league will lose more talent because of this. Less teams here means more players going O/S. How is that a good thing for the NBL? Or for Aussie bball as a whole unless O/S comps are once again shown on free to air TV? It's not good. Also, today's rosters are not worse than yesteryears'. The Kings team that just got tossed would've served your '98 sixers without breaking a sweat. Not to mention the Tigers team that beat the Kings. The NBL has shot itself in the foot by kicking out Sydney. The league's propularity will only dwindle further unless they take a break to re-tool. And lets hope they get a decent, independent board one of these days." Brickie said.

Brickie,
I'm not disagreeing about losing the players to overseas leagues. This is where the NBL needs to revise some of the stipulations about a team makeup, quickly.

A few ideas off the top of my head are:
1. Scrap the points system.
2. Allow a roster of 12 players (still play 10)..one of these twelve must remain a YAP .

What they cannot do is re rate these players so teams that do not have a full roster can sign some of these players. Teams that already have their roster in place will "spit chips" if this happens.

"I feel you guys that are saying the corporate dollar will take a hit. But if you think any team in the league now (with the possible exception of the Tiges) could have run with the Sixers team JR's talkin bout, you are either too young to remember them or a one eyed Sydney-sider. League is in trouble, yes. Kings staying in the comp ever going to help the situation? Hell no. And BTW, a lot of Sydney people couldn't name one Kings playa. This is not a measure of the Rbacks as much as of the league as a whole." This from Anonymous.

Just to touch on that mighty Adelaide 36ers championship team of 1998. The makeup of talent on that squad was unbelievable and not seen in today's competition.

2 imports (Kevin Brooks and Darnell Mee) with NBA experience. 6 Aussies (Brett Maher, Martin Cattilini, Scott Ninnis, Paul Rees, Mark Davis and myself) that represented their country.

The other two were Rupert Sapwell and Dean Brogan.

Sapwell had a Mars commercial at the age of 16 and Brogan is in a league of his own by winning premierships in two different national sporting competitions (NBL, AFL).

All that aside we played a pretty entertaining style of hoops to boot.

I look forward to replying to more passionate comments.

Current NBL News:
Legends Gaze and Loggins back the NBL.
Rob Beveridge knows junior talent and Aussies are up there.
Goorjian to make more cuts to Boomers squad.
Good game in the NT.
Matt Nielsen is back.
Scouting report on Nathan Jawai and here is another.

NBA News:
As the Lakers are on the brink of elimination Phil Jackson has asked me not to comment on this topic as his players spend too much time on my blog site. I respect Phil and what he is about so I have "No Comment" on the NBA today.

NBA Preview:

It Is Time To Move Forward

Stick a fork in 'em!

This week has seen the Sydney Kings have to hand their license back to the NBL and the Brisbane Bullets still without a keen buyer; it might be time for the NBL to step in and make some bold decisions.

If you are a life long fan of either of these franchises you are holding your breath for a “White Knight” to appear at your doorstep before the magical June 30th deadline.

This all sounds good in theory but this is having an adverse effect on the rest of the league as we wait for both franchises to be pulled from their life support. Time is a ticking here people as we wait.

National sponsorship and television deals have been put on hold until these issues are fully resolved. If I’m Hummer (NBL major sponsor) or Fox Sports (the only way to see NBL live on TV) there is no doubt I would want to know what direction the NBL is heading in before my company signed a new sponsorship agreement.

This is where I feel the NBL must draw a line in the sand so the league can move on and prepare for the upcoming season.

If the NBL was to come out and say we are going with two less teams for this upcoming season, at least the rest of the league could move forward.

I’m not doubting there would be some initial disappointment with the lose of these two storied franchises but why should the rest of the league hang in limbo waiting for a miracle to happen?

Once this June 30th deadline ticks around the NBL has two and a half months before the tip off of the 2008/09 season. I just cannot see how this is enough time for the NBL to have all the above mentioned things in place for the start of the season.

Although I’m hearing that Hummer wishes to remain on board as the major sponsor, a deal of this magnitude is not going to happen over night. I’ll take an educated guess and say Hummer’s monetary involvement will hinge on a television deal as well.

So, to nut out a deal that will see both Hummer and Fox Sports happy and back on board with basketball the NBL needs to allow itself a solid window of time to get these deals over the line.

I my opinion the longer the other eleven franchises of the NBL have to sit around and wait on the fate of the Kings and the Bullets the harder it will be for the NBL to the start the season with any type of impact on the sporting calendar.

The Kings and the Bullets have known their fate for sometime now. It is time for the NBL to take them off their life support so the rest of the league can breath easier.

My weekly article can be found in the Townsville Bulletin every Saturday.

I may just have some support.

Former Kings coach Bob Turner has his say on the matter.

Bullets trying everything for Eddie.

Who wants some Sav?

What now for the players?

Boomers lifting..Wortho

Nathan Jawai interview after Utah Jazz workout!

KINGS ARE GOONNEE - League Can Get Stronger

Print this out so you have some Kings memorabilia.

The Sydney Kings have had to turn their license back into the NBL. Unless a "White Knight" rides into town quickly the NBL will lose two, Brisbane Bullets being the other, of its storied franchises by the time June 30th rolls around.

I'm not going to keep harping on about the pros and cons of all of these happens because I feel the product of our game will only strengthen with the lose of these two teams.

Having thirteen teams means that there is a lot of opportunity for guys to find work as a professional basketballer in this country. Approximately 120 Australians get to say they are pro ballers.

If or when we go back to eleven teams this means some guys will miss out on jobs. It is always disappointing to see someone lose their job but by downsizing to eleven teams should only strengthen our oncourt product.

Having been fortunate enough to have played in the "good ole days" of the nineties, I feel today's roster are weaker than yester year.

I just take a look at the 1998 Adelaide 36ers championship team I was part of and think about how that team would go in today's league.? Absolutely blitz it is my reply.

Name a team in today's competition that is as deep as this one. Darnell Mee and Brett Maher in the backcourt. Joining them you have Kevin Brooks, Martin Cattilini and Paul Rees up front.

Off the bench you had Mark Davis, Scott Ninnis, Rupert Sapwell, rookie Dean Brogan and myself.

You would have a problem keeping that team together due to the points system, but I just cannot see that team losing too many games in today's competition.

We legitimately went nine deep. (I was the second most inexperienced on that squad and I was in my 4th year while Dean Brogan was just using us as a warmup to AFL.)

In today's league I feel most teams only go about 8 deep and that is being generous to some.

So, although the NBL is getting this doom and gloom picture painted for it by main stream media, I believe that the level of play will improve due to the strenghtening of rosters.

The NBL needs to do a quick revision of its policies regarding players points, etc before we lose some of these players to overseas leagues.

An example I use here is Greg Vanderjagt. Under the current system Vanderjagt is going to struggle to find a roster spot in the NBL because most teams have filled their spots. By losing Vanderjagt from the NBL only hurt our overall product.

With the axing of these two teams, potentially 8 to 10 solid NBL players will not have jobs. This is why the NBL needs to come up with a revised system so these players are not lost.

It is these guys that make your competition strong. The "superstars" will always find a roster spot and young guys with "potential" are always kept around.

Losing the likes of your Vanderjagt's and Mike Hill's have a negative impact on the league.

Hopefully the NBL can implement some new rules that will allow these players to find roster spots. If they can, you may just be pleasantly surprised with the end result.

All NBL News From The Last Day:

Kings lose license.

Will sponsors stay on board?

Wrublewski rejected.

BJ Carter has his say about the Kings situation.

Bullets under the gun.

Kings owner suing the NBL?

The Violets crumble.

Liquidators move in.

Gold Coast CEO chimes in.

Goorjian says, "it is no time to panic."

BJ Carter again.

There has been an Andre Moore sighting. Good stuff.

Damian Martin cleared to play.

Hawks have new signing.

My All Time Team Of Teammates

Which one of these guys make my All Time Teammate list?

Every now and then I will throw out a comment about a former player in a blog to see if I get a response.

This week in my ABA Wrap I made reference to Cairns Marlin Rohan Grey becoming the next Grant Keys (former Razorback teammate).

The reference was made because he is putting up big numbers in the ABA, but hasn't quite gotten the chance to do likewise in the NBL.

Well, Keys was one of the easier fish I have caught over the last few weeks. He responded from China in a heart beat.

This got me thinking about who would make my All Teammate Team. Here we go:

PG: Ben Arkell - This guy is a footballer dressed in basketball gear. His body was calling out to be in the second row next to Nathan Hindmarsh. But what gets Benny on my team is the fact that he came to practice every day and did what the coach asked without batting an eye.

He would defend anyone from Derek Rucker to Bruce Bolden on any given day and gave 100%, knowing there would be limited minutes available come game time.

You have to appreciate and acknowledge guys like this.

SG: Michael Cedar - This guy has been quietly going about improving his game over the last three years.

Although quiet in demeanor, Cedar is cagey in the way he observes and takes it all in. I'm looking forward to seeing Cedar continue his development on the court over the next few years. He will become a nightly contributor for us.

What gets him on this list though is his poker game. Mick is always up for a game where ever we are and he even carries his own chips.

Michael, this year we have a YAP who will enjoy taking them off your hands and taking care of them for us on the road. You are no longer a rookie.

SF: Jason Williams - "Beaker" just loved being part of the 36ers squad. One season I bet him 100 bucks that he would not beat me in a one on one match up all year. Well, one miserable day this Muppet Show character beat me. I paid in 5 cent pieces, just because I'm a good sport.

How did I win my money back? Teamed up with Brett Maher and played Williams and Paul Bauer in the shooting game called "tips".

If you don't know the game,... each team gets to shoot five 3's with defense allowed to do anything to throw the shooter off bar touching him. (It is amazing how creative you can get to put someone off.) If the shot misses, the team on defense can have one tip per player to get the ball in. A tip must be with one hand only. After your five 3's, you rotate offense and defense. The first team to 21 wins.

Maher and I went the entire season without losing a game to those chumps and Williams had to refund the money.

Thanks Jason.

PF: Grant Keys - As I mentioned before, this guy saw limited minutes but he made Simon Dwight a better player by going hard in practice every day.

Keys was deadly from 17 feet and in, probably the best Australian born player I have seen at this range. Pick and pop to the short corner...MONEY.

This guy was a character too. If the trash talk got too heavy for him or he did not want to talk to you he would always remind us he was deaf on the left side.

This was until Coach Gordie McLeod called his number to play. Keys could be sitting at the other end of the bench with the crowd going crazy and Gordie would whisper "Keysy" and Grant would get to the scorers bench quicker than Maurice Green.

If you were wondering what he's is up to now, he has some swank government job in China.

C: Rupert Sapwell - A true team player in every sense of the word. One minute cheerleader, next minute psychologist. But my personal favourite from Sappa will always be the three ball off the glass.

Sapper is the guy every team loves to have as he always so happy. He can pick you up no matter how deep your funk is.

I learnt about karma by hanging out with this guy when we were driving to Horsham for a 36ers preseason game. In the middle of nowhere, Rupert gets stung on the arm by a bee.

I said, "Who gets stung by a bee traveling at 100km/hr in a car?" as I'm on the floor of the car in a fit of laughter.

Later that season, this incident came back to bite me in the a$$. As I was driving to my favourite spot for a pregame meal, I had my car window down and low and behold a bee found its way through the window and into the corner of my eye while the car was moving.

I played the sting off for as long as I could. I thought I had gotten away with it for about 90 minutes, as there was no sign of swelling. Just as I was congratulating myself on being the luckiest bloke around, I laid one foot inside the locker room and the swelling decided it was showtime.

By tipoff I was resembling something out of the movie Elephant Man.

For anyone interested I did drop one three on the Hawks that game. Pure luck, especially with one eye shut.

I wish no one the fortune of a bee sting to the eye.

Thanks for teaching me about karma, RUPERT!

When you have played professionally for 14 years, you are bound to come across all kinds of people for teammates. The five that I noted are truly no fuss guys that make a team fun to be around.

NBL News:
The NBL is holding a press conference Thursday morning. The topic will be about the Kings and extinction. Will the Kings share the fate of the dinosaurs?

Auckland Stars win their first playoff game. Oh what a second chance can do for you.

Wollongong Hawk Lindsay Tait talks about the NZNBL troubles and his timing.

D-Mac and Shanahan suit up in the NT.

Nathan Jawai to workout with the Jazz.

NBL gives thumbs up to camp. Now can the youngsters of Australia put on a show and become Pros.

NBA News:
The Los Angles Lakers are on the board. They avoided going down 0-3 to the Boston Celtics today by winning by 6 points in LA.

And for all the Kobe Haters, I hope you watched the last 90 seconds and saw how Kobe controlled the game to get the Lakers over the line.

We have a series folks!

Ref goes after the NBA...is it sour grapes or is there truth to the rumour? A good read for those that love to fuel those conspiracy theories in sport.

Daily Dime

Scoop Jackson on Ray Allen

How twin brothers Brook and Robin Lopez prepare for the draft.

Check out "Rubberman"....

All Things Jawai and Kings Can Share Sydney

There is enough room for both these food groups in Sydney and the NBL!


The 2008 NBA draft is fast approaching (June 26th) so I thought I would step up my updates on Aussie hopefuls Nathan Jawai and Aleks Maric. Until the draft is done I will keep a daily spotlight on these guys and provide sufficient information to serve your Jawai/Maric sized appetite.

Nathan Jawai:

Kings (Sacramento) works out the Bamiga product.

Suns will be Nate Dogg's next workout.

Bleacher Report - check out pick 17 by Raptors!

Aleks Maric:

Below I have listed Maric's scores when he tested at the Orlando Pre Draft Camp last week. Without boring you with stats, he was neither the best or worst in all categories.

Vertical Jump (no step) - 23inches Vertical Jump (max) - 28 inches

Bench press (185lbs) - 15times Lane agility - 11.76sec

3/4 court sprint - 3.35 sec

Maric works out for Pacers.

Hoopsworld has scoop.

Now to the NBL and Mike Wrublewski saying that Sydney should have only one team in town, and that team should be the almighty Kings.

Well Mike, if the NBL season was to start tomorrow, that one team would be the West Sydney Razorbacks and not your beloved Kings. The purple and gold that you bleed is doing its best imitation of a "Violet Crumble" as we speak unless you can save the "Purple Rein".

Now that I have that off my chest I will try to speak some sense about this situation.

I believe there is a place for both teams in Sydney but they cannot be living in each others pocket.

West Sydney looked at playing at Penrith but the latest has them moving back to the $hitlam Centre. I call it that with much respect as I am a huge fan of the facility and look forward to making the drive out the Hume Highway and lacing up the boots for another game there. Talk about home court advantage!

If the Pigs remain out west I cannot see how this will impact the Kings and the marketplace they are trying to attract to their games.

I praise the Pigs for moving back to the Whitlam Centre as now they can really work on maintaining a bigger fan base. Homebush may have seemed like a good move at the time, but as we have seen the crowds struggle to find their way to the Olympic site.

By moving back to Liverpool you have a residential hub (170 000 pop) to draw from and the fans do not have to waste half their day travelling to and from the game.

Sure the Whitlam needs a little TLC but the size of the arena is ideal for where the sport of basketball is at in Sydney.

It will be interesting to see if the Razorbacks can find new corporate money to inject into the franchise. I believe that they will see an increase in fan numbers by moving back to Liverpool.

I honestly believe the Pigs are on the right path to capturing their slice of the Sydney market by moving back "Home".

Now the Kings. Providing the NBL board approves Mr Wrublewski and his people the Kings will definitely see and increase in corporate support. Wrublewski has a great track record in this area and I'm sure that trend will continue.

Where I see the Kings having to improve is their complete game night presentation and you must start with your oncourt team.

The Kings used to sell out the Entertainment Centre regularly when they had zero titles to their name. Why is this? They had characters!

Everyone remembers Dwayne MacClain (D-Train) and Steve Carfino for their flashy play and breathe taking moves. But to go with this, they had the "hard nuts" in The Dalton Gang, Tim Morrissey and Three O (Damien) Keogh.

Why I highlight this point is Sydney is a fickle market. You have to have some style and swagger about yourself so people will take notice and attend.

There is no doubting that Brian Goorjian led this franchise through its most successful period (3 titles in a row) on the floor but there was no one there to witness it. (This goes back to a previous blog, where I talk about measuring success in the professional sporting world.)

I feel the Kings fans could never get a read on their team as they always had a high turnover of personal. There was no intimacy between fans and the team.

I ask you, would Sydneysiders have a better recolection of little used pint sized guard Brad Rosen or three time championship winner Brad Sheridan?

What else needs to happen for the Kings is they need to find a better sized facility. The Entertainment Centre can play host to the bigger drawing games while a 4-6 thousand seat stadium would be ideal for the majority of teams that come to town. (The Tigers play out of a 3500 seat arena and make it work.)

The facility cost would be one of the biggest expenses incurred by teams so when your true crowd numbers are low, that is a lot of money that cannot be recovered. I hear all you Sydneysiders, where to then Smartass? Good question, and I do not have the answer. State Sports Centre is the best size venue I know of but has turned into a white elephant and its location I question.

There is no doubt Sydeny has the toughest job as far as getting the recipe of success right but with Wrublewski at the helm again I hope they can turn their fortunes around.

Sydney is more than capable of providing two successful teams in the NBL and I feel with the respective moves each franchise is making this can happen in the near future.

NBL News:

NZNBL playoff teams are set.

Razorbacks fire back to Kings comments.

NBA News:

Gasol needs to lift his game.

Scoop Jackson on Paul Pierce's worth to the C's.

Terry Porter is Suns new coach.

Del Negro is on the Bulls radar now.

Preview to Game 2

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?

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.

Success...There Is A Fine Line

This is the trophy that is bringing clubs unstuck.

Well anyone who follows basketball would know that this week the NBL has been making national headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The Brisbane Bullets and the Sydney Kings are on the verge of collapsing and the players are having to fight to get the dollars owed to them.

The ironic part of this whole situation is that these are two of the three clubs, the Melbourne Tigers being the third, who have regularly been championship contenders at one point or another in this decade. Not only have they been contenders, but each has at least one ring. These clubs have triumphed on the court, but this success has not translated to the bottom line: the business of making money.

The definition of ‘success’ in the world of sport can have many arms or elements and which of these you choose to set your focus on can mean the difference between staying afloat and sinking .

Because we are talking about sport, the first and most obvious measurement of success is that which is recorded in the win/loss column or by the number of championship rings on your players fingers.

However it is this second measurement, that being the bottom line, the dollar figure, that sometimes appears to become somewhat skewed in the sporting world in Australia. ‘How secure is your club financially,’ is a point often washed over by a tide of love for your sport and/or passion for your club.

Take the current NBL drama as an example. Clearly both teams in the centre of controversy have demonstrated their on-court success, but any professional sporting organisation is more than just the men or women running around on the court or field week in, week out. It has been that tricky but equally important business end that they have failed to keep in check and could potentially be their demise.

Many armchair warriors who have followed the progress of these clubs would say that there could be some karma coming back around to them. Both the Kings and the Bullets franchises have pushed the envelope when it comes to the salary cap, particularly in the last five or so years.

So now, would you brand either the Kings or the Bullets as a success, keeping in mind that there is a distinct possibility that neither will be participating in the upcoming NBL season? No. Again I will reiterate my point, their teams have been successful, but success of the club as a whole hinges on more than just 10 guys on a court.

Let’s, for the sake of comparison, take a look at the Crocs.

True, the franchise has no championship rings on fingers or trophies in the case since their inception in 1993. Patience by the people in charge and from the fans can begin to wear thin on this matter.

I, however, take comfort in knowing that the Crocs will stand the test of time and will bring a team to the NBL each and every season. I also sleep easy each night knowing my family and I will see the money that is owed to us, on the exact day it is owed to us each and every month that I am contracted with the club.

In this day and age of Australian sport, a player often has to take a gamble, or educated guess on what the best thing for their future is.

Take someone like Sydney Kings player Russell Hinder. The Crocs were in the recruiting race for him a few years ago. Hinder weighed up his options and decided to sign with the Kings. He gambled (albeit correctly) that playing under Brian Goorjian on a daily basis could lead to experience on the National Team.

He got that opportunity. You can never begrudge an athlete for having aspirations to represent his country. Good for Rusty.

However, all week Hinder and his family, which includes a wife and two young children, have been running around in circles trying to meet their monthly budget because he has not seen a payment in his bank account for the past few months.

It would be interesting to hear his response to the question of whether he feels like the Kings are successful.

Would I say the Crocs were successful? Well, I get paid and we will have a team on the court that will take another shot at the championship this season, and for a few more seasons after that. You have to be in it to win it.

You can find my weekly column in the Townsville Bulletin every Saturday.