Heal Signs With Blaze, Dmac To The Bullets?

Grab a coke and a smile, Dmac is back in the league...maybe!

Shane Heal has signed with the Gold Coast Blaze. Finally the speculation has ended and Heal will resume his career as a player only.

The Blaze have only one spot left to fill on their roster now. I will be very interested to see who they sign here, especially when they still have an import spot up their sleeve.

I have heard Bobby Brannen's name thrown around but I just cannot see where he fits on the roster. Already signed are Ben Melmeth, Pero Cameron, Scott MacGregor and Casey Frank in the "big" man department.

Adding Brannen will leave someone disappointed with their playing time. I would love to see Brannen and Cameron go one on one in the low block though. No ball would be required for that match up.

I will say though, Coach Brendon Joyce usually picks up the right person to fit the team.

Also making news today is Darryl MacDonald is seriously thinking of playing for Brisbane.

If Dmac feels as though his body can manage another year this would be a great signing by the Bullets. Dmac would be able to help groom young point guard Adam Gibson.

At the end of the day, Dmac knows his body the best and that is what he has to weigh up right now. Can he deliver another season on the hardwood before he moves to the bench to coach?

My gut feeling is he will take the offer. If you cast your memory back to all those interviews during the playoffs asking him about his retirement, I felt a lot of his answers had room for movement if the right situation arose.

Is Brisbane the right situation? Sure it is. He will definitely make them a better team this year and then the Bullets are willing to give him two years as a assistant coach.

Time will team if my gut is feeling good. Welcome to the Sunshine State Dmac!

It's all happening in the NBL world today. Jason Smith is taking the Sydney Kings to court.

This is all over a pay dispute that built up over the course of the season. I'm looking forward to next Friday, just to see how this one turns out.

It could get ugly though!

Where are they now? Former NBL player Vince Kelly is loving life in the west.

State Side News:
The Hornets go up 3-2 on Spurs. David West goes for 38.

Pistons reach sixth straight conference final. Billups sits out again.

NBA Rookie Teams

D'Antoni officially introduced as the Knicks head coach.

Larry Legend in court over the use of his name.

Big Shot Bob is the All Time leader in playoff games played. Congrats.

Around The ABA

SOMETHING LeBron!

Here are the weekly boxscores of all things ABA.

Queensland: Blair Smith is getting the hang of this player/coach thing. Logs 46 minutes.

Waratah: Someone please tell me that is Butch Hays Jr playing for Maitland!

Big V: New Tiger Young Australian Player (YAP) Daniel Johnson goes off for 66. That is a Big V scoring record.

SEABL: Anthony Stewart drops 41. No chance he will be a YAP.

South Australia: Rupert Sapwell's Norwood Flames have an offensive explosion of 122 points. How many were bank 3's?

Western Australia: Geraldton have another solid win. The memories of Ben Pepper keep fading with each sunset.

NBL News:
CJ Bruton and Dillon Boucher finally ink their deals with the New Zealand Breakers. Although Bruton signed for three years, the Kiwi's should get nervous after two.

Shane Heal is close to signing with the Gold Coast Blaze. They had some good meetings last week.

Crocs sign Williamson (B-Rad). Hope he likes #6 as it already has Williamson (Drew) on it.

Kiwi Nick Horvath signs with the South Dragons.

Dunking machine Pero Vasiljevic could be back in the league.

State Side:
Cavs tie series up (2-2) against the Celtics.

Daily Dime

The NBA draft is closing in on us. Mike Beasley was considered a lock for number 1. Not any more. Check out ESPN's Chad Ford and see how he believes it will go down.

All-Defensive team named.

Suns in the dark about who will coach them now.

The Original "Birdman" is back in the NBA. Chris Andersen has done his time and is now ready to move on with his life.

USC in some hot water.

Russell and Garnett Chat

Women Welcome

It is LJ's game that makes her #1!

After posting a little snippet on Penny Talyor yesterday I realized that I have never given too much ink to the women of this great game.

Today I'm going to name my 5 top Aussie women players. I look forward to reading some of the comments about my five.

Number 1 without doubt is Lauren Jackson. Jackson may go down in history as the best ever, let alone her own country.

I first saw Jackson play at an under 16 national championship in Sydney. You could see she had the killer mentality you need to be successful.

From there she has continued to develop and improve her game over the years. At 6'5 Jackson can do it all. Take opponents down low or step outside. Jackson is the complete package. I guess that's why she has won several WNBA MVP's and led her country to medals on the international stage.

Currently Jackson is a hired gun and travels the world all year round playing hoops. I just hope this 27 year old does not burn herself out. Australia needs her fresh for the Olympics.

Number 2 goes to Michele Timms, a true pioneer for women's basketball in this country. Timms holds the title of first Australian player (male or female) to take their game overseas to another professional league.
All those girls that travel the world and make some good money have Timms to thank.

For her persistence Timms was rewarded with a bronze medal at the Atlanta Olympics and silver in Sydney. Bronze in Atlanta was the first medal won by any Aussie basketball team at an Olympics. Since Atlanta the women's team has gone on to become the number one team in the world.

Timms has remained in the game since retiring from playing. She is currently the assistant coach for Tom Maher and the Chinese women's national team.

Number 3 is Penny Taylor. I just love the way she plays the game and it was never more evident than when she led the Phoenix Mercury to the WNBA title last year.

Blessed with great athleticism, Taylor's game utilizes this God given talent. Whether it is going coast to coast or slashing to the hoop, Taylor is a nightmare to match up against. Most of all, it is her nose for the ball the impresses me. I'm surprised at how many loose balls she comes up with.

Often considered Robin to Jackson's Batman, Taylor herself can single handedly take over a game. Slowly but surely Jaskson's shadow is becoming smaller.

What a luxury Jan Stirling has when she can look up and call a play for one of these two players.

I'm looking for Taylor to have an MVP Olympics in Beijing.

Number 4 is a Queenslander. Sandie Brondello was right on Timms' heels as far as heading overseas. She took off to Germany to start a professional career.

This two guard played most of her ball overseas, so she does not get the credit she deserves in Australian circles.

Back in my Brisbane Bullets playing days, Brondello would be at Auchenflower Stadium working on her game. Let me tell you, it was no "slap ass" session. She won my respect from that time on and I followed her career closely.

A true gamebreaker, Brondello could string consecutive tough baskets together to rip the heart out of an opposing team.

Her playing career ended after the Athens Olympics but Brondello remains in the game as an assistant coach in the WNBA.

Number 5 goes to Jo Hill. Jo makes my list because I had the chance to see her in action on a regular basis when I played in Adelaide, but she also has a few items of note on her CV.

WNBL titles, national team honours and many years overseas are just a few of the things Hill has achieved during her playing career.

The athletic small forward is erratic at times but has the ability to make a play that no one else on the court could. Hill has the ability to get her shot off at any time because she is able to simply elevate over most defenders.

Hill still plays in the South Australian ABA Conference with the North Adelaide Rockets.

Other News:
Adam Tanner signs with the Bullets. The Victorian born Tanner has been playing for Denver University for the past two years. I've actually seen video of this guy and I'm thinking Axel Dench.

Although he has not signed yet, CJ Bruton will move to New Zealand to lead them to their maiden championship. Good luck CJ.

Here is a Q & A with AJ Ogilvy.

Castro (Jason) getting more pub than the other Castro (Fidel)!

There is not enough room for two Vanderjagt's in the NBL. The younger (David) will continue to play in the USA at Western Washington University.

My mail has Ebi Ere signing with the Dragons SOON!

Utah Jazz need OT to level the series at 2-2 against the LA Lakers.

Spurs knot it up at two apiece.

Other Bloggers:
Check out DJ Leon Smith and his old interview with Andrew Gaze about Dancing with the Stars. Also check out a Melbourne blogger, Best Off Ground. He talks about the history of NBL basketball in Melbourne.

Another College Scandal...This Time OJ Mayo

Bits and Pieces

Penny Taylor - giving up the cabbage for gold (read below)

It seems that former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will be introduced as the New York Knicks coach as soon as the two parties dot the "i's" and cross the "t's".

The timing is right for D'Antoni to pull up stumps and move on. He has squeezed the most out of the Suns roster. They are on the decline and capped out, plus GM Steve Kerr believed that defense needed more emphasis.

By moving to the Knicks D'Antoni gets a fresh start and a GM, Donnie Walsh, that believes in his system.

The Knicks have been poor of late but the roster does have some talent (Marbury, Crawford, Randolp, Curry, Lee) so if D'Antoni can get them to play with some Knick passion, he will seem like a super coach. D'Antoni has been smart in his choice. Get the Knicks to the playoffs and his status as a coach is validated.

Good luck to him because many have come before him and failed.

While one NBA coaches, Rick Carlisle signs a four year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. I will be watching this move closely as Carlisle is known for his defensive mindedness. The Mavs have a lot of offensive talent on the roster, so it will be interesting to see how Carlisle handles this.

One thing in his favour is he seems to get good results with veteran teams. Remember with the Pistons and the Pacers he had success.

The Detroit Pistons take a 3-1 lead over the Orlando Magic. Even with Chauncey Billups sidelined due to injury, the Pistons did not miss a beat.

Although the Pistons were tested in the 1st round by the 76ers, this series will be done in five games.

The Cleveland Cavaliers got one back on the Boston Celtics to trail 2-1 in the series. A strong first half saw the Cavs go into the lockerroom up by seventeen.

The Celtics could not mount any type of second half fight back. The Cavs ended up winning by 24.

Argentina's NBA players will be in Beijing. They are the defending gold medalists and will go close to winning again in my opinion.

A good piece on the demise of Baylor University five years ago. A look at it from a different angle.

Former NBL player Ben Thompson has a "little, big" fan. The former Bullet, Razorback, Breaker, Wildcat (sorry if I forgot anyone) now plays for the Rockhampton Rockets in the ABA league.

Boti Nagy gives us his thoughts on Shane Heal and the Blaze.

AHM....Wollongong Hawks have a major sponsor.

Pat Mills goes back to where it all began. Good to see.

Penny Taylor (one of the few women players I enjoy watching) will forgo the WNBA season to concentrate on the Olympics. WOW, this is great for the women's team as they defend the gold in Beijing. I wish Penny and the team all the best in their quest.

What I'm Working On Tomorrow

Athletes Need To Keep Focus

Can you believe there are only 90 days until we are all watching the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics? If you are an athlete participating in these games, this is not long at all. This is the time when it is all work,..heads down with your eye on the prize.

It was just four short years ago that I was going through Olympic preparations myself.
I remember sitting in a conference room on the Gold Coast listening to ambassadors, who happen to be former Olympic medalists, commissioned by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to speak to athletes about what to expect from the ‘Olympic experience’.

What a great concept. Knowledge like this is priceless, especially to a rookie Olympian. I remember Michael Wendon (swimming) talking to us about how he prepared himself for the distractions that surrounded him in the Olympic village and how doing so allowed him to be successful in the pool. Others shared their experiences and spoke on the common thread of self discipline.

Talk about leaving the room pumped. I was ready to board the plane right then and there. Watch out world, here comes the skinny basketball player from Toowoomba, Australia. The thing is, I wasn’t even officially on the team yet!

At this stage of the game, it can be easy to get ahead of yourself, especially if you are competing in a team sport. Many of these athletes are still waiting to hear whether or not their names are on that finalized list.

Once you finally get the official nod, the schedule only gets more intense in the home stretch. There are functions, dinners and appearances that become constant time fillers until you board the plane for the Games.

Those previous Olympians were absolutely right. It could be very easy to find distractions and get lost in all the celebrating and congratulating.

Over the next 3 months, it will be important for these athletes to give themselves time to reflect on their accomplishment and on all the work and sacrifice they have made to get to this point. However, the ultimate reward still lies before them. It is imperative that this praise be balanced with the reality that the most important stage is still to come.

For me, my mind wondered to that game winning shot that would give Australia its first medal in men’s basketball. Ok,…so my dream didn’t go to plan, especially since you have to actually be on the court to hit any game winning shots.

But I wouldn’t trade my Olympic experience in Athens for anything. I would love to be a position one day that allows me the platform where I can help other athletes maximize their experience at what is the pinnacle of sport around the world.

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

When Is Too Young?

12y/o Wunda Kid, Michael Avery

In the USA a eighth grader has been offered a scholarship to Kentucky! A university and the kid has not spent a day in high school yet.

These are the times we live in and nothing really surprises me anymore, but what would you do if this was your child?

I'm a proud parent of three kids and already the eldest thinks he will be a dual sportsman and he is only seven. It is great for kids to have these dreams and aspirations at such a young age because it gives them something to strive for over time.

Accepting a scholarship at a major university before you have even stepped foot into high school, I don't think so.

It is great that Michael Avery has begun receiving such interest but a lot of water has to run under his bridge before college comes around.

As a parent what would I do?

I would let my son know that this is a very flattering situation but you are a long way off college still and a lot of things can change and come into play. If the child's basketball keeps developing Kentucky will always be there waiting. They will not go anywhere so when the time is right to commit, you accept the scholarship.

The way college sport is these days the situation you are committing to now may change numerous times before you enter your dorm room. The coach that you think you will be playing for may have moved on.

Think of the taunting your child will be greeted with every time he goes near a basketball during his high school days. By making a commitment to a university you are putting a huge bullseye on the child. This is something they can do without during those impressionable teenage years. Your "wunda kid" will be expected to produce the goods everytime he steps on the court because he is that "kid" going to Kentucky.

Last but not least, what about the child's overall feelings about this. The child may just be enjoying the sport with his friends or it is a social activity more then anything. Remember, this child is only 12.
I can hear some parents saying, "my child lives and breathes the sport". I have at least one of those and maybe more so I feel this should be an easy "sell" to the kid.

By committing to one place you are closing the door on a lot of other potential options down the track. If you are that good the door will always be open.

Oh how easy it is to sit here and write this when the real situation is not you. When it is your child in a great and exciting situation such as this, emotion will play a part in it all. That is what you have to be able to alleviate.

I just hope if my family has a decision to make such as this wise heads will prevail.

For anyone that does not know about Kentucky basketball, it would be like comparing a rugby league kid being recruited by the Broncos. An opportunity that you dream of.

NBA News:
Celtics have LeBron in cuffs. Paul and Parker go at it. Kobe unanimous. Fisher is the glue! 23c pizzas. D'Antoni striking while the irons hot. Did Dunlap make the right move?

Sir Charles Gets Setup

Mailman Has Not Always Delivered

Mailman looking after Horry's family better than his?

Wow, just when you thought a guy could ride off into the sunset, Karl "the Mailman" Malone has resurfaced in the media for the wrong reasons.

Malone has been the centre of a media attack since his biological son got drafted in the NFL. Demetrius Bell was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills.

The twist to this story has Malone taking no responsibility for his child, Bell, since he was born.

I'm not here to argue whether Malone has done the right thing by rejecting his son but why all of a sudden has the media taken an interest to the story now. Why wasn't this news worthy when this kid was in say high school?

To me it seems that the media is trying to paint Malone as a cold hearted person. This is probably true because I don't know how someone could leave one of their own to pursue life without a father figure.

BUT, when I last checked the Mailman was not playing in the Father of the Year League. I believe all to often athletes are asked to live squeaky clean lives. Is there anyone out there that can say they have lead such a pure life?

An example of what I'm talking about. Today I went and met with my accountant. Now I go there for the guy to get me a tax refund. I have no need to know the inner details of his personal life. It does not effect me or our business relationship. I go there to get his best accounting advice, not anything else.

Athletes on the otherhand are suppose to be these super humans who never mess up.

Now the Mailman should be a first time ballot Hall of Famer. I believe he still will be but there will be critics out there that say otherwise due to these findings about Malone and his younger days. His basketball career becomes tarnished by something that has no bearing on his performance in the workplace.

I always admired Malone from a distance for the way he played the game and he seemed to have a tireless work ethic. So why now should I think differently of his basketball skills just because he didn't live life the way some else wanted him to.

We all make mistakes in life and I just hope we remember Karl Malone for the special deliveries he made on the court, not the house calls he made in his younger days.

If you would like to get a different point of view on this, check out DJ Leon Smith and see his thoughts on Karl Malone and Kobe.

NBA News:
Knicks and Bulls fighting over coach? Lakers go two up on Jazz. Magic get one back on Pistons. Mr Big Shot injured.

NBL News:
Bullets go from razzle, dazzle to blue collar. Anstey to be Boomers captain? Hodge will stay with 36ers if NBA doesn't call.

Karl Malone skit on The Man Show