Labor Day Holiday = Links

#1 - Kobe's jersey is the best selling NBA jersey this year.

Although it is a public holiday (Labor Day) and a none work day for most Aussies, I thought I would still provide some coverage for those who log on during the day to get their hoops fix.

You will find lots of links so you can catch up with what is happening in the basketball world.

- A great article about the Adelaide 36ers and what is happening with basketball in the city of churches. Comments from 36er legends Phil Smyth and Mark Davis.

- Perth Wildcats finally announce that Rob Beveridge is their new coach. For those two people who didn't know this was happening, happy reading.

- David Andersen did his part to try and get his team over the line. His 24pts was not enough to lift Barcelona over CSKA Moscow into the Euroleague final. report boxscore

Don't forget you can catch the final (CSKA vs Panathinaikos) on ESPN at 4am Monday.

- Andrew Gaze to become a lifestyle show presenter? Yes he is. Look out for "Guide To The Good Life", in June on Channel 7.

- Colourful Kiwi coach Jeff Green is back in the driver's seat. If the name does not ring a bell, he was the first coach for New Zealand Breakers.

- "But, in all honesty, I'm 50-50 about whether there will even be a league next year _ that's 100 per cent my gut feeling." Courtesy of the Townsville Bulletin.

My teammate Russell Hinder sharing his feelings. He's such a sensitive guy.

- Brad Newley and his Panellinios team were swept 2-0 in their Greek League quarter final matchup against Marousi. Game 2 boxscore.

- Kobe Bryant jersey is the number 1 seller in the NBA.

- The NCAA has decided that the student/athlete needs to decide on his NBA dream earlier.

The Tough Road Is Our Go

Russell Hinder and myself have seen this scenario before.

AT the Crocs this season we've made a habit of putting ourselves in difficult situations and then digging our way out – so why should the semi-finals be any different?

Look back throughout the six months we've been going at it, nothing has come easy.

We had a slow start that had many people questioning our NBL playoff credentials.

Injuries kept getting thrown at us and there were a few off-court distractions as well.

Then when we finished fifth at the end of the regular season we were given no hope heading to Perth to play the Wildcats in an elimination final at `The Jungle'. Yet look where we are. In the semi-finals, two wins away from a grand final. There's nothing tougher than having to fight back from 1-0 down, but, as we've shown, a little bit of adversity doesn't faze the Crocodiles in the slightest.

If anything it will strengthen the team's resolve and we'll come back harder than ever at the South Dragons at The Swamp tonight.

It won't be easy but, as I have said, that is the way us Crocs seem to like it.
I also can't help but draw on past experiences at times like this.

The last team to come back from one game down in a semi-final series was the West Sydney Razorbacks in 2002, a side I just happened to be a part of. And I can assure you, the circumstances of our loss at the Pigs was seemingly far more dire than the situation we face at the Crocodiles.

We went to Melbourne to play the highly rated Tigers with a shocking road record and got annihilated by 21 points.

But, just like we do in Townsville – where we have won our past nine games – West Sydney's home form was excellent and the Razorbacks hit back to level the series.

Once it headed back to Melbourne it was anyone's game, there was nothing to lose, and, really, home-court advantage meant nothing in that situation.

West Sydney were triumphant and progressed to the grand final.

I am certain the Crocodiles can do the same. After all, it's not as if we were completely outplayed at Hisense Arena on Tuesday night.

Townsville controlled large portions of the game and it was more a case of us not cashing in our opportunities that let us down in the end and cost us victory.
When we were up by nine points in the third term we had chances to extend our buffer to as many as 15 and put them out of the game, but we didn't and we were made to pay.

There were 10 determined guys that stepped back into Townsville yesterday afternoon ready to make sure they don't make the same mistake tonight.

You can find my article in every Wednesday's Townsville Bulletin.

Cane Toad Becomes A Hinder-ence

Read below to find out who is intimidated with this creature.

Wow! That is about the only word I have to describe what would appear to be our final encounter with the Cairns Taipans.

The game certainly had the home fans buzzing and has led to some interesting conversations around town.

No, I have never seen someone ejected that fast in a game before. Taipans big man Ian Crosswhite exploded in the face of an official within the first ninety seconds of the game and spent the remainder of the game in the Taipans locker room.

If nothing else it set the tone for the remainder of the game. From that point on, the crowd was on edge and looking for more.

Surprisingly it took until the third quarter to see some more fireworks. This time it was a lopsided scuffle between strongman Rosell Ellis and Cairns guard Dwayne Vale.

There is nothing terribly unusual about a little pushing and shoving. What got exciting in this one was the involvement of the non-players.

One young floor wiper became embedded in the brawl like the meat in a sandwich.
And some of our corporate members got a little closer to the action than they bargained for when this may lay spilled over into a baseline box under on the end line. I had never seen so many people try and save a food platter.

Interestingly enough, I may or may not have seen Cowboys forward Carl Webb actually drop his platter and begin slowly edging towards the court, but that is another story for another day.

I cannot tell you how many people made comment after the game about how basketball could use more action and passion like this to get the fans pumped and excited.

I can’t say that I agree that we need to see it night in/ night out, but it was good to see a little fervor from my team mates, especially against the Taipans.

I also had to have a quiet chuckle to myself when I saw the photo used in Monday’s game report.

In a nutshell, it would appear that while the rest of us had each other’s backs and the battle was erupting, Russell Hinder went ahead and made sure that the ball was in safe hands and clear from any potential danger.

I was not at all surprised to see this moment caught on film. You see, Hinder and his family are regular guests in our home. And it just so happened that recently at the end of an evening of North Queensland hospitality, Rillie style, we tried to send Rusty around the corner with the rubbish for the bin at the side of the house.

“Rusty what’s the matter”, I asked when he returned with a look of terror on his face, rubbish still in hand.

“JR I’m not taking this (rubbish) up the side of your house”, he replied.

“What happened?” I shot back at him.

“There are cane toads up there,” he nervously stuttered.
Don’t worry Rusty,…next time the skinny kid from Toowoomba’s got your back.

You can read my column every Wednesday in the Townsville Bulletin.

News

- Rosell Ellis has copped a $750 fine for his behaviour against the Cairns Taipans, while both Dwayne Vale and Ian Crosswhite got off their charges.

- In a blow for the New Zealand Breakers, Kirk Penney will miss the team's vital road double this weekend. The NBL's leading scorer jarred a knee during practice earlier in the week.

- Perth Wildcat centre Paul Rogers is out for the remainder of the season. Rogers who has been battling injury all year made the decision so the Wildcats can re-activate former St Mary's Gael Adam Caporn.

- A great read about Wollongong Hawk Glen Saville and his career in the Gong.

- James Harvey and Greg Vanderjagt are safe on the Gold Coast.

- Ratepayers to help out Taipans cause?

- Cairns Taipan Martin Cattalini keeps his team's slim playoff hopes alive.

- Basketball's Meltdown

- My own piece of gossip. Look for Joey Wright to be back coaching in the NBL next season.

Michael Cedar Knows What He's Talking About

TOWNSVILLE-born Crocodile Michael Cedar has credited his skipper John Rillie for a breakthrough year which rose to a new height in his MVP display against the Gold Coast yesterday, writes Josh Alston of the Townsville Bulletin.

And with retirement looming in the coming years for the 451 game veteran, Cedar hopes he can use what he has learned from Rillie to emulate his career.

Cedar was dominant from the first whistle against the Blaze, draining three triples in the opening two minutes on his way to 22 points for the game.
In the 2008/09 season he has lifted his average points-per-game to 9.83, compared to a career average of 5.76.

And once a bench specialist, he has gained favour in coach Trevor Gleeson's eyes and has emerged as a starter over the past month.

"I enjoy it, one of my goals at the start of the year when I sat down and spoke to Trev was that position I wanted to make mine," he said.

"He's given me the opportunity to do it and I don't want to let him down and I don't want to let myself down either."

Cedar has scored 27-points twice in 2008/09, his highest score in his four-year career.

As well as that his efforts on the defensive end have improved dramatically, feats he said came from training against former Boomer Rillie in every session.

"Practising against him everyday is great for me, I get better every day," Cedar said.

"Just some of the stuff that he can still do just amazes you at his age (37).

"I really look up to Johnnie ... he's had a great career."

And Cedar hopes that when Rillie eventually calls it a day, he can step into the breach to become the Crocs No.1 shooting guard option.

"I hope so, if I can do what John's done over his career I will be a very happy man at the end of the day," he said.

"I've just got to keep working every day, doing the little stuff.

"John works as hard as anyone I've seen so if I want to get to that level I've got to work just as hard as him."

Gleeson praised Cedar's efforts after the game against the Blaze and said he hoped he could produce those figures on a more consistent basis.

"We've seen what Mick can do, he's a talent," he said.

"It's just a consistency level that's the key for Mick at the moment, he's got to produce it everytime he steps over that white line and that's something he's growing into."

2007/08 championship winning coach Al Westover has long believed that Cedar is an Australian player of the future.

But while Blaze Mentor and Boomers assistant coach Brendan Joyce was impressed with Cedar's efforts yesterday, he said he would need to improve his all-round game to crack the squad.

"You never know, it's a matter of kids just working on their game," he said.

"He's a very good catch and shooter and obviously there's other facets of his game ... he's got to become a better defender.

"(He's) got to learn to dribble and pass as well."

"Shooting isn't the only thing that gets you into the Boomers, you've got to be multi-skilled."

You can read more about Cedar and the Crocs in the Townsville Bulletin.

Also, don't forget about our banner competition. It's your turn Melbourne!

Fast And Furious At Xmas For The Crocs

YOU can trust me when I say there will not be too many eggnogs going down the hatch of Crocodiles' players and coaching staff in the next couple of days.

The fact is if we want to be serious NBL championship contenders, the Crocodiles' yule time celebrating will need to be as speedy and efficient as Santa's house visits.

Yes, we'll all endeavour to have an enjoyable time with family and friends, but the second the clock strikes midnight on Friday, it will be back to business as usual.

After we fell to a pair of disappointing losses last weekend, particularly to the Sydney Spirit, the Christmas-New Year period takes on huge importance for us.

Take our eyes off the ball for a second by getting overly caught up in the festive spirit and all of a sudden you can be free-falling down the ladder.

That's the reality of this time of year – I have seen it happen before to many teams – and with the NBL as close as ever this season, the repercussions could be as deadly.

One win or one loss could be the difference between battling for third and fourth spot – which guarantees a home final – or potentially missing out on the finals altogether. With 10 games to go in the 2008/09 regular season, we're determined to avoid the latter.

Townsville in particular have a lot of games over this holiday period, starting with the always difficult road trip to Perth on Boxing Day for a December 27 clash.

We then head home to The Swamp to battle NBL leaders the South Dragons.

They are two difficult assignments, particularly travelling to Challenge Stadium where we haven't produced the greatest record in recent times.

Our last game there in November saw us on the end of a 37-point hammering.

But the reality is, if we want to be considered one of the better teams – up there with South, New Zealand, Melbourne, Perth – we need to be able to win these tough games.

These are the sides we will be playing in the playoffs and hopefully challenging for the NBL championship trophy, so rather than fear the trips, I see them as a positive.

We have already proven we can beat these teams when we are playing at our best, so if we can repeat the dose, it can act as a real momentum builder.

Although I have indicated the team will brush over Christmas, I think our day away from the court tomorrow will have its benefits to the remainder of our campaign also.

I'll still be thinking about basketball – that just comes with the job – but sitting around with family, ripping into some ham and pulling out the bat and ball for some backyard cricket all proves a nice distraction – a mental refresher. The key, as I said, is to enjoy it but not get too distracted.

You cn read my article every Wednesday in the Townsville Bulletin.

Teamwork Is What Is Needed

JUST a few weeks ago, the Crocs were 4-7 and heading into arguably their toughest portion this season's NBL schedule.

It has to be said, things were looking pretty dismal.

Fast forward to today and we are riding a five-game winning streak going into tonight's game against the Adelaide 36ers. What has been the driving force behind this remarkable turnaround?

I think it would be difficult to pinpoint one thing, but I will give you the run down on a few things that may have helped.

First, as with any team that goes through a form slump, the Crocs held a (for lack of a better term) `crisis meeting'.

The results of meetings of this nature can go one of two ways.

Players either take to heart the messages being sent their way and you start to see improvement or they get increasingly frustrated with the situation and end up capitulating.

Fortunately, for us, our guys took on board the message that was being sent.
The timing of our slump was another thing working in our favour. It was still relatively early in the season and, in a competition as close as this year's NBL appears to be, we had plenty of time to turn the ship around.

It would be hard for anyone who has watched us play our past five games to argue the team is not showing a greater improvement in our urgency and teamwork.

It is amazing how just a little teamwork makes everyone look better.

But I think we know that we are not out of the woods yet. The Crocs have already seen their share of highs and lows – we are only halfway through the season.

And, again, in a competition this close it is important that we keep our eye on the prize. We must continue to approach our upcoming games in the same way we have our last five. We must continue to work as a team. We do much more damage with a well-rounded attack instead of relying on one or two players to get the job done.

Our more recent contributions have been very even across the board and it does not take a genius to figure out that it becomes a lot more difficult to stop 10 guys than two.

It is also great for team morale to have everyone putting in a helping hand. Everyone feels like they put something towards the success and it spills over and makes our day-to-day routine easier.

Our attitude at practice has picked up dramatically as the winning streak has gone into full swing.

Everyone is enjoying practice and getting stuck into it because they know they will be rewarded come game time. But momentum can disappear as quickly as it comes and we are not in a position to start taking our foot off the accelerator.

You can find my column in the Townsville Bulletin every Wednesday.

World Wide Web And My Teammates

Which Crocs players has a thing for fire hydrants? Read below to find out.

I can see no benefit in rehashing the Croc’s on-court performances of late. I think it is safe to say that it speaks for itself. I guess this week I am going to have to search a little deeper for some subject material.

I, like anyone, spend a little time on the computer and I consider myself somewhat of a master of ‘Google’. So I thought why not use this fabulous tool to dig up a little goss on my teammates. The following is what I found.

For a New York minute I believed Kelvin Robertson was making a little noise as a budding artist in the extra time he has between hoops and being a registered pharmacist. Now that would be impressive! However, upon further investigation into the website that bares his name, it turns out that there is another Kelvin Robertson with talent in the world. Maybe between the two of them, they can come up with one good joke.

Next I thought I would dig a little into Cameron Tovey’s life since he is new and I need to know a little about who I am surrounded by. Cameron Heath Tovey began his colourful life in Penang, Malaysia where he was born. Cam spent a year over in the US college system where I was fortunate enough to run across a bio in which he named counting fire hydrants as one of his hobbies. Now my first thought was that this kid may have an issue or two, but I have since developed a little theory on this behavior. I reckon this fire hydrant counting is just a guise for hitting the pavement in search of a new hairdresser. It would explain everything in my eyes!

I discovered that another new kid on the block, Anthony Susnjara, has spent time playing basketball in Iceland. Unfortunately as I was trying to find out more about his experience there, the best I could come up with was a You Tube interview which only showed me that most males in Icelend rocked beards. My guess is that in the frozen north, this beard may serve more for function than fashion. What I need to ask Sus is whether he saw the occasional women go with the same look.

Next Wikepedia tried to tell me that Daniel Egan was the Mayor of Sydney in the 1850’s. Now I knew Eges has been around the NBL for awhile, but I couldn’t fall for that one. Who would want to be Mayor anyway, when you are already the one and only “The Fan Man”.

Rosell Ellis has an entire page of quotes for all of us to live by and learn from. Sorry ladies, the Love Doctor’s quotes have been dedicated to his first love, basketball.

Sharp shooter Brad Williamson has mentioned to me in passing that he is qualified welder. Brad failed to mention that he was also selling real estate in Canada. Either way someone could get burned if they get too close to this guy.

Alright, now is the big test. It is time to enter the name Corey “Homicide” Williams into the computer and I enter each letter with a hint of trepidation. If I was to believe everything this guy tells me about himself, I’m just not sure if my outdated little laptop is ready for the workload that is about to be thrust upon it. Here goes,…

Just as I expected, there is trouble. All I get is a message across my screen stating that entering this name has tipped the World Wide Web over the edge. It can take it no more, all systems have shut down. It appears that Corey “Homicide” Williams has claimed yet another victim.

RIP www.

Alright, that’s enough scoop from me for this week. Happy surfing and I hope to see you at the Swamp on Saturday as we take on the Wollongong Hawks.

You can read my weekly article in the Townsville Bulletin every Wednesday.

This week's episode of "The OT" is coming. It will be up and running sometime tomorrow. This week's guest is the NBL's player of the month, New Zealand's Kirk Penney.

Crocs Have Plenty Of Room To Improve

I have gone back to the basics and have been using the "Smart Ball" to find my groove.

Well, so far the Crocs are four games into the season and are off to a flier with a record of 3-1. After a disappointing first up loss to Adelaide, we have strung three solid wins together and the most exciting thing is that there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Kelvin Robertson, now a 200 game veteran, has come out of the blocks strong and has been our most consistent player to date. After being a teammate of Kelvin’s for the past four seasons I can see the difference in his game and most importantly his self confidence. He has always had the tools to be a match winner, as he demonstrated last Saturday night. The difference is now I think he can see it himself.

The reunion of former Sydney Kings Russell Hinder and Cameron Tovey has also been productive for the Crocs thus far.

I think these guys are relishing the freedom Coach Trevor Gleeson allows them and have taken it upon themselves to stamp their impact on the game.

Hinder has built a reputation for his defense, hustle and rebounding but the guy can also knock down the open shot. This was one facet of his game that was grossly underutilized in Sydney.

A big guy like Rusty knocking down the perimeter shot opens up the keyway for Rosell Ellis to work his magic under the basket. The next thing you know, Corey Williams has his pick of driving lanes and anyone who has seen Homocide at work knows that can be dangerous.

Cam Tovey bursting onto the scene with the Crocs has probably left many people scratching their head as to how this guy was without a job until Brad Sheridan went down with a long term injury.

The young Sandgroper adds a new dimension to the team at the defensive end. He has an uncanny ability to find the ball, whether it be on a rebound or steal. At the offensive end his slashing ability has caused our opposition headaches so far this season.

Now the rest of us need to keep up with these guys and start pulling our weight.

Don’t think that I don’t realize that I have been getting around in a coma to date. I’ve been through this before. It comes with the territory when people recognize your game by how you shoot the ball. The best part of going through a shooting ‘slump’ is coming out the other side. I always have confidence that the time I put into my shot will see me through. This is no different.

I think team mate Rosell Ellis will welcome our 13 day break as well. The rugged import has been playing through a leg injury and the break should allow him the necessary time to take care of the injury and will come back playing on two strong legs.

Much like me, I’m sure Brad Williamson and Michael Cedar are wishing more of their perimeter shots would have dropped so far. This is our bread and butter so you can’t help but be disappointed when your strength in your game lets you down.

So as you can see, a 3-1 start to our season is great for a few reasons. We are at the top end of the ladder and have plenty of room for growth as a team, which I think is very exciting.

Hopefully we are able to use this break to shake out any niggling injuries we have and to get in some extra shooting practice so that the Crocs can show what we can do when we are firing on all cylinders.

You can catch my article in the Townsville Bulletin every Wednesday.

Europe Making Noise In All Sports

Josh Childress - the guy that started the trend to Europe. Can we expect to see a 2K9 Eurobasket Game?

As many have spoken about in recent months, the NRL continues to attempt to find a way to halt the exodus of players chasing the pot of gold in Europe. Currently American basketball, specifically the NBA, is beginning to see glimpses of the same situation evolving within their competition.

Once upon a time the NBA was regarded as the pinnacle of the basketball world,…the best money and the best working conditions. This is not necessarily true today thanks largely to the struggling US dollar and a little thing called tax.

This year’s NBA off-season has sent whispers through the basketball circles as it has progressed. It began with the announcement of a handful of mid-level players opting to take up lucrative offers with various European teams. Over there, players like this can come a dime a dozen. There were no All-Stars jumping ship. The basketball talent pool is heavily populated with this caliber player and, as a result, no one really blinked an eye.

That was until last week when NBA superstars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James said they would not sign contract extensions until they heard what Europe has to offer.

Both players have said publicly that they would look at European offers if any matched the $50 million USD they currently receive. And yes, teams in Greece and Russia are interested at this price.

This $50 million would also be taken straight to the bank,…in full. These clubs pay the tax any player incurs, as well as paying for accommodation and transportation.

Meanwhile in the NBA these guys pay their own tax (which by the way is enough for you and I to live on comfortably for quite some time) and the rest of the deal is up to them,…car(s), house(s),…everything. Doesn’t seem like much of a decision, does it?

Europe will undoubtedly put up a formidable fight for some of these high profile NBA players. However, I look for the NBA to quickly act by changing their collective bargaining agreement with the players. If successful in resolving this quickly and keeping their players happy at home, I look for this to be a passing trend and idle threat. At best, the overseas market will continue to poach those mid-rangers, but the big fish will stay in the home pond.

The Americans will do whatever it takes to keep the NBA at the top of the basketball world. If it means moving the goal posts a little, so be it. They will simply find a way to make it happen.

In a way, I liken this battle to parenting a head-strong child. You can enter into a stand-off and flex your muscles, which usually ends with emotional decisions and rebellion. Or you can recognize that maybe some concessions and changes probably need to be made for the good of keeping the family unit strong and in tact. As an authority figure, you just do your best to stay one step ahead in each potential patch of turbulence.

The point I am trying to make is that I think the NRL can learn something from the way this NBA saga pans out, especially if they wish to remain the premier rugby league competition in the world. If they don’t make some type of change soon, their rugby league family will disintegrate before their eyes.

You can read my article every Saturday in the Townsville Bulletin.

Olympics - It's A Special Time

I feel sorry for the athletes that miss out on this life time memory. I was in the middle there somewhere. (Athens Olympics Opening Ceremony)

In less than a week the world’s largest sporting event, the Olympic Games, will be in full swing. In case you have been hiding under a rock, this year’s games will be held in Beijing and begin next Friday, running over the next two weeks.

It was just four short years ago that I was about to have my own experience in Athens and I completely understand athletes talking about it being a life changing experience.

The first thing I remember is the moment I realized I had made the Olympic team. I was in Melbourne practicing with the team in preparation for the event when a member of Australia Post showed up to present all team members with their own stamp. Not a bad start.

When we finally arrived in Greece, the Opening Ceremony was upon us before we knew it. There is not better word to describe being a part of this than AMAZING! Outside of winning a medal (which we obviously didn’t do) this would have to be the biggest buzz of my Olympic experience.

The minute you enter the stadium, 100,000 people are screaming all around you. You cannot help but get lost in the emotion. You wave frantically to absolutely no one in particular. Somehow it feels like everyone has known one another for years.

After I finished my lap of stranger waving, I spent the next few hours star-gazing as the rest of the countries made their way into the stadium. No matter which way you looked, there were world class athletes and I was going to get a chance to rub shoulders with them over the next two weeks.

Once the Opening Ceremony came to a close all our energy was channeled towards the first game. I will never forget the atmosphere surrounding that game. We opened up against the host nation as 12,000 crazed Greek fans cheered for their team.

One of my favourite perks that came with being an Olympic athlete was being allowed to watch as many of the world class athletes compete as you could fit in. I managed to see the gold medal game for the Hockeyroos, Alicia Molik take bronze and the women’s basketball team, the Opals, win silver.

The Olympic Village is another memory that ranks high on my list of favourites. The dining hall, in particular, was a great place to waste time. I could sit there for hours and people watch. One minute 7’6 Chinese basketball player Yao Ming is sitting at the next table. The next sprinters Maurice Green and Ato Boldon are asking if anyone is using an extra chair at your table.

I could go on about my experiences for pages and pages. There is little doubt that when next Friday rolls around a piece of me will be wishing I was in Beijing reliving the old experiences and creating new ones.

On the other hand it is great to know that there will be many first time athletes there enjoying the same things I did.

Let me reassure you that over the next few weeks, when you hear an athlete commenting about how they are having the experience of a life time at the Games, nothing could be more true.

You can read my article every Saturday in the Townsville Bulletin.